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Banditry: Tension in North as groups plan shutdown of states

Published

3 years ago

December 17, 2021

*Recruit special forces to fight bandits, Tambuwal tells FG

*Plans to deboard schools in Sokoto

Following the escalating insecurity in North west states, Sokoto State chapter of the Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has given the Federal Government three months within which to resolve the security situation in the zone or face mass action.

Criminal activities, ranging from banditry, kidnapping to armed robbery, had escalated in the north west, resulting in the killing of hundreds of people.

The ultimatum came even as North-West Governors’ Forum said in its meeting on Wednesday that to have a banditry-free society, all stakeholders must show commitment at fighting the menace, and stop playing the blame game.

This is even as Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal asked the Federal Government to recruit special forces to fight bandits in their enclaves in the forest.

Recruit special forces — Tambuwal

He also disclosed plans to deboard all schools in the state until the security situation was resolved.

Rising from a one-day stakeholders meeting in Sokoto yesterday, the coalition in a communique issued at the end of the meeting, said it had mobilised youths in states in north west to ground activities in the zone until government dealt with the problem of banditry and other violent crimes.Coordinator of CNG in the state, Isah Jabbi Usman, also blamed the activities of the outlawed volunteer vigilantes groups, known as Yan Sakai for the escalation of violence in most parts of the north western states.

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He lamented the escalating insecurity, particularly in Sokoto and called for immediate action to address the situations once and for all.

The group faulted both the federal and state governments for not acting promptly to tame the situation at its initial stage.

‘’We hereby place the authorities on notice that if the killings and abductions are not significantly or totally controlled within the next three months, mass action would be called that will not prelude occupying all towns in all the frontline states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja,’’ Usman said.Similarly, the North-Western Governor’s Forum challenged stakeholders in the zone to show commitment to the efforts to wipe out banditry in the north west.

Chairman of the Forum, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, who threw the challenge when he led a delegation of the Forum on a condolence visit to Senator Aliyu Wamakko (APC-Sokoto) in Abuja yesterday over the burning of over 40 persons in a bus by bandits in Sokoto last week said: “We were in Sokoto State earlier to sympathise with the government and immediate families of those who were brutally killed in the name of banditry.

“The issue of banditry in north western part of the country is not beyond us. We know the problem and the solutions are something we as a people are capable of providing.

“This will be, provided that all of us take responsibility and stop the blame game. Banditry, especially our own in the north western part of the country, can easily be dealt with, if all hands are put on deck.

“This is because it has no religious coloration, no ethnic coloration, it is not ideological. It is simply pure criminality.’’

While acknowledging that the Nigerian Police had limitations in fighting insecurity, Masari said security agencies required technologies to effectively tackle the challenge.

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“We in the north western governor’s forum together with the governors of Plateau, Nasarawa and Niger are working with the Federal Government to come up with strategies and solutions,’’ he said.

Tambuwal on deboarding schools

Meanwhile, Governor Tambuwal said the state government was looking into the possibility of deboarding all boarding secondary schools in the state, pending when the security situation improved.

Tambuwal, who disclosed this in a media chat with journalists said the decision to deboard the schools was a result of constant and continued attacks by bandits and other criminal groups terrorising the state.“This situation calls for specialised approach with a holistic support from community groups, religious leaders and other individuals to tackle.”

On his part, Masari expressed his condolences to Sokoto state on the recent attacks by bandits, noting that measures are being put in place to address the situation.

“Bandits behave worse than animals in view of the atrocities they perpetrate; people need to protect themselves.

“Police and other security personnel are inadequate, so we shall not wait for those barbaric bandits to maim and kill people at random,” he said.

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“We shall confront them and deal with them the way they are supposed to be dealt with. It is no longer a blame game, rather we shall shun political differences to support authorities on containing the situation.

”The governor also said the state government was looking into the possibility of deboarding all boarding secondary schools in the state, pending when the security situation improved.

Tambuwal, who disclosed this in a media chart with practising journalists in the state, said the decision to deboard the schools was a result of constant and continued attacks by bandits and other criminal groups terrorising the state.

He said the launching of operation Hadarin Daji by the Nigeria Armed forces had made Sokoto State vulnerable to attacks by fleeing bandits from Zamfara State, adding that the state had made available all needed assistance to the security agencies in the state, with a view to containing the activities of criminal gangs.

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Related Topics:banditry Featured North Shutdown tension

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DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

Published

1 hour ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

Nigeria’s security and intelligence agencies have launched an investigation into how Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central attended the recent Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting in New York without official nomination.

According to a report by Premium Times, officials from the Department of State Service (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) are reportedly examining the circumstances surrounding her attendance, including who facilitated her participation, how she obtained accreditation, and whether her presence was intended to embarrass the Nigerian government.

The investigation follows concerns that the senator did not receive official clearance from the Nigerian Senate to represent the country at the IPU event on March 11.

