News

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Kaduna State Government has banned all forms of religious protests in the state.

The State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, made this known on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

According to the Press Statement signed by the Commissioner, violators of the ban will be prosecuted.

“The Kaduna State Government, in consultation with security agencies under the umbrella of the Kaduna State Security Council, has placed a ban on protests related to religious activity throughout the State with immediate effect,” part of the statement reads.

Mr Aruwan argued that the ban becomes imperative owing to security reports that some unpatriotic elements want to thwart the peace of Kaduna State by organising a series of protests in support of and against a recent happening in one of the Northern Nigerian States.

The ban is coming after a protest organised in Sokoto State for the release of the alleged murderers of one Deborah Yakubu turned violent.

The terse statement further warns that the security agencies in the state will not condone any protest wearing the garb of religion.

“Security agencies have thus resolved that any attempt by individuals or groups to disrupt the peace and stability of the State, by way of religious protests, will not be condoned. Such protests will be promptly halted and conveners prosecuted.”

Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

The Presidency has stepped into the ongoing crisis in the Kano chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, The Daily Reality reliably gathered.

A source familiar with the development said the Presidency dispatched a jet Friday night from Abuja to Kano to convey Ganduje and Shekarau for an emergency meeting towards resolving the crisis.

The meeting is said to be a major part of the plan to forestall the planned decamping of Shekarau to the new but fast-growing New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

The NNPP is led by another former governor of Kano and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Many bigwigs of the APC and the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have been joining the party. Shekarau was expected to formally announce his decamping to the party on Saturday.

However, late Friday evening, Governor Ganduje visited the former governor at his Mudunbawa Kano residence in what sources said was a last-minute attempt to stop the planned decamping.

Sources said it was after the closed-door meeting that they started making arrangements to jet off to Abuja.

People in Kano State are keenly observing all the political moves of the giant political gladiators and are desperately waiting for the 2023 elections.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Unknown shooters, also suspected to be kidnappers, have gunned down three police officers and a commercial motorcyclist Thursday in Suleja, Niger State.

The incident was said to have occurred around 11 pm on Thursday, May 12, 2022.

Daily Trust reported that the policemen were reportedly responding to a distress call when they were ambushed near a place called Old Barracks.

According to a source, “they were ambushed by the gunmen, who seemed to be expecting their arrival.” 

The Suleja Council Chairman, Abdullahi Shuaibu Maje, has confirmed the incident.

He added that “about three persons, including a vigilante member, survived the attack.”

The Daily Reality learned that the victims were currently being treated at a hospital in the area.

DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the Police spokesperson in the state, could not be reached for comment.

• News Desk

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned the killing in Sokoto of a student, Deborah Samuel, over an allegation of blasphemy.

In a statement released by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Friday, 13^th May 2022, MURIC described the killing as outrageous, illegal and unlawful.

The full statement reads :

“A female student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, Deborah Samuel, was on Thursday killed for allegedly blaspheming against the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The blaspheme statement was reportedly posted on a WhatsApp group. She was asked to withdraw the statement but she allegedly refused to do so. The school’s security unit and police were overwhelmed by the crowd when they tried to rescue her.

“MURIC strongly condemns this killing and all others that have been happening in Nigeria in recent times. Those aggrieved by the student’s post should have reported her to the security agencies or to the Shariah police, the Hizbah. Mob killing is archaic and bohemian. It belongs to the Stone Age. Nobody has the right to take the law into his hands.

“The Glorious Qur’an compares the killing of a single person to the killing of the whole of humanity just as it compares the saving of life to the rescue of all homo sapiens (Qur’an 5:32) In like manner, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself condemned all acts of violence and advocated peaceful conduct at all times.

“But this incident should not be condemned in isolation. The recent trend whereby Nigerians now freely shed their brother’s blood should be condemned by all patriots. In this regard, we also strongly denounce the killing of several Northern Muslims in the South East in the past few months.

“We frown at the recent burning last week of a truck fully loaded with cows in the South East as well as the killing of many Muslims of South-East origin by their Igbo brothers in the same South East. We note with keen interest that Muslims in the North did not retaliate when these killings were taking place.

“MURIC calls on the Sokoto Police Command to do everything within its power to get to the bottom of yesterday’s killing of the female student over alleged blasphemy. We appeal to members of the public to remain calm and law-abiding. Nigerians should allow the police to carry out their investigations on the case. The Sokoto Police Command has started well as it already has two suspects in detention for the killing.

“Meanwhile we remind Nigerians to always exercise restraint on matters of religion. Free speech is no longer free if it amounts to religious provocation. Even the European Court has ruled that the utterance of derisive statements against the prophet of any religion is a crime.

