News

By Uzair Adam Imam

No fewer than eight bandits have been neutralised during patrols by the Troops of Operation Forest Sanity in the Chikun and Birnin Gwari areas of Kaduna State.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this in a statement issued Friday.

Aruwan added that the troops then engaged the gunmen in a second mission and recovered two motorcycles.

He said, “The troops made contact with bandits and neutralised eight, while recovering four motorcycles and three mobile phones in the first successful mission.”

He stated that the troops, in a similar operation, neutralised two bandits in the Sabon Birni-Maidaro-Dogon Dawa-Galadimawa-Kidandan-Fatika axes.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that improving the well-being of police and military personnel is a priority of his administration.

Buhari spoke at the Police Service Commission’s 2023 budget proposal on Thursday in Abuja.

The Nigerian president noted that reforms were a sacred obligation and that his administration gave top importance to the well-being of police officers.

The morale of the operators will be good, according to Buhari, if they are posted on duty or missions and they are aware that their families are well-cared for.

He was quoted as saying, “I am pretty aware of the problems and challenges confronting the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces.

“The problem is relative to time and resources and this administration has done a lot with the limitations.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it does not know the quantities of the new naira notes it printed and released for circulation in the country.

The CBN Deputy Governor, Aisha Ahmad, made this disclosure when she appeared before the House of Representative on Thursday.

Ahmad, who represented the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was before the lawmakers to brief them on the apex bank’s cashless policy and cash withdrawal limits.

The Daily Reality gathered that the lawmakers had on Wednesday requested that Ahmad should appear before the House since Emefiele was outside the country for health issues.

Ahmad was asked by a lawmaker, Sada Soli, about the quantities of the new notes printed due reason to non-availability of the notes days after they were released to the public.

But Ahmad, while responding to his question, said she does not know the quantities of notes printed by the apex bank.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Veteran comedian and rapper, Bright Okpocha, better known with his stage name, Basketmouth, has announced the end of his marriage to wife, Elsie Okpocha.

Basketmouth announced the end of his 12-year-old marriage on his verified social media handles on Thursday.

He said: “As much as it pains me to bring my personal life to the public space, this is an unavoidable situation.

“After much deliberations, my wife and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage.

“As we move forward separately, we will continue to work together to give our beautiful children all the care, love, guidance and support they need.

We humbly ask that you respect our privacy as we navigate through these times. Thank you.”

Rumours of upheavals in Basketmouth marriage had spread rapidly in November when he failed to publicly celebrate the marriage anniversary, which usually comes up every November.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a politician and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said that withdrawing from partisan politics has given him happiness and peace of mind.

Moghalu disclosed this in a tweet on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.

According to him, partisanship is divisive and it is time he contributed to nation-building from a nonpartisan perspective.

“I am happy and have found peace in withdrawing from partisan politics. No apologies. As a citizen I will always have my preferences and will vote for specific candidates, but there are times and circumstances when one can better contribute to nationbuilding from a nonpartisan perspective” He said.

Moghalu also disclosed that he would not publicly endorse any candidate despite calls from different people that he should do so. He noted that he could not publicly support such candidates because they were not in anyway like him.

“I understand the passions and goodwill of those who argue on this street that I should formally “declare/campaign for this candidate or the other. They argue so because they believe my views are listened to and may be “influential”. But I urge such people to also understand, and respect my own personal decisions. They have not, like I have been, presidential candidates (without having a war chest of stolen public funds) or stood in the arena. bloodied but unbowed. No regrets, but only I know what I have sacrificed, the personal price I have paid.” He stated

In June 2022, Kingsley Moghalu lost the presidential primary election of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and resigned his membership of the party after the defeat.

By Uzair Adam Imam

There has been tension in Labour Party (LP) as Dr. Doyin Okupe, the Director General of the party, resigned his position.

The Daily Reality gathered that Okupe resigned following his conviction over money laundering charges.

The disclosure was made Tuesday in a later Okupe wrote to Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the party.

He argued that he had rather invested so much in the party’s campaign.Details later….

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) states that it has seized 100 million pills of the prescription painkiller Tramadol in just 22 months.

The agency estimated the combined value of the cash and illegal narcotics to be about N450 billion. In addition, the agency detained 29 drug lords, while detaining 23,907 drug traffickers.

Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), Chairman of the NDLEA, said this in a statement released on Tuesday through the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

Marwa said the confiscated Tramadol may have had a negative influence on the youth population and the nation’s productivity.

He said this during the Commands’ Awards/Commendations and Decoration of newly promoted officers at the Agency’s National Headquarters, Abuja.

Marwa said, “Within the period under review, the Agency arrested 23, 907 drug traffickers including 29 barons.

“Our seizure was over 5,500 tons or 5.5 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs, which together with cash seized are worth over N450 billion.

“In the same period, we have taken the fight to the doorsteps of cannabis growers by destroying 772. 5 hectares of cannabis farms. In these 22 months, we have record convictions of 3, 434 offenders. We have equally made good strides in our drug demand reduction efforts where the number of those counselled and rehabilitated is 16, 114.

