NEWS
Senator Barkiya says everybody knows where the bandits are hiding
***As senate urges FG to send fighter jets to flush out terrorists from hideouts
Apparently piqued by the unending nefarious activities of bandits and Kidnapers in Katsina State and other parts of the country, Senator Kabiru Barkiya (APCKatsina Central) out of frustration on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday admitted the Government and the rest of them know where the bandits are hiding.
Senator Barkiya was contributing to a motion on urgent need for Federal Government to take drastic actions to bring to an end the act of Banditry and Kidnapping in Faskari Local Government Area where 38 members of the community were kidnapped on Sunday.
Barkiya in his emotion laden voice said, “I can say that enough is enough, what is happening is that we should not only continue to condemn but we must also have to do something very serious.
Directing his comments at the authorities he seemed to be telling the Federal Government to do the needful by giving a marching order to the military to bomb them in their hideouts since they had already been declared as terrorists.
“We can not just sit down after declaring these bandits terrorists and then allow them to continue with all these kidnaping.
“We have to look at it critically, the security agents may be doing their best but for me they need to do another best, just look at 38 person’s, how can they just kidnap 38 persons after declaring these people as terrorists why can we just go and bomb them.
“Condemning, condemning everyday is not enough. I am saying we can not continue to condemn, ask NEMA to do one thing or the other, we have to definitely look at it and then do something more seriously. We know where they are, everybody knows where they are.”
Senator Bello Mandiya (Katsina South) who sponsored the motion in his lead debate said the act of banditry and Kidnapping has become a daily incidence now in Katsina with consequence of lost of lives, means of livelihood and displacement of communities
He indicated that last Sunday being 31st January 2022 gunmen struck in Faskari Local Government in Katsina State where 38 members of the community were kidnapped
“The federal Government has made Frantic effort in curbing the menace by setting up operation of Sharan Daji an inter agency task force to tackle cases of banditry cattle rustling and kidnapping in Katsina State .
He expressed concern that the continuous security challenges and related attacks by bandits on towns, villages and communities in Faskari Local Government Area have meted untold hardship on the people and have subjected the affected areas under serious survival threat.
“If this menace is not drastically and promptly addressed, the consequence is going to be huge on food sufficiency since the affected communities are mostly farmers.
He urge the Security Agencies to comb all known hide outs of the kidnappers in a bid to rescue the Thirty Eight (38) persons abducted by the gunmen in Ruwan Godiya
He urged the Federal Government to send enough military personnel and tighter jets to apprehend the bandits and restore normalcy in these areas,
Making his contribution to the motion senator Muhammed Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) said it is a national disgrace that this thing is happening on daily basis adding that something needs to be done urgently
He however asked that the security forces be encouraged or supported. “We have to ensure that every part of this country has enough security agents to take care of every place. If it is the issue of recruitment in the army we should do so.
“We have provided support to the security agents, Last year alone supplementary appropriation we approved over N865b and this year’s budget we have about N1.3trn and we are getting little in terms of the outcome.
“By now we are supposed to have a very peaceful country but unfortunately on daily bases we hear people being kidnapped, killed. Enough is enough, there is need for security agents to do whatever is humanly possible to curb this menace. It is a national disgrace and something needs to be done.”
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks said the repeated cases of kidnappings and killings makes it imperative for the military to “wake up” to protect Nigerians.
He wondered why full scale action was yet to be carried out by the military in spite of increased funding for security in the 2022 budget by the Executive and National Assembly.
He said, “The expectation of their Senate is that there is supposed to be a remarkable difference in success in terms of the fight against insurgence, banditry and militancy in Nigeria.
“The military is getting better funding from the government and what we expect is to see an improvement in output.
“I know the resources are not enough, but recently for one and a half years, government has upscaled the level of funding for our military.
“Secondly, when we declared the bandits as terrorists, my understanding was they are going to be dealt with ruthlessly now. I wonder whether that is the case.
“The military like some of our colleagues have said, need to wake up. We want to see a difference because we have made a difference in terms of funding.
“I know funding alone will not be enough, but funding can make a difference and we expect a difference in outcome.
“Thirdly, we need to mobilise our citizens, because when a hundred people are kidnapped and abducted, they are not taken by aircrafts, they are taken by motor bikes, pass through the villages and possibly towns, how come do we then say that nobody has seen something?
“We need our citizens to be part and parcel of our security architecture. In fact, there’s no way we can achieve better security for this country without the participation of the citizens in the fight against Insecurity.”
Accordingly, the Senate urged the Security Agencies to comb all known hide outs of the kidnappers in a bid to rescue the Thirty Eight (38) persons abducted by the gunmen in Ruwan Godiya.
