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At the time Nigeria declared public holiday to celebrate this year’s Democracy Day on June 12, which coincides with the date of June 12, 1993 presidential election that was annulled by the military, the anniversary has rekindled the memory, among some families, of their loved ones who were gruesomely murdered during the violence that followed the cancellation.

The annulment of the election, which was presumed to have been won by Mashood Abiola, the candidate of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP), sparked riots in parts of the South-West where he came from.

A number of northerners, mostly Hausas, became target of angry mobs in Lagos and Ibadan because the military administration that annulled the result of the election was headed by a northerner, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

One of the people that lost their lives in the violence was Alhaji Musa Nagarba, a Kano-born father of five who settled in Ibadan 20 years before the carnage that claimed his life broke out.

Dateline Nigeria spoke to his son, Jamilu Musa, who was a teenager when June 12 happened and his father was brutally killed alongside a friend. Musa, who said the incident forced him and his siblings to relocate from Ibadan, now resides in Kaduna.

He recalled that his father and his friend, Alhaji Ibrahim, had gone to their place of work at a motor park near Sasa market when the crisis erupted.

Sensing that it was getting too risky to remain at the park, the two friends boarded a public transport with the aim of returning home to Sabo Ibadan, he said.

By that time, mobs have already taken over the roads in the ancient town, searching vehicles for any passenger of northern origin.

“It was in the thick of that melee, that the vehicle conveying my father and his friend arrived at one of the checkpoints mounted by the rioters,” Musa stated. “There were 11 passengers in the vehicle but my father and his friend were fished out as Hausas and pounced upon.

“The two of them were hacked to death on the spot. Still not done, the mob set the corpses ablaze. They burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

After the violence had subsided, neighbours set out on a mission to find his father. “It was just by God’s grace that their remains were identified. What happened was that when my father went to Mecca for pilgrimage, he fixed a silver tooth. So his body was quickly identified because of the tooth that was still intact on what was left of his mouth. The charred remains were recovered and buried,” he said.

Musa and his elder brother had gone to Kaduna to visit a maternal uncle when the June 12 election riot broke out. Despite the tense situation, they embarked on the trip back to Ibadan. He recalled that a lot of property had also been destroyed.

One other person was also killed, bringing to three the number of residents of Sabo Ibadan that died in the crisis. Residents said other people could have been attacked and killed in other parts of the state.

“I was completing my primary education at the time of my father’s death. That sad event changed everything about our lives and disrupted our schooling. After we relocated to Kaduna, I managed to complete my secondary education and after that level, my educational pursuit stalled,” Musa said.

His father had five children and was married to two wives at the time he was killed. “He relocated and settled in Ibadan from Kano at about the age of 26 and lived there for over 20 years. It was there that he met our mother and they married. Our mother is from Kano too.

“Since that tragic incident took our father, our mother has not recovered from the shock. She has been in and out of hospital and is now paralysed,” he said.

Musa still cherishes the memories of his late father. “He was very popular around Sabo Ibadan and took me along whenever he was going to his Islamic teachers to study and when he himself was going to teach his students Arabic language at an Islamic school near the park,” he recalled.

Their mother, according to him, had just been brought to Kaduna for treatment.

Whenever June 12 is around the corner, the bitter memories of their father’s gruesome killing returns to hurt them, he said.

Musa said he initially had an urge to avenge his father’s death but had a change of mind after he was counseled and made to understand that his father died as a martyr.

“I have never liked Ibadan since then and will never do again,” he said. Musa has been doing business of secondhand clothes “until Governor El-Rufa’i demolished our shops.”

“I will always curse June 12 and the people that robbed us of a father because of it. Everyday I pray for Allah’s mercy upon my father,” he said.

Read More: https://www.dateline.ng/my-father-his-friend-were-killed-burnt-in-ibadan-because-of-june-12/

The Champions League final of 2021 will be remembered as the night when Manchester City sent out an excess of midfielders, a tripling-up of midfielders, a team clogging every hole with essence of midfielder. In an odd twist Chelsea did pretty much the same, albeit in more targeted fashion. Enter, N’Golo Kanté, the one-man midfield overload.

There was a moment in the second half at the Estádio do Dragão when Kanté drew gasps and purrs around the plastic seats, a sense of one man taking the endgame into his own hands.

Riyad Mahrez had set off on a feinting run across the edge of the Chelsea area, seeking space for a left-foot shot. Kanté waited, waited a little longer, then took the ball away so cleanly Mahrez just kept on running in the same direction, like a riderless horse cantering on down the winning straight. And yes. These were gasps for an interception.

But then, this is Kanté, a footballer so clean in his positioning, his timing, his movement, that on nights like these he makes deep midfield control into a kind of physical art form.

Look at the numbers and Manchester City controlled possession and territory on Saturday night. Watch the game and this never felt like domination, not with Kanté there. You can play in his part of the pitch. But there is no comfort here, no safety.

Chelsea’s progress to a second Champions League title has been marked by unity and clarity of purpose. Thomas Tuchel’s team have beaten the champions of Spain, the regal old 13-time winners and now the most powerful squad of players in Europe. Through this Kanté has been a constant in the knockout stages, an unstarry, entirely natural general-in-the-field, and also a note of something else.

Before Saturday’s final all the talk had been about the completion of the Manchester City project, the 10-year destiny-cycle of Pep Guardiola. This was the story of a dominant tactical style, a soft power project, a victory narrative that seemed to offer its own arc of cause and effect.

