News

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Pele, probably the greatest player in football history, passed away at the age of 82, the BBC has reported.

He set a global record by scoring 1,281 goals.

Over the course of a 21-year career, he made 1,363 appearances.

Pele was selected as Fifa’s Player of the Century in 2000. He was the only player to have won the World Cup three times, taking home the trophy in 1958, 1962, and 1970.

In recent years, he has experienced kidney and prostate issues.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A young man who murdered his stepmother in Kano, Sagiru Wada, was sentenced to death by hanging by the Kano State High Court on Thursday.

The man was arrested some eight years back after killing his stepmother, Zainab Dan-Azumi, and subsequently cut her into pieces with a sword.

Justice Aisha Mahmud, who presided the judge, said the court was satisfied with all the evidence presented before the court.

She added that the court convicted Wada under Section 221 of the Kano State Penal Code, adding that the prosecution counsel had proven their case beyond reasonable doubt.

However, Barrister Rabi’u Abubakar, who was the defence counsel, argued that the suspect was mentally ill.

However, the court rejected his claim reiterating that the evidences presented before the court were enough to convict Wada of murder.

By Muhammad Sabiu

President Muhammadu Buhari said that he aimed to prevent governors and ministers from naming projects after him, but the Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, defied him.

On Thursday, during a visit to Kogi State, Buhari made this remark during a live broadcast on Arise TV.

New township road networks were opened in Idah, Okene, and all three senatorial districts by Buhari, along with the Reference Hospital in Okene and the Confluence University of Science and Technology at Osara.

Other projects in Lokoja include the Civic Center and Muhammadu Buhari Square, as well as the Ganaja Flyover, Model Science Secondary School, and school.

Buhari was quoted as saying, “I thank the Governor and the people of Kogi state for naming it (Muhammadu Buhari Square and Civic Centre) after me. Here, I have to digress; I attempted to stop governors and ministers from naming projects after me, but the Governor disobeyed me here.”

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Virginity testing is forbidden, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, a consultant family physician at the teaching hospital of Lagos State University, said in Ilorin on Wednesday.

He revealed to the News Agency of Nigeria that the WHO had ruled the practice to be unlawful while he was attending a session for primary healthcare professionals.

Aside from the WHO announcement, he said, the practice was antiquated.

The most common reasons for conducting the virginity test are requests from parents or suitors to see whether the girl is eligible for marriage or to determine her suitability for a job.

According to the WHO, a virginity test is a gynaecological exam done with the intent of determining if a woman or girl has had vaginal contact.

He added that the practice was frequently agonizing, embarrassing, and distressing, adding that the idea of a virginity test was false because a woman’s lack of a hymen did not necessarily indicate that she was promiscuous.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i, expressed concern over the way some politicians were using religion and ethnicity to create division in their campaigns.

The governor also stressed on the need to punish policians using religion in their political campaigns.

He spoke at the commissioning ceremony of the head office of the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development held in Kaduna.

He stated that the 2023 election would be a golden opportunity for Nigerians to take region out of politics.

He said the 2023 elections presented a unique opportunity for Nigerians to take religion out of politics.

El-Rufa’i was qouted to have said, “People are united in their poverty, in their need for education, in decent healthcare and to put food on their table, that is what we should focus on but some people are holding meetings to promote religious and ethnic division.

That is the last thing Nigeria needs at a time when the whole world is facing challenges of ultra-nationalism and global supply chain disruption.”

He then asked for forgiveness, saying, “We try to do what is right but only God is right, my apologies to anyone that I have offended, we have five months to go and I will like to leave and sleep in peace.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

A Fulani leader, Alh. Aliyu Abdullahi, in Maganda village near Kagarko town in Kaduna state, was abducted by unknown gunmen on Monday.

It was reported that the leader, also known as Ardon Maganda, was going back home on his motorcycle after attending a meeting with other village chiefs on security issues bedevilling their communities.

The Daily Reality reported how handits raided three communities and abducted 37 villagers in Kaduna communities just recently.

A source from Janjala community, simply identified as Ishaq, said, “This morning (Tuesday), someone from Maganda who was coming to Janjala saw Ardo’s motorcycle abandoned by the roadside and suspected that he has been kidnapped.”

He added that the victim earlier visited the families of some of his konsmen to sympathise with them over the recent attacks by bandits which led to the abduction of some of his family members.

