News

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Government of Kaduna State has announced a new resumption date for its schools after months of disruption in the school calendar due to insecurity ravaging the state.

The state’s commissioner for education, Shehu Makarfi, disclosed this while participating in a virtual workshop organised by the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria. According to him, students of the state are expected to resume on Sunday, September 12, 2021.

However, the commissioner said rather than resuming for the third term that was aborted in the state, the schools will resume the first term for the 2021/2022 academic calendar.

By Muhammad Sulaiman

In recognition of their significant contribution to scholarship, research and development at the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies (FAIS), the governing council of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has approved the promotion of Dr Sani Umar R/Lemo, Dr Umar Sani Fagge, others, to the coveted professorial positions.

The following faculty members have been promoted to full professor status: Shehu Ahmad (Arabic), Aminu Lawal Auta (Nigerian Languages), Usman Sani Abbas (Islamic Studies), Sani Ayagi ( Islamic Studies) and Umar Abdulkadir (Islamic Studies).

Furthermore, the following have been promoted to associate professor status: Umar Sani Rijyar Lemo (Islamic Studies), Aliyu Harun (Islamic Studies), Nura Sani (Islamic Studies), Isa Yusuf Chamo (Linguistics), Aishatu Umar (English), Tijjani M. Naniya (History), Muhammad Wada (History), Umma Aminu Inuwa (Nigerian Languages), Maryam Mansur Yola (Nigerian Languages), Halima Abdulkadir Dangambo (Nigerian Languages), Ahmad Salisu (Arabic), Matabuli Shehu Kabara (Arabic) and Umar Sani Fagge (Arabic).

More members from other faculties have been equally promoted based on their value of excellence in teaching and scholarship, and service to BUK. However, as of during filing this report, the lists were still incomplete.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have dismissed a senior lecture, Adebayo Mosobalaje, from the institution over alleged sexual misconduct.

The senior lecturer was from the Department of English in the Faculty of Arts.

The dismissal was announced in a statement by the university’s public relations officer, Abiodun Olarewaju.

Mr Olarewaju said, “In its avowed determination to rid the University of any form of sexual intimidation, harassment and, or coercion, the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has dismissed another lecturer who was found guilty of sexual demeanour against a female student.

“The decision to dismiss Dr. Adebayo Mosobalaje of the Department of English Language in the Faculty of Arts was taken by the University Council at its last sitting on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021.

“Having exhaustively deliberated on the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, which investigated the case of sexual harassment against Mosobalaje, the University Council, unambiguously declared its zero tolerance to sexual harassment in any form or guise and, accordingly, applied the appropriate University sanctions for such an offence as contained in the University regulation.”

This is not the first time the OAU got enmeshed in the scandal of sexual misconduct between lecturers and students.

In 2018, a professor of accounting at the institution, Richard Akindele, was also found to have been involved in a sex-for-marks scandal, which got him fired from the institution.

Prof. Akindele demanded five-round sex from a student before he would pass her in a course he took. 

The news went viral after the student exposed him through their recordings in the course of their engagement.

Since 2018 when the story of sexual harassment allegations against a professor of accounting at the university’s Faculty of Administration, Richard Akindele, went viral, the institution has regularly been in the news for similar reasons.

Akindele, who the university dismissed, was also found guilty and sentenced to two years imprisonment following his prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). He has since been released.

There is also the unresolved case of a lecturer of International Relations, Bisi Olaleye, and another at the school’s Centre for Distance Learning, Monday Omo-Etan.

By Muhammad Sabiu

A gun duel between suspected bandits and vigilantes in the Mayaki community in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State has led to the death of two people.

According to the Daily Trust newspaper, the two victims were on the side of the vigilantes.

Confirming the death of his members, the Lapai division commander of vigilante corps, Muhammadu Ibrahim, said, “It is true that we lost two of our men during a patrol in an ambush by the bandits around Mayaki forest.”

He added that they had deployed their men to launch a manhunt for the suspected gunmen.

By Muhammad Abdurrahman

Today, the Abuja Central Mosque Imam, Prof. Ibrahim Maqari, formally withdrew his lawsuit against Dr Abdallah Usman Gadon-Kaya, seeking N20 million in damages for defamation.