What does Chelsea winning it mean? What model is there here? Employ lots of managers? Talent-hoard attacking players? One of the most intriguing parts is its lack of any obvious narrative. There is no logic, no design, just a series of expertly managed interventions. Get a very good coach. Panic-fix on the hoof. Play without fear. Oh. And make sure N’Golo’s in the team.

It is six years now since Kanté completed his late bloom from the third tier of French football to the Premier League. Leicester signed him on the data. His numbers on tackles, turnovers and the rest were outside the normal curve. Something odd was happening. Either the numbers were off, or this understated 5ft 6in central midfielder was simply playing at the wrong level, a lacuna in the system.

Aged 30, there is a feeling now of a footballer fast-forwarded into a state of completeness. The Champions League makes it four major honours under four Chelsea managers, one player of the year gong and one World Cup. Since Tuchel took over Kanté has played in only two defeats, the FA Cup final and the second-leg game against Porto. Kanté doesn’t score or make the final pass. He doesn’t beat his chest or assert his own leader-legend status. But the same things keep happening around. All he does is win.

The numbers were good again on Saturday night. Kanté won all his tackles, made two interceptions, three clearances, four headers. More than this there was the spectacle too, the powerfully reassuring sight of that commanding and upright figure, the way he times his interventions, the way he keeps the ball to allow his defence to form again behind him, or releases it quickly when the game ahead demands it.

Kanté isn’t simply a tackler or a runner, he’s a mobile brain, an agent of cohesion. Most tellingly he’s human kryptonite to the false nine system that continues, 15 years on from its Pep-led renaissance, to baffle more rigid defensive structures.

Kanté is a living countermeasure, always alive in Porto to the spaces when his defenders were drawn out in search of someone to mark. False nine, you say? Meet Chelsea’s false four, a midfielder who sees those in-between spaces from the other side, who also knows how they work.

The other thing Kanté does is make players close to him better. He didn’t so much cover Reece James in Porto as linger close by, only occasionally offering a double barrier against Raheem Sterling.

James defended brilliantly one on one and showed that same Kanté-style assertive calm. There has been talk he might be cut from England’s Euros squad in the crush of right-backs. Perhaps, while he’s at it, Gareth Southgate should consider tying his own shoelaces together and repeatedly poking his first-choice goalkeeper in the eye.

Mason Mount produced a fine pass for game’s only goal. And as with Kanté it is necessary to be present in the stadium to appreciate his movement and his intelligence as a covering player. With Kanté and Mount functioning in their own parts of the pitch Chelsea have the game on a constant strangle, opponents subject always to a base level of ambient pressure.

In Kanté’s case those levels were maintained in Porto while carrying the injuries that have turned his season into a mess of pain management and enforced absence. He needs a rest. The Premier League season starts again a month after the Euros.

And for Tuchel there is an entirely separate job now of building a team with the deeper gears to keep winning through a full league season. The basis of that mature Tuchel Chelsea – and he should get at least until November – will surely emerge from the younger players.

But as every successful Chelsea manager has twigged, Tuchel included, Kanté is the great hidden gift in this group of players, a binding thread through successive mini-eras. It seems odd now that Kanté only ever played 40 games at Leicester. For all the glory of that single season, Chelsea has basically been his club career, Saturday night in Porto its apex.

https://www.dateline.ng/ngolo-kante-the-one-man-midfield-who-conquered-europe-for-chelsea/

A police officer, Sergeant Kabiru Isah, attached to the Command’s Motor Traffic Division (MTD) has returned the sum of N1.29m found at the scene of a fatal accident.

The officer discovered the money while conducting scene analysis, minutes after the fatal accident, Kano police spokesman DSP Abdullahi Haruna said in a statement on Friday.

Read Also: Boyfriend arrested after bodies of lady, child found in sewage — Police

“The deceased was knocked down by a Trailer along Zaria Road Kano while on his motorcycle, in possession of the said amount of money arranged in a shoe box.

“The Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, while handing over the money to the relatives of the deceased, called on Police officers, as well as, good people of the state to emulate the officer.

He also commended the officer for doing his job in accordance with the directives of the Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Alkali Baba Usman..

Overwhelmed by the behavior displayed by the police officer, the Managing Director, Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) DR. Baffa Babba Dan Agundi rewarded the officer with the sum of N100,000.

While handing over the money through the State Traffic Officer (STO), SP Magaji Musa Majia, MD KAROTA stated that he was happy that the police officer involved is attached to the Traffic Division of the Command.

Source: https://www.dateline.ng/police-officer-returns-n1-3m-to-relatives-of-accident-victim/

Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, has observed the Eid el-Fitr prayer today along with his followers in Bauchi.

This is against the declaration of the Sultan of Sokoto and the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Saad Abubakar.

The Sultan had said that Eid el-Fitr prayer will be observed on Thursday in Nigeria following the non-sighting of the Shawwal moon on Tuesday.





But speaking during the Eid prayer held at Kofar Gimbe in Bauchi, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, a leader of the Tijjaniyya movement, said they have received credible report of the sighting of the moon on Tuesday, hence their decision to observe Eid on Wednesday

More Photos: https://www.dateline.ng/sheikh-dahiru-bauchi-celebrates-eid-today-photos

Renowned Islamic scholar, Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, has observed the Eid el-Fitr prayer today along with his followers in Bauchi.

This is against the declaration of the Sultan of Sokoto and the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Saad Abubakar.

The Sultan had said that Eid el-Fitr prayer will be observed on Thursday in Nigeria following the non-sighting of the Shawwal moon on Tuesday.





