Adamawa

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Adamawa State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has named the Emir of Fufore, Alhaji Muhammadu Sani Ribadu, as the Amirul-Hajj and leader of the state’s delegation for the 2025 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

The appointment, announced on Tuesday, recognizes Ribadu’s dedication, experience, and contributions to religious affairs in the state.

The delegation includes:

1. Alhaji Muhammad Buba Jidjiwa

2. Barr. A.T. Shehu

3. Alhaji Ibrahim Abba

4. Alhaji Abubakar Murtala

5. Alhaji Mohammed Dabo (Secretary)

Governor Fintiri urged the team to work diligently with relevant agencies to ensure a smooth and successful Hajj operation.

He also reiterated the need for proper coordination to guarantee a seamless pilgrimage for Adamawa’s intending pilgrims.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A Nigerian Army Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (SNCO), Abdulfatai Odutola, has been killed by kidnappers after a delay in the payment of his ransom.

Odutola, who was traveling to Yola, Adamawa State, was abducted on February 15, 2025, along the Abuja-Jos highway.

The kidnappers had initially demanded a ransom of N20 million for his release.According to a military internal memo, Odutola had been en route from Ilorin and was staying in Abuja before continuing his journey when he was abducted.

The memo requested urgent assistance from the appropriate authorities to secure his release.

However, a subsequent update revealed that Odutola’s lifeless body was found by police in the Jos forest.

The kidnappers had reportedly killed him after the deadline for the ransom payment passed.

His car was also recovered at the scene.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

The Adamawa State House of Assembly has passed a bill for the creation of more emirates with first-class emirs in the state.

The new emirate law, now awaiting Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s assent, was passed days after the governor assented to another law, the state’s District Creation Law 2024, which created 83 new districts on 4 December.

Mr Fintiri, in a letter to the lawmakers on Monday, requested the passage of a bill for a law to provide for the Adamawa State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) and matters incidental thereto.

The bill empowered the governor to create additional emirates, and appoint or depose traditional rulers.

The bill passed first and second reading at the state House of Assembly on Monday.

The accelerated reading of the bill followed separate motions by the deputy majority leader, Ahmed Rufai (Maiha LGA), seconded by Moses Zah (Michika LGA) and Bauna Myandassa (Lamurde LGA).

The Speaker of the Assembly, Bathiya Wesley, referred it to the House Committee on Local Government Affairs for legislative action.

The speaker directed the committee to submit its report on the next legislative day.

The committee was headed by Kefas Calvin with Godfrey Bulus ashis deputy, while Grace Kurkuwa served as the clerk.

On Tuesday, the lawmakers passed the bill into law. The governor is expected to announce the new emirates after assenting to the bill.

The new law stripped the Lamido of Adamawa, Mustapha Barkindo, of his title of permanent chairman of the Adamawa Council of Chiefs.

The law says the seat will rotate annually among all the first-class emirs and chiefs.

The lawmakers said the rotational chairmanship would promote fairness, equity and quality representation in traditional leadership.

The governor had on 4 December assented to the state’s district creation law at an exclusive ceremony at the Government House.

He said the new law was aimed at enhancing governance and addressing security challenges at the grassroots level.

The law weakens the influence of the Lamido of Adamawa, Mr Barkindo, by reducing the local government areas under his control from eight to three.

The Adamawa emirate covered Hong, Song, Gombi, Fufore, Girei, Yola North, Yola South, and Mayo-Belwa.

By Uzair Adam

Police in Adamawa State have detained a 19-year-old man for allegedly killing his newborn son in Mubi North Local Government Area.

SP Suleiman Nguroje, spokesperson for the Police Command, announced the arrest in Yola on Saturday.

The Daily Reality learned that the suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken into custody on November 8 after the baby’s mother, who is reportedly his girlfriend, filed a complaint.

She alleged that the suspect came to her residence to see the newborn but later took the baby, under the pretense of an errand, and killed him.

Nguroje reported that the suspect is accused of burying the infant’s body in the Girpata area of Mubi.

Following the arrest, Commissioner of Police Morris Dankombo has ordered the case to be escalated to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Many Nigerians are hesitant to travel at night, especially along routes considered red zones, due to security challenges, such as banditry and kidnappings. 

On Friday, September 1, 2024, we missed our flight from Yola to Abuja. The next day, Saturday, September 2, 2024, we embarked on an adventurous road trip from Yola to Abuja. We left Yola early, around 6 a.m., and reached the village of Lafiya Lamurde a few minutes before 8 a.m. Lafiya Lamurde is about 90 km away from Yola.