According to the IPU’s regulations, participation is generally restricted to official delegates nominated by their respective national parliaments, with details submitted in advance for accreditation. While some individuals may attend as observers, this typically requires explicit approval from both the IPU and the home country’s delegation.

At the meeting, Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan raised concerns about her recent suspension from the Nigerian Senate, describing it as a politically motivated move aimed at silencing her. She also made allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In response, IPU President Tulia Ackson stated that the organization would investigate the matter while also considering the Nigerian Senate’s perspective.

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However, Nigerian delegate Kafilat Ogbara, who chairs the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, challenged Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims, presenting a letter from Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele. The letter stated that the senator’s suspension was due to violations of Senate standing rules rather than retaliation for her statements against Mr. Akpabio.

During a plenary session last Thursday, Mr. Bamidele questioned the legitimacy of Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s attendance at the IPU event, emphasizing that the IPU operates based on established protocols.

“So, if for any reason one of our colleagues, who was not even supposed to be there, found her way to the place, sat on the seat meant for Nigeria, and spoke for herself rather than for Nigeria, you know, that’s another issue altogether,” he stated.

Similarly, Jimoh Ibrahim, chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Activities, issued a statement on Friday asserting that Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan had no official authorization to represent Nigeria at the IPU meeting.

Sources indicate that the DSS and NIA’s inquiry is examining whether Mrs. Akpoti-Uduaghan obtained unauthorized credentials or was assisted by external facilitators in securing her participation. Investigators are also looking into whether her presence violated IPU regulations or Nigeria’s parliamentary protocols.

Additionally, the probe aims to determine if her statements at the meeting misrepresented Nigeria’s official position and whether any individuals or organizations played a role in facilitating her attendance without the government’s knowledge.

It remains unclear how the security agencies will act once their findings are concluded.

DSS, NIA probe Natasha Akpoti’s attendance at IPU meeting

metro

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

Published

1 hour ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Works David Umahi

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

The Federal Government has explained why it awarded the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Hitech Construction Company Ltd.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, made the explanation during an inspection tour of the highway project in Lagos on Saturday.

“Some people say that it didn’t go through a competitive bidding.

“I want to explain this: we have three types of procurement allowed by law,” he said.

Umahi listed the three types as restrictive procurement, selective/competitive bidding, and open bidding.

“When we started this project, we asked for companies that have up to five wirtgne concrete paver.

“You will agree with me that until we started this, the concrete paver was not common in Nigeria as it is today.

“We had to look for a company that had done this kind of project before, and that is Hitech.”

He noted that Hitech reconstructed the Oworonshoki Apapa Road.

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“We saw that they got it right; so, we called them on Section 1.

“Then, we used restrictive bidding, which we sent to BPP (Bureau for Public Procurement) and we sent to the Federal Executive Council and they looked at it and corrected where they should and passed it accordingly.

“When other companies started bringing in some equipment, because they saw that Ministry of Works is insisting, especially where we have high water table, that we must use concrete, they started to bring in concrete equipment,” he said.

Umahi said that the Federal Government consequently opened Section 2 of the project to selective bidding and selected some companies and they bid.

He said that Hitech won the bidding for Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.

The minister said that in Section 3A and 3B, the same thing happened.

“We have not gone outside the law, we have not gone outside the Procurement Act.”

He emphasised that President Bola Tinubu did not recommend any company for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project.

“ I want to say that there is no corruption in it. It is very transparent,” Umahi added.

Why we awarded Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project to Hitech – Dave Umahi

metro

Corps member alleges threats over viral video criticising Tinubu gov’t

Published

2 hours ago

March 16, 2025

Trends Admin

Corps member alleges threats over viral video criticising Tinubu gov’t

A corps member serving in Lagos State has alleged that she is receiving threatening messages after publicly criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a viral video, the corps member, identified on TikTok as @talktoraye, voiced her frustration over Nigeria’s worsening economic situation, particularly the rising cost of living.

She questioned the government’s response to inflation and lamented how the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program has not been financially sustainable for her, as her expenses far exceed her allowance.

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She said: “If a lot of Nigerians come out and start speaking about what we are going through, maybe changes will be made in the government. I just want to say to our president, I don’t know if there is any other president that is as terrible as you, but you are such a terrible president.”

The corps member recounted her shock at the soaring prices of essential goods, including a crate of eggs now selling for N6,500, a significant jump from previous prices. She also complained about skyrocketing utility bills and transportation costs, describing them as unsustainable.

Following the video’s circulation, she claimed to have received calls from an NYSC official, who allegedly pressured her to take down the post.

In a subsequent video, she shared a recording of one such call, during which an official reportedly scolded her, saying: “Are you normal? Keep quiet and bring down the video you posted.”

As of now, the NYSC has not issued an official response to these allegations.