Tag: Sokoto

Sokoto Election: Tribunal Affirms Tambuwal’s Victory As Governor

 

The Sokoto State Election Tribunal has affirmed the victory of Aminu Tambuwal as governor of the state.

The tribunal on Wednesday dismissed the petition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Mr. Ahmed Aliyu for lacking in merit and inability to establish non-compliance.

It also resolved the allegations of non-compliance with the electoral act in the conduct of the election against the petitioners for failure to prove same
the evidence of the petitioners’ witnesses, especially witness number 10 is hearsay evidence that cannot be given any value in court to prove any of the allegations.

The tribunal, sitting at the Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate court after it was relocated from Sokoto State to Abuja for alleged security reasons, declared the petition as ‘proper in law.’

READ ALSO: Tribunal Declares Petition Challenging Tambuwal’s Election As Valid

On the objections raised by the petitioner against the petition urging it to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit, unanimously, the tribunal dismissed the objections and held that the petition was properly filed.

The Justice Abbas Bawale who led tribunal qually ruled that the petitioners, Aliyu and his party, the APC duly paid the filing fees.

It held that against the argument of the respondents that the petition disclosed the substantial cause of action and was properly signed by the petitioners. It further held that the non-joinder of the running mate to the petitioners is not enough to render the petition incompetent.

Justice Bawale held that the application by the respondent lacks merit and constituted a waste of judicial time.

Sokoto Agency DG Arrested Over Alleged Diversion Of Salaries

Alleged $3.5m Fraud: Nine Nigerians Arrested In U.S.
A file photo of an arrested suspect.

 

 

The Director-General of Sokoto Marshal Agency, Abdullahi Sa’idu, has been arrested for alleged diversion of N10million meant for the payment of the salaries of workers.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed this in a statement posted on its Twitter handle on Monday.

According to the anti-graft agency, Sa’idu was arrested along with an accountant with the agency, Bashar Dodo-Iya, on Friday last week by operatives of EFCC Sokoto Zonal Office.

READ ALSO: Ramaphosa Apologises To Nigeria Over Xenophobic Attacks

It said the two suspects, who are members of the payment committee of Sokoto Marshal Corps, were arrested following a petition jointly signed and presented to the commission by 39 members of the agency.

The petitioners alleged that their three months salaries were being withheld without any reason.

They also claimed that the suspects refused to pay their salaries but diverted the money for their personal use.

The EFCC said preliminary investigation confirmed the alleged diversion of the said sum by the suspects.

It added that the duo would be charged to court as soon as it concludes investigation.

FBI LIST: EFCC Nabs Major Suspect, Five Others In Sokoto

 

The Economic and Financial Crime Comission, EFCC, Sokoto Zonal Office in collaboration with the FBI, recorded a big success, when on the 29th of August, 2019 Operatives of the Commission, from the Zonal Office arrested one Emmanuel Adedeji Oluwatosin, who is on the wanted list of the FBI.

The Zonal Head, Abdullahi Lawal while parading the suspect in Sokoto on Thursday described the arrest as a big success.

He explained that the suspect was arrested in Kaduna in a luxury house believed to be proceed of fraud. Items recovered from the residence include two cars; Mercedes Benz E550, Mercedes Benz C450 and other items include IPhone, laptops, modem and SIM cards.

Lawal added that the suspect and his accomplices both in Nigeria and overseas, acquired retirement account information (RAI) and personally identifiable information (PII) of multiple victims.

“The information was then used to fraudulently wire funds into newly created business bank accounts tied to the fraudulently created business. The proceeds were then converted into crypto currency; Bitcoin precisely. The suspect and his cohorts were identified in an ongoing Computer Intrusion investigation in the United States”

He said preliminary investigation had so far revealed that about N 1, 437, 889, 157.15 passed through the suspect’s accounts and the commission have also traced the sum of N 70, 000,000.00 he invested somewhere. Efforts are on to recover the money.

In a related development, Lawal said the Commission has arrested a wanted suspect, Muzakkir Muhammad, through one of its sister agencies in connection with an alleged case of obtaining money under false pretenses and production of fake currencies.

He said the suspect was reported by one of his victims, Abdullahi Ibrahim after he had defrauded another victim, Samaila Sani a Bureau de Change operator to the tune of $33,850.

“Meanwhile, the first complainant, Ibrahim alleged that Muzakri Muhammad collected the sum of N2, 350,000 from him on the pretext of producing the $100,000 for him, which he has neither produced nor refunded the Naira equivalent given to him.

“However, a search was conducted at his house and several incriminating items which the suspect used in luring and defrauding his victims were found therein. The house was marked by operatives of the Commission.

“His method is to make his victims believe that he possess some form of super natural abilities of communicating with Spirits, while in the actual sense of it, they are just some classic tricks he uses to deprive them of their hard earnings.”

The Commission also paraded four Sokoto, local government officials who defrauded civil servants on the payroll by deducting irregular amount of monies from their salaries through State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) since 2013.

The Suspects are; Ishaka Abdullahi (Education Secretary), Abdullahi Idris (Deputy Education Secretary), Abdullahi Dadi (Cashier), and Idris Wamabai (Accountant) as the culprits.

Investigation commenced in a team of operatives dispatched to Sabon Brini LGEA, which resulted in the recovery of several documents and arrest of the suspects.

The suspects would soon be charged to court.

UPDATED: Armed Men Kidnap Sokoto Assembly Member

A member representing Denge/Shuni State Constituency at the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Aminu Magaji Bodai, has been kidnapped by some armed men.

He was kidnapped around 1:15 am between Dange and Bodai town in the state.

READ ALSO: Boko Haram Ransacks Borno Villages As Army Withdraws

A close relation of the victim revealed that his brother was kidnapped by yet to be identified persons.

The Police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Sadiq Abubakar confirmed the incident to Channels Television.

He said the police command received a distressed call that “armed men numbering about 10 stormed the residence of the Sokoto State lawmaker. And they kidnapped him.”

“Upon receipt of the information, the DPO let his team to the scene.”

He added that efforts are being carried out to rescue the victim.

On whether there has been any contact from the kidnappers, he says none has been established so far.

“We do not have any communication from them at the moment. I strongly believe we are not hoping to have information from them. We are working hard to make them see us and catch up with them.”

VIDEO: Senator Abbo Questions Ministerial Nominee From Sokoto

 

Mr Elisha Abbo, the senator representing Adamawa North District, was among the lawmakers present at the continued screening of ministerial nominees in the Senate.

The session resumed on Friday with the lawmakers screening more ministerial nominees whose names were forwarded to the Red Chamber by the President.

Some of those who took part in the process were Mr Festus Keyamo, Senator Hadi Sirika, Mr Abubakar Malami, Ms Pauline Tallen, and Mr Muhammadu Dingyadi among others.

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Senator Abbo Questions Ministerial Nominee From Sokoto
Senator Elisha Abbo

 

 

Dingyadi, a political scientist and former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Water Resources, was that last to stand before the lawmakers on Friday.

During his screening, Senator Abbo congratulated the nominee on his selection by the President to represent Sokoto State.

He told Dingyadi that he noticed in his resume that he served as the commissioner for water resources in his state.

The lawmaker then asked what the nominee plans to do to address the challenges of lack of access to clean, potable and drinkable water.

In his response, Dingyadi corrected the senator that he was only a permanent secretary in the ministry, adding that he served as an admin officer and not a water engineer.

He, however, agreed with Senator Abbo on the need to improve water supply in the country.

After screening a total of seven nominees, the Senate adjourned until Monday, July 29.

Buhari Condemns Killing Of Many Villagers By ‘Mass Murderers’ In Sokoto

The President Needs To Rejig His Kitchen Cabinet – Oyebode
A file photo of President Muhammadu Buhari

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday “strongly” condemned recent attacks by cattle raiders on three villages in Sokoto that officials said killed dozens.

He offered commiserations to the survivors and vowed a firm response to “these brutal and remorseless enemies of humanity”.

“These frequent and large scale killings of poor villagers by gangs of mass murderers must be met with the fiercest force the government can mobilise,” presidential assistant Garba Shehu quoted Buhari as saying.

On Wednesday, armed men on motorcycles raided three villages in the district of Goronyo in the Nigerian state of Sokoto, district chief Zakari Chinaka told newsmen.

READ ALSO: Bandits Kill Over 20 In Sokoto

“The bandits opened fire on the villages and set shops and grain stores ablaze. They took away all the cattle in the villages,” he said.

“They operated for two hours unchallenged (by any security forces) because of the difficulty of the terrain which makes it hard to access,” said the chief.

Alu Ibrahim, a resident of the village of Kamitau, where 23 people died, said villagers had pursued the bandits in a bid to recover their stolen cattle — key to survival in the poor, remote region.

“The bandits turned their guns on them and killed many. This was the reason for the high death toll from Kamitau,” said Ibrahim.

Criminal gangs of cattle rustlers have increasingly targeted rural communities in Sokoto state.

Last month, motorcycle-riding bandits killed 43 people in two days of attacks on five villages in Rabah and Isa districts, according police and locals.

Rural communities in the north of Nigeria have for years been terrorised by gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle, kidnapping for ransom and burning homes after looting food supplies.

Villagers have taken up arms to defend themselves, but these vigilantes are now accused of extra-judicial killings of suspected bandits.

The bandit gangs are one of a string of security challenges facing Nigeria, including attacks from a Islamic State-backed Boko Haram faction and renewed clashes between livestock herders and farmers.

This has left the military overstretched and Buhari criticised for failing to protect lives and property, despite promises to boost security.

Bandits Kill Over 20 In Sokoto

Suspected armed bandits have killed over twenty persons in Dan Tatsako village in Goronyo local government area of Sokoto state.

A source in the local government says the assailants arrived in the village at night armed with sophisticated weapons and started shooting sporadically.

He says apart from the twenty persons killed, houses and other properties were destroyed by the bandits.

READ ALSO: Military, Insurgents Lock Horns In Jakana, Borno State

He explains that survivors of the attack fled the village to seek refuge in nearby communities within Goronyo and Isa Local Government areas of Sokoto state.

The Sokoto state police public relations officer, Mohammed Sadiq who also confirmed the attack to Channels Television, says the casualty figures are yet to be ascertained.

Just In: Gangs Raid Villages In Sokoto, Kill 43

 

Gunmen on motorbikes killed 43 people in waves of attacks in northern Nigeria, police said Monday, the latest violence by criminal gangs raiding villages and stealing livestock.

The series of attacks, carried out overnight Saturday to Sunday in Nigeria’s far northwestern Sokoto state, saw the gangs ride out from forest hideouts, speeding into villages and beginning to shoot.

“They opened fire on the village indiscriminately,” said Abdullahi Dantani, from the village of Satiru, where 18 people were murdered.

In Sokoto state’s Rabah district, gunmen rode into four villages — Rukunni, Tsage, Giire and Kalfu — massacring 25 people.

“Twenty-five people were killed,” said Ibrahim Kaoje, Sokoto state’s top police officer. “Several domestic animals were rustled by the attackers.”

READ ALSO: 140 Suspects Arrested As Operation Puff Adder Commences In Kano

Four people were arrested in connection to those attacks, Kaoje said, “including a female informant of the gangs, who disguised as a mad woman.”

In a separate wave of attacks in Satiru village, in Sokoto’s Isa district, the raiders shot 18 people, and then stole animals.

“We lost 18 people in the raid by the gunmen, who came into the village on motorcycles,” said Satiru village resident Umeh Na-Ta’ala.

The gangs have long been a scourge of rural communities in northern Nigeria, raiding villages, stealing cattle, burning homes, looting food, and kidnapping for ransom.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killings, expressing his “deep shock and sadness over the death of scores of people in the banditry attacks,” in a statement issued late Sunday.

“Perpetrators and sponsors of such dastardly acts (will) be held accountable,” Buhari added.

AFP

Nigerian Army Bans Motorcycles In Forest Areas Of Seven States

 

The Nigerian Army has banned the use of motorcycles in the north-western states of the country, due to the increased rate of kidnapping and banditry.

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, made the announcement in a statement on Sunday.

He said the affected states are Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara and Niger.

While giving the reason for the ban, Musa noted that “armed bandits, criminals and kidnappers hibernate and all around where troops are conducting operations alongside other security agencies.”

READ ALSO: El-Rufai Asks Air Force To End Attacks On Abuja-Kaduna Highway

The Army spokesman warned that “anyone caught using motorcycles within the named areas will be taken for an armed bandit, criminal and kidnapper with dire consequences.”

While appealing for the cooperation of the general public, Musa said the directive will stop the dastardly activities of these bandits from operating across the affected region.

He also reiterated the military’s commitment in securing lives and properties of the citizenry, calling on the “respective State Governments are enjoined to please disseminate the ban on the use of motorcycles in the named areas and enforce the ban in conjunction with the security agencies.”

The development follows ongoing military operations in the affected states codenamed Exercise Harbin Kunama aimed at combating security challenges in the area.

Take Fight To Bandits’ Den, IGP Tells Police In Zamfara, Sokoto

Take Fight To Bandits’ Den, IGP Tells Police In Zamfara, Sokoto
Mr Mohammed Adamu during a visit to Zamfara State on April 9, 2019.

 

The acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has challenged police personnel deployed in Zamfara and Sokoto to take the battle to bandits’ camp in the states.

He stated this while addressing the officers and men of both commands during a visit to Zamfara State on Tuesday.

The police boss asked the personnel to be on the offensive as well as ensure total reclamation and domination of all the public spaces occupied by the criminal and bring them to justice.