There, we encountered a security roadblock with several vehicles parked. Every Saturday is sanitation day in Adamawa State, so we had to wait until 10 a.m. when normal activities would resume. However, the road was opened 15 minutes earlier, at 9:45 a.m., allowing us to continue our journey toward Gombe.

A few kilometres before reaching Gombe, we had a flat tyre caused by our driver’s reckless overtaking on a sharp bend. An articulated vehicle had broken down on the road, and our truck struck some rocks while swerving to avoid it. We stopped to change the tyre, only to discover that there was neither a jack nor a wheel spinner in the car. Fortunately, the vehicle driver we had overtaken sensed the danger and stopped to assist us. With his help, we changed the tyre and continued to Gombe, where we bought a new tyre, visited acquaintances, and proceeded toward Bauchi.

We arrived in Bauchi around 3:30 p.m. After stopping at a fuel station to refuel the car, we took a break to perform our Zuhr and Asr prayers and had some small snacks. When we were ready to resume our journey, the vehicle refused to start. We initially thought it was a fuel pump issue, but after an electrician checked the car, he confirmed the fuel pump was OK. Suspecting an electrical fault, we called a mechanic, who determined the issue was actually with the timing chain. As it was approaching 6 p.m., we realised the car needed to be towed to a mechanic’s workshop for repairs.

With a morning meeting scheduled in Abuja, we hired a commercial vehicle for ₦70,000 to take us from Bauchi to Abuja. We left Bauchi just before 7 p.m., and it was already dark and raining when we reached Jos. Our driver mentioned that the road from Jos City to the famous “forest” was in poor condition.

From Jos, it was already past 8 p.m., and it was raining—we had embarked on a night journey, something many Nigerians try to avoid. Our journey from the famous “forest” to Abuja via Akwanga and Keffi was adventurous and surprisingly exciting. Despite the late hours and rain, there was heavy traffic and numerous security checkpoints.

We noticed that the checkpoints were strategically positioned, spaced a few kilometres apart. Some were manned by the military, others by the police, and some by civil defence officers. Additionally, we observed routine patrols by the army and the police, with some military patrols even using motorbikes. 

We must commend the security agencies—the heavy traffic was likely a result of people feeling assured by the strong presence of checkpoints. However, we also noticed the presence of local tax collectors operating on the road, even though it was late at night.

Transportation experts note that night journeys by road offer unique experiences: quieter roads, cooler temperatures, time efficiency, and even scenic beauty. However, they also come with challenges such as limited visibility, driver fatigue, and a heightened risk of accidents.

Our night journey from Bauchi to Abuja, which lasted from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. via Jos, Akwanga, and Keffi, was exciting and adventurous. The security presence was excellent—kudos to the office of the National Security Adviser and all the security agencies. The heavy traffic reflected people’s confidence in the safety of the route. However, many sections of the road were in poor condition, which remains a concern.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A 35-year-old man from Adamawa State, Muhammad Auwal, has allegedly defiled his biological teenage daughter.

The state command of the Nigeria Police said in a statement obtained by The Daily Reality Thursday morning that it had arrested the man over the offence.

In the statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, the command said it made the arrest on Wednesday, September 11.

“The Adamawa State Police Command has on 11/09/2024 arrested 35-year-old Muhammad Auwal for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old biological daughter,” Nguroje stated.

He added, “The suspect has since confessed to committing the crime and will be charged to court.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari 

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have attacked a police station in Adamawa State. 

The incident happened in the wee hours of Wednesday at the police station located in Jimeta, Yola North Local Government Area of Adamawa State. 

According to a resident who agreed to speak to the press anonymously, the sounds of gunshots disturbed the peace of the community and hence caused residents to panic. 

The police spokesperson, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, confirmed the attack to newsmen but assured the public that the situation is under control. 

Nguroje also disclosed that the attack was repelled but that the police have yet to identify the perpetrators of the attack.

By Sabiu Abdullahi 

The Adamawa State Governorship Election Tribunal has upheld Umaru Fintiri’s victory in the March 2023 governorship election.

Fintiri, representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), secured 430,861 votes, defeating Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who received 398,738 votes.

The tribunal’s ruling dismissed challenges from Dahiru and other contestants, affirming Fintiri as the legitimate winner.

The decision highlights the principles of Nigeria’s electoral process, providing a clear path for Fintiri to continue his governance in Adamawa State.

By Ibrahim Alhamdu

The name Senator Ishaku Abbo, of the senator representing Adamawa north, is synonymous to controversies. Abbo, being one of the youngest senators in the Nigerian 9th senate, is always at the center of one controversy or another, which resulted in his condemnation by many people in his constituency – Adamawa north in Adamawa State and the entire northern Nigeria as a whole.

