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Defence/Security

Southern Kaduna union urges succour for victims of attacks

Succour

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna) March 19, 2020 (NAN) The Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), has called on the state government, wealthy Nigerians and well meaning individuals to come to the aid of victims of recent attacks on rural communities in the south of Kaduna.

The group, in a press statement on Thursday in Kafanchan, said that seven people were confirmed killed and several others rendered homeless in such attacks in the past three days.

The statement, which was signed by the Public Relations Officer of the Union, Luka Binniyat, was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“In what looks like an unceasing siege on Gbagyi communities in southern Kaduna, armed herdsmen simultaneously attacked Kugosi and Katari communities in Chikun.

“They also burnt down homes and property in the communities, with similar attacks recorded in Manini village, also in Chikun, where two people were killed.

“In the same manner, a day before the Manini violence, a horde of armed herdsmen stormed Katarma village, in the same Chikun ward, and killed two family members.

“In the past three days, at least 7 persons have been killed,” he said.

The statement appealed to the governor to show sympathy by visiting victims of the attacks to give them a sense of belonging.

“SOKAPU has a chronicle of the loses suffered by these villages in the hands of herdsmen trying to forcefully eject them and occupy their lands.

“These wanton cruelties on these native communities have been ongoing without let since January 6, 2020, with great casualties in human lives and material loses.

“Curiously, government has never spoken about these attacks and no one has visited the victims.

“We want to appeal to the governor to come to the aid of the victims because they are suffering. It is the only way yo demonstrate love and concern for the people,” the statement said.

It stated that the people displaced from the affected communities were specifically in dire need of food, medical attention and temporary shelter.

“Since the villagers have suffered similar invasions in the past, they have devised ways of escaping, thus children, women, the aged and all found their ways into the bushes carrying only what they wore.

“As we write this statement, Kugosi and Kajari have been deserted with scores of villagers wandering in the bush with no food or water,” the statement added (NAN)

AMEN/ETS

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Judiciary

2 lecturers drag Kaduna COE to court over unpaid salaries, wrongful disengagement

Suit

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna) March 10, 2020 (NAN) Two lecturers of the Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, on Tuesday, dragged the school before a High Court in Kafanchan,  court over unpaid salaries and termination of their contract without due process.

Musa Markus and Yohanna Dutse are challenging the purported removal of their names from the school payroll and non payment of their salaries.

According to the claimants, they were engaged as specialised lecturer by the college on contract from 2006 to 2009.

They also alleged that their contract was renewed for another three years from 2009 to 2012 and also from 2012 to 2015 and lastly renewed from 2016 to Dec. 31, 2018.

They alleged that the college paid their salaries from 2006 to September 2017 but stopped paying for October 2017 to December 2018 without any query, notice of contract termination nor payment in lieu of notice.

They argued that they never committed any crime nor breached the terms of their employment contract to warrant such action by the school without notice and justifiable reasons.

The applicants are praying the court to order the college to pay their accrued salaries and allowances from the date of purported termination of contract of employment.

They are also praying for payment of their contract gratuity of over N8 million as well as damages to the tune of N2 million each for the physical and psychological trauma caused by the infringement of their fundamental human rights.

The matter comes up for hearing on March 12. (NAN)

AMEN/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza

General news

Former CBN Deputy Governor tasks elites on youth mentoring

Former CBN Deputy Governor tasks elites on youth mentoring

Mentoring

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna) March 7, 2020 (NAN) Dr Obadiah Mailafiya, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has called on the elites in the country to mentor young people to become better and responsible citizens.

Mailafiya made the call on Saturday at the 2020 Khituk Gwong Cultural Festival in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

He said the call became necessary in view of the growing manner in which youth in the country were embracing habits and lifestyles alien to their culture.

“Our youths are adopting habits that are not known to our culture. They engage in drug abuse and all manner of things that are not part of our culture.

“The educated elites must do more to mentor the youths around them so that our culture and heritage will not be forgotten,” he said.

In his remark, the Kpop Kagoma, Paul Wyom, said the festival was an annual event designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the Gwong people of Southern Kaduna.

The traditional ruler appealed to people of the area to put their religious differences aside and work for peace and unity of the region.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Area, Mr Peter Averik, called on the Gwong nationality to always embrace peace and be more tolerant to one another.

Averik commended the state governor for his economic empowerment programme, adding that its impacts had positively affected the lives of people at the grassroots.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the 2020 event is ‘Cultural Festivals: A Stimuli For Cultural Integration, National Security and Economic Development.’ (NAN)

AMEN/IMC/MZA 

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Edited by Monday Ijeh/Maharazu Ahmed 

Education

Accreditation: Kaduna College of Nursing seeks govt. support

Accreditation
By Amen Gajira
Kafanchan (Kaduna), March 6, 2020 (NAN) The Kaduna State College of Nursing and Midwifery has appealed to the state government to ensure its full accreditation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.

