Again, no fewer than 30 persons have been killed and several houses razed down in a fresh attack by bandits on Runji Village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

MAIDAWAAREWA gathered from sources in the affected area that local guards keeping vigil were able to engage the invaders but it took the swift intervention of military operatives to repel the attacks.

The locals commended the swift response of the military without which they said the attackers would have wiped out the whole community.

Meanwhile, Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, who confirmed the incident said, Governor Nasir El-Rufai condemned the attack which led to the death of several persons.

Aruwan said, “the military has informed the Kaduna State Government of an attack in Runji village, Zangon Kataf LGA, in which several lives were lost on Saturday night.

“The preliminary report further informed the government that the attack also left some residents injured and an unspecified number of houses burnt down in the community.

“According to the report, troops had a fierce encounter with the attackers and are still in the general area.

“While waiting for a detailed report, Governor Nasir El-Rufai who received the preliminary report in the early hours of Sunday, has condemned the killings as unacceptable and unjustifiable.

“The Governor condoled the families that lost their loved ones and prayed for the repose of the victims’ souls. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“The Kaduna State Government will update the public on the incident as soon as detailed reports are received from the security agencies,” Aruwan said.

On his part, the National President of Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA), Sam Timbuwak Achie, also confirmed that some of the bandits were equally killed by soldiers and some vigilantes who responded promptly to the area and engaged the criminals in a gun battle, adding that the casualty figure would have been higher if not for the intervention of the soldiers.

Police in Jigawa State have found a 16-year-old Almajiri boy, Yusufa Mustapha dead, with his eyes plucked out.

in a bulletin obtain by MAIDAWAAREWA, Spokesman of the command, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam confirmed the incident in a statement.

He said the incident happened on Friday at about 1515hrs in a bush at Shiwarin, Kiyawa Local Government.

According to him, “information at the command’s disposal revealed that one Mallam Mustapha reported that on the same date at about 0800hrs one of his students (almajiri) by name Yusufa Mustapha, 16yrs, went to the bush to get firewood.

“He explained that the victim didn’t come back; later, he was discovered in the bush, one of his eyes was removed by an unknown person.”

Shiisu said the victim was taken to Dutse General Hospital for examination and was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

He said effort is on to trace the perpetrators of the crime.

Nigerian singer, Tiwa Savage, has confirmed she recently escaped an attempted kidnap.

The incident happened on Thursday in Lagos State.

Her management disclosed this in a statement issued via her verified Instagram page on Friday.

According to the statement, some suspects have been arrested and are “currently being held under investigation at Alagbon Police Station, Ikoyi.”

It added that Savage and her family are safe.

Meanwhile, self-acclaimed investigative journalist, Kemi Olunloyo, alleged that the singer’s new driver masterminded the kidnap attempt alongside his cohorts.

In a post shared via her Instagram page, Olunloyo claimed that the kidnappers trailed the singer for days before they were caught and handed over to the police.

She said Tiwa Savage’s new driver was the informant to the kidnappers.

She warned celebrities to be wary of their domestic staff.

The Ogun State Government has said that the introduction of tricycle ambulances in the state is to tackle the threat of maternal and infant mortality in rural areas.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Somorin, on Sunday.

According to the statement, the tricycle ambulances were officially introduced in February 2022 after the state government purchased 50 tricycles, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals donated 30 more, and 10 more tricycles—for a total of 90—were donated by private donors.

He also stated that the government established an Emergency Medical Treatment Committee to ensure the quickest possible collaborative response to trauma and medical emergencies.

Part of the statement read, “The committee consists of stakeholders drawn from various relevant government agencies and professional bodies including traffic, security agencies, health, media and emergency management.

“We have ensured that activation of a state-wide 3-digit 7-7-7 toll free emergency number, to notify the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) of any unforeseen situation coupled with the integration of the national emergency number 112 in Ogun State.

” The government has integrated paramedics into the state’s emergency medical team to provide emergency care to victims at the scene of incident and on-route to the receiving facility/ hospital. We have incorporated the police, fire service, other paramilitary agencies, and volunteer international organisations into the EMS accordingly.”

Two female students of the Federal University Gusau, in Zamfara State, who were kidnapped at their off campus hostel at Sabon Gida village of Bungudu Local Government Area have regained freedom.

This was disclosed by Zamfara State Students Association (ZAMSSA) Federal University Gusau chapter in a press statement issued and signed by the Association’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Umar Abubakar.

The Association did not disclose whether ransom was paid or not before the kidnapped female students of Microbiology Department of the University regained their freedom on Friday.

Maidawaarewa reports that the two kidnapped female students have since been reunited with their families after 12 days in captivity.

“We are sincerely happy for our freedom and we are grateful to the school management and our parents who had to go through the trauma of our abduction and unimaginable pain and anguish”, the students said.

The statement urged the security agencies to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators and sponsors of the criminal act, no matter how long it takes.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted packs of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy and Cannabis concealed in winter jackets and bottles of body cream at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.

The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement shared via the agency’s Facebook page on Sunday.

According to the statement, the interception followed the arrest of a suspect, Joshia Sunday, who came into Nigeria from Oman, on Friday, April 7.

Part of the statement read, “ Consignments of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (Designer drug) and Cannabis concealed in winter jackets and bottles of body cream have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos.

“The psychoactive substances were recovered at the new terminal of the airport on Friday, 14th April following the arrest of a passenger, Joshia Sunday who was travelling on a Qatar Airline flight via Doha to Oman, Middle East.

“A thorough search of the suspect’s two black bags led to the discovery of 4.80 kilograms of cannabis concealed in three winter jackets and various quantities of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (Designer drug) hidden in bottles of body lotion. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect came into Nigeria from Oman on April 7, and was returning exactly a week after.”

