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File Photo About 10 people have been reportedly killed and six others wounded in fresh attacks on Unguwar Gajere, in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. SaharaReporters learnt that over 300 people, mostly women and children, were also displaced as a result of the bandits’ invasion of Unguwar Gajere area. File Photo A resident of the Dogon Dawa area, Musa Sa’idu, on Tuesday told SaharaReporters that the attack occurred around 6 to 7.30pm on Monday, when the gun-wielding bandits invaded the area and opened fire on the residents. He explained that the fleeing residents were currently looking for shelter at Dogon Dawa, about 20km from Saulawa community where they had fled their homes as result of the abduction of 14 women last Saturday. “Ten people were killed and six others wounded during yesterday’s attack at Unguwar Gajere. The people are fleeing due to fear of another attack by bandits as a result of the killing of two bandits during the attack by brave

File Photo Boko Haram terrorists and their Islamic State West African Province faction have invaded Geidam communities in Yobe State, looting foodstuffs and drugs as residents flee from their homes. SaharaReporters learnt that the insurgents attacked the communities around 6pm on Tuesday, only a day after the Chief of the Army Staff, Major General Attahiru Ibrahim, visited troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, Borno State, and assured that the military would tackle the insurgency headlong. “The communities were attacked by Boko Haram and ISWAP who broke into shops and looted foodstuffs and drugs. The insurgents attacked Geidam and forced the residents of the surrounding villages to flee. The terrorists have turned the communities into their stronghold. “They operate from at least eight communities,” a military source said. It was learnt that apart from Geidam, the terrorists have also established strongholds in Tarmuwa and Yunusari local government areas in Yobe. D

File photo used to illustrate story. Ten persons have been feared dead with two others seriously injured in a fatal auto crash that occurred at the Afikpo-AryaraguIsiagu-Okigwe Highway in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Monday. An eyewitness, Jeremiah Aja, told Punch that the accident occurred when a bus belonging to the Abia Line Network travelling to Afikpo from Umuahia lost control due to excessive speeding and killed almost all the passengers on board. File photo used to illustrate story. Aja, who said he witnessed the incident while working on his farm, narrated that the bus was moving at a high speed and could not negotiate the bend. He said, “The driver could not negotiate a bend due to the excessive speed and he lost control and the bus somersaulted multiple times inside the bush; we were able to rescue two persons before the bus caught fire and we ran away. “It took the prompt intervention of the Chairman of Ivo Local Government Council, Chief Onye

Bandits on Tuesday killed 23 persons in fresh attacks across five local government areas of Kaduna State. The deadly attacks took place in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Kauru local councils. Samuel Aruwan, the state Commissioner for Security and Internal Affairs, confirmed the killings in a statement on Tuesday. Aruwan said the government received reports from security agencies that bandits attacked communities in Kaduna, including border areas, leading to the death of 23 people. The statement read, “Following the security situation across the state within the last 24 hours, the Kaduna state government has received reports from security agencies of the killing of 23 citizens in different attacks on soft targets in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Kauru local government areas,” he said. “The attacks on soft targets in these local government areas occurred around Kaduna state’s boundaries with neighbouring states. “In Birnin Gwari LGA, 10 citizens were killed by

The Kogi State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has claimed it recovered illicit drugs worth over N3 billion in the state. The State Commander of NDLEA, Alfred Adewumi, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Lokoja. Adewumi stated that the total weight of the illicit drug exhibit recovered within the period of January 1, 2020 to December 2020 was 313,368.759 kg and worth over N3 billion. According to him, his men also arrested 174 suspects comprising 162 male and 12 female during the period under review. He added that the command was able to secure 15 convictions while 17 other cases were pending in court, stressing that assets traced to drugs were seized. “The command carried out intense advocacy and sensitisation to traditional rulers and opinion influencers, enjoining them to speak out against drug abuse. “Supportive parenting and monitoring of children’s behaviour can be a strong factor in lowering the rates of drug dealing and abuse,

A businessman, Tonye Fyncountry, has accused the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba of covering up a fraud allegedly committed by one of its employees, Oluwafunmilayo Ademiluyi. According to him, Oluwafunmilayo had stood as the guarantor of Gbogboade Ademiluyi, her husband and the Managing Director and CEO of A GoodKing Sons Global Limited, who requested for a supply of 33, 000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) worth N6.6 million for a period of three weeks on credit after which payment would be made. He said at the time, his company, D.C Oil and Gas, had no capital to fund the project but was encouraged by Ademiluyi to obtain a loan and make the supply with promises of making payments. Fyncountry, however, said for months now, he has been unable to get the Ademiluyis to pay, after they claimed that the diesel supplied was stolen. He said Oluwafunmilayo, a guarantor of her husband, has been evading arrest by policemen from Onikan Zone 2 where he (Fyncountry) had gon