“The figures are mere statistics until you view them through the lens of human impact and the good or harm that could have come to society, the impact on public health, security as well as law and order if those dangerous drugs had gone to the street. Take, for instance, the one hundred million pills of tramadol seized in the past 22 months.

“If those pills had gone into circulation and ended up in the hands of young people, it would take a heavy toll on lives, families, productivity and, ultimately, the GDP of the country because it will affect these young people who are the engine room of productivity.

“We usually calculate our performance as monthly, quarterly or yearly appraisals. But drug law enforcement is generally a continuum, hence, I am wont to always appraise our efforts from January 2021, when we began far-reaching reforms, reviewed our strategies and rejigged the existing systems to accommodate innovations.

“From then till now, we have been on an upward trajectory. And indeed, what we have done in the last 22 months, from January 2021 to October 2022, based on the available statistics, is cause for celebration.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The newly appointed bursar of Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), Malam Ibrahim Lawal, has assumed duty officially on Monday, December 19, 2022.

This was disclosed in a statement signed Monday by Jamilu M Magaji, the school’s Public Relations Officer.

According to the statement, until his appointment, Lawal was the Deputy Bursar as well as the Ag. Director of Procurement at Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State.

The statement read, “Ibrahim Lawal attended Faki Road Primary School, Kaduna, from 1985 to 1990. He proceeded to Command Day Secondary School, Kaduna, where he got the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), after which he moved to Isa Kaita College of Education, Dutsen-ma, for an Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) examination between 1998 and 1999.

“Mal. Ibrahim obtained B.Sc. in Accounting, a Master’s in Business Administration and M.Sc. in Accounting and Finance from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 2005, 2011 and 2018, respectively. He’s currently pursuing a PhD in Accounting at the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna.

“Mal. Lawal started his career at Bulet International Nigeria Limited as Executive Officer (Accounts) in 2006. Thereafter, he worked in various organizations where he rose through the ranks to become Chief Accountant at Federal University, Wukari, Taraba State; Deputy Bursar and Ag. Director of Procurement at the Federal University Gusau.

“The new Bursar is a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), a Member of the Society for Forensic Accounting and Fraud Prevention, as well as a Fellow of Certified National Accountants.

“The new Bursar shares a vision to improve and maintain a highly distinguished Bursary Department with financial integrity in the management of the University funds through the provision of exceptional services to the University community, the nation and beyond,” the statement added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kano State Hisbah Board Monday said it apprehended 19 youths for same-sex marriage in the state.

The Commander General, Sheikh Harun Muhammad Sani Ibn Sina, confirmed the development to journalists.

Ibn Sina said the youths gathered to witness the wedding of two suspected homosexuals, Abba and Mujahid, at one event centre in the city.

However, he said their personnel arrived at the scene before the commencement of the wedding rites and 15 females, and four males were arrested during the operation.

He added that some of the ladies arrested said they were invited to the wedding from the neighbouring states.

He noted that the duo, tagged as bride and groom, Abba and Mujahid, escaped immediately after the arrival of the Hisbah personnel at the wedding venue.

A 21-year-old lady, Salma Usman, who is now in Hisbah custody, was said to be the event organiser.

Meanwhile, while reiterating that the Hisbah will intensify efforts to ensure the arrest of Abba and Mujahid, Ibn Sina said they would hand over those in their custody to the police for further action.

Some of those arrested who spoke to Radio Nigeria, Salma Usman, Sadiya, Aisha Adam, Maryam Ibrahim and Bilkisu Lukman, claimed to have been invited to a birthday party.

The ladies pleaded for leniency and promised not to engage in such acts.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigeria Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement Working Group (Naija MAYE) has called for the involvement of youths in politics and urged political parties to ensure health and development agenda in political parties manifestos in the country.

The call is an aftermath of a one-day summit organized by MAYE and held at Belmont Hotel in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a press statement signed by the Chairman of MAYE, Olympus Ade Banjo and other leaders of the group, the group charged the Nigeria political class to ensure the involvement of youths in politics and prioritize health and development in their party manifestos

The group also lamented the slow implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They noted that many Nigerians are yet to experience the economic and political dividend of the SDGs.

At the end of the summit, Naija MAYE was quoted to have made the following suggestions:

1:- “Ensure inclusivity of youth health and development agenda in all 2023 party manifestoes blueprints, and campaign messages.

2:- Review the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to recognize adolescent and youths as part of vulnerable population by improving access to quality youth friendly health care services.

3:- Adopt innovative and diverse approaches in financing social health insurance for young people taking into consideration that they are about 70 percent of Nigeria’s population and the high rate of unemployment which is about 40 percent.

4:- Ensure National Council on Health should approve reduction of age of independent access to sexual and reproductive health services including HIV testing from 18 to 14years.

5:- Ensure a comprehensive range of sexual and reproductive health services required by diverse groups of young people is integrated into training curriculums of healthcare providers at all levels of training
Ensure that policies supporting youth and female engagement in governance is actively implemented. Ordinary people should be given opportunity to serve from the local government to the Federal level.
Strengthen Micro Finance to give reduced interest rates to young people’s mini and small scale businesses.

6:- Create meaningful occupational counselling structures for young people in secondary schools and institutions.”