The Amnesty International has revealed that nine years after Boko Haram terrorists abducted 276 students from a girls’ secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, 98 are still being held captive by the Islamic sect.

MAIDAWAAREWA reports that the Chibok schoolgirls were abducted from their school on April 14, 2014.

The incident sparked local and international outrage with political leaders, activists, feminists and advocates, putting pressure on the Nigerian government under President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the girls while offering intelligence and support.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International further noted that a slew of abductions had taken place since, “revealing the utter failure of the Nigerian authorities to learn from the heartbreak of Chibok and, ultimately, to protect children.”

It added that since the Chibok schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram, a plethora of schools had been targeted, with girls being abducted, raped, killed or forced into “marriages”.

In a statement in Abuja on Friday, the Acting Director, Amnesty International, Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said the Nigerian authorities, however, had not carried out a single credible investigation into the security failures that left children vulnerable to the atrocities committed by Boko Haram and gunmen.

Sanusi said, “Parents of the 98 Chibok schoolgirls who are still being held by Boko Haram— as well as other children abducted by gunmen— are living in anguish, knowing that their children are in the hands of ruthless individuals who subject their loved ones to chilling brutalities.

“It is beyond time that the Nigerian authorities took meaningful action to counter armed groups like Boko Haram and gunmen. Nigeria has an obligation to implement safeguards to protect all children, and the lack of accountability for these callous crimes is fueling impunity. The missing Chibok school girls should be returned home to their families, and all those responsible for committing grave violations must face justice.”

He added that between December 2020 and March 2021, there had been at least five reported cases of abductions in northern Nigeria, including from schools, at Kankara, Kagara, Jangebe, Damishi Kaduna, Tegina and Yawuri while the threat of further attacks had led to the closure of over 600 schools in the north of the country.

At the end of March, Amnesty International said it interviewed five Chibok schoolgirls who had escaped from Boko Haram and their parents.

In the interview they said they had lost almost all hope that the other 98 girls would ever be rescued.

One of the returnees told Amnesty International, “The Nigerian government should not forget about the remaining 98 girls. They should be rescued. Every morning I wake up and recall the condition I left them in. I cry, I feel sorry for them. Nine years is too long to be in such a deplorable condition. The government must fulfill its promise of rescuing all the girls.”

One of the parents told the international human rights body that, “Our pain is endless because 14 of the girls came back with 24 children. We have with us grandchildren whose fathers are unknown to us. Our burden has now multiplied as we do not have the money to bear the additional burden of feeding, educating, and [providing] healthcare for our returnee children and grandchildren.

“This is in addition to the societal rejection and stigma that we are all facing. We are just hopeless!”

Since February 2021, the northern region has suffered repeated attacks on schools and religious institutions. Of the more than 780 children who have been abducted for ransom, more than 61 children are still being held in captivity two years after they were abducted by gunmen. Many schools in the region were shuttered— and remain closed— due to rising insecurity.

“Rescuing the remaining Chibok girls is of paramount importance; the task of finding them should not become yet another failed project of the government. It is absolutely crucial that the outgoing government of Nigeria does all in its power to bring these girls — as well as all other children being held by various armed groups— home to their families”, Isa Sanusi said.

Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) has assured to support the Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability in the implementation of Nigeria Anti-Corruption Performance Public Reporting (NAPPR) Project 2023. NAPPR is an anti-corruption project funded by MacArthur Foundation and implemented by CMPA.

In a bulletin made available to MAIDAWAAREWA, the project manager Dr Suleiman Amu Suleiman, said the project aims at conducting research on anti-corruption, advocacy, public engagement and capacity development of Nigeria Anti-Corruption Agencies such as EFCC, ICPC, and CCB, CSOs, and media organizations on NAPPR project and to publish the first edition of a Harmonized Anti-Corruption Performance Report for 2017- 2022.

‘‘The project has different components such as research, advocacy, round table meetings with stakeholders, training for ACAs and the media and most importantly, developing a harmonized template for reporting anti-corruption in Nigeria’’ he said.

‘‘TUGAR is an important stakeholder in the implementation of this project. CMPA counts on your support especially during data collection, other engagements and even beyond the project’’, Dr Suleiman added.

Head of TUGAR, Jane Onwumere informed the team that the Unit was established by the erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo to monitor, evaluate and map Anti-Corruption Agencies and serves as the Secretariat of Nigeria Review of the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption.

‘‘In the course of implementing this project, CMPA should identify gaps in the perception of citizens on the roles of ACAs in the fight against corruption, confidentiality among government and members of the public’’, Onmuwere suggested.

the organization also talked about CMPA,

Centre for Media, Policy and Accountability (CMPA) is an independent not-for-profit organization incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2022. It focuses on anti-corruption, research, public policy analysis, transparency and accountability to strengthen social, economic and democratic governance in Nigeria.

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At least three soldiers attached to the 25 task force brigade of Operation Hadin Kai have been reportedly injured after running into an improvised explosive device (IED) in Borno.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the IED was suspected to have been planted by the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP).

Intelligence sources told the publication that the troop encountered the IED during a fighting patrol between Sabon Gari – Wajiroko on Friday.

The source said the three injured soldiers sustained minor bruises on their bodies and were evacuated to the hospital for medical attention.

MAIDAWAAREWA had reported how ISWAP fighters allegedly killed 10 residents in Dogsa village in Yobe state.

The residents were said to have been killed on Thursday evening while searching for one Shettima Dawi — who went missing after leaving home to get firewood.

Zagazola Makama said the bodies of the deceased were recovered and buried on Friday afternoon.