Tag: Zamfara State

IDPs: Zamfara gets $2.5m humanitarian aid from Saudi Arabia

Aminu Imam
Zamfara IDPs

Zamfara State government says it has received $2.5million from Saudi Arabian Donor Agency to support internally displaced persons with humanitarian challenges. Commissioner for Humanitarian and Relief Matters, Musa Kainuwa, disclosed this at the closing session of a 5-day medical training on Minimum Initial Service Package, (MISP), in Gusau, the State capital, on Friday. The training was organised by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, in collaboration with State Ministry for Humanitarian and Relief Matters. Kainuwa said the State secured the assistance during a joint meeting between the donor organisation, Jigawa,…

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Zamfara Gov. settles N9bn in gratuities for over 6,500 retirees

Aminu Imam
Zamfara Governor on gratuities

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has paid N9 billion in gratuities owed to the State’s workers since 2011. The governor approved the commencement of the payment of the backlog of gratuities earlier in February. In a statement released in Gusau yesterday, the Governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, revealed that the Government had paid N4.9bn to retired workers across nine batches. He added that another sum of N4.5bn had been paid to local government council workers. The statement read in part, “In his commitment to reform the Zamfara State Civil Service, in…

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Zamfara Gov., Lawal reveals Defence Minister’s involvement in banditry

Aminu Imam
Dauda Lawal alleges

…Calls for his resignation Zamfara State governor,  Dauda Lawal, has revealed Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle’s alleged involvement in banditry. Lawal made the claim during a television programme on Wednesday, citing credible information. “From all the informations we’re getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry issue”, the governor was quoted as saying. This revelation comes amidst unending activities of bandits in northern Nigeria, particularly in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina States. Lawal’s accusation is not the first time Matawalle has faced allegations of sponsoring banditry.…

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Zamfara: Bandits attack mosque, abduct worshippers during morning prayers

Aminu Imam

Scores of worshippers were abducted by bandits early yesterday, in an attack on a mosque in Tsafe, the headquarters of Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State. According to an eyewitness, Garba, the attack unfolded around 5:00 a.m., just as worshippers were preparing for the Morning Prayer. “We were about to begin our prayers when they (bandits) suddenly entered the mosque and ordered everyone outside,” Garba recounted. “There was pandemonium as people tried to escape, but the bandits blocked all exits and threatened to shoot anyone who disobeyed”. Garba described…

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Zamfara: Bandits kidnap 36 women, kill 3 in Ƙauran-Namoda LGA

Aminu Imam

Armed bandits have abducted about 50 villagers among them 36 women in Magizawa village of Ƙauran-Namoda local government area of Zamfara State. The bandits, who attacked the village on Sunday, also killed three persons including a member of a vigilante group and injured five others. A resident of the village, who pleaded for anonymity, said the bandits arrived at the village in the night when many residents had retired to bed. He explained that immediately they entered the village, they began to shoot sporadically into the air, thereby scaring the…

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Supreme Court victory: “Let’s join hands to rescue Zamfara” – Gov. Lawal tells opposition

Aminu Imam

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has called on the opposition party to collaborate with his administration on its rescue mission. “The Supreme Court’s Friday verdict is a victory for the people of Zamfara”, the Governor said, in a statement. Recall that the apex court. in its judgment, set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja, which had declared the Zamfara governorship election inconclusive. Delivering the lead decision of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Agim described the judgement of the lower court as “perverse and lacked evidential foundation”.…

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‘China, other foreign criminal gold rush in Nigeria draining resources, worsening illegal mining, security crisis’ – Report

Aminu Imam

Nigeria’s mining sector is being exploited by foreign criminals for decades, and the extractive sector is the most recent target. According to a recent published report, the sector is diverse in mineral resources, which make a significant contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. The country is endowed with an estimated $700-billion in commercially-viable minerals, giving it the capacity to diversify its revenue sources and boost foreign exchange earnings. Minerals include barite, bitumen, iron ore, lead, zinc, coal, limestone and gold. However, it faces multiple challenges and its poor performance…

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“No court ordered me to return Zamfara official vehicles” – Matawalle

Aminu Imam

Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has challenged Governor Dauda Lawal, of Zamfara State and his Chief Security Officer to point out where the Federal High Court, sitting in Sokoto, ordered the retrieval of 50 vehicles in its judgement. Recall that a press statement issued yesterday from the office of the governor had said, “A Federal High Court in Sokoto dismissed a suit filed by former governor Bello Matawalle over ownership of 50 vehicles”. The minister’s spokesman, Ibrahim Dosara, said the press statement issued by Zamfara State government with…

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Bandits kill one, abduct 5 in Zamfara

Aminu Imam

… Set police vehicle ablaze Armed bandits have attacked Maru, the headquarters of Maru local government area in Zamfara State, have killed one person, set ablaze a police highway patrol vehicle, and abducted five individuals, including a lecturer from the College of Education (COE), Maru. Reports indicate that the bandits, who were a significant number, stormed Maru town in the early hours of yesterday, with the intent to abduct residents. A resident of the town, Yusuf Musa, recounted to newsmen that the armed bandits arrived in Maru armed with sophisticated…

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Zamfara: “Ex-Gov. Matawalle distributed Hilux vans to bandits; didn’t invest in public transport” – Govt.

Aminu Imam

The Zamfara State Government has described the legacy left by former Governor Bello Matawalle as buying vehicles for bandits. The State’s commissioner for budget and planning, AbdulMalik Gajam, in an interview hosted by the Chief Executive Officer of Arewa Twitter, Abdullahi Otaki, on X (formerly Twitter), noted that Matawalle, who is the current Minister of State for Defence under President Bola Tinubu’s government, failed to make any investment in mass transit while gifting vehicles to terrorists. Gajam said, “Recently, the governor cried out that there was a move with the…

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