News

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. 

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari.

Adamu J. Garba, a tech-entrepreneur and former presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has left the party.

Garba tweeted a video of himself removing the APC flag in his office on Wednesday, May 11.

He captioned the video, saying, “We joined APC for the sake of Nigerians, now that all is not looking straight. We believe only Allah is the Guarantor & Grantor of Authority. He never ever gives up on the betterment of humans. Trusting in Him, following His Guide, we bow out of APC in peace. The flag is down.”

Garba’s dramatic exit from the APC is coming a day after his withdrawal from the presidential race on the party’s platform.

Recall that Garba in a press release announcing his withdrawal, he told his supporters that it is the beginning of their political journey and that they should wait for further directives.

By Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

Days after nine Kano State House of Assembly members defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, three more lawmakers have dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, for the new party.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Assembly, Uba Abdullahi, announced their defection, citing three separate letters the legislators sent to the speaker, Hamisu Chidari.

According to the statement, the members notified the House of their defection from the ruling APC to NNPP through the letters dated May 5, officially received by the House.

The defecting lawmakers are:

Hon.Abdullahi Iliyasu-Yaryasa, member representing Tudunwada Constituency;

Hon.Muhammed Bello Butu-Butu, member representing Tofa/Rimin Gado Constituency.

Hon.Kabiru Yusuf Ismail, member representing Madobi Constituency.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) will commence a two-week warning strike on Monday, May 16, 2022.

According to the ASUP president, Anderson Ezeibe, the decision was borne out of the emergency meeting of the union National Executive Council on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

However, this is coming amidst worries over the extension of strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

ASUP decried that the federal government has refused to meet their demand, making it necessary for the union to embark on a strike.

Recall that ASUP has suspended its industrial action declared on the 10th of June, 2021, following the Memorandum of Action (MoA) which the government had signed.

The union said in a statement, “Non-release of arrears of the new minimum wage: The owed 10 months arrears for the Polytechnics is yet to be released. The composite amount covering all Federal Tertiary Institutions to the approximate figure of N19Bn currently exists as an AIE in the Accountant Generals Office.”

“We are deploying this medium to equally appeal to members of the public to prevail on the government to do the needful within the two weeks period so as to avoid an indefinite shutdown of the sector,” the statement added.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

A father of a four-year-old girl, Khadijah Abdullahi, popularly known as “Ilham” has recounted the traumatic incident of how his neighbour allegedly connived with some people, kidnapped and killed his daughter after collecting ransom at Tilden Fulani, Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi state. 

Speaking to The Daily Reality, the father, Abdullahi Yusuf, said the girl was abducted during the Ramadan fasting period on April 11, 2022. But according to the Nigeria Security & Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), they received this shocking information on Saturday, 23rd of April, 2022.

Yusuf narrated how the suspect mercilessly strangled the little Ilham to death and later buried her in the kitchen of his house, and kept on demanding more ransom.

The prime suspect, identified as Alhaji Kabiru Abdullahi, was said to have sympathized with the victim’s father and joined a group of people who trooped out in search of the innocent Ilham before the investigation pinned him down. Though, another suspect, Alhaji Yawale was apprehended by the NSCDC officers of Toro Division.

The incident has left the Tilden Fulani community in great fear, as parents were left in the dark.

A source, Hussaini Narabi, confided in our reporter that they took to their social media platforms to announce the mysterious disappearance of the little Ilham and post her pictures.

He said, “However, Ilham was not found, but the alleged abductor was arrested by the security personnel.”

My last moment with little Ilham – father

Recounting the traumatic experience, Abdullahi Yusuf, the father of the murdered innocent girl, said he had a joyous moment with his little kid before he finally made for the market where he was running his business. 

He said, “It happened one Friday when Ilham went out in the company of her little friends to school. In the early hours of that day, before I went to the market, Ilham came to me with excitement asking me to buy her biscuit. 

“Sadly enough, on that same day, I was called by her mother around 5 pm to inform me that Ilham was missing. I didn’t hesitate to run back home.

