Month: December 2021

By Sumayya Auwal Ishaq

By Uzair Adam Imam and Muhammadu Sabiu

The Nigerian presidency has been criticised for failing to immediately offer its condolences to the families of the travellers from Sokoto State who were burnt to ashes by terrorists.

Reports have indicated that the bandits set a vehicle conveying no fewer than 42 passengers ablaze in Sokoto, northwestern part of the country.

What kept the presidency mute after the merciless killing surprised many people, who criticised the government for showing indifference to such a horrible incident.

The Daily Reality learnt that the merciless killing took place on Monday around 09:00 in the morning but was reported Tuesday due to some technical issues.

The security threat of this sort is one of the lingering issues that rock the northern region of the country and succeeded in turning it into a killing field. Scores of people are killed every day, and nothing tangible is seen from the people of authority.

An eyewitness confirmed the incident, saying: “The car which was transiting passengers from Sabon Birni was set ablaze at Gida Village, a few kilometres away.”

According to our source: “I was called when the incident was happening. My uncle, his wives and their four children were some of those that have been killed in the bus.”

Before the presidency mourned, the residents of Sokoto State have been voicing their complaints bitterly, saying that why should the president keep mute on such a brutal massacre of innocent travellers? According to them, this is a national tragedy that deserves national mourning.

Mu’azu Malami lamented that: “It is unfortunate and heartbreaking to have read what had happened to our brothers on Monday. This has indicated that there is a need for the government to do more to ensure the safety of its citizens. And I don’t buy the idea of banning vigilante groups in the state,” he added.

Before the presidency released its condolence statement, he lamented that: “Up to now, there has been no official condolence from the government.”

Chairman Arewa Media Forum, Comrade Abubakar Dahiru, in an interview with our reporter, lamented that: “Neither did the government mourn anyone nor did it take any action.

“In addition to that, the government has even banned the vigilante group in the state despite their tremendous contribution,” he added.

Abubakar Mande said that: “The incident is very sad, and the lives of people are no longer taken as important. As we are mourning this loss, another bad one will occur again. It goes on again and again as it is becoming normal.

“But the silence of the government not to comment about the issue comes to us with great shock,” Mande added.

Also, many social media users from Northern Nigerian aired their grievances over the delay by the presidential media team to offer their condolences, which they did 48 hours after the incident.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The police in Katsina State have confirmed the arrest of one of the suspected killers of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Maidabino, the former District Head of Yantumaki.

Recall that late Maidabino was shot to death on June 1, 2020, alongside his night watchman.

The police spokesman in the state, SP Gambo Isah, made confirmation Tuesday while parading the suspect, Yusuf Abdulla.

He said: “In the course of an investigation, the suspect confessed to have participated in the crime along with the following suspected bandits: Shamsu, Ibrahim, Salmanu and Kabir (now at large, hibernating in the forest).

“The suspect would be charged with terrorism, murder, kidnapping, criminal trespassing and other related offences as soon as the investigation was concluded,” the SP added

In another development, reports have indicated that the command yesterday revealed that it succeeded in smashing a notorious gang of “transborder car thieves” which operated in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Katsina states and transporting them to the Niger Republic for sale.

“Nemesis caught up with members of the gang when they were accosted with a stolen motor vehicle, Toyota Camry, light blue, with registration number JJJ 340 EF and another motor vehicle, Honda CRV, ash in colour, with registration number DKA 980 AH at a mechanical workshop at Kofar Sauri-Kaita Road, Katsina,” Isah said.

He added that the names of the suspects include: Usman Sani, 50, Lukman Magaji, 20, and Yakubu Ismail, 25.

“In the course of the investigation, suspects confessed to have stolen the motor vehicles from Kano and on their way to dispose of them at the Niger Republic. Suspects confessed to having disposed up seven motor vehicles at the same Niger Republic,” he added.

By Mubarak Shu’aibu

The insecurity challenge in Nigeria has assumed a formidable dimension that requires a stakeholder’s approach as it is being touted in various quarters and, in all honesty, necessitates a call for creativity and long-term work. The alarming rate of insecurity is no less disturbing despite the reform undertaken and a substantial share of the national budgets allocated to the security sector.

The sensation of insecurity citizens of our societies experience is one of the main threats against the quality of life in a democracy. Thus, this has caused public opinion to cry in favour of searching for solutions to the woes.  There is an acceptance that a lot needs to be done to turn the current malaise around, and espousing Forensic Science as a tool should be considered on the list of priorities as it would make a profound impact and or even lay a groundwork for the fight against insecurity. Proof for sexual offences, drugging, cold blood murder, bank robbery, identification of victims and other menaces could be decisively dealt with by forensic techniques.

Forensic Science refers to the application of scientific methods in the recovery, analysis and interpretation of relevant materials and data in criminal investigations. It is both an intelligence and evidential tool to assist in the crime management and delivery of justice.

Scientific advances already play an essential role in solving crimes. According to the American National Institute of Justice, since 2009, the institute has funded forensic science projects worth more than $127 million, including approximately $116 million for 269 research awards and nearly $11 million for projects by federal partners. This funding has resulted in more than 900 reports, publications in scholarly journals and presentations. Therefore, it is a wise bit of business in a country like Nigeria, where the criminal activities are devoid of sophistication like that of America, to expend more resources in forensics.

