Kaduna State

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

Activist and former Kaduna-Central lawmaker at the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani, has said that the era when President Buhari and the APC governor tell Nigerians who to vote for is over.  

Senator Sani said, “The era when the President or state governors tell people who to vote for is over. In Kaduna, we have shown that”. 

The former lawmaker reacted based on a video trending on social media. President Buhari appealed to residents of Kaduna State to vote for APC Gubernatorial candidate Senator Uba Sani and other candidates of the APC for the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

The appeal by President Buhari came following the humiliating defeat of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kaduna State.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Muhammed Bello El-Rufai, the son of the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufa’i, has won a House of Representative seat under All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

Bello, who is the eldest son of El-Rufa’i, disclosed this on his verified Twitter handle on Monday.

He said, “Alhamdulillah. I have just been declared as the Kaduna North House of Representatives-Elect.

“I had 51,052 votes, while my closest opponent, Hon. Samaila Suleiman scored 32,802 votes.

“I would like to thank Allah SWT, all the people of Kaduna North and my committed team. Thank you,” he twitted.

The Daily Reality gathered that other candidates defeated were Shehu Mohammed Faisal of the Labour Party who scored 7531 and Aliyu Muhammad Ahmad of NNPP who scored 10,148.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufa’i has ordered ministries, agencies and departments in the state to accept old and new currency.

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Communication, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye said that, “In line with the subsisting order of the Supreme Court, the Kaduna State Government has directed its ministries, departments and agencies to ensure that their collection agents continue to accept payments made in all denominations of the naira, old and new”.

It further stated that “the laws of Kaduna State do not allow personnel of government agencies to be involved in cash collection of revenues. The collection agents authorised by state government agencies do offer citizens a route for cash payment, and are expected to comply with the subsisting court order”.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El- Rufai on Tuesday called on the people of Kaduna to ignore calls for massive protests amidst currency swap debacle.

In a statement signed by the Commissioner Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, Gov. El-Rufa’i said “the government is aware that certain individuals and groups have made plans to organize massive protests, seizing on the acute shortage of cash and attendant hardships faced by citizens”.

He further said “The Kaduna State Government wishes to appeal for caution and vigilance by all citizens, amidst the prevailing situation arising from the ongoing cash swap and currency redesign policy.

“Citizens are reminded that care must be taken not to play into the plans of devious elements seeking to create crisis in this crucial period. Citizens are thus advised to ignore these calls for massive protests in the interest of public security”.

Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Kaduna Gubernatorial debate by the BBC Hausa Service has ended with four governorship aspirants airing their varied opinions on how to move the state forward. After Kano’s debate on the weekend, Kaduna is the second of the five selected northern Nigerian states BBC plans to organise the debate before the 2023 elections.

The debate was hosted at Kaduna State University. Leading participants included Senator Uba Sani (All Progressive Congress, APC), Isah Ashiru (People’s Democratic Party, PDP), and Sulaiman Uthman Hunkuyi (New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP).

The debate had the aspirants speaking on issues ranging from security, economy, infrastructure, education, job creation, and health, among others. 

While the candidates differed on the methods with which they would take Kaduna to a higher echelon, they agreed that peace and security would play a key role in driving the process of development in the state. 

After the debate, the candidates exchanged pleasantries and left the hall with their supporters.

By Safiyanu Ladan

In the last couple of weeks, Zazzau Emirate was thrown into a bewildering dilemma after the arrest of one Shehu Umar Ciroman Baraya (Emir’s servant) by the police for sodomising a minor and the arrest of Sama’ila Abubakar Rimini Tsiwa for allegedly gang-raping a would-be bride. Both incidents did not go down well with one of the oldest emirates in the country.

The reports of such an abomination, which occurred within a few days, drew condemnations within and outside the emirate. While commenting on the issue of sodomy, the emirate expressed ‘rude shock’, saying that as an institution that believes in the rule of laws, it will not allow any form of immorality to exist within its ambit.

It also appealed to the police and any other security agencies handling the matter to expedite action and ensure that the accused is prosecuted without further delay to serve as a deterrent to others.

While people are still contemplating the vast degree of damage the case of sodomy would bring to the palace following associating the culprit with the revered institution, another one struck. And it’s the most disgusting and disturbing.

Traditional institutions are the custodian of the people’s norms, values, and traditions. As such, people with questionable characters should not be allowed to associate closely with them because their immoral attitudes will tarnish their image and jeopardise their hard-earned values and norms. Therefore, the prompt action of the Zazzau emirate for the immediate dismissal of the randy palace guard and condemning the heinous act of homosexuality is commendable as it would serve as a deterrent to others.

Sexual exploitation in whatever forms are unacceptable. For these rapists to use their positions to obtain sexual favours from vulnerable victims is callous, and it, therefore, stands condemned. Given the current happenings and the rate at which cases of rape are being reported almost daily in our society, the lack of provision of a coherent and vibrant system that will deal ruthlessly with perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others has aided its escalation.

