By Uzair Adam

Residents of Dorayi Karama and surrounding communities in Kano State have formally petitioned the Kano State Censorship Board over plans to establish a Film House within their residential area, expressing concern over security, moral values and the welfare of young people.

The Daily Reality reports that the concerns were raised during a media briefing on Tuesday by Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim, a lecturer at Northwest University Kano, who spoke on behalf of community-based organisations, religious leaders, elders and other stakeholders in the area.

He explained that the petition was jointly submitted under the leadership of the Centre for Community Support and Human Development (CCSHD), alongside the Kano Muslim Women’s Foundation, Community Build and Raise Initiative Hub, Arewa Mu Tashi Mu Farka and Danfodiyo Islamic Center.

Dr. Ibrahim said residents were worried about the possible impact of the proposed facility on security and peaceful coexistence in the community, especially considering previous security challenges experienced in the area.

“We are not opposed to development or investment that benefits our people, but such projects must take into account the nature of the community and the concerns of residents,” he said.

The petitioners argued that existing regulations governing film-related activities in Kano require authorities to ensure that such projects are compatible with environmental standards, cultural values and the interests of host communities before approval is granted.

They called on the Kano State Censorship Board, the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA) and other relevant agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the proposed project and suspend further work until all legal and regulatory requirements are fully met.

The community leaders stressed that their position was not aimed at obstructing development, but at ensuring that any project within the area aligns with the aspirations, safety and values of residents.

“Our appeal is that due process should be followed, and that the relevant authorities should carefully examine the implications of the project before allowing it to proceed,” Dr. Ibrahim added.

Copies of the petition were also sent to the Chairman of Gwale Local Government Area, the Kano State Police Command, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Kano State Hisbah Board, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Kano State Legal Aid Council, the Council of Ulama, the Emir of Kano’s Palace, district and ward heads, as well as mosque and community leaders in the area.

The residents reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful coexistence, respect for the rule of law, and continued collaboration with government authorities in promoting sustainable development while preserving the moral and cultural values of the community.

Among those who endorsed the petition were Professor Yahaya Imam of Bayero University Kano, Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim of Northwest University Kano, Malam Ilyasu Sulaiman of Riyadul Quran, Dr. Idris Dan Fodiyo, Sheikh Muhammad Bukhari Ibrahim of Anas Bin Malik Academy, Barrister Wada Bashir, Imam Ibrahim Muhammad of Salafussalih Juma’at Mosque, Malam Aliyu Yahaya Dorayi, Malam Abdurrahman Rabiu Bukar Dorayi, Malam Abdurrahman Said Dorayi and Malam Mujahid Ilyasu Sulaiman.

By Uzair Adam

Kano State Government has shut down two privately owned health training institutions in Nasarawa Local Government Area for operating without the required approvals and failing to meet regulatory standards.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State Ministry of Health, Nabilusi Abubakar K/Na’isa.

According to the statement, the affected institutions are IBN SINA College of Health Science and Technology, located at Dakata Kawaji adjacent to a Juma’at Mosque, and Life Line College of Health Science and Technology, situated in the Dakata Industrial Area along Bela Road, Tsamiyar Gare, Mai Sikeli Street.

The ministry said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment which found that both institutions fell short of the minimum requirements for the establishment and operation of health training schools in Kano State.

It stated that the institutions were operating without verification and approval from the Kano State Ministry of Health and had not secured accreditation from the relevant professional and regulatory bodies responsible for health education and training in Nigeria.

The assessment further revealed serious shortcomings, including a shortage of qualified teaching personnel, inadequate learning facilities, poor infrastructure and non-compliance with educational and operational standards required for effective health manpower development.

The ministry also observed poor adherence to professional ethics, regulatory guidelines and other mandatory requirements aimed at ensuring quality healthcare education and producing competent healthcare professionals.

Speaking on the closure, K/Na’isa said the ministry remained committed to protecting students, parents and the wider public from institutions that undermine educational quality and professional standards.

“The training of healthcare workers must be conducted only in institutions that meet approved standards and regulatory requirements,” he said.

He added that the government would continue to enforce compliance among health training institutions across the state to safeguard the quality and credibility of healthcare education.

The state government also warned proprietors of health training institutions to strictly comply with all legal and regulatory provisions guiding their operations.