Just as medical, agricultural and economic research are crucial for the advancement of a country, a sustained progression in the research underlying forensic sciences also is critical for advancing safety and the administration of justice. Unfortunately, Nigeria is hooked on instant highs and short-term fixes, which has ultimately and gruesomely halted our general progress as a country.

In retrospect, lack of intrinsic abilities on forensic had many arguing in favour of the Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje when his videos stacking dollars into his pocket were leaked. This event had the public stupefied, including President Muhammadu Buhari, who in the aftermath remarked that he didn’t know the extent of technology used to record the video, a matter that could quickly be settled within a fraction of seconds with good forensics in place.

In a similar terrain, a snake swallowed handsome money in the JAMB office, a fire outbreak in one of the finance offices in Abuja, the recent accident that occurred recording scores of deaths by one of the elite sons and many more stories whose verdicts to date remain surreptitious for Nigerians.

Bringing this to a close, I can say employing forensic science techniques in our fight against lingering insecurity and corruption should be considered inevitable and necessary. That will solve many other problematic issues such as sexual offences, drugging, cold murder, etcetera.

Mubarak Shu’aibu wrote from Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Adamu Ibraheem Jimeta

The Adamawa State Governor, His Excellency, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has declared the Association of Professional Hunters in Adamawa as illegal. In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wunisiko on Monday, December 6, 2021, stated that “The operations and activities of the hunters have become a source of concern and insecurity instead of the security it is fashioned to provide”.

He further said the hunters’ abuse of rules of engagement and lack of regard to the traditional institution and security agencies in the state, especially in the five local governments of Numan, Demsa, Lamurde, Guyuk and Shellenge have made the decision unavoidable.

The statement reads: “More worrisome is the fact that the association operates independent of any security organization in the 5 Local Government Areas, thereby giving room for suspicion of their motive and intentions especially that they operate in uniforms of our security agencies and at odd hours.”

While emphasizing that security is everyone’s business, Fintiri added, “No group or anybody will be allowed to take the Law into their hands, disrespect to security agencies and traditional institution.”

He finally directed security agencies and traditional institutions to collaborate and ensure that peace is maintained across the state before, during and after the Yuletide and new year festivities.

By Abdulrazak Iliyasu Sansani

It is harvest time, where farmers all over the country harvest their crops. Some have already harvested the early maturing varieties of crops, while others are counting days to commence harvesting, or at least have started preparations for the harvesting of Agricultural produce after toiling, expending funds, and hoping of getting bumper harvest as a reward for everything.

By Musa Sa’adu

Political parties remain the only vehicle or platforms for candidates/politicians to aspire for political offices. This, however, leads to the emergence of various interest groups within a party. The groups work harmoniously together to pursue their common goals. However, the success or otherwise of a political party depends mainly on how the stakeholders manage these interest groups in the distribution of party positions, party tickets, appointments and the traditional largesse as the case may be. Failure to do these for any reason has, on so many instances, led to the internal party crises.

The 1983 election that produced Senator Sabo Bakinzuwo against a well-performing Governor Abubakar Rimi, seeking reelection resulted fromf party crises. The PRP crises that metamoposed into ‘Tabo‘ and ‘Santsi‘ factions, led by Malam Aminu Kano and Rimi respectively, forced Rimi as a sitting Governor to dump PRP for NPP to seek reelection. However, this was one of the cardinal reasons behind his Waterloo despite his performance in office throughout Kano and Jigawa.

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and, of course, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje are no doubt the principal actors of the Fourth Republic Kano politics. The three have benefited and suffered the consequences of internal party crises.

Our memories are still intact on how the political hullabaloo, shenaniganism and internal party wranglings ruined the reelection bid of Governor Kwankwaso during the 2003 Governorship election. The defection of Danhassan, crises between Kwankwaso and some members of the National Assembly, notably the then speaker of the House Of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na-Abba and perhaps General Buhari factor were among the contributing factors that led to the Kwankwaso/Ganduje downfall and the emergence of Malam Shekarau.

Likewise, Shekarau suffered the repercussions of internal party crises; his anointed candidate Salisu Sagir Takai was defeated by Kwankwaso/Ganduje. The crises between Shekarau and his deputy, Abdullahi Gwarzo, popularly known as Ruwa Baba, the over fifty thousand votes garnered by him during the Governorship election, has smoothly leveraged the second coming of Kwankwaso and Ganduje in the 2011 election.

The current turmoil rocking the Kano APC is a cause of concern to any committed party member. The internal crises that paved the way for two parallel conventions that produced Abdullahi Abbas and Haruna Zago representing Ganduje and Shekarau led factions respectively will create a hole that will gradually sink the Kano APC ship, and neither the Ganduje nor Shekarau will survive the mishaps including their supporters.

In politics, number matters; everyone is important! Don’t tell me someone who’s Governor for eight years and a serving senator doesn’t have political influence, and these G-7 members, as they fondly called themselves, are blessed with sturdy supporters and resources to bankroll political movements that can make or mar an election.

With the Tuesday court verdict favouring the Shekarau-led faction and considering the nature of Nigerian litigation processes, I’m afraid that whichever faction the pendulum swings and even if they won the general polls, the replica of Zamfara 2019 is imminent.

Both Ganduje and Shekarau should tread with caution; there is still time. They shouldn’t listen to the sycophants instigating the crises. Let them sit, discuss and iron out the grey and problematic areas and find out political solutions; otherwise, Kwankwaso will send them to political oblivion.