Half-naked women protest against killings in Kaduna

Half-naked women on Tuesday protested over alleged night attacks by herdsmen on Ninte village in Godogodo Chiefdom of Jema’a Local Government, Kaduna State.

The women from Ninte and surrounding villages staged the protest at the palace of the Chief of Godogodo. The women demanded government intervention to stop the alleged increasing cases of night killings, rape, burning of houses by some assailants in the area.

Spokesperson of the protesters, Mrs. Deborah Reuben, accused the government of insensitivity to their plight since the incident started in May.

“The situation is unhealthy as it is no longer safe.

“The government we voted into power has left us at the mercy of armed herdsmen, farms cannot be cultivated in the face of high level of impunity,” she lamented.

Responding, the Chief of Godogodo, Malam Iliya Ajiya appealed to the protesting women to remain calm as everything possible was being done to bring the situation under control.

When contacted, the Interim Chairman of Jema’a local council, Dr. Bege Katukah confirmed to NAN in a telephone interview that security men had been mobilised to the affected community.

NAN learnt that residents of the affected villages have been relocating to Godogodo, Antang and Gidan Waya, for their safety.

NAN

Continue Reading

El-Rufai condoles with Sani over mother’s death

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, on Tuesday, paid an unexpected visit to the senator representing Kaduna-Central senatorial district, Sheu Sani, who lost his mother recently. There had been no love lost between the two leaders of the All Progressives Congress since el-Rufai emerged as the governor about a year ago.

El-Rufai, who recently returned from an overseas trip, got to Sani’s family house in the Tudun Wada area of Sokoto by 8pm amid cheers from supporters. Particularly, many of the supporters hailed the governor for identifying with the bereaved despite their political differences.

The governor was in company with some of his aides, who included his Deputy Chief of Staff, Bala Yunusa; and Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, among others.

El-Rufai attended a religious prayer session for the repose of the soul of the deceased, Hajiya Fatima Sani, on Tuesday. Sani received the governor at the entrance of his house and later ushered him inside amid shouts from their supporters.

The Kaduna APC had threatened to suspend Sani, who was accused of engaging in anti-party moves.
The party also criticised the senator for being too critical of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.

Continue Reading

Six feared dead as lovers clash over a kaduna lady

Confusion arose in some areas of Kaduna State on Wednesday when the fight over a lady caused the killing of six people. According to an eyewitness, the fight started between two men on Sunday night over a woman.

A source, who spoke to Punch on the condition of animosity, said that a man from a neighbouring Kwaru community came on a motorcycle to Unguwar Yero to see his alleged concubine, who is the wife of a man in Unguwar Yero.

According to him:

“The woman was the girlfriend of the Kwaru man, who used to give her money when they were dating. But the lady in question married another person. But after their marriage, the lady and her ex-boyfriend were still dating.

“On that Sunday evening, the Kwaru man came as usual to look for his concubine. They met as usual, but the husband, who was already suspecting his wife, trailed her to where they were standing. So, when he accosted them, the Kwaru man stabbed his concubine’s husband in the stomach.

“The man later died before he could be rushed to the hospital. But what got people of the area angry was that, when Governor Nasir el-Rufai visited the place, he begged the people to be patient, without taking any action to bring the culprit to book.

“That was why Unguwar Yero people also started attacking people suspected to be Hausa-Muslim,” he said.

It was learnt that the governor was at Ungwan Yero to broker peace.

Continue Reading

We are not banning evangelism in Kaduna, it will curb extremism – El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday explained that the religious bill he sent to State House of Assembly is not meant to ban evangelism in the state but only to curb emerging religious extremism.

Disclosing this intention of the state government at the religious bill roundtable meeting organised by an NGO, Carefronting Nigeria, in Kaduna, the Governor’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan posited that the security of lives and property formed the basis of government intention.

He stated that the government appreciates the reservations and contributions of religious leaders and other critical stakeholders who have made their genuine positions known on the issue, regretting that some people have started politicizing the good intention of government to restore peace in Kaduna State.

Aruwan stated that if the bill is passed into law, the Christian Association of Nigeria,CAN, and Jama’atu Nasir Islam, JNI, would have a framework where some strange ideological beliefs that were not in tandem with both faith will be checked, stressing that the bill is not a law and everybody should make contribution.

He recalled that just before the present government came on board, there were killings in Southern Kaduna and Birnin Gwari axis of the state but now everything was under firm control.

Aruwan said, “Government wants to curb extremism associated with religious beliefs and not to stop evangelism in the state or stop people from practicing their faith.

“Kaduna State Governor mean well for the people and wants to secure the lives and property of the residents of the state. There are emerging threats and we need to take drastic action now. We should all support this bill.”

On his part, Carefronting Nigeria Coordinator Peter Maji, said they were moved to call stakeholders for discussion because of the issues the bill has generated.

Maji said the roundtable forum tagged Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulations Bill: Intention and Perception was aimed at getting the views of the critical stakeholders and finding the way forward for peace and development of the state.

On his part, the Director-General of Interfaith Mediation, Namadi Musa, noted that they have gone round the three senatorial zones in the state to sensitize the people, advising the State House of Assembly to make use of the public hearing in allowing the people make inputs.

Among the stakeholders present at the preaching bill roundtable included the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ja’amatu Nasir Islam, JNI, Christian Lawyers, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, and other religions and Non Governmental Organizations.

Continue Reading

347 corpses buried after Shiites, soldiers clash, Kaduna SSG alleged

The Kaduna State Government on Monday said that 347 corpses were given a mass burial at the Mando cemetery after a clash between soldiers and members of the Shiite’s sect in Kaduna last year.

The Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Mallam Balarabe Lawal, who said this when he appeared before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, said the corpses were given a mass burial in a grave on December 14, 2015 in a cemetery along Mando/ Zaria Road.

According to the SSG, a total of 191 unknown corpses were recovered from the Army Depot in Zaria and another batch of 156 corpses were recovered from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika.

Corroborating the SSG, the Director-General of Interfaith, Muhammad Namadi Musa, who claimed he supervised the burial, said the corpses were interred between 12 midnight and 5am.

Musa said, “On December 13, 2015, I received a phone call from the SSG to come to the Government House after which I was directed to go to Zaria to find out the number of corpses and how they would be buried.

“I moved in company of the state Commissioner of Police straight to ABUTH, Zaria to ascertain the number of corpses. There we counted 156 corpses.

“At the Nigerian Depot, the SSG directed me to meet with one Maj. Ogundare regarding the corpses there. After introducing myself, he refused to let me know the number; but later on, the SSG called me and told me the number.

“He also confirmed the number while they were being buried; as he counted them one after the other as they were laid in one grave.

“We left the Nigerian Army Depot with three heavy-duty trucks and 60 young officers who escorted us to assist in offloading the corpses. From ABUTH, Zaria, five small trucks carried the 196 corpses. Most corpses were covered with black materials and they included women and children.”

On why the state government demolished the Gyelasu resident of the Shiite leader, the Hussainiyya Centre, Dembo centre, Jushi and two other buildings belonging to Alhaji Aminu Idris and Alhaji Tijjani Mohammed, the SSG said they were pulled down because they did not meet the safety standards set by the state government.

Lawal added that a report from a team of engineers who carried out inspection on the houses said the buildings were failed structures.

“So, they were demolished in the interest of safety,” he said.

Also, the General Manager of Kaduna State Public Works Agency, Tanimu Abubakar and the Deputy Director, Ministry of Works and Transport, Muhammad Lawal Magaji, said in the course of carrying out inspection on the structures, it was observed that the buildings had structural defects.

Also, the elder brother to the embattled leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, Mohammed Sani Yaqoob, told the panel that he was happy with what the soldiers did to the sect members. He said the sect was being funded by the Iranian government.

Yaqoob, a step brother to the Shiite leader, said the soldiers would have been regarded as cowards if they had retreated from the spot where the members of the sect blocked the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

Muhammad, who spoke in Hausa, told the panel that as a child, El-Zakzaky, the fourth child in the family of 16, was “very sharp and intelligent.”

Yaqoob, who is also the Chairman of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’iqamatis Sunnah, JIBWIS Zaria chapter, insisted that the Shiite group were funded by Iran.

-Punch

Continue Reading