According to the ministry, shutting down non-compliant institutions is necessary to protect students, promote quality healthcare education and maintain excellence in healthcare service delivery across Kano State.

By Maryam Ahmad

A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, alleging that Israeli forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children and inflicted conditions aimed at destroying the future of the Palestinian population.

In a report released on Monday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry said children accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the more than 67,000 Palestinians reported killed during the conflict. The commission argued that the use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas, attacks on essential services, and severe humanitarian conditions demonstrated genocidal intent.

The inquiry also documented widespread psychological trauma, attacks on healthcare facilities, and worsening conditions for children in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Israel strongly rejected the findings, describing them as false and politically motivated. Israeli officials said the military takes measures to minimise civilian casualties and blamed Hamas for operating within civilian areas and diverting humanitarian resources.

The report is likely to intensify international debate over the conduct of the war, which began after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and has since resulted in heavy casualties and widespread destruction across Gaza.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The High Court of Justice in Kebbi State has postponed proceedings in the trial of a nurse, Hannatu James, who is facing prosecution over the alleged death of two minors at Martha Bamaiyi General Hospital in Zuru.

Justice Nusirat Ibrahim Umar, who presided over the matter at the Birnin Kebbi Judicial Division on Monday, fixed July 13, 2026, for continuation of hearing after the lead counsel for the defendant was reported to be ill and absent from court.

James is being prosecuted on a one-count charge of “death caused in the act of committing an offence” contrary to Section 196 of the Kebbi State Penal Code Law, 2021.

The defendant had earlier entered a not guilty plea.

According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on March 18, 2026, during treatment of seven-year-old Zulaihat Sale and three-year-old Mufida Sale at the hospital.

Prosecutors alleged that the nurse administered quinine injection intravenously instead of using the approved medical infusion process. The state further claimed that the children lost consciousness after the procedure and died shortly afterwards.

At Monday’s sitting, Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Kebbi State Ministry of Justice, Aishatu Abbas, led the prosecution team alongside other government lawyers.

A counsel from the defence chamber informed the court that the lead lawyer handling the case was indisposed and requested an adjournment.

The prosecution did not oppose the request. However, state counsel asked the defence team to ensure readiness at the next hearing because witnesses had travelled from Zuru to attend the proceedings.

Justice Umar subsequently granted the application for adjournment. The judge also advised the defence to make proper arrangements ahead of the next sitting, stating that any available lawyer from the chamber could proceed with the matter if necessary.

The court further directed its registry to convey apologies to the witnesses, noting that the postponement resulted from the illness of the defence counsel.

The matter was adjourned until July 13 for hearing.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The management of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has suspended a lecturer accused of physically assaulting Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) candidates who reportedly arrived late for their ongoing examinations.

The decision followed the circulation of a viral video on social media which showed the lecturer flogging some students on the institution’s campus.

The Polytechnic announced the suspension in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Hajia Halimat Garba.

According to the statement, the lecturer has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.

“The attention of Kwara State Polytechnic management has been drawn to a viral video circulating on social media in which a lecturer is seen physically reprimanding students.

“The Management wishes to clarify that the students depicted in the video are not Polytechnic students but rather IJMB (Interim Joint Matriculation Board) candidates who arrived late for their ongoing examinations.

“While the intention for which the action was done is not yet known, we must emphasize that the approach taken was wholly inappropriate as the Polytechnic stands firmly against any form of violence or physical punishment as a means of discipline.

“We believe that education should be rooted in respect, understanding, and constructive guidance, and that there are far more effective and humane ways to instill important values in students.

“The Polytechnic Management therefore suspends the concerned lecturer from his duties henceforth, pending the outcome of the findings on this matter.

“We appreciate the concerns raised by stakeholders regarding this incident and assures the public that the matter is being taken very seriously.”

The institution also reaffirmed its commitment to discipline and ethical standards, while assuring members of the public that steps were being taken to avoid a repeat of such conduct.

“We are determining the necessary steps to prevent subsequent recurrence in the future,” the statement added.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI under the Joint Task Force, North East, have rescued more than 47 people, mostly women and children, from suspected Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, fighters in Borno State.

The victims regained freedom during a military operation carried out in Kangarwa area of Kukawa Local Government Area.

The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement released on Monday.