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala The World Trade Organisation has said former Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is set to be appointed as its first female and first African Director General by next week. This was contained in a statement posted on the organisation’s website on Tuesday titled, ‘WTO General Council to consider appointment of next Director-General’. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala The body announced that it would hold a special meeting of its General Council on Monday, February 15 to consider the appointment of the next WTO director-general. The statement added, “The WTO’s General Council will hold a special meeting on 15 February at 15:00 Geneva time to consider the appointment of the next Director-General. The meeting will take place in virtual format.” The development comes after US President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday backed Okonjo-Iweala to lead WTO, clearing a path for her to become the body’s first female and first African leader. This marks another

Stella Oduah The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will, on February 22, arraign a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for alleged financial impropriety totalling more than N9.4billion fraud. Justice Inyang Ekwo fixed the date on Tuesday because the former minister had yet to be served with the court processes. Stella Oduah SaharaReporters had in September 2017 uncovered how Oduah bought a $1.2million home in London, disguising it in the robes of a foreign-registered company in an effort to avoid detection. The transaction, which had been kept secret, was blown open when Mrs. Oduah decided to rent out the house and engaged the services of a shady real estate company, Daniel Ford and Company Ltd, for that purpose. SaharaReporters had also reported in February 2018 that the EFCC had commenced investigation of Oduah, over her involvement in the N9.4billion contract for supply of security equipment to 22 airports across the countr

Auwalun Daudawa, the leader of the gang of bandits that abducted over 300 schoolboys in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State who surrendered some weapons and ‘repented’ on Monday, was paid millions of naira to surrender, SaharaReporters has gathered. Though Auwalun, while speaking after he took an oath of repentance in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, claimed he was not given a kobo, sources familiar with the negotiation between the top commander of the and the state government, said he was paid millions of naira as compensation for some of his gang members killed by security operatives. “He claimed many of his boys were killed by security operatives and asked the government to compensate him so that he can have money to take care of the family members of those killed. “He also requested for money to buy cows for his boys to keep them busy,” the source said. Auwalun and six of his lieutenants had on Monday surrendered 20 AK 47 rifles, ammunition and a rocket-prope

The police have brought five charges against a former caretaker chairman of Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, Haruna Musa Mota, currently being remanded at the Katsina Correctional Centre for his alleged role in last December’s abduction of 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara. The charges include alleged criminal breach of trust by an agent; inciting disturbance; aiding and abetting of armed robbery; kidnapping and terrorism. According to the police First Information Report containing the charges, Mota was arrested on February 3, 2021 based on credible intelligence on his alleged links with bandits over the abductions. It read, “On January 30, 2021, at about 0800 hours, as a member of Katsina State Fulani/farmers reconciliation committee entrusted with the mandate of negotiating between bandits/kidnappers/robbers in Katsina State, you breached the trust by deliberately using your Samsung GSM Phone with MTN Number: 08032981919 in calling on

Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Chairman of the party in the South-West and former governor of Ekiti State, Eddy Olafeso and Ayodele Fayose respectively, met in Lagos on Tuesday to discuss the way forward for the party. SaharaReporters learnt that the meeting was centred on how to outsmart the governor of Oyo State and the lawmaker representing Ekiti South Senatorial District, Senator Abiodun Olujimi, who have positioned themselves as the leaders of the party. A source close to SaharaReporters and privy to what was discussed at the meeting, told our correspondent that none of the attendees was bold enough to talk to the media. The source noted that there were moves to sanction Makinde, Olujimi, and other party chieftains who do not belong to the Fayose-led faction. But the Ogun State chairman of the party, Dr. Sikirulai Ogundele, who spoke noted that the leaders of Fayose faction would meet some stakeholders of the party in Ondo State on Wedne

A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is now financially broke and already sold some of his properties, SaharaReporters has gathered. According to family sources, Fani-Kayode, who may soon join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) six years after he left for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is financially down and struggling to maintain his extravagant lifestyle. The former minister had on Monday met with the Yobe State Governor and Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Mai Mala Buni and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello at Buni’s guest house in Abuja. The closed-door meeting, which lasted for about an hour, was brokered by Bello, who is also the Chairman of the party’s mobilisation and sensitisation committee for the ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise. Explaining why he met APC leaders, Fani-Kayode, a staunch critic of the ruling party, claimed the meeting centred on how to move Nigeria