While noting that the suspects were reportedly prosecuted and currently languishing in prison custody awaiting trials and judgement, I call on the Kaduna state government and other stakeholders not to relent. Instead, you should ensure that the cases are thoroughly investigated and that justice is served accordingly.

Safiyanu Ladan wrote from Zaria via uncledoctor24@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Kofar Gayan Low Cost, Zaria, was thrown into deep mourning when fire outbreak in the area resulted to the death of a four-member family on Friday.

Multiple sources in the area relayed that the outbreak, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, was as a result of a high voltage supply of electricity.

Muhammad Umar, the Head of Service unit in Kofar Doka, Zaria, confirmed the traumatic incident to journalists in the area.

He disclosed that he could not ascertain the course of the fire outbreak, however, said it was speculated that it was as a result of an electric spark.

The Daily Reality discovered that the deceased were; Alaramma Mohammed Sani, who was an imam at Buhari’s resident, his wife, Raulatu Sani and two of their children, Hashim Sani aged 8 and Fatima Sani aged 1 and half years.

Bello Haruna, who is a member of the vigilante group in the area, told journalist that, “We were on patrol when we saw fire engulfing the resident of Alaramma Mohammed Sani and we all rushed to render assistance.

“I also blamed the sudden restoration of electricity to the area, which came in high voltage as the likely cause of the incident,” said.

The neighbours, who trooped out of their houses for help, could not hide their sadness as they described the incident as traumatic.

By Safiyanu Ladan

The nefarious activities of bandits in Zaria and its environs are walloping. It was in 2019 that, for the first time, I heard about the kidnapping incident in Zaria, which saw the abduction of Malama Rabi Shamaki, a lecturer at the Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria. Since then, several such incidents have been reported in various places in the ancient city. However, on several occasions, the security operatives had been said to have thwarted their evil plans of unleashing mayhem on the people. 

The operatives of Kaduna State Police Command, while on surveillance patrol on 23rd December 2022, intercepted motorcycle riders with suspicious concealed bags in Basawa, Zaria LGA of Kaduna state.

In a bizarre circumstance, upon being stopped for search, one of the riders jumped down and escaped, heightening the operatives’ suspicious minds.

The timely intervention of the police has led to the successful recovery of Four(4) AK-47s, three hundred and forty-four (344) live ammunition, and ten (10) telephone handsets and charms from the other suspect.

The courageous efforts of police and other security agencies in taming the security challenges in Zaria and its environs have undoubtedly yielded the desired result. However, much still needs to be done to arrest the deteriorated and fragile condition.

Collaborating with security agencies to weed out the criminals in the communities is paramount. Hence, the need for people to be security conscious and proactive in reporting criminal elements to the appropriate authority.

In the meantime, I would like to appeal to the residents of Zaria to report any suspicious characters to the police or other security personnel. Helping security personnel in intelligence gathering will go a long way to nip in the bud the intended evil activities of bandits and other outlaws roaming in the nooks and crannies of the community.

Safiyanu Ladan wrote from Zaria via uncledoctor24@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Unknown gunmen Friday launched a fresh attack on Kagoro, a community in Kaduna state, amidst mourning of mass killing in Mallagum-Kagoro, Kaura Local Government Area of the state.

The Daily Reality learned that the incident occurred at night when most people were sleeping.

However, a resident who spoke to the journalists disclosed that the gunmen stormed the community around 9:00 pm.

He added that the gunmen started shooting sporadically immediately as they roamed the community.

A resident who pleaded anonymity said the attackers arrived fully armed and started shooting, forcing people to run for their lives.

He stated, “but thank God there was no loss of life because the military repelled the attackers,” he said.

But no official statement from security agencies or the government has been made when filling this report. 

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

With less than 48 hours to the end of his five months tenure as the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Kaduna State University (KASU), Professor Abdullahi Musa Ashafa, has continued to receive commendations for remarkable successes recorded during his brief tenure as the Chief Executive of KASU.

During a mini-ceremony organized by the Kaduna State University’s Alumni Association (KASUAA), the Chairman of KASUAA, Alhaji Abdulhadi Abdullahi said that Prof. Ashafa has performed wonderfully well in the last five months. “The five months was like 5 years. It was like the tenure should not come to an end”

The University’s Advancement Director, Professor Bashir Ali commended the outgoing Vice-Chancellor for his achievements and leadership style. Prof. Ali prayed to God Almighty to grant Prof. Ashafa success in his future endeavours. An alumnus, Dr. Philibus Audu said “The success story which KASU has become under the leadership of this quintessential scholar, enig­matic and energetic personali­ty is worth celebrating”.

In his own remarks at the event, the outgoing Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ashafa said even though he had a very challenging tenure, he will remain thankful to Allah Almighty for everything. He said “As young people, remember to challenge yourself, face challenges to solve challenges. Remain kind, and never settle for being anything less than your best and the best you have learnt from our KASU. Thank you for your ideas, support, and most importantly, for sincere wishes and prayers. Allah knows best how to handle our situations and to Him we all defer our affairs”.