According to the military, the rescue operation took place on June 20, 2026, after troops intensified attacks against terrorist hideouts around the Lake Chad region.

The statement explained that coordinated land and air assaults forced the insurgents to flee their camps, which created an opportunity for the captives to escape.

“The successful rescue operation was made possible through sustained aggressive pressure and relentless offensive operations conducted by OPHK troops against ISWAP enclaves in the Lake Chad region,” the statement said.

Military authorities stated that the continuous offensive weakened activities within the terrorist camps and helped the victims regain freedom.

“The unrelenting ground and air offensives forced the terrorists to abandon their positions in confusion, enabling the victims to escape from prolonged captivity,” the statement added.

The military also confirmed that the rescued individuals have been relocated to a secure facility, where they are currently receiving medical care and humanitarian assistance.

Authorities added that relevant agencies are already working on plans to reunite the victims with their communities.

“This rescue further highlights the commitment of OPHK troops to not only degrade terrorist capabilities but also to secure the release of innocent civilians held against their will,” the statement said.

Operation HADIN KAI further reaffirmed its resolve to continue military offensives across the North-East until terrorist groups operating in the region are dismantled and peace is restored in affected communities.

By Muhammad Abubakar

The Federal Government has renamed the PTDF College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna in honour of the late Nigerian statesman, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.

According to a statement issued by the management of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), the institution will now be known as the General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Geological Sciences and Engineering Technology. The renaming follows a presidential directive by Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

PTDF said the decision recognises Yar’Adua’s contributions to national unity and Nigeria’s democratic development. The fund assured stakeholders that all academic programmes, partnerships, and institutional operations would continue without disruption under the university’s new identity.

The institution is expected to maintain its focus on research, specialised training, and engineering technology development aimed at supporting Nigeria’s oil, gas, and renewable energy sectors.

By Fatih Lawal-Garu 

The editorial published by the Nigerian Tribune on May 14, 2026, titled “Divorce: The Kaduna woman who has nowhere to go,” raises an emotionally compelling and socially important issue. It tells the painful story of a 44-year-old woman in Kaduna who, after three decades of marriage and raising ten children, now faces uncertainty and displacement following the collapse of her marriage. No reasonable person can read such an account without sympathy. 

The plight of divorced women abandoned without adequate support is a serious social concern that deserves national reflection, institutional response, and moral accountability. In that regard, the editorial performed an important public service by drawing attention to the suffering of vulnerable women who often find themselves economically and emotionally exposed after divorce. However, while the editorial correctly highlights the woman’s distressing condition, it unfortunately places the blame on Sharī’ah law itself. In doing so, it arrives at a sweeping conclusion that deserves careful scrutiny.

The editorial argued that “in a justice system that appears discriminatory against women and girls, the likelihood was high that the judge would have ordered the forceful eviction of this woman if her ex-husband had not volunteered to pay for a new accommodation.” This statement is problematic for several reasons. 

First, it amounts to a premature judgment regarding a matter that has not yet been fully adjudicated by a competent Sharī’ah court. It assumes judicial bias and predicts an unjust verdict before due legal process has run its course. Such conclusions risk undermining public confidence in the judicial system based on speculation rather than evidence. More fundamentally, the editorial goes further to characterise Shari’ah as “oppressive,” “unfavourable,” and “discriminatory,” implying that Islamic law itself is inherently unjust to women. This is where the central analytical flaw emerges.

The unfortunate experience of one woman—even a deeply painful one—cannot reasonably serve as sufficient evidence to indict an entire legal and moral framework followed by millions across centuries and societies. Doing so conflates implementation failures with failures in principle. The Kaduna woman’s suffering is not proof of the failure of Sharī’ah. Rather, it reflects the failure of individuals, institutions, and society to properly uphold the rights and protections that Sharī’ah itself explicitly provides. 

Many injustices wrongly attributed to Sharī’ah are, in reality, products of harmful cultural practices, ignorance of Islamic legal obligations, weak institutional enforcement, economic neglect, and social irresponsibility. Islam did not establish marriage as a prison, nor did it sanction the abandonment of women after years of sacrifice and commitment.

On the contrary, Islamic law imposes profound responsibilities upon husbands to act with justice, compassion, dignity, and accountability—particularly during divorce. The Qur’an itself contains explicit protections for divorced women. 

