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Tag: Niger State

Kagara students have not been released – Gov Sani Bello
Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has debunked the news making the rounds on the release of the abducted Kagara students, saying they are mere rumors and speculations.
He said this during a briefing after meeting with Sheik Ahmad Gumi at the government house.
Dismissing this claim at a press conference, Governor Bello said
“Everything that is being said out there is rumour and in situations like this, we cannot work with rumour, it has to be confirmed. Yes, we’ve been receiving different rumours from different people within villages but we are still treating those as rumour until processed and confirmed.”
February 19, 2021
Bandits release video of travelers abducted in Niger State
Kidnappers operating in Niger state have released a video showing 21 commuters that were abducted along the Tegina-Zungeru highway in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state on Sunday, February 14.
The victims were abducted while traveling in a bus belonging to the Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA). A statement released by the state government on Tuesday, February 16, said ten of the passengers had been freed without a ransom paid.
There are reports that the terrorists are demanding a ransom of N500 million to release the remaining victims in the captive.
February 17, 2021
Gov Sani Bello shuts boarding schools in 4 Niger LGAs
The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, has ordered the immediate closure of all boarding schools in the bandit ravaged areas of the state.
Governor Bello gave the directive on Wednesday while meeting with heads of security agencies in the state at the Government House following the Kagara school abduction.
The Governor said the action is necessary to save the life of the students as the areas have already been taken over by bandits.
Earlier in the day, armed men attacked the Government Science College Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
The incident started at about 2:00 am on Wednesday when the gunmen shot sporadically, with one student feared killed and several others abducted.
Some teachers and their family members residing within the college staff quarters were also said to have been abducted by the gunmen.
February 17, 2021
BREAKING: Again! Gunmen Attack School, Abduct Students, Others In Niger
Armed men have attacked Government Science College Kagara in Rafi Local government area of Niger State.
At least one student is feared killed, and several other students abducted.
Some teachers and their family members residing within the college staff quarters were also said to have been abducted by the gunmen.
According to the source, the attackers were said to have stormed Government Science College Kagara at about 2:00 am on Wednesday and started shooting sporadically.
The operations started from the staff quarters and ended in the students’ hostels and in the process, a student was killed while some others sustained gunshots.
The source could not, however, give the number of persons abducted and those injured as at the time of filing the report.
A staff by name Batagi who was among those kidnapped has escaped and is in the school as of the time of publishing this report. Others still with the bandits are Mall. Lawal, Ali, Hannatu and her husband, Dodo, Mohammed Abubakar(Akawu), among others.
The source further added that the gunmen were dressed in the same school uniform used by the students, disguising to be members of the school.
The latest attack comes barely three days after gunmen attacked a bus belonging to the Niger State Transport Authority (NSTA) along Minna-Zungeru Road and abducted at least 21 passengers.
The state governor, Abubakar Bello had condemned the abduction, promising to secure the release of the passengers.
On Tuesday, a statement from the office of the Commissioner of Information in the state, Mohammed Idris said ten persons had been freed from the hands of the bandits.
The Information Commissioner further claimed that ransom was not paid to secure their release.
February 17, 2021
Bandits kill vigilante leader and his son, abduct village head in Niger state
Bandits attacked Madaka, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, killed the leader of a vigilante group in the community identified as Isyaku Alhassan, his son, Abdulhamid Isyaku and one other person.
The attack occurred between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm on Sunday, December 20. The attackers were said to have stormed the village on motorcycles, razed houses while shooting sporadically.
Confirming the incident, the Chief of Staff to the Hon Chairman, Rafi Local Government, Mallam Mohammed Mohammed, said that three persons were killed and the village head abducted during the attack that lasted about three hours.
He explained that members of the community have scampered into the nearby forest for dear lives, out of fear of being attacked.
Mohammed said the village head was kidnapped a second time after spending over three months with kidnappers before being released.
December 21, 2020
Niger Speaker, Clerk test positive for COVID-19
The Speaker of the Niger House of Assembly, Bawa Wuse and the Clerk, Mohammed Kagara, have gone into isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the state Commissioner of Information and Strategy, confirmed the development to newsmen on Sunday in Minna.
Idris who did not give more details on the issue, simply said that ‘it was true’.
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Also, the member representing Bida 11, at the State Assembly, Alhaji Haruna Baba, also confirmed the development.
He explained that two weeks ago, the member representing Gurara, Binta Mamman, tested positive, which made the entire legislators and staff of the assembly to undergo testing for coronavirus.
“Unfortunately, the results of the speaker and that of clerk turned out positive,” he said.
He said that all the lawmakers and principal staff have gone into self isolation.
Another source at the assembly, who pleaded anonymity, told journalists that many of the test carried out on the lawmakers returned negative, except that of the Speaker and the Clerk.
The source confirmed that the two of them are responding positively to treatment.
The state government had directed workers to stay at home from Monday in order to curtail the spread of the pandemic while all schools in state have been closed since Friday.
December 21, 2020
Niger Govt. gives date for schools resumption
Niger state government has announced the reopening of all basic and post-basic classes of private and public institutions for third term of 2019/2020 academic session on Oct. 4.
Hajiya Hannatu Salihu, the Niger state Commissioner for Education, announced this during a news conference in Minna on Monday.
Salihu said that the decision to reopen schools was a results of series of meetings with stakeholders and State Commissioners for Education, where resolutions were adopted.