But speaking during the Eid prayer held at Kofar Gimbe in Bauchi, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, a leader of the Tijjaniyya movement, said they have received credible report of the sighting of the moon on Tuesday, hence their decision to observe Eid on Wednesday

More Photos: https://www.dateline.ng/sheikh-dahiru-bauchi-celebrates-eid-today-photos

Contributing money to secure the release of individuals from the hands of kidnappers is prohibited in Islam, the Deputy Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Abuja, Professor Ibrahim Maqari has said.

Maqari, who gave the ruling during this year’s Ramadan tafsir, said Islam does not permit Muslims to pay money to enemies they are at war with.

The cleric added that doing so would put more resources in the hands of the enemy and provide him with the means to acquire more arms to continue with the war.

It is in the context of that rule that kidnappers should not be paid ransom so as to starve them of the funds they could use to boost their arsenal and sustain their evil campaign.

“Since Allah (SWT) has forbidden the payment of money to an enemy who is at war with you, in order not to empower them to continue to fight you, then contributing money as ransom for the release of kidnapped persons, is haram (prohibited),” he said.

Quoting a Hadith (prophetic tradition), Maqari narrated the story of a man who approached the Prophet Muhammad, asking about what to do if someone tries to rub him of his money and the Prophet told him to resist the resist the person.

The man then asked the Prophet “what if the person fights me and the Prophet told him to fight back.”

“What if I kill him,” he asked, and the Prophet said, “He goes to hellfire.” He asked again, “What if he kills me?” and the prophet said, “you enter paradise.”

The Hadith, the deputy chief Imam emphasized, upholds the impermissibility of giving ransom to kidnappers.

He also explained that Islam’s code for discouraging criminality provides that material demands imposed as conditions by criminals are to be ignored, no matter what havoc the criminals threaten to unleash, if the demands are not met.

Refusing to meet the demands of kidnappers would inevitably turn them into losers who wasted their money to feed the captive, wasted their bullets in killing him and wasted their time, he asserted.

“But he (the criminal) has been made aware that the money is never going to be paid and the one who is killed (the victim) is going to paradise,” he said.

Maqari said applying the Islamic provisions can effectively address the challenges of kidnapping currently affecting the society.

“But as long as people will continue to give ransom to secure the release of their loved ones, the recipients of the money will continue to use it to acquire more arms that they will use to perpetrate their atrocity and promote it as a business,” he advised.

Another implication of submitting to kidnappers’ demands, he pointed, is that the vice will be grow and be hard for security agents to handle.

“So the best way of stopping it, is for the criminal to know that if he kidnaps someone, he can choose to chop his body into pieces” but he will not get what he wants.

He advised Muslims that getting killed by kidnappers is a sure way of going to paradise.

This is coming at the time cases of kidnapping for ransom have become rampant in the country, while Nigerians debate the propriety of paying ransom to the kidnappers.

Read Also: Kaigama calls for prayer to end COVID-19, insecurity

Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has vowed not to give money to kidnappers in the name of ransom, saying that such act could help them acquire more arms.

His stance has, however, become a subject of debate among Nigerians, especially against the backdrop of recent kidnappings of students of tertiary institutions in the state. While the governor’s position is backed by a section of Nigerians who believe that not paying ransom will make the crime unattractive, others have criticized him of being insensitive to the plights of kidnap victims.

https://www.dateline.ng/paying-ransom-to-kidnappers-is-haram-national-mosques-deputy-chief-imam-prof-maqari/

Facebook posts by a kidnap suspect, who was nabbed in connection to the abduction and murder of a young victim, reveal that he was not only popular on Facebook but was also constantly posting different aspects of his personal and social life.

While on some occasions, he took to preaching about virtues, on others, the suspect admitted his vulnerability by asking his friends to pray for him as he embarked on a journey to Kaduna State, apparently afraid not to fall a victim of kidnappers tormenting travelers at the time.

Early Saturday morning, a video of the arrest of SA Galadima, who is being accused of kidnapping a son of his neighbour and subsequently killing him after collecting N5million ransom, went viral on social media, with many identifying the suspect as one of the earlier callers to the residence of the boy’s father to sympathize with him over the incident.

Galadima, who was in his nightshirt in the video, confessed to taking part in the killing of the boy “because he identified Nazifi (one of the kidnappers).

He told his interrogators that he held down the boy and Nazifi strangled him.

The news of his arrest elicited torrents of reactions online, with many social media users accusing him of betraying the trust of his neighbour, whose child he allegedly kidnapped and killed.

A check on the suspect’s Facebook page shows that in addition to being an active user, he has been into so many things at different times.

Soldier, politician

While it is difficult to tell if his claim is genuine, the suspect describes himself on Facebook as a Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO), which is any rank in the military that is below the rank of a commissioned officer and above that of a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO).

As if to back his claim up, he shared his pictures donning army camouflage with red beret and muffler, depicting him as a military police personnel.

In other posts, the suspect gives the impression of an avid political stalwart rooting for some Kaduna politicians. This is discernible from their pictures and those of their political outings he splashes on his wall, with accompanying prayers for their success.

Criticized wearing of face masks

When COVID-19 struck and forced the wearing of face masks, Galadima did not take it lightly with government officials imposing the policy, at least in his Facebook comment.

He wrote: “Am very disappointed with what I saw this afternoon, useless presidential task force arresting innocent Nigerians on the streets for not wearing face mask. Virus that is not in existence in Nigeria. I call it COVID-419.”

Posted on arrest of kidnappers

One of his posts reads: More ”Fulani Herdsmen” arrested in Ogun State for kidnapping!

When a former Jibia Local Government chairman in Katsina was arrested and paraded for allegedly “aiding bandits” in the state, Galadima posted the story and promised to provide an update to his followers.

