We paid N6.6m for our girls’ release – Katsina community .No ransom was paid, Zamfara govt insists – Newstrends
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We paid N6.6m for our girls’ release – Katsina community .No ransom was paid, Zamfara govt insists

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A community in Katsina State, where 26 girls were abducted by bandits, has countered the claim by the Zamfara State Government that no ransom was paid to secure their release from captivity.

Indeed, the community said they paid over N6m to the kidnappers as ransom for the release of the abducted girls

The girls were said to have been randomly picked from houses in Garin Aja on October 13, 2020, only to be released on November 6. The community shares border with Zamfara State, Daily Trust reports.

“Those abducted included girls and spinsters. The bandits moved from house to house and selected their victims,” one of the sources said.

“The abductors did not bother to pick children or the old; they carefully selected girls and young women who either lost their husbands or divorced. They also asked their parents to pay a ransom and get their wards back. The parents simply complied because they want their children back and safely,” another source said.

The Zamfara State Government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, handed over the 26 girls to Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari at the weekend.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Media and Communication, Zailani Bappa, told Daily Trust last night that the girls were released after negotiations and dialogue with the armed bandits.

Governor Bello Matawalle had earlier tweeted that: “I interacted with 26 rescued girls after medical professionals have ascertained their physical and mental fitness following days of trauma suffered in kidnappers den.

“The young girls kidnapped from Katsina State were rescued on 6/11/2020 as a result of our intervention.”

But the village head of Dan-Aji, Alhaji Lawal Dogara, told newsmen on Monday in Katsina that the community paid N6.6 million ransom to free the girls.

“The governor of Zamfara State should stop claiming credit for the release of our women because we paid for their release,” Dogara said.

He said two community leaders, Alhaji Abdulkarim Dan Aji and Liman Babangida Dan-Aji, trekked for three days into the forest to deliver the ransom to the bandits.

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed an attack on the state government delegation returning from Katsina State where they handed over the rescued girls to Katsina State Government.

The command’s spokesman, Muhammad Shehu, in a statement on Monday, said the delegation was caught in the crossfire between two warring bandit groups who were fighting for supremacy at Dogon Karfe, Gidan Jaja along Zurmi – Jibiya Road in Zurmi local government.

“Unfortunately, a driver in the delegation died in the crossfire. Immediately, the combined Police and Military personnel rushed to the scene to strengthen the existing escort of the delegation,” Shehu added.

Kidnapping is a recurrent decimal in Zamfara, Katsina and the North West in general.

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Edo Gov Okpebholo vows to probe predecessor Obaseki

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Former Governor Godwin Obaseki and Governor Monday Okpebholo

Edo Gov Okpebholo vows to probe predecessor Obaseki

GOVERNOR Monday Okpebholo, his deputy, Hon Dennis Idahosa, government officials, party leaders, and thousands of their supporters on Friday marched through the streets of Benin City celebrating the affirmation of Okpebholo’s 2024 governorship election victory by the Supreme Court.

Addressing the crowd at the Government House after the victory parade, Governor Okpebholo said it was time to work and promised that in the next two years, Edo people would know that they have a Governor. He also declared that he would set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into former Governor Godwin Obaseki’s records

He noted that the Obaseki-led administration used consultants to run the affairs of the state. He said while going through the records of EdoGIS, he discovered that a consultant was hired and paid N6 billion and another N2 billion for “ordinary software.” According to him, “I directed the training of our own people who are now handling the job. We have sent the consultant away from the State, saving money to develop Edo State.

“Our civil servants are well-trained. We have the best brains in the State, but Godwin Obaseki used consultants instead of utilising the human resources in the State. We are saving money today as a Government because we are using the civil servants to do the jobs consultants were formerly doing.

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“We are just about eight months in office, but by the time we are two years in office, Edo people will know they have a Governor who is ready to work for the interest of the people.

“I will open the books to check the financial dealings and how Obaseki governed Edo State in the last eight years. A university in this state received N47 million under Obaseki’s administration, while he paid a consultant N51 million. This was not good enough. They wanted to continue with this act, but God helped us to push them out.

“Since I came into office, I have not sacked anybody but rather continued with the civil servants I met in the office. The Head of Service during Obaseki’s administration is still working with me. So also a lot of Permanent Secretaries in the civil service. Edo was tired of transactional people but now we will look into their records. We will set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the books and dealings of the previous administration. We will open an interrogation to check their records. They have finished fighting us, and now I am ready to fight back and ensure that all those that cheated Edo people in the last eight years are all brought to book”. On his part, Idahosa said it was time to be focused and work for Edo people.

