News

By Muhammad Sabiu

An angry mob have set ablaze the residence of Sokoto State Commissioner for Careers and Security Matters, Garba Moyi, in Isa Local Government Area.

According to reports, the incident, which occurred Monday evening, led to the vandalisation of vehicles of a traditional ruler who was also accused of abandoning his people.

ASP Sanusi Abubakar, the Sokoto Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), who confirmed the incident, stated that“no life was involved, and as soon as the investigation is completed, the details will be made known to the public.”

He added that people of the area should remain calm and advised them to cooperate with security agencies in maintaining peace and order.

Also, a Sokoto resident, identified as Abubakar Isa, also confirmed the incident. He said the mob were angry at the Commissioner due to bandits’ incessant attacks.

He was quoted as saying, “Some of them even believe that the commissioner has abandoned his own people. The attacks are becoming rampant these days, despite the efforts they said they are making to address it. There is no day that a person is not kidnapped or killed in Isa or Sabon Birni.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

In what would be tagged as a great success in the fight against terrorism in the northwestern part of Nigeria, the police in Katsina State have successfully apprehended four persons for allegedly supplying fuel and one other for supplying bread to terrorists; also referred to as “bandits.”

Gambo Isa, Katsina State police spokesperson, told the press that the bread supplier, arrested on Saturday, was a national of Niger Republic.

The other suspects supplying fuel have been identified as Shafi’u Haruna, 25, of Anguwan Nakaba village in Sabuwa LGA; Sani Lawal, 28, of Magamar Jibia for transporting fuel in a Volkswagen Passat car with registration No. KMC 198 XB; and Abdulrashid Garba, 50, of Daddara village, Jibia LGA, for conveying fuel in his Volkswagen Golf III wagon with registration No. AR 719 KTN.

Mr Isa added, “Also arrested was Tigal Haruna, 57, of Kofar Guga Quarters, Katsina, conveying fuel in his Passat motor vehicle with registration number FC 977 LKJ. Nemesis caught up with the suspects when they were arrested long Katsina – Jibia road while going into the forest.

“In the course of investigation, suspects confessed to be selling the fuel at fringes of the forest, contrary to Executive order and other extant laws of the Federation. The investigation is ongoing,”

Recall that the Katsina State Government has issued an executive order banning some activities in the state in an effort to curtail the killings and kidnappings that have, over the years, beset the state.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Who could have thought that the lingering issue of street begging would still be persistent despite the imposition of an outright ban on begging by the state government? Likewise, who would believe that the state government will continue to be the captive of the past, allowing Almajiri parents to drop around their children for Qur’anic education without shelter, food or clothing?

This and many more have called into question the government’s effort to end street begging in the state.

Recalling the statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kano State, Abba Anwar, the Kano State Government announced the ban of street begging in the state. It said that the effort was to fully consolidate the free and compulsory primary and secondary schools education.

“The decision was meant to integrate the Almajiri system into the policy and address the lingering problem of street begging,” Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said in the statement. He further warned that Almajiri teachers must accept the newly introduced approach by the government and that “If Almijiri teacher thinks he cannot accept the new policy he has to leave the state. 

“When Almajiri are caught begging, it is not only that beggar is caught but also his parents or guardians. Such parents or guardians would be taken to court to face the wrath of the law,” the governor added.

The statement disclosed that the newly introduced system was meant to allow the beggars to continue their studies to secondary school and beyond.

But despite the declaration, promises and threats against beggars and their teachers, beggars are still on the state’s streets. They beg from car to car, tricycle to tricycle and from person to person freely and in the presence of security personnel.

Meanwhile, Almajiris in Kano were neither being thwarted from begging nor introduced to western education, as the governor promised.

One of the Almajiri teachers in the state who spoke with The Daily Reality said, “I had no idea of the new policy the state government introduced and no official of the government contacted him ok the policy.”

An educationalist, who prefers not to be named, opined that; “I believe this will definitely be a joyous and celebratory idea if the government could be able to implement the new system.

“But sometimes government plays politics, and I am afraid this might be one, considering the length of time since the assertion was made.” He observed.

Some beggars who were brought to the city from Minjibir explained to our reporter that they face no challenge from anyone. According to them, they move around freely in every nook and cranny, including Nassarawa GRA, where the Kano State Government House is situated.