Read more: Facebook posts of arrested Kaduna ‘kidnapper’: How he preached what he didn’t practice

Members of Hausa settlement, popularly known as Ama Ausa, in Imo State have narrated how a Monday night attack on the community by suspected IPOB militants was repelled by soldiers.

The residents, who are mostly from the northern part of the country, said IPOB members tried to invade the area around 9pm but were pushed back by a detachment of soldiers deployed to provide security after the recent attacks on police headquarters and custodial centre.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers wanted to attack the community located in Owerri, the state capital, before they were chased away after exchange of gunfire with the soldiers.

A trader, who does not want to be named for safety reasons, said the suspected IPOB members drove to the area in a Toyota Sienna.

According to him, five of them, all armed with AK-47 rifles, were in the vehicle.

“When they got to the place where soldiers put a gate using tyres, one of them alighted from the vehicle and started throwing the tyres away to give access to the vehicle.

“While he was doing that, he was also shooting in the air. At that time, the soldiers who had positioned themselves far from the gate, opened fire at them.

“A gunfight ensued until the IPOB members beat a retreat,” he said.

But another resident said the attackers were more than five, adding that sound of gunshots was heard all over Owerri, during the failed attack.

No one was injured in the attack, said residents.

Dateline Nigeria gathered that after the gunmen were repelled, the soldiers called for reinforcement, following which 12 vehicles full of additional troops were dispatched to protect the Hausa quarters.

“The presence of more soldiers gave us the courage to manage to sleep,” the trader said.

“But we are living in real fear and many of our people are fleeing back to the North. Nobody can tell what will happen the next minute. My family is equally set to leave today,” he added.

It was gathered that since the attack on meat sellers in Orlu part of the state that led to the killing of the son of the Sarkin Hausawa of Orlu alongside others, people have been fleeing back to the North.

“We are here for business and because there is no peace, our business is affected so we have to leave,” a community elder in Ama Hausa told Dateline Nigeria.

Imo State has recently seen a spike in attacks linked to members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The group has been active in the South-East and the South-South, targeting security forces and government facilities.

Also yesterday, suspected IPOB members attacked Okigwe South Police Area Command headquarters, killing six officers.

On Sunday, four soldiers were killed by gunmen believed to be members of the group in Rivers State.

Earlier today, a Federal High Court complex in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital, was torched by suspected IPOB militants who threw petrol bombs at it.

Soldiers and other security forces who have been on the trail of members of the group, on Saturday, announced the killing of the deputy commander of IPOB’s militant wing, Ikonso Umuokwe, alongside six other members during an encounter at his country home.

https://www.dateline.ng/how-soldiers-protected-us-from-being-attacked-by-ipob/

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico, Aminu Iyawa, has narrated his experience on board Flight 125 operated by Aero Contractors from Abuja to Yola on Saturday.

In a Facebook post titled ‘Miracle over River Benue’ on Sunday, Iyawa said “It was nothing short of miracle from Allah that I would live to tell the story.”

Read his experience below:

“Flight 125 from Abuja to Yola on Saturday, operated by Aero Contractors Airline was three hours late at point of departure. It was scheduled to depart Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport at 12:25, but did not do that until about 15:45 for what the Airline said, was due to operational reasons.

The 55 minutes flight was very smooth, giving me time to read the Qur’an from my handset (Suratul Jinni), otherwise popularly known by young pupils as Quluhiya.

“As we commenced final approach to Yola International Airport, the Captain reported that he was going to abort landing, as the Tower informed him of approaching dust storm.

“He said we were only eight kilometers away and that he was going to hold in a safe área for sometime until the weather clears.

“After about five minutes of holding, he announced that the storm was becoming violent and that he decided to take the safest option of returning to Abuja and immediately commenced ascent to the appropriate altitude.

“Barely a minute into the attempted climb, we heard a loud roaring noise and vibration that lasted for about 15 to 20 seconds, followed by the Captain making a sharp U-turn and at the same time announcing that he got clearance from Yola to land as the weather improved.

“As a frequent flier and someone who does not miss the National Geographic programme “Air Disaster,” I knew that the aircraft was in serious distress and the best option considered by the Captain was to take the risk of flying head-on into the storm and land in Yola which was the nearest airport – less than 15 minutes away.

“Since the incident started, some passengers started wailing, the Muslims reciting the Shahada, while Christians chanted Jesús. It was real chaos as the aircraft shakes side to side mostly, and making hard turns at some point that everyone was just waiting for that final impact of crash.

“All this was happening above the river Benue corridor between Goduwo and Yola. Finally, the Captain was able to pull through the cloud of dust and the first thing that I saw was the Yola Bridge and then the Runway to our left.

“He pulled hard to align, but we were too close to the airport and too low for the landing and nose gears to deploy in time.

“He aborted, made a U-turn and on second approach, successfully deployed the landing gear, then smooth landing followed by ovation, clappings and praises to the Captain and to God Almighty.

“It was nothing short of miracle from Allah that I would live to tell the story. Alhamdulillah!”

https://www.dateline.ng/ex-nigerian-envoy-recounts-near-crash-experience-flying-from-abuja-to-yola/

For a few seconds, Zainab Abdullahi Giginyu had her back to her 2-year-old daughter, in their home in Kawo quarters. When she turned, Ummulkhair had disappeared without trace.

It was a short distance from where the toddler was seated – eating – to the line where the mother had gone to dry clothes.

It would be unimaginable to think something sinister had happened in such a-twinkle-of-an-eye moment.

The thought that Ummulkhair’s older siblings were at school that Friday morning, which meant she could not have strayed with them, compounded the puzzle for the mother.

It happened so quickly that she needed to unravel it fast.

