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Demolition: Our Lives are in Danger, Kano Community Cried Out, Looters Police Attack Journalist

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A building marked for demolition

 

 

Residents of Salanta Quarters along B.U.K Road in Kano State have raised the alarm over fear of their safety after looters numbering over 1000 invaded their community last night alongside officials of Kano State Government who descended on the area for demolition of houses marked as illegal structures.

Muhammad Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of the community’s forum said, there was pandemonium in the area last night after the said hoodlums and thugs took over the area attacking and beating up people including a pregnant woman who is currently battling for her life in the hospital.

According to him trouble started in the community a day after officials from the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Agency (KANUPDA) visited the area marking structures for demolition, a development which prompted them to rush to the agency to have an audience with the Managing Director but to no avail.

“KANUPDA officials were here earlier on Thursday to mark our houses for demolition. We quickly rushed to their office to see the MD to inform him that we have every necessary document for our houses but we were told the MD was not available and we should go back and just pray”.

We also tried to secure court injunctions to stop the state government from carrying out the demolition but to our greatest surprise, the courts refused to grant us our request on the ground that the state government has ordered them not to grant such order”.

“Behold, we came under attack last night (Friday) at about by 10pm by looters not less than a thousand who accompanied KANUPDA’s officials for demolition exercise which you can see for yourself. We were left in panic; no one was able to sleep last night.”

“Just the way you were attacked today, that was how we were attacked last night in the presence of Civil Defense Officials who accompanied them but refused to protect us”.

He added that the exercise was carried out in the presence of the secretary to the state government, Baffa Bichi and the reinstated state Anti-Corruption agency, Bar. Muhuyi Magaji which further affirmed that the looters are having their field day under the protection of the state government” we have lost billions of naira between last night to this afternoon. My building alone cost me over 150million not to talk about others”.

Aliyu pleaded on human right organizations, the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders to come to their rescue as they fear more damages could be done in the area as the police have informed them that they have been asked to keep away.

 

On his part, the secretary of the Public Property Recovery Committee of Kano State Government, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado, stated that they did not go to Salanta as alleged in the media reports. Instead, the government have taken steps to demolish illegal buildings erected at the Kano State Polytechnic.

He emphasized that in Kano, where the population is projected to quadruple every decade, the former Government of Kano State corruptly diverted part of Kano State polytechnic and allocated to families and crannies which he vowed the incumbent will never be allowed to be swept under the carpet. This is because future citizens of Kano would have no place to study.
He maintained that it is a misinformation and mischief for someone to claim that he was victimized in the process as according to him the government is in possession of video evidence of all the process to counter the narrative.
“Without prejudice to the position of government on any private building erected in that public owned polytechnic, yet no single house was demolished but the government started reclaiming fenced lands you can go and verify “

Yakubu Salisu a journalist with Blazon news Nigeria and acting chairman online journalists association Kano chapter came under attack after scores of looters descended on him with stones and other dangerous weapons for capturing them on pictures and videos. Shortly after the narrow escape, Anti-Daba police officers who rushed to the area also pounced on this journalist and took away his phone deleting pictures and videos saying that they were not authorized to be there as such will be in danger should the videos and pictures show their faces that they came on their own discretion to chase away the looter and took off immediately.

 

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Former Defence Minister General Abbe Passes On At 75

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Former Military Governor of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, Major General Godwin Osagie Abbe, has passed away. He was 75.

Abbe served as the Military Governor of both Akwa Ibom State from 1988 to 1990, and River State from 1990 to 1992. He also held the position of Minister of Interior under President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration where he was later redeployed to the ministry of defence

He died in Abuja on Saturday after a long illness.

His academic achievements include a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo University and attendance at the United States Army Infantry School, the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies.

He rose through the ranks to become the General Officer Commanding of the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, and commanded both the Training and Doctrine Command and the National War College.

Abbe retired in 1999 at the rank of Major General and subsequently joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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World Bank Project in Kano Trains 1,000 Healthcare Personnel to Combat Malnutrition

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Dr Umar Yahuza

 

Dr. Umar Yahuza, the Project Coordinator for the World Bank-assisted initiative in Kano, known as Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), has announced the training of 1,000 healthcare personnel in a bid to provide preventive nutrition services to pregnant and lactating mothers.

During a workshop held for the training of healthcare workers, Dr. Yahuza addressed newsmen, highlighting the significance of the ANRiN project, which is funded by the World Bank. He explained that the project aims to change behavior from the grassroots and reverse the negative trends of malnutrition.

Kano State has made significant progress in reducing severe stunting by 9 percent, a notable achievement that underscores the need for continued improvement. Dr. Yahuza emphasized that the N774 being used to train frontline healthcare workers was initially unstructured.

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The journey began with MYCN facilitators in Kano and Lagos, followed by the training of a critical mass of facilitators. Subsequently, 120 healthcare professionals from various health facilities in Kano, including medical doctors and dieticians, were trained.

Currently, training is underway for 484 apex healthcare facilities in Kano. The training is being conducted at eight different points, with 60 healthcare workers being trained at each location, totaling 1,000 trained healthcare personnel under the MYCN initiative.

Dr. Yahuza expressed optimism about seeing an end to malnutrition in the region. He stated, “We are near to seeing an end to malnutrition. We are not late.”

One of the beneficiaries, Rahinatu Ado Ibrahim, shared her experience, saying, “We received capacity building, and there are available resources.”

The ANRiN project is designed to provide comprehensive support to healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to address malnutrition effectively. With continued efforts and collaboration, the project aims to improve the overall health and well-being of the population in Kano State.

 

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Stampede at Catholic Church in Maitama Claims Ten Lives During Food Distribution

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Ten people have been confirmed dead in a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, on Saturday, 21st December 2024, during the distribution of food items to vulnerable and elderly individuals.

The unfortunate incident, which occurred around 6:30 am, resulted in the loss of ten lives, including four children, and left eight others injured with varying degrees of severity. Four of the injured have been treated and discharged, while the remaining victims are still receiving medical attention.

The FCT Police Command, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the tragedy, extended condolences to the families of the deceased, and wished the injured a swift recovery.

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