The Daily Reality reported on September 1, 2021, that Dr Gadon Kaya’s lawyers had yet to receive any formal request to withdraw the lawsuit as of then. Instead, according to Barrister Ibrahim Umar Abere, all they saw was Prof. Maqari’s viral video alleging that he was compelled to withdraw it.

However, after appearing at the court today (6/9/2021) to defend their client, they got an official request from Prof. Maqari’s lawyers wherein the plaintiff withdrew the lawsuit in pursuit of peace.

Reacting to the reports that the defendant and his lawyers were preparing to file a counterclaim, Barrister Abdulrazak Kabiru Kofa said they had also shelved that plan. He cited a Quranic verse that says, “Peace is best” (4:128).

Recall that on July 23, 2021, Dr Abdallah Uthman Gadon-Kaya delivered a Friday sermon in a mosque in Kano State. That sermon did not go down well with Prof. Ibrahim Maqari. Thus, he appeared in a video warning Dr Abdallah to withdraw parts of the statement or meet him in court, which he eventually did.

The court order showed the case was due for hearing on September 6, 2021. Maqari demanded that Gadon Kaya retract the said statements, publish an apology in national dailies or pay the N20 million in damages.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Guinea Conakry’s octogenarian president, Alpha Conde, has reportedly been overthrown by the country’s military.

The BBC has reported that an unverified video, which had gone viral, shows the president in the hands of soldiers.

Subsequent reports coming from Conakry, Guinea’s capital, have indicated that there was heavy gunfire in the city.

President Conde won a third term in a controversial election last year, which had ignited mass protest in the country.

There are still no details as to how the coup was staged.

Details follow…

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed an incident that led to the killing of one person and injuring of another by some unidentified gunmen on Saturday in Burshin Fulani, a community on the outskirts of Bauchi metropolis.

Confirming the incident, a police spokesperson in Bauchi, Ahmed Wakil, told journalists that the deceased was a senior staff at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.

He was quoted as saying, “Gunmen attacked Burshin Fulani village and killed one, Abubakar Muhammad, a senior staff of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.

“He was shot on the neck and died on the spot. Policemen who rushed to the scene evacuated the victim to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, where he was certified dead.

Mr Wakil added that policemen stationed close to the scene of the incident quickly responded on hearing gunshots of the gunmen.

He said, “Our patrol team stationed at the polytechnic gate on hearing gunshots from the direction at about 4:000 am quickly rushed to the area, on sighting the light of the patrol van the gunmen fled.

“The deceased came out to rescue his children who were struggling with some people at the gate, and immediately he emerged, they shot him.”

Media reports coming from Niger State in the north-central part of Nigeria have it that about 47 terrorists, also known as bandits, have on Wednesday been eliminated by “local hunters.”

The terrorists are notorious for unleashing terror on the communities in the Shiroro axis in Niger State.

The local hunters were said to have raided the hideous of the bandits in their large number in a riverside community that is located between Shiroro and Rafi Local Governments.

A police officer, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the raid on the terrorists.

He was quoted by PRNigeria as saying, “I can tell you for a fact that the bandits met their waterloo. At least 47 of them were eliminated by the hunters who participated in the operation.”

Niger State suffers incessant attacks by bandits who kill innocent people and kidnap students in large numbers.

A recent incident of abduction in the state was the kidnap of over 80 Islamiyya students in a community called Tegina.

Many of them, however, recently regained freedom after spending many days in captivity.

Local Government Election will not hold in Birnin Gwari, Chikun, Kajuru and Zangon Kataf local government areas of Kaduna State tomorrow 4th September, 2021 due to security reasons.

Details later.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Kaduna State Government has banned the transportation of livestock from the state to other states in the country and the transportation of livestock into Kaduna state from other states with immediate effect.

The directive was contained in a press release signed by the state commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan. The Government also reiterated that the transportation of donkeys into the state is a criminal offence, and anyone found engaging in this will be prosecuted accordingly.

Furthermore, “the Kawo weekly market which usually holds every Tuesday in Kaduna North LGA has been suspended with immediate effect. The previous directives suspending weekly markets, and selling of petrol in jerrycans in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Kajuru LGAs, as well as banning the felling of trees for timber, firewood and charcoal and other commercial purposes in Birnin Gwari, Kachia, Kajuru, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Kauru LGAs, are still in force” Aruwan said.