Then she thought she had a clue.

“I went into the room to see if she had gone in to take a nap,” she remembered her situation that minute, hunting for any lead, “but she was not there.”

“I dashed out shouting her name ‘Ummulkhair, Ummulkhair, Ummulkhair’ but there was no answer so I ran out of the house, asking anyone that I could find around if they had seen somebody taking a little girl away. But nobody said they saw anything,” Zainab recalled her daughter’s mysterious disappearance in 2017.

Extended family members, friends and neighbours went all out in search for the little girl for days without coming close to a useful lead.

At the mercy of kidnappers

Strewn with rutted and dusty roads, narrow streets and open drainages, Kawo is a choice neighbourhood for many a low-income earner in Kano State.

Residents here, who were no strangers to activities of petty criminals, drug merchants and violent thugs, fighting turf wars, saw all these evil being displaced and overtaken by Boko Haram, when it came on the scene in 2009 and took charge.

The insurgents trailed and shot security officers within its labyrinth of streets and forced the only police outpost complementing the security of the densely populated community to close.

As Boko Haram receded, residents awoke to a new challenge of child kidnapping.

At the time Zainab’s daughter went missing, suspected child traffickers were deeply entrenched in cells around her neighbourhood and adjoining areas, like Tinshama, Haye, Hotoro, Yankaba and Dakata quarters.

Those places too were brimming with cases of missing children, believed to have fallen victims to traffickers.

Before the state government’s Commission of Inquiry that was set up in October 2019, investigated “the disturbing scenario”, over 100 kids had gone missing with 80 per cent coming from those areas.

In its report that was seen by this newspaper, the commission “discovered… that children were kidnapped at such tender ages of 3-5 years” from 10am to 12pm on Fridays and 80 percent of the kidnapping occurred between 5pm and 8pm.

Read Full

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday absolved its new Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, of corruption allegations levelled against him.

Hours after his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari as the EFCC chairman on Tuesday, reports of his involvement in corruption surfaced

But the commission defended him, saying he had no corruption record.

Spokesman of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to reports that Bawa was arrested and removed from his position as Port Harcourt zonal head of the commission for allegedly diverting 224 forfeited trucks.

The diversion of 224 forfeited trucks was one of the allegations levelled against Magu which was brought up before the Salami-led panel.

Bawa was also said to have appeared before the panel over the issue but said he had no hand in the auction of the assets as it was supervised by a different department.

The EFCC, in a statement titled, ‘Abdulrasheed Bawa Has No Corruption Record – EFCC’ said it “wishes to state categorically that Mr Bawa was never arrested or detained over sale of any assets.

“As zonal head of the Port Harcourt office of the commission in 2019, Bawa’s responsibilities did not include the sale of assets as the commission has a full-fledged Directorate of Assets Forfeiture and Recovery Management, which remit such matters.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the disposal of finally forfeited trucks in the Port Harcourt zonal office through public auction, was conducted after the exit of Bawa as zonal head. It is therefore illogical for him to have been indicted over an auction that was not superintended by him.

“The auction of trucks at the Port Harcourt Office was among the issues examined by the Justice Ayo Salami Panel, leading to the suspension of some officers of the commission. The commission, therefore, enjoins the public to disregard the false publication which is believed to be sponsored by mischief makers to impugn the integrity of the EFCC chairman-designate.”

Bawa succeeded Ibrahim Magu, who was suspended in July 2020 when the President set up a panel led by Justice Ayo Salami to investigate allegations of corruptions against him.

Dateline Nigeria reports that Mr. Bawa joined the EFCC in 2005 and currently serves as the Head of the Lagos EFCC zonal office. He still has several officials senior to him, most of whom are policemen including the current acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Umar Mohammed, who is 55 years old.

Bawa’s appointment it was learnt was based on the Salami panel recommendation.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/efcc-defends-new-chair-as-graft-allegation-surfaces/%3famp=1

A former Italian football star, Luigi Sartor, has been put under house arrest after police allegedly found him growing marijuana with an accomplice.

Italian media say Sartor and Marco Mantovani, both aged 46, are to face trial next month. Sartor made no statement at a court hearing.

Police reportedly found 106 marijuana plants at Sartor’s mountain cottage.

Sartor was a defender with AS Roma, Parma, Juventus and Inter Milan. He was arrested in a village near Parma.

The police raid took place on Friday in Lesignano Palmia, south-west of Parma in northern Italy. The plants, kept in what appeared to be an abandoned property, could have produced 2kg (4.4 pounds) of marijuana.

Investigators’ suspicions were raised when the cottage’s power supply was doubled and its lights were seen to be on at night.

They stopped Sartor’s car and, reports say, smelled the same distinctive odour as was detected outside his cottage.

In 2011 Sartor was indicted for conspiracy to commit betting fraud, in a match-fixing scandal known as “Calcioscommesse”. But in 2019 the investigation was ended under a statute of limitations rule.

https://www.dateline.ng/italian-ex-football-star-grew-106-marijuana-plants/

Residents of Magamin Diddi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State are mourning the death of the seven of their children as a result of grenade explosion.

The device, which was launched at bandits but failed to detonate, was picked up by the nine kids who had gone to the farm to get corn stalks.

When they came across the grenade, they didn’t know what it was and it exploded shortly after they picked it up. Some died on the spot while others gave up in the hospital, the residents said.

A mother, who lost four children in the tragedy, told the BBC Hausa service that she has accepted the death of her children as the will of God.

She said though they heard the sound of the explosion and even saw the dust raised by it, it was a girl in the area that took them to the spot where it happened.

When they reached the spot, some have died while others were wounded. Some of the wounded died in the hospital, she said.