It also called on the Federal Government to send enough military personnel and fighter jets to apprehend the bandits and restore normalcy in the affected areas
The Senate in it’s resolution urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, send fighter jets to flush out terrorists in their hideouts who are behind the kidnappings and killings of Nigerians
The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has announced that the portal for student loan applications will officially open on May 24, 2024.
This development is part of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund’s efforts to enhance access to higher education, as stated by the Fund’s media lead, Nasir Ayantogo, on Thursday night.
According to Ayantogo, the launch of the application portal is a significant step in President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to providing accessible and inclusive education for Nigerian students.
This initiative follows the signing of the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023, by President Tinubu on June 12, 2023 which aims to provide interest-free loans to financially disadvantaged students pursuing higher education in Nigeria.
Dele Alake, a member of the former Presidential Strategy Team, noted that this move fulfills one of President Tinubu’s key campaign promises to liberalize funding for education.
The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to handle all loan requests, grants, disbursements, and recoveries.
Initially, the government announced that the scheme would launch in September, but it faced several delays, resulting in an indefinite postponement in early March.
The Presidency attributed the delay to President Tinubu’s directive to expand the scheme to include loans for vocational skills.
Following a briefing from the NELFUND team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, President Tinubu instructed the Fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programs.
President Tinubu stressed the importance of including those who may not seek university education, noting that skill acquisition is equally as important as earning academic degrees.
He had said, “This is not an exclusive programme. It is catering to all of our young people. Young Nigerians are gifted in different areas.
“This is not only for those who want to be doctors, lawyers, and accountants. It is also for those who aspire to use their skilled and trained hands to build our nation.
“In accordance with this, I have instructed NELFUND to explore all opportunities to inculcate skill-development programmes because not everybody wants to go through a full university education,”
Through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints.
According to the statement, the portal features a user-friendly interface, allowing students to conveniently submit their loan applications.
The statement added, “We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their future and contribute to the growth and development of our nation. Students can access the portal on www.nelf.gov.ng to begin application.”
President Bola Tinubu received Senegal’s newly elected President, Bassirou Faye, at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja on Thursday.
Faye, who arrived at 3:09 p.m., is making his first official visit to Nigeria since taking office last month.
At 44, he is the youngest president in Senegalese history, having secured a decisive victory in April’s delayed presidential election with over 54% of the vote.
More to follow……..
In the devastating arson that occurred on Wednesday during an early morning prayer in Gaza village near Gezawa in Kano State, eleven people have been confirmed dead.
The perpetrator, 38-year-old Shafiu Abubakar, set fire to a mosque amidst an inheritance dispute, trapping around 40 worshippers inside.
Rabiu Gadan, a resident of the village, disclosed that 11 individuals have tragically succumbed to the burns they suffered.
Of these victims, eight have already been laid to rest, while preparations are underway for the burial of the remaining three, scheduled for Thursday.
Rabiu revealed that the attack was not the first instance of violence involving Shafiu. Previously, he had assaulted two of his older brothers and then voluntarily surrendered himself to the police, claiming responsibility for their deaths.
Another resident, Malam Garba, said, “He has always been troubled, but when he challenged his family to give him his portion of the inheritance, they did.
“He was even taken to a mental institution once when he attacked his relatives but he was given a clean bill of health. So, he was clearly in his right mind when he set the fire, two of his uncles died and we buried them yesterday already.”
According to BIZTELLERS reports, the assailant is currently in police custody, where he has confessed to his actions.
He cited frustration with the way some of the victims handled the inheritance sharing as his motive. Despite warning his family members to stop maltreating him, he claimed his pleas were ignored.
He however expressed no regret for his actions.
Residents confirmed the existence of an inheritance dispute within the family, but the precise nature of the disagreement remained unclear.
At the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano, where the injured were rushed for treatment, distraught relatives anxiously awaited news about the condition of their loved ones.
Maijida, one of the distressed relatives, shared her heartache, expressing fear over the condition of her father and brothers.
“My father and two brothers are severely injured and I was told some people have died already, what will I do if I lose them, I will be left all alone.” she lamented.
One of the residents that attempted to rescue the victims, Musa Muhammad Gadan said, “I was late going to the prayers, but as I was rushing to the mosque, I heard a blasting noise and then I heard people screaming so I rushed over, the flames had engulfed the building, I and some others tried to rescue them and that is how I sustained burns on my arms.
During a visit to the victims at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Deputy Inspector General of Police AIG Umar Mamman Sanda, in charge of Zone 1 in Kano, confirmed the devastating loss of eight lives on Wednesday.
He was accompanied by a delegation of security personnel, including the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said, “The suspect was said to be not satisfied with the distribution and was reacting to that. He is presently with us and is giving useful information. It is really unfortunate.”
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