“We trooped in search of Ilham, unknown to us that we will never see her again. Despite an exhaustive search for her, we went back home hopelessly as the search was fruitless. 

“A few days later, the abductors contacted me demanding for N1million ransom. They resolved to accept N150,0000 after a serious bargain.

‘Suspect spying on me’

Yusuf said he began to suspect his neighbour, Alhaji Kabiru, when he sent his son to spy on him every morning. 

He said, “One day when the boy came in early in the morning, I threatened to break his legs if I ever saw him again in such hours. 

“Two days later, my neighbour packed to another area without informing me. Since then, I began suspecting him. So I went ahead to tell the police who came to investigate the matter. 

“On seeing them, the man, to the surprise of anyone, began to yell for help atop his voice. They arrested him. And after a thorough investigation, the man confessed to both kidnapping and killing my little Ilham. 

Yusuf described his neighbour as ruthless when he saw IIlham’s corpse as she was unburied. 

Speaking, the Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakili, confirmed the incident but said the case is yet to be brought to the command.

He said, “The case is with Bauchi State Civil Defence. I watched it on TV news. But they are yet to bring the case to the police.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Adamu J. Garba, a tech-entrepreneur and presidential aspirant on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, has withdrawn from the presidential race.

In a press release on Twitter on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, Garba cited the monetisation of the political space as the reason for his withdrawal from the presidential race. He argued that the nomination form is recklessly high and amounts to the commercialisation of the political space.

“Our generation should not set an example as part of the people that supported the financialisation/commercialisation of our political space, especially the public office, considering the prohibitive cost of the nomination forms. The highest in the world.” He stated.

Garba also stated that the APC would not conduct a primary election despite the humongous amount of money for the party’s expression of interest and nomination form.

“We further discovered that even if we went ahead to obtain the form, the party has foreclosed the plan for primary election because of the presence of the request for a Letter of Voluntary Withdrawal on page 18 of the nomination form.” He wrote

Garba claimed he had raised the sum of eighty-three million from online donors. As to what will happen to the donation consequent of his withdrawal, he said donors would be refunded upon request.

According to Garba, the withdrawal from the presidential race is not the end of the journey, and his supporters, whom he thanked graciously in the press release, should patiently wait for further directives.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The police have charged four Chrisland School teachers in the Yaba Magistrate Court in Lagos State.

Teachers who accompanied several Chrisland students to the World School Games in Dubai were summoned before the court on Tuesday.

After a scandal over the alleged wrongdoing of some of its students while on a trip to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Lagos State authorities ordered the closure of all Chrisland Schools branches.

In a statement issued on April 18, the government stated that all complaints were being investigated by relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice, and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency.

After reviewing the administrative investigation into the incident, the authorities reopened the schools a week later.

The government stated that the reopening was necessary to ensure that pupils had access to learning when the new semester began on April 25.

The Lagos police command said at the time that it had launched an investigation into the case to determine the identities of the players in the video, the actual incident in the video, the geographical location of the incident, the alleged threat to life against a school student, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged repeated pregnancy tests conducted on a student without parental consent.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The police in Ogun State have arrested a 25-year-old man, Ebenezer Adeshina, for raping and intimidating a 16-year-old Facebook friend.

Adeshina allegedly invited the victim to his house, where he had intoxicated and raped her.

After having raped the girl, Adeshina also took the victim’s nude pictures and started threatening to make them public if the girl refused to give him the sum of N50,000.

The girl confided in the police that she met the guy on Facebook last year, and since then, they have been chatting with each other. 

She said because her phone got spoilt, the suspect called her with a promise to give her N30,000 for the phone’s repair.

However, no sooner had the girl arrived at his house than the suspect offered her a drugged drink which she took and became unconscious, after which the rape followed. 

The police spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said Monday that the suspect was arrested following a report by the victim at Owode Egbado Division.

The statement read in part: “After having sex with her in the state of unconsciousness, the suspect took her nude pictures and started threatening to upload them on social media if she didn’t pay him the sum of N50,000.”