“We are brought here for Qur’anic education from Minjibir Local Government. Our Tsangaya is situated at Rimin Kebe, Ungogo LGA, and we are not even aware of the ban on begging in the state.”

The lingering problem of street begging is known to anyone living in Kano and the North, or even the country as a whole. But it is worse than expected in the North. 

Kano State Government’s idea of banning street begging is an idea many residents applauded when launched. The ban was introduced to enable the Almajiri to acquire western education while undergoing their Qur’anic education. The ultimate goal was to empower them in society.

By Muhsin Ibrahim

Despite the police efforts and arrest of several suspects, the menace of phone snatching continues to cost the lives of Kano residents. The most recent incident occurred Sunday evening in Sharada quarters, around Nana Petroleum filling station.

Muhammad Sulaiman, alias Labbo, was a schoolteacher and farmer who got married in June this year. He was walking with his bride when the assailants stopped them.

As reports suggest, Muhammad did not show any resistance. However, the phone snatchers stabbed him, leaving him to bleed to death.

Our attempts to hear from the bereaved wife for further details proved difficult as she was still devastated. However, other friends and relatives described him as very cheerful, caring and God-fearing.

Muhammad, 37, was a graduate of Kano State Polytechnic. He also attended Government Technical College (GTC), Kano.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports coming from northwestern Nigeria have stated that angry people in a Sokoto community, Tangaza, took the bull by the horns, traced suspected bandits in detention and subsequently lynched them.

This is coming barely 12 hours after the bandits launched an attack on the community, which left two persons killed and two others abducted.

Premium Times reports that, first, it was vigilante members armed with locally-made guns and cutlasses in conjunction with the police that went after the bandits, killed two and apprehended about four others.

After their arrest, they were put behind the police net.

The state’s police spokesperson, Sanusi Abubakar, confirmed that in an attack meant to cart away foodstuffs from the community, the bandits launched a raid Friday night.

They were also said to have kidnapped two persons, who were later killed.

Angered by this attack and kidnap, youths in the community planned to join the police in an effort to crush the suspected bandits.

They followed them and successfully killed two and the other four arrested, who were detained in a police station and killed by the angry youths.

The youths insisted that the bandits must be killed, otherwise they would torch the police station.

A resident said, “The youths were angry and despite pleas from the DPO and the local government chairman, they insisted that if the policemen did not kill the bandits in their presence, they would burn down the police station.”

Sokoto State is also one of the northwestern states badly hit by the activities of bandits.

By Ibrahim Siraj

(Who is at Ingall, Agadez, Niger Republic)

Many Nigerians are attending this year’s ”Cure Saleé” festival at Ingall town, some one-hundred sixty kilometres Southwestern the ancient city of Agadez in the Niger Republic.

The three-day festival, which was declared open by President Bazoum, is officially billed to end today but may be extended to Sunday.

Cure Saleé is an annual event that showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Touregs and Nomads, including camel and horse racing, music and dance. It draws attendance from across Niger Republic, Africa and the world. Also in attendance are traditional rulers from Niger, Nigeria and other neighbouring countries.

Started several centuries ago, the festival brings together various Tuareg clans and Wodaabe Nomads to celebrate the end of the rainy season and to mark the beginning of a movement down south to survive the upcoming dry season.

The salty waters of Ingall are believed to possess medicinal and healing powers that can cure all diseases afflicting humans and animals.

Cure Saleé also serves as a melting point for several social, business, tourism and friendship activities.

The 2021 well-attended event is coming after the Covid-19 lockdown forced the cancellation of the festival in 2020.

Attending the event from Nigeria are scholars, researchers, tourists, journalists, photographers and other business and media personalities.

Declaring the 2021 Cure Saleé open, President Mohamed Bazoum, who attended the festival for the first time since he became President, welcomed all guests and assured the organisers of his government’s continued support.

Speaking to The Daily Reality on this significance of the festival, a foremost Kano Palace historian and researcher, Malam Nasiru Wada, said Cure Saleé offers students of culture like himself the opportunity to learn how life is defined by people living in the desert and to appreciate the difference between Africa’s divergent cultures. He listed the economic advantages of the festival to include tourism, inflow and outflow of goods and services, as well as job opportunities.

Also speaking, a Kano-based documentary photographer, Muhammad Mubarak aka Moha Sheikh, said his coming to Ingall is a follow-up to his participation at similar cultural event, Bianou, in Agadez last year. He said the two festivals had afforded him the opportunity to see and document culture.

Another documentary photographer, Emmanuel Abor, from Abuja, said the festival is a celebration of cultural preservation in the technological age.

At the end of the festival, prizes will be distributed to winners of different categories of competitions.

Ten students of Bethel Baptist College, Kaduna, were released this evening. Two were sick and eight let go on the magnanimity of their kidnappers.

Details later.

By Hussaina Sufyan Ahmed

Kano is the centre of commerce. Kano is the state where you find the complete structure of Nigerian cultures coexisting. The state gives potentialities of what Nigerians should envisage in peaceful coexistence. That includes interrelationship between marketers of different ethnic backgrounds to the various categories of people in the market system and beyond.

The Kano market system remains one of the most organised in Nigeria. The market structure sees room for you to decide your scale of preference as a buyer or seller. In addition, there are distinctions as to where and what you can obtain from a particular place in a specific setting.

These markets range in various products. Kano is known to harbour the sales of everything saleable, and this is why this essay intends to highlight to you a Kano resident or someone new to Kano the focus of some of the major markets.

Sabon Gari is the largest market in Kano state. In this market, you can get anything you wish to, irrespective of your preference. Though the market has sections of varieties from kitchen wares, shoe wares, body wares, home appliances, and many more, the most common segment exemplified as the rowdiest remains the perishable foods section (Yan Kura). You find fresh from farm tomatoes, veggies of various types, seafood, and many more in this part of the market. This market section has different Nigerian tribes. However, the most prominent remains the Igbos and the Edos. The sweet ambience that comes out of this market section is when you hear every tribe speaking in Hausa to form a unification.

Another prominent produce you can get in Yan Kura is raw food. You get rice, beans and even Garri at cheaper rates. This is because, in this market, the packaging of produce is not a celebrated thing. Therefore, lower-class, average and high-class people can access this market and find the prices very affordable.

Kasuwar Rimi is a market located around Kofar Nassarawa. It focuses on the sales of kitchen utensils. In this market, you get to be thrilled by the number of people that can hoard the same business and yet live on common grounds. Kasuwar Rimi is also a big market that can harbour newcomers asking about the routes if they do not know the ways of the markets; this is because the market is also very large.

 In this market, there are Kano indigenes, and the ambience that comes with the native speakers is so beautiful. However, you find out that those not from Kano find joy in communicating using the tone of the native speakers.

Kasuwan Wambai is more of a farther affiliation to the route of Sabon Gari market. To go to this market from Yan Kura, you get to board a specially organised tricycle generally known as “Keke Napep” that is different from the common yellow ones. In this market, you get to see the actual definition of runners and plastics with a preference for quality. You get to have wholesales in this market for almost every seller of the rubbers, plastics, jerry cans, and gallons sell in dozens or more. In this market, you hear a name like “Yan rubber”, and you know there are other boundaries to help you understand the market more according to the categorisation.

A sequel to this article will give you hindsight on navigating the various major markets in Kano state. This is to help you map out the way to go and the way not to go. This will also help curb if insecurity, as sometimes an unknown route becomes a danger zone.

A 25-year-old man, identified as Nasiru Muhammad, was arrested by the police in Jigawa State for allegedly having sex with a goat.

This was confirmed to newsmen in Dutse by the Jigawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Lawan Shi’isu Adam.

Mr Shi’isu was quoted as saying, “On 09/09/2021 at about 0100hrs, Police officers from Gwaram divisional headquarters, while on patrol within Gwaram and its environs, arrested a 25-year-old man, Nasiru Muhammad of Kunnadi quarters while having intercourse with a goat.”

He added that an investigation was ongoing and the suspect would be prosecuted subsequently.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has clarified that its Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, who received medical attention is now “hale and hearty.”

This is coming after he had nearly slumped when delivering a speech during an event at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The anti-graft agency made the clarification in a short statement it posted on its Facebook page.

“The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa is hale and hearty. This clarification became necessary following an incident today September 16, 2021, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja where he was giving a goodwill message to the National Identity Day celebration, felt unwell and had to return to his seat.

“He has since received medical attention and is due back at his desk,” the statement read.