The overseer of the Kafanchan campus of the school, Mr Ephraim Dyages, told News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Kafanchan that the college risked being closed over lack of full accreditation.

“We are calling on the state government to assist us in every way they can so that this school will not be closed down because of lack of full accreditation.

“We know the government is trying but it can do better because we are in a very critical situation as it is right now,” he added

Dyages stated that the college had been operating for 42 years on provisional accreditation, saying it was not healthy and ideal for an institution that had existed that long to operate without full accreditation.

According to him, inadequate staffing and facilities were the main factors hindering the institution from gaining full accreditation.

“What is stopping us from getting this full accreditation is inadequate staffing and facilities which are key requirements.

“As you can see, there are many abandoned projects here and until these things are in place, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria won’t grant us full accreditation,” he said

The official noted that the regulatory authorities would come for one more assessment visit after which the school would know its fate.

“There is a circular from the council, that if they come for two consecutive visits and you are not able to meet the requirements for full accreditation, they would withdraw your provisional accreditation.

“So when next they come to our school and we are not able to meet up, they withdraw our accreditation and we’ll have to start all over again,” he added.

He said full accreditation for the college would mean more students being admitted and graduated to cater for the shortage of health personnel in the state. (NAN)
AMEN/SSA/ISMA
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Edited by Shuaib Sadiq/Ismail Abdulaziz

Defence/Security

Gunmen kill 2 in night attack on Kaduna village- LG chairman

Attack

By Amen Gajira

Zangon Kataf (Kaduna) March 4, 2020 (NAN) Two persons- a male and female, were on Tuesday night killed by gunmen at Matsirga Village, Madakiya ward in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The Chairman of Zangon Kataf, Dr Elias Manza, confirmed the incident to the  News Agency of  Nigeria (NAN), in Zangon Kataf.

Manza said three other victims of the attack were receiving treatment in the hospital.

“One of the victims died instantly and the other died at the hospital in Kafanchan, while three other persons are still receiving treatment.

“From what we gathered, the gunmen went to a house, perhaps in search of a particular person and he wasn’t there.

“The lady they killed had gone to the man’s house to fetch water and was killed just by the pump and another person was attacked just 3 to 4 meters away,” he added

Manza appealed to people of the area to be calm and more vigilant as the council was doing its best to safeguard lives and property.

“I want to advise residents on the need for vigilance and also the need to avoid crowds, especially along the road side.

“Residents should be calm and not take laws into their hands as the council will continue to take measures to ensure safety of lives and property,” he added

The Chairman further noted that he had summoned a security meeting later on Wednesday as a result of the attacks.

Meanwhile,  Mr Bulus Yusuf, a resident had told the NAN that the gunmen invaded the community at around 9:25pm, shooting sporadically. (NAN)

AMEN/IU

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Edited by Isaac Ukpoju

General news

LG chairman tasks corps members on job creation

LG chairman tasks corps members on job creation

Jobs
By Amen Gajira
Kafanchan (Kaduna), March 3, 2020 (NAN) The Chairman of Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mr Peter Averik, on Tuesday advised the outgoing Corps Members to use the skills acquired during their service year to create jobs for themselves and others.
Averik gave the advice during the Job Awareness and Creation Programme organised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the outgoing 2019 Batch A corps members in Kafanchan.
Represented by the Council’s Vice Chairman, Ngboni Digah, the chairman advised the corps members to be disciplined, creative and innovative saying, “it is not easy in the labour market”.
He enjoined the corps members not to rely on white collar jobs as government could not provide employment for everybody.
Also speaking, the Director, Education and Social Development Department of the council, Mr Dominic Musa, advised the corps members not to despise little beginnings but to explore and maximise every opportunity that would come their way.
In a vote of thanks, the NYSC Local Government Inspector, Mr Bayo Arukoye, applauded the council for supporting the scheme in the area.
He reiterated the scheme’s resolve to always partner the council in the areas of education and rural development. (NAN)
AMEN/AZA/DCU
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Edited by Polycarp Auta/Donald Ugwu

Judiciary

Court remands tailor for allegedly defiling 13-year-old girl

Remand

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna) Feb. 28, 2020 (NAN) A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State on Friday ordered that a 30-year-old tailor, Elijah Ewos, who allegedly defiled a 13-year-old girl, be remanded in a correctional facility.