Supporters locked out

Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of the APC were locked out of the celebration in the Government House after walking alongside the governor’s convoy from the Benin Airport. When most of the supporters arrived at the gate of the Government House, they were informed by security operatives that only high profile persons would be allowed to enter for refreshments.

Some of them said they left their houses as early as 7 am and waited for several hours till the governor came only to be denied access into the Government House. One of them, Mrs. Ebosele Omogiate said, “I left my house before 7am for the airport and stood under the sun for hours before the arrival of the governor. We engaged on a road show with him to the government house, only for us to be shut out.”

Edo Gov Okpebholo vows to probe predecessor Obaseki

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Why we reduced visa validity for Nigerians – US Embassy

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Why we reduced visa validity for Nigerians – US Embassy

In the wake of concerns that the recent decision of the United States of America USA to reduce the validity of nonimmigrant visas for Nigerians, the US Mission in Nigeria said the action of its home country was not a counter reaction to recent reforms in the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS.

Nigeria’s Ministry of Interior under Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo had since 2023 embarked on far-reaching immigration reforms.

The Service had recently embarked on digital innovations, putting in place a new visa regime and several innovative services, including the e-Visa Application Channel which replaced the Visa-on-Arrival policy, e-CERPAC, Landing and Exit Cards and Temporary Work Permit.

It also installed e-gates at the nation’s major airports and commissioned a Command and Control Centre, with the aim of using the digital solutions to leverage technology to streamline processes, enhance security, and improve the overall experience for travellers and stakeholders.

US president, Donald Trump has few days ago announced a 10 per cent tariff on Nigerian goods exported to the US, a development seen as a knee-jerk reaction to President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Brazil to participate in the BRICS summit after initial threats by Trump.

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Also on Tuesday, the US Embassy in Nigeria further announced visa restrictions for Nigerians as it effected single-entry three-month visa validity.

In a tweet on its X handle on Friday, the US Mission in Nigeria however dismissed the concerns, saying America’s decision is part of an ongoing global review of the use of its visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.

The US also added that its decision was not as a result of Nigeria’s refusal to accept Venezuelan deportees from America.

It said; “The US Mission Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity for most nonimmigrant US visas in Nigeria and other countries.

“This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS.

Why we reduced visa validity for Nigerians – US Embassy

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Shettima speech at book launch not linked to Fubara suspension – Presidency

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Vice-President Kashim Shettima

Shettima speech at book launch not linked to Fubara suspension – Presidency

The Presidency has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s comments at a recent book launch were aimed at President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the political crisis in Rivers State, particularly the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

In a statement released on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, described the interpretation of Shettima’s remarks as a “gross misrepresentation” and “reckless endangerment of national cohesion.”

The Vice President had made the remarks on Thursday at the public presentation of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block, authored by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

Nkwocha clarified that Shettima was reflecting on his tenure as Governor of Borno State during the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the reported attempts to remove him amid the Boko Haram insurgency.

“Some news outlets have irresponsibly twisted the Vice President’s account of how the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan floated the idea of removing him from office… during the most intense and critical phase of insurgency in the North East,” Nkwocha said.

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Certain media platforms had interpreted the Vice President’s reflection as a veiled jab at President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State — a move that led to Governor Fubara’s suspension.

However, Nkwocha firmly denied any such link, stating, “President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional action taken was suspension, and not outright removal.

“It was part of the measures implemented… in response to the grave circumstances surrounding the polity in Rivers State at the time,” he explained.

Nkwocha emphasized that Shettima’s speech was a historical reflection and a tribute to Adoke’s career, not a commentary on current political dynamics. “His remarks were historical references… and constituted nothing more than an intellectual discourse on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution,” he said.

Defending the legality of the President’s actions, Nkwocha said Tinubu’s intervention followed due constitutional process under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution due to security concerns and political instability in Rivers.

“President Tinubu followed the constitutional process with honest precision. The President’s proclamation properly invoked Section 305(2), which was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly,” he stated.

He called on the media and political commentators to refrain from misinterpreting or politicising Shettima’s remarks, urging for responsible reporting.

“Vice President Shettima stands shoulder to shoulder with President Tinubu in implementing these difficult but indispensable actions to safeguard our democracy,” Nkwocha added.

Shettima speech at book launch not linked to Fubara suspension – Presidency

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