Bandits went on the rampage in many villages of Zamfara State on Thursday, killing at least 60 people.
Some of the affected communities are Kurfa Danya, Kurfa Magaji Rafin Gero, Tungar Isa and Barayar Zaki in Bukkuyum and Anka local government areas of the state.
A resident said, “They came in large numbers and on motorbikes firing at residents and torching residential houses and food stores. The residents, especially women and children, scampered to safety.
“Some of them are taking refuge in Bukkuyum local government area and some other relatively safer communities. The whereabouts of dozens of other residents are still unknown. Up to the wee hours of Thursday, displaced persons were massing up in Nassarawa Burkullu community. Some of them sustained serious injuries from gunshots.”
The attacks come after a dreaded bandit leader Turji released over 50 captives in what was seen as a peace move.
Residents further said the remains of those killed are being picked for burial. They said a lot of people are afraid to go to deep inside bushes to recover the bodies of the slain persons.
“A bandits’ leader known as Shehu Bayade is the spearhead of deadly raids, kidnappings and cattle rustling in communities in Anka, Bukkuyum and Gummi local government areas of the state.
“We believe Turji and his boys were invited by Shehu Bayade to that forest. This is because, in their own thinking, making the vast forest their abode would make their detection by NAF aircraft harder unlike where they had left,” he said.
Armed men loyal to Bello Turji, a terror kingpin, who were displaced by Air Force attacks on their enclaves in Fakai forest in Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara state are regrouping in another forest in western part of the state, Daily Trust gathered.
Sources familiar with matter and some other residents told our correspondent that the criminals were spotted pitching tents in Gando forest in Bukkuyum local government area of the state.
Gando is a community located near the forest and is 35km south of Bukkuyum town, the headquarters of Bukkuyum local government area of the state. The community and many other villages in the district are being literally governed by the bandits.
Spokesman for the state police command SP Muhammad Shehu could not be reached for comment up to the time of filing this report.
I saved ahead, but not up to N500,000 – Husband of late pregnant woman replies critics
Akinbobola Folajimi, the husband of a pregnant woman who died after a hospital allegedly refused to treat her without a N500,000 deposit, has responded to criticism from Arise TV host, Reuben Abati.
Abati, during a segment on Arise News, criticised Folajimi for not preparing financially ahead of his wife’s delivery, describing him as “irresponsible” for arriving at the hospital without a prior financial commitment.
He said: “The whole substance of this conversation is that, according to Mr Folajimi, when he got to Al-Salam Convalescent Centre, he was asked to deposit N500,000, and the man was saying ‘please admit my wife, I will go and look for the money’.”
“When you impregnate a woman, you can’t come at nine months and you are saying ‘just treat her, let me go and look for the money.’ There are many people who do that. They put you under pressure. Mr Folajimi behaved in an irresponsible manner.
“You had nine months to prepare. You impregnated a woman and showed up at the hospital begging for care without a deposit. That’s irresponsible,” Abati said.
Folajimi defended himself, stating that he had saved about N100,000 but didn’t have the N500,000 the hospital demanded.
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‘’With due respect, this is not my first child. When my wife was pregnant, we were taking care of her to the best of my ability and I never came public or to you to ask for you to borrow me money for antenatal or feed my children.
“Excuse me Sir, I saved money but I didn’t save up to N500, 000. I saved money for that day but they asked for N500, 000 deposit, not full payment. I didn’t have that. All the money that I could have gathered that day wouldn’t have passed N100, 000,” he said.
He questioned the moral judgment placed on him for being unable to produce the sum on the spot, asking if it’s an offense to live below N500,000 or be poor in Nigeria.
“I don’t know if it is an offence not to have up to N500, 000 when your wife is about to give birth. I don’t know if it is an offence to now live below N500, 000 but you are now saying it is the ‘’highest irresponsibility” because I don’t have N500, 000. So it is even a crime to be poor in Nigeria,” he added.
Folajimi’s wife was allegedly denied treatment at a hospital due to the clinic’s demand for a N500,000 deposit.
He rushed her to another hospital, but unfortunately, she didn’t survive.
The incident has sparked outrage online, with many calling for the hospital to be sanctioned.
The Lagos state government has begun an investigation into the incident to bring justice to Folajimi.
The hospital has denied claims of demanding money from Folajimi, stating they never had a record of the deceased in their facility.
Era of Police detaining suspects for weeks gone – Falana
The foremost Human Rights Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana SAN has said that it is no longer permissible for the police to arrest or detain a suspect for weeks in their custody without contacting his or her relations to notify them about their whereabouts.
Falana who stated this while speaking during a 3-day capacity building workshop organized for prosecutors in Kano State on effective administration of criminal justice, said the era of such practice is gone.
The senior learned Silk said the police must contact the family to notify them that the suspect is in police custody so that the family won’t be looking for him, thinking that maybe he’s been kidnapped.
He also said Nigerians are entitled to demand legal representation right from the point they are in a police station before they are being interrogated.
According to him, “Our people, because of ignorance, are made to suffer daily in all police stations in Nigeria. For instance, if a Nigerian gets to the police station, a Nigerian is arrested, wherever, and you are taken to the police station, under the law, it is the duty of the police to contact the family that Mr so-so-so-and-so of this suspect is here so that the family won’t be looking for him, thinking that maybe he’s been kidnapped.
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“You could be locked up for one week or more and there’s no contact with your family. That is no longer permissible under the law. If you have no lawyer and you are going to be interrogated by the police, you have the right as a Nigerian to demand legal representation and the police must contact the legal aid council to give you a lawyer.
“So from the police station, legal representation begins. It’s allowed. So by the time you are taken to court, that same body must also provide a lawyer for you if you don’t have the means to access justice.
“The rich can take care of themselves. The rich can have lawyers. They will have lawyers and if you find a big man or a big rich woman, you say, you meet me in court.
“I will instruct my lawyers to sue you. But for the poor, they say, God will judge. But God is saying, take advantage of the provisions made by the government to ask for justice,” he said.
He pointed out the need for more public defenders and lawyers across the 44 LGAs to stand for the rights and justice of the people.
President Tinubu greets Aliko Dangote on his birthday
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Africa’s foremost industrialist and philanthropist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, founder and President of the Dangote Group, on his birthday.
The President celebrated the life of a visionary whose resilience and unwavering commitment to Africa’s economic transformation have redefined entrepreneurship on the continent.
President Tinubu in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, commended Alhaji Dangote for his contributions to Nigeria’s industrialisation effort, noting how his ventures from cement manufacturing to agriculture and the groundbreaking Dangote Refinery have bolstered the national ambition for self-sufficiency and created thousands of jobs.
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Beyond commerce, the President extolled Dangote’s philanthropy, mainly through the Dangote Foundation, which has uplifted millions of underprivileged Africans.
He said: “Aliko Dangote’s life embodies hard work, generosity, and faith in Nigeria’s potential. His willingness to invest in people and nation-building reflects profound business ingenuity and love for humanity.”
President Tinubu prayed that God Almighty will continue to bless Africa’s richest man with vitality, wisdom, and many more years of impact.
He encouraged younger Nigerians to draw inspiration from Dangote’s enterprise, resilience, and service.
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