Ewos, a resident of Zonkwa, is charged with defilement contrary to Section 257 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

The presiding judge, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, however, did not take the plea of Ewo  for lack of jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Ibrahim, who adjourned the matter until March 9, ordered that the case file be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

Earlier, the state counsel from the ministry of justice, Mathias Joseph, told the court that Ewos defiled the girl in his shop on Feb. 17.

Joseph noted that the victim was taken to the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Kafanchan and the matter was referred to the Civil Defence for investigation.  (NAN)

AMEN/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza

Education

Kaduna Varsity expels 80 over exam malpractices, warns against other vices

Expulsion
By Amen Gajira
Kafanchan (Kaduna), Feb. 26, 2020 (NAN) The Kaduna State University (KASU) says it has expelled about 80 students for various forms of examination malpractices during the 2018/2019 academic session.
The Coordinator of the Kafanchan campus of the institution, Prof. Ahmed Ahmed, stated this on Wednesday during the 2019/2020 matriculation ceremony for new students in Kafanchan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the matriculation of the new students was done simultaneously in the Kaduna and Kafanchan campuses of the institution.
Ahmed noted that of the 80 students expelled, 10 were from the Kafanchan campus, adding that it was a sad development, considering the stiff competition for admission into the institution.
“With the increase in students’ population over the years, comes serious challenges, the most disturbing being the issue of examination malpractices.
“In the 2018/2019 session alone, about 80 students were expelled from the university for various examination misconducts; of this number, 10 came from the Kafanchan campus.
“This development is sad, given the stiff competition students have had to face in gaining admission into the institution,” he added.
He also stated that the university was grappling with the menace of cultism as well as use of illicit drugs and banned substances, among others, adding that the institution had zero tolerance for such vices.
“As you take your oath this morning, I want to remind you that KASU has zero tolerance for all the vices mentioned earlier and you should steer clear of them.
“Face your studies, because that is what you are here for, and I wish you the best in your studies,” he said.
Also speaking, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Yohanna Tella, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Muhammad Tanko, said a total of 4,650 students were formally admitted at the ceremony, with 700 of them in Kafanchan Campus.
Tella enjoined the new students to make the most of the opportunity to study in the university, by being dedicated to their academic pursuit.
“You should count yourselves lucky to be among those admitted out of the thousands who applied to be here.
“We expect you to contribute your own quota towards the growth of this university by being dedicated to your studies and by maintaining law and order,” he said.
Tella, however, identified inadequate facilities as one of the major challenges facing the university.
He commended the state government for releasing funds to keep the institution running. (NAN)
AMEN/CCN/WAS
Edited by Chinyere Nwachukwu and ‘Wale Sadeeq

Judiciary

Court remands farmer for allegedly defiling 13-year-old girl

Rape

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna State) Feb. 26, 2020 (NAN) A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, on Tuesday ordered that a farmer, Monday Bala, who allegedly defiled a 13-year-old girl, be remanded in a correctional facility.

The Attorney–General of Kaduna State charged Bala, who resides in Zonkwa, with defilement contrary to Section 257 of the Kaduna State Penal code Law, 2017.

Magistrate Abdulaziz Ibrahim, who did not take the plea of Bala, ordered that he remanded in the Kafanchan correctional centre.

Ibrahim who adjourned the case until March 9 , ordered that the case file be returned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

Earlier, the state counsel from the ministry of justice, Mathias Joseph, told the court that Bala sent the 13-year old victim to his apartment on an errand.

He told the court that the defendant allegedly followed her to his house, forced her into his room and defiled her.

He alleged that the victim was taken to the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Kafanchan, after which the case was referred to the Civil Defence for investigation.  (NAN)

AMEN/KOO/SH

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Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Sadiya Hamza

Judiciary

Court remands man for allegedly raping 21-year-old woman

Rape

By Amen Gajira

Kafanchan (Kaduna State) Feb. 26, 2020 (NAN) A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kafanchan on Wednesday ordered that a 23-year-old man, Gideon Clement, who allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman, be remanded in a correctional facility.

The Attorney-General of Kaduna State charged Clement with rape, contrary to section 257 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017.

Magistrate Abdulaziz Ibrahim, who ordered that Clement be remanded in the Kafanchan correctional centre.

Ibrahim, who did not take the plea of Clement, adjourned the case until March 9 for further mention.

He ordered that the case file be returned to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

The state counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Mathias Joseph, told the court that Clement raped the victim while on a visit to one Ladan Audi’s house.

Joseph alleged that Clement tricked his victim into believing that he brought a message for her and raped her in his cousin’s room.

He said that the case was reported at the Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Kafanchan and forwarded to the Civil Defence for investigation. . (NAN)

AMEN/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza