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 Customs make seizures Worth N1.6B in Six Months

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Hammed Ali Customs CG

 

By Suleiman Iliya

 

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘B’ Kaduna has made 645 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1,668,014,050.00 from January – June 2020 as against 425 seizures with DPV of N762,051,950.00 recorded within the same period in 2019.

 

Comptroller of the unit, Mustafa Sarkin-Kebbi who made the disclosure while briefing Newsmen in Kaduna gave a breakdown of the various seizures made within the period under review.

 

Seized items from January – June 2020 include 157 vehicles,6,340 (50kg) bags of foreign parboiled rice,  2,276 kegs of vegetable oil, 2,352 cartons of Spaghetti/Macaroni, 162 bags of foreign sugar, 1,324 cartons of soap, 1,713 bales of textile materials, 14 cartons of mosquitoes coil, 394 cartons of various pharmaceuticals, 298 cartons of tomatoes paste, 270 pieces of used Tyres  1,167 bags of NPK fertilizers, 291 kegs of PMS, 484 parcels of India hemp.

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Nigeria and the series of development plannings

In the same vein, he said the revenue collected from smuggled vehicles from Jan-Mar 2020 amounted to N2,030,455,802.00 (Two billion, Thirty million, Four hundred and fifty-five thousand, Eight hundred and two naira).

North is not a liability to any part of Nigeria- Kano Youth political forum to southern Governors .

He noted that from  January -June 2019, the total number of seizure was 424 which include 153 vehicles,

6,618 bags of parboiled foreign rice,

820  cartons of spaghetti, 167 bags of sugar, 856 kegs of vegetable oil

secondhand clothing = 147 bales of second-hand clothing, 634 pieces of used Tyres, 1,680 cartons of medicament with DPV of N762,051,950.

 

The comptroller said the successes achieved did not come without challenges which include attacks on the personnel of the unit by bandits and kidnappers allegedly engaged by the smugglers for them to have their way easily.

 

He commended the synergy with sister agencies, especially the Nigerian Army which lead to unconditional release of two (2) kidnapped Customs personnel at Batsari

 

In his words “One officer in the line of duty was shot dead by bandits and 4 others recorded the various degree of injury in the course of operations while Eighteen (18) defendants have been arrested in connection with the aforementioned seizures and are being prosecuted accordingly”

 

He called on the public to assist the unit with relevant information that will help to checkmate the activities of the smugglers who are causing economic sabotage to the government.

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Breaking:Former VP Atiku Abubakar Resigns From PDP

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Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has officially resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s resignation was contained in a letter addressed to the chairman of his ward in the following tone .

 

Ref.
July 14, 2025
The Chairman
Atilku Abubakar,
PDP, Jada 1 Ward
Jada LGA
Adamawa State
Dear Chairman,
Federal Republic 0f Nigeria
Vice President (1999-2007)
Sincerely,
LETTER OF RESIGNATION OF MEMBERSHIP
I am writing to formally resign my membership from the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) with immediate effect.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude for the
opportunities I have been given by the Party. Serving two full terms as Vice President
of Nigeria and being a Presidential candidate twice has been one of the most
significant chapters of my life. As a founding father of this esteemed Party, it is
indeed heartbreaking for me to make this decision.
However, I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has
taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for. it is
with a heavy heart that I resign, recognizing the irreconcilable differences that have
emerged.
Waziri Adamawa
GCON
I wish the Party and its leadership all the best in the future. Thank you once again for
the opportunities and support.
Atiku Abubakar, GCON
Vice President of Nigeria (1999- 2007)
Received
Hancodma AbuLakoy
Office: Plot 120, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse ll, Abuja, Nigeria

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The copy of the letter is as follows

Atiku's letter of resignation

Atiku’s letter of resignation

 

 

 

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Former President Muhammadu Buhari Buried in His Hometown of Daura with Full Military Honours

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By Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, was laid to rest in his hometown of Daura amidst tears and tributes.

The burial was attended by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

He was lowered into his grave at exactly 5:50 p.m.

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The late President Muhammadu Buhari died on July 13 at a London clinic after a brief illness.

The Governor of Katsina State, Dr. Umar Dikko Radda, was visibly emotional, with tears seen flowing down his cheeks.