As of the time of filing this report, there was no official report from the police in the area.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

The government of the United States has unveiled a scheme that will help Nigeria’s fight against illegal drugs.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) capacity for forensic and chemical analysis, intelligence gathering, and prosecution will be strengthened by the support.

The intervention is being coordinated by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State.

The announcement was made in a statement released on Monday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media for NDLEA.

The chairman of the anti-drugs agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (ret. ), made the requests after meeting with American representatives in Abuja and Washington, D.C.

The project will be carried out in Nigeria by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The assistance will strengthen NDLEA’s intelligence-driven inquiries using various tools, including legal texts, an e-library for prosecution, and others.

Babafemi stated that by adopting enhanced collection, handling, and custody practices, the agency would be able to prosecute cases with solid evidence.

The initiative “will be a vital step in furthering our shared objective of a united, peaceful, and stable Nigeria,” the U.S. government stated in its message.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A female lawyer identified as Bolanle Raheem has been allegedly killed by personnel of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) 

Mrs Raheem was shot dead by an unknown policeman while on his way from Christmas Church Service on Sunday. She was pronounced dead upon arrival in the hospital she was rushed to.

The Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, has confirmed the incident in a statement he issued on behalf of the NPF.  

Hundeyin described the incident as “unfortunate and avoidable”. He stressed that justice will prevail” 

“The Lagos State Police Command condoles with the family, friends and colleagues of Barrister Bolanle Raheem. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Abiodun Alabi, has been in touch with the family and the Nigerian Bar Association since yesterday and has given firm assurances that justice will definitely prevail.” He tweeted

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA) has demanded that justice should be served in the matter. 

NBA National Publicity Secretary Akorede Lawal wrote, “We are aware of this unfortunate incident. This is yet another crime against a lawyer. Regrettably, our member is gone…We shall ensure that justice is duly served.”

By Ibrahim Mukhtar

The main aim behind the establishment of the famous School for Arabic Studies (SAS) Kano was solely to promote Shari’ah after the conquest of Northern Nigeria by the colonialists.

This was disclosed by Professor TIjjani Naniya of the History Department, Bayero University, Kano, during the SAS day celebrations, which marks the 82nd anniversary of the school.

The History professor went down the history lane and narrated how the school was established and how the then-colonial government wanted to undermine Shariah by promoting their own legal system.

According to the professor, “Sarki Alhaji, who was the first emir of Kano to have performed Hajj, was the one who applied and sought the approval of the colonial masters to establish a school which would cater for the peculiar legal needs of the Northern Muslims.

The colonial masters thought it would be another way to distort and dominate the Islamic legal system, but unknown to them, the School for Arabic Studies would outshine them and their mischief.”

Prof. Naniya narrated how the school admitted only brilliant students based on merit and how a son of a late business tycoon in Kano was expelled as a result of his bad attitude then.

He further talked at length about how the story of the school went high and how the model was copied and established in other states in Nigeria and beyond. Finally, he urged all the attendees to pray for those emirs and leaders who worked very hard to promote Islam and Shariah for all the country to benefit.

The 82nd anniversary took place Monday, December 26, 2022, on the school premises. The event was well-attended by the alumni of the school and other dignitaries.

By Muhammad Sabiu

A car crash along the Kafin Madaki-Ningi route in the Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State claimed the lives of six persons on Christmas Day.

The accident, which occurred at 11.50 a.m., also injured sixteen other people to varying degrees.

Yusuf Abdullahi, the state’s FRSC Sector Commander, stated that a white Toyota Hiace bus owned by the Bauchi State Government was involved in the fatal collision.

He said, “Immediately we got the call, our men rushed to the scene within 20 minutes for a rescue operation. They evacuated the victims and rushed them to the Kafin Madaki General Hospital.

“It was when they got there that a medical doctor confirmed six people dead. Sixteen others sustained various degrees of injuries.

“There were a total of 22 people consisting two male adults, four male children, 10 female adults and six female children in the bus when it crashed.

“The lone fatal crash involved a Bauchi State Government vehicle, a Toyota Hiace Bus, white in colour.

“Those killed included two female adults, two male children and two female children.

“Those who sustained bruises and fractures are two male adults, two male children, eight female adults and four female children.”