READ ALSO: INEC To Hold Governorship Elections In Kogi, Bayelsa On Nov 2

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, said the visit was to enable the IGP to conduct an on-the-spot evaluation of operational and deployment strategies being put in place in both states.

The visit, according to the statement, readily affords Adamu ample opportunity to have a “one-on-one” interaction with officers and men on the ground.

In addition to boosting the morale of personnel, the visit will also help to galvanise local support for the police and other security forces deployed in the Operation Puff Adder.

The IGP later attended a town hall meeting with relevant stakeholders held in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.

He commiserated with the community members, particularly those who lost their loved ones or incurred one loss or another as a result of the activities of the bandits.

The police boss, however, called on the people to support the security agencies with human intelligence and any relevant information that could aid the success of the operation.

On their part, the stakeholders commended the Federal Government for banning mining activities in their area.

They equally requested for increased deployment of policemen to their communities and requested that members of the Civilian Joint Task Force be allowed to join the police in tackling the menace of banditry in their communities.

Those present at the meeting included top government officials such as the Secretary to Zamfara State Government, Professor Abdullahi Muhammad, and the Chief of Staff of the government, Abdullahi Abdulkarim.

Also present were traditional rulers, local government chairmen, farmers’ association, Mityetti Allah, and religious leaders, among others,

Shortly after the meeting, the IGP departed Zamfara to Sokoto State in continuation of his mission.

He was accompanied by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali, and some top police officers.

Maintain Peaceful Victory Rallies, Tambuwal Begs Supporters In Sokoto

Maintain Peaceful Victory Rallies, Tambuwal Begs Supporters In Sokoto
A file photo of Governor Aminu Tambuwal addressing supporters at the Government House in Sokoto on August 1, 2018.

 

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has urged his supporters to be peaceful as they celebrate the victory in the governorship election in the state.

He made the appeal in a series of tweets on Monday, after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the keenly contested poll.

Governor Tambuwal who contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) noted that while they cannot help but celebrate the feat, it should be done in a peaceful way.

He called on his supporters to avoid any action that can cause violence and pray for the best leadership of their dreams.

READ ALSO: Aminu Tambuwal Re-elected As Sokoto Governor

The governor further thanked the people of his state for coming out to vote for him in the March 9 governorship election and the March 23 supplementary poll.

He gave assurance that his administration would continue to work hard and initiate projects that would have a positive impact on their lives.

Governor Tambuwal also promised to ensure all-inclusive governance, in order to develop Sokoto State and maintain its credibility.

INEC had returned the governor elected after he polled a total of 512,002 votes to defeat Mr Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 511,660 votes.

Read the tweets below:

Supplementary Elections: Ben Bruce Felicitates With Tambuwal, Bala Mohammed On Their Victories

Mace Theft: If NASS Is Unsafe, Villa Is Not Safe – Murray-Bruce

 

Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has sent out felicitation messages following the declarations of results for the supplementary elections in Bauchi and Sokoto States.   

Bruce, the lawmaker representing Bayelsa East in the Senate, took to his Twitter page to congratulate Aminu Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed who emerged winners of the elections rerun in Sokoto and Bauchi respectively.

The parliamentarian said that the victory in Sokoto is a sign that Tambuwal had served well.

“Congratulations to my good friend, Governor Aminu Tambuwal. Your successful re-election is proof that you have served well and thus earned another four years from the good people of Sokoto state. To God be the glory,” Bruce Twitted.

Similarly, Senator Bruce stated that Bala Mohammed’s election heralds a new dawn in Bauchi state and a renewed hope for the people.

READ ALSO: Ortom Declared Winner Of Benue Governorship Election

“Congratulations my brother Sen. Bala Mohammed, Governor-Elect, Bauchi State. You achieved this in the midst of intimidation and oppression.

“I am very proud of you. It’s a new day and renewed hope for the great people of Bauchi state.”

Channels Television had earlier reported that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, had been re-elected for a second term.

The state Collation Officer, Professor Fatima Muktar, returned him as the winner of the governorship election on Sunday, a day after supplementary polls were held.

The PDP candidate polled a total of 512,002 votes after the 25,515 votes he got from the supplementary elections were added to the number of votes from the first exercise held on March 9.

His closest rival, Ahmad Aliyu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 511,660 after his 22,444 votes from the supplementary election were added to that of the March 9 election.

In a similar vein, PDP’s Bala Mohammed won the supplementary election in Bauchi State.

Returning Officer Professor Kyari Mohammed announced that the PDP candidate polled a total of 6,376 while the candidate of the APC, Muhammed Abubakar, who is the incumbent governor polled 5,117.

Prof Kyari, however, noted that he is in no position to make a return because the case involving the Tafawa Balewa LGA is still in court.