Former President Buhari was given a state burial by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Before the final interment, gun salutes were fired by members of the Armed Forces to honor their three-time Commander-in-Chief.

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff and highest-ranking military officer, General Christopher Musa, read the citation of the former president.

The late Buhari served as Nigeria’s Military Head of State from January 1, 1984, to August 26, 1985, before being overthrown in a military palace coup by his then Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

Upon the return to democratic rule, he contested for the presidency three times in 2003, 2007, and 2011 before winning on his fourth attempt in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019.

President Muhammadu Buhari handed over power to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023, after completing two terms in office.

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Dr. Gwaram Distorts Facts, We Sponsored Ourselves — Cry PhD Holders at FCAPT, Kano

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In a dramatic twist to the narrative being peddled by the embattled Provost of the Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology (FCAPT), Kano, Dr. Muhammad Yusha’u Gwaram, several academic staff have come forward to debunk his recent claims of having increased the number of PhD holders in the institution from 3 to 13 within five years.

The claim, published in several media outlets, has been described by multiple sources within the institution as “a desperate attempt to score cheap popularity” and “a clear distortion of facts aimed at bolstering his failed bid for tenure extension.”

In a series of interviews conducted with several PhD holders at FCAPT, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, a clearer picture has emerged. Contrary to Dr. Gwaram’s assertion, the College currently has only nine PhD holders, not thirteen as he claimed. Of these, three, including Dr. Gwaram himself, already held doctoral degrees prior to his assumption of office in 2020.

Of the remaining six, four were already enrolled in PhD programs before he took office, with no institutional support whatsoever from the College. “To be very clear, no single lecturer has received financial support, not even for tuition, from the College under Dr. Gwaram’s leadership,” said one of the sources. There was an active and highly intelligent lecturer who got a PhD admission in India, despite using his meagre salary to finance his travels and other academic costs, this lecturer had to abandon his study due to lack of support from the College. “If Gwaram ever supported only one PhD student, we challenge him to publish the evidence. We are enlightened and educated. Nobody can take us for a ride”, said one of the angry PhD. holders.

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More concerning is the active obstruction Dr. Gwaram has allegedly meted out to staff pursuing postgraduate studies. For example, three of the College’s promising lecturers, all of whom secured competitive, fully funded PhD scholarships abroad, had their study leave applications denied, and their salaries suspended for about three consecutive years. These scholars, now based in the USA, Japan, and Thailand, represent the kind of global exposure and academic excellence any serious institution should be proud of. Yet, in what many described as a retaliatory stance, Dr. Gwaram refused to reinstate their salaries despite a directive from the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), which unequivocally instructed him to settle the outstanding payments.

As for the so-called Research and Development (R&D) support, the truth is equally disappointing. The College, under Dr. Gwaram, provides a measly ₦150,000 (approx. $100) per staff member and only to a small circle of favorites, once annually. These monies come from the budgets of the Federal Government not the internally generated revenue as he falsely claimed. No PhD candidate has ever received this ₦150,000 naira support more than once. “How can ₦150,000 cover tuition, research logistics, transportation, and publication costs in today’s economy, let alone abroad?” one of the lecturers queried. “The claim that this is a meaningful support is not only misleading but also insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians.”

Insiders suggest that Dr. Gwaram’s recent media campaign is part of a calculated strategy to position himself for an illegal extension of his tenure, which is due to end on August 20, 2025. “If Dr. Gwaram truly believes in the capacity of the PhD holders he is celebrating in the press, why not step aside and support one of them to succeed him as Provost? That would be a genuine legacy,” another source pointed out.

Instead, the atmosphere at FCAPT has become one of distrust, intimidation, and political maneuvering, with staff demoralized and students left as collateral damage in the Provost’s quest for personal aggrandizement.

We therefore call on well-meaning Nigerians, particularly stakeholders in the agricultural education and research sector, to disregard the embellished narratives being circulated by Dr. Gwaram. FCAPT is in dire need of visionary, fair-minded, and transparent leadership, not one rooted in propaganda and the suppression of merit. Prayed one of the academic staff union leaders.

He added, “the true heroes of the College’s academic advancement are the resilient lecturers who struggled and triumphed against all odds on their own dime and determination.

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