Zamfara Commissioner of Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, said the device might have been launched by security agents during an attack on bandits.

The deceased kids had since been buried in accordance of Islamic rites, Dauran added.

First Lady Aisha Buhari has lost her stepmother this evening.

Hajiya Maryam Ahmed (Goggo Song), the mother of Dujiman Adamawa Musa Halilu Ahmed, died after a protracted illness.

She had earlier been admitted at a hospital in Kaduna, before she was transferred to Abuja, preparatory to flying her out, family sources told Dateline Nigeria.

Her funeral will hold tomorrow.

More Details coming…

A Sharia Court judge Nuhu Falalu accused of verbally assaulting and shaving the head of former Barcelona star Haruna Babangida has been suspended, Dateline Nigeria has learnt.

Babangida had on January 18, 2021 sent a letter of complaint to the Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Kaduna, seeking for damages and penalty against the judge.


Babangida with the shaved head

Dateline Nigeria learnt that since the reported incident the judge has not presided over any case at his court located in Magajin Gari area of Kaduna metropolis.

Attempts to reach Babangida were not successful but sources close to him said the former professional footballer has been assured of justice.

The ex-footballer, who is popularly known as Daddy and holds Spanish citizenship, is a younger brother to two former Nigerian internationals Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida.

https://www.dateline.ng/judge-who-shaved-head-of-ex-barcelona-star-haruna-babangida-suspended/

As female soldiers begin patrol on the Abuja-Kaduna highway following their deployment on Wednesday, our reporter tells you 10 things about these women of war.

1· The Nigerian Army established its first women-only corps in 2018 “to give Nigerian Army an opportunity to derive the maximum benefit from the contributions to the defence and security of our nation”.

2· The unit was created by the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai.

3· The corps is commanded by a male senior officer in the rank of Brigadier General.

4· A women-only battalion was also established and placed under the command of a female officer as its CO (Commanding Officer).

5· The corps and the battalion are based in Giri, Abuja.

Recruitment

6· Officers and soldiers of the unit undergo basic military training at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, and Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria, before the are posted to the corps and its battalion.

Operations/Duties

7· Military sources told Dateline Nigeria that under Buratai, troops of the Nigerian Army Women Battalion had seen tour of duty in Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto, where they carried out inter-state patrols.

8· The women soldiers were also part of the former army chief’s escort.

9· Some of them also perform duties as drivers for their commanding officers.

10· The unit’s latest activity which was widely publicized, was the deployment of 300 troops from the battalion to fight kidnappers operating along the Kaduna-Abuja highway. This coincided with the appointment of a new Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. I Attahiru by President Muhammadu Buhari as Buratai’s replacement.

Countries like Australia (since 2011), Canada (since 1989), Denmark (since 1988), France, Germany(since 2001), Israel (since 1995), New Zealand (since 2001) and Norway (since 1985) also have policies that allow women to be sent into combat.

https://www.dateline.ng/women-of-war-10-things-about-nigerian-armys-women-corps/

The Bauchi State Hisbah says it recently arrested no fewer than six youths who specialised in organising sex orgies and fomenting trouble in Dolam village, in Tafawa Balewa local Government Area of the state.

Malam Aminu Idris, the permanent commissioner in-charge of Hisbah and Sharia implementation, disclosed this in an interview with the journalists in Bauchi, on Monday.

Idris, who identified the culprits as Abdurrauf Kabir 25, Dabo Yusuf 26, Abdurrazak Isah 24, Habu Umar 27, Yaron Nuhu-Maikaji 30, and Abdurrashid Shehu 31, said they were using a primary school building in the area to commit the act.

He said the culprits were in the habit of organizing disco parties, locally called Gwaidu, during which they lured young girls into illicit sexual relationships, while at times they used force to intimidate innocent people.

Idris said the attention of his department was drawn by the local Hisbah office in the area, after which the office swung into action and arrested all those involved.

After discreet investigations, the commissioner said, the state Hisbah office summoned the parents of the culprits, counselled them both and made them to signed an undertaking against repeating the offence.

Idris said the Hisbah department would, hence forth, not hesitate to prosecute such culprits in a competent court of law, stressing, ”as a Lawyer I will do everything possible to ensure that our existing laws were not flagrantly violated”.

He appealed to the state government to hasten the appointment of the state Hisbah Board, as well as provide additional financial and logistics support to the department to enable it perform optimally.

Only recently, the Hisbah department also confiscated and destroyed no fewer than 885 cartons of liquor, as part of its efforts to implement Sharia law in the state.

https://www.dateline.ng/hisbah-arrests-six-organisers-of-sex-party-in-bauchi/

Freestainworld:
He didn't sack them, they are retired, but we shouldn't be too happy because we don't know the people who will replace them, they may be be worst or better.

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs, and their retirement from service.

They have been due for retirement since forever.. accepting their resignation means OGA SACKED THEM!

President Muhammadu Buhari has accepted the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs, and their retirement from service.

Those involved are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

President Buhari thanks the outgoing Service Chiefs for what he calls their “overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to our dear country,” wishing them well in their future endeavours.

The new Service Chiefs are: Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff.

The President congratulates the new Service Chiefs, and urges them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)

https://www.dateline.ng/breaking-news-president-buhari-sacks-service-chiefs/

A marshal of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) escaped lynching on Tuesday morning after an accident that led to the damage of two vehicles.

Dateline Nigeria learnt that the marshal had arrested a Ford vehicle and was in the process of taking the motorist to the agency’s office when the accident occurred.

An eye witness told Dateline Nigeria that the KASTLEA marshal arrested the Ford owner around Swimming Pool Road in the Kaduna metropolis.