“We affirm clearly, categorically and unequivocally that there is a symbiotic relationship between provocation, violence and extremism. While MURIC will not condone extremism and violence, the anatomy of terrorism is becoming clearer day by day. We must all ponder over the causal-effect theory. Violence and terrorism are mere symptoms. The real disease is a provocation. Violence and terrorism are mere smoke. Provocation is the fire and we all know that there is no smoke without fire.

“We, therefore, appeal to Nigerians to desist from insulting, deriding or abusing the prophets of other religions. Muslims should continue to respect Jesus (peace be upon him) whom the Christians hold very dear. In the same vein, Christians should avoid casting aspersion on the person of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). We have experienced enough religious crises in the land.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Ruler and President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, is dead.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced the sad news on Thursday, May 13.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE, the Arab and the Islamic nation and the world over the demise of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE, ” the statement reads.

The late president was born in 1948. He was the second president of the UAE and the 16th Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He succeeded his father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, who was UAE’s first president upon his death in 2004.

By Muhammad Auwal Ibrahim

The business of the e-hailing company is no longer news in some Nigerian cities like Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Jos. Now, Abubakar Musa, Gombe indigenous inventor, has invented Gomba Ride, a ride-hailing app in Gombe.

The inventor stated this during an interview with our reporter today, May 12, 2022.

According to him, creating Gomba Ride is “to make life safe, secured and convenient for Nigerians. The purpose of life is to live for others. Anytime, everywhere, you and your family can book a ride at the comfort of your bed with just a click of a finger.”

Responding to how long it took him to develop this e-hailing app, Musa said “it was exactly 14 months” despite being a political scientist.

He added that his passion for science and technology made him build this app that will work in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“Since my childhood, I have had a passion for technological invention. Since then, I am always thinking of a possible way to take advantage of science and technology to ease people’s lives.

“As a political scientist by training, after my graduation, I devoted my time and energy to researching, reading inventory books and learning  ICT skills to come out with something new that can make life simple.”

He further explained that there are security measures to help curb the menace of kidnapping, raping and theft while on a ride.

“I programmed the app so that It will store the car plate number, image and phone number of the driver for easier tracking. The customer can share his location with trusted contacts to address kidnappings and other related crimes. The app stores the travel history of the customer containing the information of the car and driver, which can be accessed anytime. The app has a quick response section, where a customer can make a complaint via call, WhatsApp, email, Twitter and Facebook.”

Keke Gomba, Bike Gomba, Gomba L and Gomba X are the various vehicles one can choose for a ride.

Musa further solicited “observations, criticisms and recommendations” and prayed that “may the Almighty Allah bless our knowledge to continue to make life easier for people.”

The app will be available for download from Google and Apple stores on May 30, 2022.

By Engr. Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

An Akwa Ibom State High Court has ordered Polaris Bank to pay a customer N500,000 as damages for the bank’s failure to reverse a failed Point of Sales (POS) transaction within 72 hours as provided by law.

The plaintiff, Idongesit Nwoko, is a civil servant in Akwa Ibom and a Polaris Bank customer. She made a withdrawal of N61,000 via POS on December 24, 2020, but was debited without payment.

Mrs Nwoko said she made several efforts, including several visits to the bank, but the debit was not reversed until after 28 days. Dissatisfied with the way she was treated by the bank, the woman, through her lawyer, Utibe Nwoko, sued Polaris Bank.

Mrs Nwoko asked the court to compel the bank to refund her N61,000. She also asked the court to compel the bank to pay her N100 million as damages and N1 million as cost of her legal action.

Justice Bennett Ilaumo, in her ruling, ordered the bank to pay N500,000 as damages to Mrs Nwoko for failing to reverse the transaction within the 72 hours as provided by the law.

The Defence lawyer Anthony Ebuk, told The daily reality source on Wednesday, that his client would appeal the ruling.

Mr Ebuk, who said the court cannot amend the pleadings of a party in a suit, argued that the plaintiff, in her prayers, asked the court to order the return of her money, pay her damages for her money that ‘was lost’ and pay her the cost of legal action.

He said the plaintiff did not ask for payment of damages for the delayed reversal which the court awarded to her.

He further said that his client returned the said money to the customer’s account within the 16 days allowed by the law for such transactions.

Mr Ebuk said the plaintiff later withdrew the money before approaching the court.

According to Mr Ebuk, the judgment was not based on the pleadings of the party, but on “a total misdirection of fact.”

“The judgment was not the true position of the law. It wasn’t the terms of agreement. There was no hearing in that matter. Everything was totally against the rule of practice and the law.

“The plaintiff tried to withdraw money with a Polaris Bank Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, but she did not go to Polaris Bank. She went to another bank’s POS. Going to another bank’s POS, that bank debited her account from Polaris Bank but did not pay her.

“The law is if you come to Polaris Bank with its bank card it should be reversed immediately or within 24 hours, but when it has to do with a third party bank, you have to file an application before the money is reversed to the owner.

“The law allows for 16 days for the money to be reversed from the day the application was filed.

“The woman was debited on December 24, 2021 but she did not notify the bank until after the Christmas holidays about January 4, 2022. From the day she notified the bank we covered the period and returned her money within the 16 days in line with the law,” Mr Ebuk said.

The spokesperson for Polaris Bank, Rasheed Bolarinwa, described the N500,000 damage as disproportionate compared to the N60,000 that was ‘trapped.’

He said the bank was reviewing the judgment and would take ‘the necessary legal steps’ thereafter.

By Sumayyah Auwal Usman

As the 2023 elections draw near, the two big parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), parade several contenders for the Kaduna South Senatorial seat. 

Being one of the strongest senatorial zones for the PDP since 1999, the aspiration of APC bigwigs from the zone is challenging PDP’s dominance. As a result, political pundits opined that next year’s senatorial election in the zone will be a fierce contest between PDP and APC.

For the APC, political observers believe that the expression of interest of Honourable Bulus Banquo Audu is receiving a massive boost in the zone. He’s believed to be one of the most experienced and most politically savvy APC politicians in Southern Kaduna that could defeat other contestants and amass votes for APC in the forthcoming election.

As a grassroot politician, Bulus played a critical role when APC won the seat of member House of Representatives in Kachia/Kagarko Constituency in 2019. Recently, his political influence paved the way for a more remarkable outcome for APC in the last local government elections. He wields enormous influence among the Christian communities in the zone.

Investigations revealed that the recent mass defection of members of the PDP to APC in the zone is not unconnected with Hon. Bulus’ senatorial ambition. One major determinant of which party wins an elective position at the end of the day is the choice of the party candidate. With the changing political atmosphere in Southern Kaduna, any party that makes the mistake of presenting a weak candidate or person with questionable character will undoubtedly lose the election.

By Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

Troops of the 93 Battalion have launched a  search and rescue mission for personnel missing in action while responding to a distress call of an attack on the Tati community in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State in the early hours of Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

The troops acted swiftly after receiving a distress call that the Tati community was under attack by suspected bandits. While pursuing the bandits, troops fell into an ambush staged by the criminals. The troops fought fiercely through the ambush neutralizing four of the bandits.  Sadly, six gallant soldiers paid the supreme price during the firefight, while one person was missing in action.

However, a reinforcement team from the 6 Brigade deployed against the fleeing bandits at Ananum village in Donga Local Government Area of the state, neutralized two additional bandits and recovered one Ak 47 rifle, one pistol, one locally fabricated gun, 2 AK 47 Magazines, 19 rounds of 7.62 mm special, seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition and three motorbikes.

Troops are currently pursuing the bandits and will leave no stone unturned in the ongoing search and rescue operations for the missing personnel.

The good people of Taraba state are urged to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to security agencies.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The National Assembly urged the Chinese government to help Nigeria rescue the Abuja-Kaduna abducted train passengers.

Today marks exactly 45 days since the 62 passengers were attacked and abducted while in transition on March 28, 2022.

The Daily Reality reported how bandits stormed the Abuja-Kaduna train, gunned down eight people and abducted over sixty people in March. 

The Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transportation, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, expressed sadness over the failure to rescue the victims 45 days after.

Also, the people concerned have shown great sadness over the government’s failure to rescue their loved ones and threatened that the train service must not resume until those abducted have regained freedom. 

The lawmaker representing Oyo North in the National Assembly decried that the attack had created fear in the minds of Nigerians who had started embracing the railway.

He said, “The Chinese government makes money from the many rail projects that are being handled by CCECC in Nigeria, so asking them to help us is not out of place.

“Nigerians are no longer ready to listen to the number of passengers that have been carried by the trains since they were commissioned. Nigerians are not interested in what has been put in the various stations by the CCECC. What we want to hear now is the effort being put into rescuing those people in captivity.

“If a Chinese national was among those people abducted, we know that the Chinese government would have come to rescue him.

“I remember when an American was kidnapped, the Americans came and took him away from where he was held captive. We know that with the level of technology that the Chinese have, even without leaving Beijing, they can help us track where these people are, or even give us enough intelligence that would aid their rescue,” he added.