In Surah At-Talaq (65:1), divorced women are not to be expelled from their homes unjustly. In verse 65:6, husbands are instructed to provide accommodation according to their means. Surah Al-Baqarah (2:231) forbids oppressive treatment during divorce, while verse 2:241 mandates fair provision for divorced women. These are not marginal principles within Islamic law; they are foundational ethical obligations. The tragedy, therefore, lies not in the law itself, but in the failure to implement it faithfully and justly. To portray this painful incident as evidence that Sharī’ah is inherently oppressive overlooks the extensive protections embedded within Islamic legal tradition. It also ignores an uncomfortable reality: abuse, neglect, and injustice occur under virtually every legal and social system when institutions fail, and human beings abandon moral responsibility.

Indeed, women face abandonment, economic hardship, and domestic injustice in societies governed by secular legal systems as well. No legal framework—religious or secular—is immune from misuse when justice is poorly administered. The deeper issue exposed by this case is the persistence of harmful social attitudes toward divorced women, inadequate welfare and family support systems, poor legal literacy, and weak enforcement mechanisms for protecting vulnerable individuals after marital breakdown.

These are societal failures that demand reform, education, and stronger accountability—not the wholesale condemnation of a divinely grounded legal tradition.

Critiquing the abuse of Shari’ah is legitimate. Critiquing failures in judicial implementation is equally necessary. But condemning Sharī’ah itself on the basis of individual misconduct or institutional shortcomings is intellectually unsound and ultimately counterproductive.

If anything, cases like this should encourage a renewed commitment to proper Islamic legal education, ethical family conduct, judicial fairness, and stronger institutional protection for women—not the dismissal of Sharī’ah altogether.

To mistake the abuse of a system for the failure of the system itself is a serious analytical error. It shifts attention away from the actual causes of injustice and risks obstructing meaningful solutions.

The real challenge before society is therefore not whether Sharī’ah is just, but whether those entrusted with implementing it are willing to uphold its principles with sincerity, knowledge, compassion, and fairness.

That is where the conversation truly belongs.

Fatih Lawal-Garu is a Mass Communication graduate from Bayero University, Kano, and can be reached at ibnkamilgaru1@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam

No fewer than 18 farmers were killed and several others injured following a fresh attack by gunmen on Kawel village in Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack, which occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, was confirmed by the Bokkos Youth Leader, Christopher Luka, on Monday.

Luka said he received a distress call from a youth leader in the area shortly after midnight, informing him that armed attackers had invaded the community and opened fire on residents.

“A youth leader called around 12 a.m. and reported that gunmen had attacked the community and shot more than 20 people. So far, 18 deaths have been confirmed,” he said.

According to him, security personnel stationed in Bokkos were immediately alerted after he received the report.

“I contacted the security agencies, and they confirmed that they had already been informed and were heading to the affected community,” Luka added.

He described the attack as unprovoked and urged security agencies to take decisive measures to prevent further violence in the area.

The latest incident comes less than a week after the District Head of Gwande in Bokkos LGA, Saf Samuel Alaket, was killed in an ambush along the Sha District axis bordering Daffo community.

Alaket was reportedly returning home from a traditional council meeting when he encountered the attackers.

As of the time of filing this report, security authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the latest attack.

Efforts to reach the spokespersons of the Plateau State Police Command and Operation Enduring Peace, SP Alfred Alabo and Captain Polycarp Auta, were unsuccessful.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The United States government has announced a temporary suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil exports and related transactions until August 21, 2026.

According to a statement released on Monday by the US Treasury Department, the measure will allow Iran to produce, sell and transport crude oil and associated petroleum products during the period.

The Treasury Department, which oversees US economic sanctions, stated that “All transactions” that had previously been restricted in connection with Iranian-origin crude oil “are authorized through 12:01 am eastern daylight time, August 21, 2026.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington decided to ease the restrictions due to commitments made by Tehran during ongoing talks with the United States and its allies.

Bessent explained that Iran had agreed to support “free and open transit” through the Strait of Hormuz. He also cited Tehran’s decision to permit inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to enter the country.

The latest development comes amid continuing diplomatic efforts between both countries over regional security and energy-related concerns.

AFP reported that the temporary relief could affect global crude oil supply and international energy markets in the coming weeks.