Before the inauguration of Abbo at the hallowed chamber of the Nigerian senate, a video clip of him physically assaulting a lady at a sex toy shop surfaced. After he physically assaulted the lady in the video, Abbo was seen ordering his police orderly to further arrest the lady he allegedly assaulted for taking sides with the shop owner. The incident generated so much angry reaction from Nigerians on social media and on the streets, which brought disrepute not only to Abbo, but his constituency and his political party. Though, days after the incident, Senator Abbo was arrested by the police who held him for a night, before granting him bail “after meeting a set of administrative conditions for his bond”. He later apologized: he said he was sorry for what happened, adding that regardless of the provocation, his action did not portray him as a good ambassador of the Senate, the PDP, and the youths of Nigeria.

However, all of a sudden, on July 10, 2019, at the Senate hearing of Senator Elisha Abbo over his sex toy shop assault on a lady, there was an intense argument between Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Senator Abbo, while trying to emphasize the extent of the damage to the Senate body and her feeling as a woman, Senator Tinubu, expressed the embarrassment which the youngest Senator in the ninth Senate has brought to the entire National Assembly, but Senator Abbo, in his usual uncouth manner attacked Senator Remi defiantly.

The heat was so intense on Senator Abbo, as women’s groups, civil society movements, students unions, political groups, teams of lawyers and other common people frowned and condemned Abbo’s actions both at the sex toy shop and at the senate hearing, calling for his prosecution.

On September 28, 2020, an FCT High Court found Senator Abbo guilty of the offense. Delivering the judgment the judge ordered him to pay the sum of N50 million to the complainant, Osimibibra Warmate

In his usual character, around October 2019, Abbo picked a ‘fight’ with his governor- Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State. Abbo accused Governor Fintiri of being an ‘Alpha and Omega’ who parades himself as a demi-god, running the PDP like a ‘gangster’, Abbo went to the extent of describing Gov. Fintiri as a ‘small man’ with a big office. When Abbo finally realized that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) wouldl expel him, he defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) where his “sins” would automatically be forgiven.

However, after the APC accepted and admitted Abbo, the trend of his unnecessary political fight, use of excessive and offensive language which causes tension among people continued bitterly. His open campaign and criticism against his party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, including criticizing the APC presidential flag-bearer, Bola Tinubu, on national television didn’t come as a surprise to many who knew his antecedents. These led to his expulsion by APC Mubi North Local Government Area on 7th October, 2022, for allegedly engaging in anti-party activities and tampering with the process of internal democracy of the party.

On January 11, 2023, the Adamawa State High Court of Justice No. 3, presided by Hon. Justice Danladi Mohammed, sacked Senator Abbo as APC Senatorial Candidate for Adamawa North, saying he is not entitled to seek re-election since he was expelled. Justice Danladi, held that Senator Abbo and APC are bound by the resolution of Mubi North LG Exco dated 7th October 2022, which expelled him, saying that he is not entitled to enjoy any right or privilege accorded to the APC members.

While responding to the judgment, Senator Abbo, said, the judgment is just a ‘child-play’- saying in Hausa- “Kare ya taka Nera ya wuce bai san kuɗi ba”. Abbo said – the judge is wrong and just wasting his time, peoples’ time, and the Senator’s time. But Abbo promised to appeal the judgment.

Now the question is; has Abbo truly lost his ticket?

Many legal experts are of the view that Senator Ishaku Abbo has lost the ticket, because, people saying that the state high court lacks jurisdiction on such matters, are wrong. Section 6, Subsection (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria explains all the intricacies and the law has fully explains it all.

But what about a change of candidate? The electoral Act 2022 says: A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under section 29 of the Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate: Senator Abbo is neither dead nor withdrawn his candidature. Many legal experts say the Nigerian Constitution supersedes the provisions in any other laws; a competent court of law has agreed and validated what the 29-member committee of APC Mubi North LGA, did – the expulsion of Senator Ishaku Abbo, thus, the judgment is bound on Abbo, APC and INEC, the only doctrine of necessity available to the APC and INEC is to accept the person that came second in the primary election that produced Abbo.

Some political pundits are of the view that this court judgment is a golden opportunity for the APC to easily replace Senator Abbo who has been in anti-party activities criticizing the party, its presidential and vice presidential candidates including other leaders of the party, bringing disrepute and low esteem to the whole APC.

Ibrahim Alhamdu is a social and political commentator. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria.