A 16-year-old #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protester in the Samaru community in Zaria, Kaduna State, was on Tuesday shot dead by a soldier with the Nigerian Army.
Confirming the development in a statement on Tuesday titled “Unfortunate death of a protester by a soldier in Zaria,” the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyeama Nwachukwu, said that the teenage protester was identified as Ismail Mohammed.
According to Nwachukwu, the incident happened on Tuesday when troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call to help disperse some hoodlums, who had gathered in Samaru, burning tyres and attacking security personnel.
He explained that the mob attempted to attack the troops, which led a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which led to Mohammed’s death, saying that the soldier involved has since been arrested and is undergoing interrogation.
The Director of Army Public Relations said, “On August 6, 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tyres on the road and pelting stones at security personnel. The troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the state gtroops,ment.”
He further explained that on arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16-year-old boy, Ismail Mohammed.
Saddened by the unfortunate incident, according to the statement, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has sent a high-powered delegation led by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Maj Gen Lander Saraso, to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.
He stated that the deceased was buried according to Islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian Army in attendance.
EndBadGovernance: 16-year-old-boy allegedly killed by soldier in Zaria
EndBadGovernance: 16-year-old-boy allegedly killed by soldier in Zaria
Protest: Soldiers followed my son home, shot him – Zaria man alleges
The father of the killed Ismail Mohammed in Samaru Zaria, Malam Mohammed, has alleged that soldiers followed his son home and shot him to death.
The aggrieved father, in an interview with newsmen, said the soldiers who were scaring people away, followed his son to their house and shot him.
“My son, about 19 years old, was outside the house when the soldiers started shooting. He ran inside and locked the door, but the soldiers followed him and shot through the door. I was at Hayin Dogo when Abubakar called to tell me what happened. But it was after an hour that I was able to reach home after Ismail was killed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has vowed to investigate the death of the teenager, Isma’il Muhammad, following the allegation.
The General Officer Commanding, GOC, 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. MLD Saraso, disclosed this when he visited the family of the deceased in Zaria on Tuesday.
The GOC later addressed youths in the area, saying that he was in Zaria to commiserate with the family and the community over the incident.
He assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted on the matter and invited any community member with substantive evidence to forward the same for necessary action.
Saraso said the incident was unfortunate, urging the community to live in peace and always abide by the law and order.
The deceased’s mother, Zainab Sani, said the shooting occurred around 9.00 a.m., at their residence at Sarkin Pawa Street, Samaru, Zaria, by a trigger-happy soldier on patrol alongside his colleagues.
She said the late Isma’il was playing with his friends and brother in front of their house when they saw soldiers coming in their direction.
“With one of the soldiers pointing his gun at them, they ran into the house and shut the gate,” she said.
She alleged that the soldier, however, shot at the gate, thereby killing Isma’il, who stood by the gate to prevent the soldiers from gaining entrance.
Protest: Soldiers followed my son home, shot him – Zaria man alleges
#EndBadGovernance Protests: 6 Spaniards, 76 others, sponsors arrested, Police says
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday disclosed that the Police have arrested some of the real sponsors of the protesters who hoisted Russian flags and called for a change of government in the country in states such as Kano, Kaduna, and Zamfara, among others.
Egbetokun spoke as the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, disclosed that the sponsors of the foreign flags by the protesters had been identified to live abroad.
This followed the Kano State Commissioner of Police, CP Salman Garba, disclosure that his command arrested no fewer than six Spanish nationals in connection with the protest.
Garba noted that the command also arrested 76 others, including the tailor sewing Russian flags, saying the command is on the trail of the sponsor.
“We have arrested six Spanish nationals and 76 others, including the tailor. We recovered 23 Russian flags, we are trailing the sponsor.
READ ALSO: Russian Embassy denies involvement with protesters waving Russian flags
“They have been transferred to Force Headquarters because it has to do with sedition and national security,” the CP stated
The protests in the North had turned violent as the youth took to destroying public property and called for the military to take over the country.
The military had already dismissed such calls and pledged to keep Nigeria’s democracy.
Meanwhile, Kano and Kaduna State Governments have already declared a curfew to quell the raging protesters.
“Since August 1, nobody has fired gunshots and we didn’t use force on innocent protesters. We only provided security for them. Even amid the protest, we have arrested several armed robbers, and criminal elements who stole and committed other offences,” Egbetokun and other security chiefs said in a joint media briefing.
Critics have already dismissed the claim and accused the military of using force on peaceful protesters.
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Nigeria’s creative hub underway – FG
The Federal Government says plans are underway for the construction of the Nigerian Creative City, a one-stop hub for talent development and youth empowerment.
The Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to Musawa, the project is part of initiatives conceived by the ministry to provide a platform to harness creative opportunities across the country for economic gains.
Musawa said, “We are talking about Nigerian Creative City, which I hope is going to be a one-stop shop for the 49 subsectors within the creative industry.
“So, within this creative city, all the sub-sectors can go there to demonstrate their abilities to create and, by so doing, also create jobs and boost tourism for increased contribution to national revenue.
“Although every single state is going to have the presence of the Ministry of Culture, Art and Creative Economy, the huge project of the creative city will be here in Abuja, the FCT.”
She noted that while the ministry is making efforts to “contribute to the economic expansion of our country,” industry players “have been able to organically grow the industry in a way that has given value to the industry and themselves.
“Government has to come in now to close all the gaps, to find the way that we can reposition this value to come back in. This is now where you see this $100 billion contribution already,” she said.
Musawa said the creative city is expected to offer development platforms in all genres of creativity in the arts, culture and entertainment industries, adding that the creative city would create job and business opportunities, and as well become Nigeria’s tourism hub.
According to her, the ministry will be working with state ministries to ensure that such hubs are replicated at state government levels.
“These incubators, these hubs, allow people within their community to go and record music, to go and do capacity building in their locality.
“In every single state, there is going to be a creative and cultural village that will also be able to house the specific and unique sub-sectors that the particular state tends to specialise in.
“So you have your cinemas, you have your arenas, you have your incubators, you have your museums, and I am working closely with the Minister of Tourism,” she said.
Musawa, however, urged Nigerian youths to shun activities that are capable of destabilising the country as no meaningful development could take place in an atmosphere of rancour.
She advised youths to embrace opportunities in the creative space, especially as the Federal Government was keen on ensuring that their Intellectual property rights were protected for maximum gains.
NAN
Yahaya Bello denies sponsoring #EndBadGovernance protests, reaffirms support for Tinubu
The Media Office of the immediate-past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yayaha Bello, has denied the claim making the rounds that he is one of the sponsors of the ongoing nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
His media team described the claim as “reckless and irresponsibly malicious,” adding that the former governor remained a patriot who had devoted his time, resources and energy to building a united and prosperous Nigeria.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Michael Ohiare, in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, the claim was only a strategy by Bello’s enemies to frame him and make him an enemy of the Bola Tinubu administration.
The statement read: “We have uncovered a high-wired plan by some disgruntled enemies of the nation and persons on the ‘Project Bring Down Yahaya Bello’, to frame him up as one of the sponsors of the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country.
“We wouldn’t have bothered to respond to a clout-chasing criminal, blackmailer and blackmail pawn, a hired gun in the hands of some unpatriotic Nigerians, who published a fake, malicious and unintelligent report about an imaginary involvement of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, in the ongoing protests across the country.
READ ALSO: Judge denies ex-gov Yahaya Bello’s attempt to delay alleged N80bn fraud trial
“But it is pertinent to respond to the tirades of falsehood by the writer because it borders on national security. Our resolve is further strengthened by the condemnable act of some protesters displaying the flags of other nations.
“What threatened our fragile unity was resolved amicably on the negotiation table provided by Alhaji Yahaya Bello when he mediated between the northern food transporters and their southern counterparts and brought them together as food exchange between the two regions was threatened. That move earned him so much commendation by leaders of the country at that time.”
“In the build-up to the 2023 presidential poll, several impediments and political cum economic landmines were laid on the road, including the naira redesign policy. It was the same Yahaya Bello with some of his colleagues then who dared the system and secured the judgment that set aside the policy at the Supreme Court. It was a landmark intervention at a time that the nation was almost collapsing.
“Can the masterminds of his persecution show the world the results of their state? Yahaya Bello also mobilised the youth of the nation as the APC Youth Mobilisation Committee Chairman, because of his faith in the leadership capacity of Mr President,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Bello’s whereabouts have remained unknown since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted over an alleged N80.2bn fraud.
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Police arrest robbery suspects, recover firearms, stolen vehicles, others
Operatives attached to the Zone 7 Police Command Headquarters which supervises the Federal Capital Territory, have arrested some suspects involved in car snatching, armed robbery and murder.
The operation, which followed an intelligence report, in conjunction with the Niger State Police Command recovered some stolen vehicles, firearms, and laptops, among others.
This was disclosed in a statement by the zone’s Police Public Relations Officer, M.B Abdulkadir, at the Command Headquarters in Abuja, according to a tweet from the Nigeria Police Force’s X handle on Wednesday.
Four suspects — Solomon Nuhu, 22; Faruk Umar, 17; Bolaji Yusuf, 34; and Lawal Yusuf, 38, were arrested for car snatching, robbery, possession of a prohibited firearm, murder and criminal conspiracy.
Abdulkadir stated, “Police detectives attached to the Special Investigation Squad of the Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja via actionable intelligence, successfully apprehended one Haruna Akubo a.k.a Young Alhaji, where five suspected stolen vehicles were recovered from L.Y Nadabo Motors opposite One Man Village Shopping Centre, Karu LGA of Nasarawa State.
“Two other suspects named Bolaji Yusuf ‘m’ 34 years and Abubakar Umar were also arrested at Heart Plaza, Maraba, where two vehicle master keys were found in Bolaji’s possession with three stolen phones and a bunch of car keys.
“Preliminary investigation led the detectives to recover 32 phones of different makes and a 9mm Beretta pistol live ammunition in the possession of Faruk Umar. In the course of the investigation, the Beretta Pistol was recovered from one Solomon Nuhu who claimed he bought it from Faruk Umar at the rate of N130,000.”
The statement added that the police detectives found some stolen vehicles in the Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State “where five other cars were recovered, including a Lexus IS 250 whose owner was said to have been killed in the process of snatching the vehicle. The killer — Ibrahim Umar a.k.a Godiya, still at large.”
A total of 10 vehicles with altered chassis numbers were recovered from the syndicate, including laptops, and mobile phones, among others.
The statement added that the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the zone, Ogundele Ayodeji, has “ordered for a comprehensive investigation into the case, after which the suspects will be charged to court for prosecution.
“He, however, calls on law-abiding citizens of the FCT to be vigilant as they go about their day-to-day activities, to report any suspicious activities to the police, and to know that the Nigeria Police Force is steadfast in carrying out its mandate of protecting lives and properties.”
Soldiers destroy illegal oil refining sites in Rivers, Bayelsa
The Nigerian Army said its troops have destroyed several illegal refining sites in Rivers and Bayelsa States respectively.
It said the destruction was done during an operation by troops of the Land Component, Joint Task Force, South-South, Operation Delta Safe.
The Acting Deputy Director of 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lt Col. Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning and sent to newsmen.
Danjuma said the feat is the outcome of a renewed vigour aimed at reducing the activities of ‘notorious illegal oil bunkering merchants in the Niger Delta Region’
He further said the army has effectively scaled up operations against these criminal elements in the region to increase oil production in the crude oil and gas-rich region.
The statement partly read, “In the operations that ensued, troops identified several illegal refining sites in Rivers and Bayelsa States, where several discoveries were made.
“In Rivers State, troops of Sector 3, Land Component, Joint Task Force, South-South Operation Delta Safe, following credible intelligence identified and successfully destroyed three illegal refining sites at Odagwa in Etche Local Government Area.
” The operation led to the confiscation and subsequent destruction of over 30, 000 litres of stolen and illegally refined products.”
Also, at Akaso field down to Cawthorne channel, around well 9, troops discovered one illegal refining site, three receivers and massive connecting pipes traversing the terrain to convey stolen crude to illegal refining sites.
The statement added, “Other items were also confiscated and destroyed at the sites in line with the mandate of Operation DELTA SAFE in the Niger Delta Region.
“Similarly, in Bayelsa State, troops of Sector 2, while conducting routine operations in the creeks, waterways and rivulets along Dasaba Creek in Nembe LGA, confiscated over 12, 000 litres of stolen and illegally refined products.
” Other Items recovered at the illegal refining site include One Fibre Boat, Five Ovens, several metal drums as well as massive reservoirs used as storage facilities for this illegal venture.”
Reps blame bureaucracy for failure to effect 50% pay cut
The members of the House of Representatives have not implemented their resolutions to slash their salaries by 50 per cent for the next six months.
Recall that the federal lawmakers made the resolution on July 18 and it was expected to reflect in their salaries for the month of July.
However, the spokesman for the House, Rotimi Akin, in a statement, blamed bureaucracy for the delayed implementation.
Akin stated: “The House of Representatives remains committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which mandates a 50 per cent reduction in the salaries of honourable members for the period from July to December 2024.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for the month of July.”
The legislators had made the promise while deliberating on a motion, seeking to forestall the nationwide hunger protest, which began on August 1.
READ ALSO: Reps to cut salaries by 50% for 6 months to fight hardship
In a motion of urgent importance, sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, Ogun State, Ibrahim Isiaka, titled: “An appeal to the proponents of the proposed nationwide protest, to maintain peace, eschew violence and open windows for meaningful engagements with the governments at all levels in order to address their issues.”
At the plenary presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, amended the motion’s prayers by pleading with his colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent of their salaries to support the government’s intervention efforts to address the situation.
Kalu said: “This government is doing its best, but one year is not enough to address the challenges of this country. I want to plead with our colleagues to sacrifice 50 per cent for a period of six months.
“Our salary is N600,000 a month. I want to plead that we let go of 50 per cent of our salary for six months.
“With each member paying N300,000 into a common purse, the legislative chamber will be contributing N108m monthly to the Federal Government and N648m for six months.”
The proposition was welcomed by all and confirmed as a resolution.
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Tobi Amusan qualifies for 100m hurdles semis in 2024 Olympics
7th August 2024
Tobi Amusan (Credit World Athletics X)
World champion Tobi Amusan qualified for the 100-meter hurdles semi-finals in the ongoing 2024 Olympics in Paris on Wednesday.
Amusan led the pack of eight athletes with 12.49 seconds, followed by America’s Alaysha Johnson with 12.61 and Jamaica’s Janeek Brown qualified with 12.84 seconds.
Details later…
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Attack on Kano NCC office: Arewa group rejects relocation call
Northern Youth Assembly (Majalisar Matasan Arewa) on Wednesday kicked against calls for the relocation of the Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, IT park from Kano to Kebbi.
The call was sequel to the attack on the facility by hoodlums during the nationwide protest.
A statement by the Youth Assembly signed by Dr. Aliyu Mohammed, President, and Dr. Hafiz Garba, Secretary, dismissed the purported move as a “calculated deception meant to mislead the good people of Kebbi State.”
They stressed that, “while we acknowledge the call for increased investment in Kebbi State as valid and a welcome development, it is however crucial to consider several factors before thinking on some significant projects undertaking.
“Relocating the park to any other state would not only increase additional costs but also cause delays, hindering the region’s progress in digital innovation.
“It is more realistic to make a renovation on the existing foundation in Kano, than starting the project all over again somewhere.”
It explained that “necessary infrastructures for the striving of investments such as Digital Innovation Park is critical, and therefore situating the facility in Kano was not a coincidence but an action which was carefully well thought and executed.
“Kano State holds historical and strategic importance as a commercial hub in Northern Nigeria, with established transportation networks, including a fully functional international airport and major road links. Kano State is therefore well-positioned to host the Digital Innovation Park.
“The location of Kano State, ensures accessibility and connectivity amongst all other states of the North West, which is critical to a successful operationalization of such an initiative.”
The group appealed to “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to as a matter of urgency, direct for the commencement of a renovation work, at the NCC Digital Centre in Kano as soon as possible.
“Kano State deserves to have this project, considering its population size, electoral value and strategic location. “
Attack on Kano NCC office: Arewa group rejects relocation call