“The marshal entered the vehicle in an attempt to take the driver to their office. We don’t know what happened but the two started struggling shortly after the police college roundabout. The marshal held on to the steering wheel.



“As the two struggled, the Ford rammed into a Toyota Camry was parked in front of Furniture Plaza on Constitution Road. The driver of the Camry was inflating his tyre when the Ford hit his vehicle.

“The KASTELEA marshal was nearly mobbed by the crowd that gathered at the scene. He however succeeded in running into the nearby police Motor Traffic Division (MTD).”

Dateline Nigeria reports that KASTELEA marshals have been blamed for causing traffic accidents in the course of arresting erring motorists.

Two days after his emergence as the chairman of Bebeji Local Government in the Kano council polls, Alhaji Ali Namadi Bebeji has died.

Dateline Nigeria learnt that Bebeji died after a brief illness. His janaza (funeral) will also hold this morning (Tuesday) in Bebeji.

“This only goes to show the uncertainty of this world. He was elected chairman of January 16, and by January 18, same day that the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) issued certificate to the winners, he is no more,” a source told Dateline Nigeria.

It would be recalled that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 44 local government and 484 council seats in the election, which was boycotted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

https://www.dateline.ng/bebeji-chairman-dies-48-hours-after-election-in-kano/

A former player of FC Barcelona Haruna Babangida, [url=https://www-dateline-ng.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.dateline.ng/drama-as-judge-shaves-head-of-former-barcelona-player-haruna-babangida/amp/?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQHKAFQArABIA%3D%3D#aoh=16110060834213&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dateline.ng%2Fdrama-as-judge-shaves-head-of-former-barcelona-player-haruna-babangida%2F]whose head was shaved in court last week in the orders of a judge[/url], has sent a petition to Kaduna State Grand Khadi demanding justice.

In a letter of complaint dated Monday, January 18, 2021 and sent to the Grand Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Kaduna, the footballer, popularly known as Daddy, accused the judge Nuhu Falalu of defamation of character and assault.

The former Nigerian player, who said he felt embarrassed, disgraced and humiliated, is asking the Grand Khadi to grant him damages and penalise the judge.

The letter reads:

“My name is HARUNA BABANGIDA of the above stated address and I am a professional footballer in Europe, precisely Spain where I have lived and in my carrier as a footballer, I have equally built a reputation as a good footballer and a citizen of the said country i.e. Spain.

“Whereof, my complaint is predicated on the fact that on 14th January, 2021 when I was before the Sharia Court, Magajin Gari, Kaduna, the judge whose name is Nuhu Falalu before whom I appeared, insulted me as an irresponsible person because I have my hair style grown up which he described me as a rascal for leaving the kind of my hair style and also called me useless Christian.

“Sir, I only reported a case of fraud i.e., 419 before the Court, but the said judge ordered and I was detained in a cell and not only that, my hair was cut off in front of everyone in the court room and equaly assaulted simply because I only appeared in my professional training outfit as a professional footballer before the court.

“Thus, the said act of Judge Nuhu Falalu of Sharia Court, Magajin Gari, Kaduna has greatly damaged my personal character when he called me names as useless/rascal and stupid in public, and I know that have spent my life and talent responsibly.

“More so, I felt so embarrassed, disgraced, degraded and humiliated. I therefore seek your kind intervention to do justice and grant me damages for the wrong done to me and the judge be penalized.

“Thank you in anticipation that you will do justice to my complaint.”

Dateline Nigeria learnt from credible sources that the judge had already been summoned over the matter.

Daddy is the younger brother of Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida, both former Nigerian professional players.

https://www.dateline.ng/head-shave-ex-barcelona-star-haruna-babangida-reports-judge-demands-damages/

A social media personality Comrade Gaxaley Bello has urged Muslim leaders in Nigeria to stop a comedian “Alhaji Musa” from insulting Islam and Muslims through his skits.

Dateline Nigeria reports that Alhaji Musa (real name Chinedu Ani Emmanuel) is an on-air-personality with the Lagos-based Wazobia FM.

Also known as Nedu Wazobia, the Kaduna-born entertainer mimicks Hausa accent with his pidgin and features busty women in his videos.

However, Bello, in a letter to the Jamaatu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), The Tijjaniyya Movement (Dariqa group), among others said the comedian is overstepping his bounds and needs to be called to order.

He said the comedian’s style, dressing and even content are “insulting to Muslims and the good people of Northern Nigeria.”

Bello said the right to free speech does not accord anyone the right to abuse people’s religion and culture.

Attempt to reach the comedian was unsuccessful.

https://www.dateline.ng/stop-alhaji-musa-offensive-comedy-man-writes-muslim-groups/

Tambuwal says poor knowledge of Islam sustains its abuse by extremists

Over N92 million was realised at the launching of the three Islamic books written by a Sokoto based Islamic scholar, Dr Jabir Sani Maihula.

The books are: ‘Ibn Taimiyya in the Literature of Contemporary Jihadists’ and ‘Tafarkin Sunnah Mai Kaiwa Zuwa Aljanna Da Makwabtaka Da Allah Ma’abucin Ni’ima’ translated from the Arabic version written by Sheikh Usmanu Danfodio.

The book launch was held at Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’an and General Studies, Sokoto on Sunday.

Sokoto State government donated N35 million, followed by some federal legislators and their associates, led by the former governor of the state, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, who contributed over N16 million.

The chief launcher, Alhaji Dr Umarun Kwabo AA, bought 30 copies of the three books with the sum of N10 million while other launchers, including Sanusi Dantata Foundation, purchased some copies of the books with N3 million as announced by Engr Sanusi Dantata who personally purchased copies of the books with the sum of N2 million.

Also, members of the State House of Assembly, (SOHA) donated N1 million through the Speaker Aminu Manya Achida, who personally launched the books with N1 million.

Other corporate launchers include AA Rano, and Rahamaniyya Global Resources.

At the occasion, Gov. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State observed that the poor conception of what Islam stands for has given impetus to the evil plots of Islamic insurgents.

According to him, “we are all aware of what is happening in the North-West, North-East and North-Central where some of us have capitalized on poor understanding of the religion by the people to manipulate the general populace, particularly youths, to cause trouble.

“No doubt, this works by Dr Jabir is a step in the right direction, which will be augmented by the state government, that will engage more Islamic scholars to bring about moral regeneration, upgrade education and bring about peaceful coexistence.

“For these reasons, the publication of the books couldn’t have come at no better time than now considering the kind of challenges the religion is facing today in our country and abroad,” he said

Noting that Islam is not a religion of violence, the Governor explained that it is a faith which foundation was built on peaceful coexistence. and the books will improve its scholarship.



In his remarks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, while commending the author for his hardwork and talent towards publishing the books, said the Sultanate Council has done something similar where it enumerated 313 Islamic books out of many written by his forefathers.

He said 190 of such books have been published and distributed within and outside the country, stressing that the Council, in collaboration with state university, will create a department of Caliphate Study, where students will be thought the history and good work of the Sokoto Caliphate.

In his address the National Chairman of Jama’atul Izalatul Bidia Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Shekih Abdullahi Bala Lau, spoke extensively on the importance of seeking knowledge.

In his vote of thanks, the author of the books, Dr Jabir Sani Maihula, expressed appreciation to all those who contributed in one way or the other towards publishing the books.

https://www.dateline.ng/dr-jabir-sani-maihula-launches-three-books-generates-n92m/

Umaruxoxo:
She go wicked ooo

LMAO, how now?

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has congratulated Professor Maimuna Waziri on her appointment as the third Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State.

Dateline Nigeria reports that Gashua is the headquarters of Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State, which falls under Lawan’s Yobe North Senatorial District.

Lawan, in a statement, also congratulated the Governing Council of the University for arriving at the appointment without rancour under the guidance of due process and best university tradition.

“With the appointment of Professor Waziri, the Governing Council has sustained the steady sail of Federal University, Gushau towards becoming a true citadel of learning and research.

“Professor Waziri has served with merit in three universities, including the Federal University, Gashua where she was the Deputy Vice Chancellor until this new appointment.

“Her credentials thus amply recommend her for this appointment and underscore the popular expectation that she will discharge the onerous tasks of the office with distinction.

“Professor Waziri’s attainments in academics and leadership are an inspiration to women in the North and other parts of Nigeria who have dreams of distinguishing themselves in their professions and of making remarkable contributions to national development.

“I urge her to continue to be exemplary by bringing her vast administrative and academic experience to bear in working with the Management and Staff to take her University to higher academic rankings.”

https://www.dateline.ng/lawan-congratulates-new-vc-of-federal-university-gashua/

Prof Maimuna Waziri has emerged the first female and third substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Gashua (FUGA).

She will succeed Prof Andrew Haruna who is due to complete his tenure early February.

Prof Maimuna’s appointment was approved by the governing council of the varsity, according to a statement on Saturday by the FUGA’s Head of Information and Protocol Unit, Usar Ignatius.

Maimuna, a Professor of Chemistry, defeated 47 other candidates in a contest on Saturday January 16, 2021.

The Pro-Chancellor and the Chairman of the Governing council, Ibrahim Akuyam, congratulated the new vice Chancellor and urged her to work with all.

Source: https://www.dateline.ng/prof-maimuna-waziri-emerges-vc-of-federal-university-gashua/

There was a mild drama at a Kaduna court on Thursday when a judge ordered the shaving of the head of Haruna Babangida, a Nigerian former professional footballer who played for many European clubs including FC Barcelona.

Dateline Nigeria reports that Babangida, popularly known as Daddy, is a younger brother to two former Nigerian internationals Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida.

He went to the court in Magajin Gari area of Kaduna where he had earlier filed a case that was due for hearing. He was also spotting his trademark hairstyle.

“Daddy was apparently returning from a football field as he was in his training vest and apparel.

“When the case was called, Daddy being a jovial fellow, started smiling. The judge probably mistook that for disrespect.

“So he first ordered the detention of the former player in a cell, called a barber to shave his head and made him to pay for it,” a source said.

Attempts to reach the ex-Barcelona player proved unsuccessful, but sources close to him said he has vowed to seek redress.

The case has been adjourned to January 27.

https://www.dateline.ng/drama-as-judge-shaves-head-of-former-barcelona-player-haruna-babangida/

Chairman of Daily Trust Editorial Board and Monday columnist Malam Mahmud Jega has submitted a notice of resignation to the newspaper company, sources informed Dateline Nigeria.

Jega’s resignation will take effect by the end of January this month, it was also learnt on Wednesday.

According to the sources, Jega is set to lead a new media company called 21st Century Chronicle.

Daily Trust had in December 2019 announced Jega’s retirement as Associate Director/Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

However, the ace writer retained his Monday column and position as Chairman of Editorial Board. Jega also handled special assignments for the paper as part of the retainership deal.

Dateline Nigeria reports that Jega joined the services of Media Trust in 2006 where he worked as Managing Editor and later Editor of the Daily title.

Before then, he had served as editor in the New Nigerian newspapers, Sentinel and Citizen magazines.