She said that all teachers are to return to their respective schools from Sept. 29 to commence preparations for the reopening of schools.
Salihu said that the reopening of school would be with exception to public boarding schools, where only SS2 would resume on the same day using the platooning model.
She said that JSS1 and JSS2 are to attend morning classes while SS1 and SS2 would attend evening classes, adding that the 2020/2021 session would commence on Jan. 3, 2021.
She added that pupils of primaries one to three in public schools would attend morning classes, while pupils in primary four to six would attend evening classes.
She, however noted that all senior and junior secondary schools as well as private primary schools were to open and operate in line with COVID-19 protocol.
She said that all Tsangaya, Quranic Islamiyya and faith-based schools would open and operate in line with COVID-19 protocol.
September 28, 2020
Crisis hits Niger PDP over LG congress results
The Niger State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP is currently embroiled in crisis over results of the just concluded local government congress in the state.
The party now has two factions – one faction calls itself the Concerned PDP members in Niger state led by former Deputy Governor, Dt. Shem Zagbayi while the other faction calls itself the Niger state PDP Card Carrying Members led by former Speaker of the Niger state House of Assembly, Honorable Ndanusa Hassan.
The two factions addressed Journalists in different fora in Minna accusing the other of trying to manipulate the results of the just concluded local government congress.
The Concerned People’s Democratic Party members said that the Senator Hamman Misau led electoral team had absconded with the results of the congress saying that they are aware of the treachery, machinations and arm twisting the other fractions is deploying regarding the result of the congress.
Dr Shem Zagbayi at a press conference in Minna said, “On the 5th of September 2020, the local government congresses in Niger State held, and all results were announced, collated and all winners were sworn-in and have since resumed as provided in the PDP guidelines for 2020, section 3.4.
“However, with exception of Agaie, Magama, Munya, Agwara LGAs where elections did not hold and Shiroro LGA where the election held in 4 out of 15 wards.”
“We make this statement as the position of Members of the PDP with the full awareness that no amount of treachery, machinations and arm twisting will be allowed.”
In its own press conference, the other faction, the Niger state PDP Card Carrying Members said that none of the chairmen was inaugurated as insinuated by the other faction.
Addressing Journalists, Honorable Ndanusa Hassan said that the congresses were free fair and transparent and the results were transmitted to the collation centre and announced before the electoral officers left for Abuja stressing that none of the officers absconded with the results.
“That Sunday evening, precisely around 5 pm, all results were collected. And soon after the collections, the electoral officers decided to leave for Abuja so as to put finishing touches for onward transmission to the National Headquarters.
“It beats our imagination that Dr Shem Zabayi can go as low to say that the Chairmen were inaugurated who inaugurated them? Who is to inaugurate them? The answer to these questions is the elected Chairmen are to be inaugurated by the Caretaker Committee members and they have not been inaugurated.”
He accused the Zagbayi led group of trying to induce the electoral committee to swing the congress results in their favor which the electoral committee refused and went ahead to announce the result as it was collected.
September 8, 2020
COVID-19: Niger state extends lockdown by another two weeks
Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has announced the extension of the State COVID-19 Preventive, Containment and Emergency Order by two weeks starting from Wednesday, 27th May, 2020.
A statement issued by Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG) and Chairman, Niger State Task Force on COVID-19 Pandemic, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane disclosed that the extension of the lockdown is as a result of the increase of confirmed cases in the state and the need to protect people of the State from contracting coronavirus.
The Governor reminded the people of the State to adhere strictly to the safety protocols of COVID-19 such as mandatory wearing of face mask in public places, observance of social distancing, regular hand washing with soap under running water, application of hand sanitizers and stay at home as advised by health workers.
Furthermore, there shall be no human and vehicular movements on the lockdown days except those on essential services, adding that the three days window period of Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays remain, the statement added.
The Governor disclosed that movement within border areas remain restricted and monitored except for those on essential services, stressing that even those eligible to cross into the State will be examined and screened thoroughly by medical personnel.
According to the statement “Public and Private Schools as well as Tertiary Institutions remain closed while social activities that involve more than twenty people stand prohibited”.
He further stated operations of commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada remain banned while other commercial vehicles to abide by the Ministry of Transport guidelines.
The SSG urged the people of the State to support Government intentions which are designed to keep everyone safe from the dreaded disease, stressing that coronavirus remain very infectious and disruptive disease, therefore called for collective action to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in the State.
The Chairman stated that the State Task Force on COVID-19 Pandemic has a duty to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in order to ensure that everything is been done to contain the spread of the virus in the State.
Ahmed Matane warned that anybody that fails to comply with the restriction, prohibition or requirement imposed under the COVID-19 Order or do anything contrary to the provisions of this Order shall be liable to a fine or imprisonment or both fine and imprisonment in accordance with the extant laws.
May 29, 2020
BREAKING: Niger State Records Two More COVID-19 Cases
Niger State has recorded two more cases of the COVID-19 pandemic. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the state to eight.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammad Makusidi, disclosed this on Thursday while giving an update on the cases recorded in the state.
He explained that one of the new cases is the husband of the only woman at the isolation center from Suleja and a returnee from Kano and a second new case is a man already at the quarantine center from Zumba, and also a returnee from Kano.
He, however, revealed that the Limawa index case is now negative and awaiting a second test confirmation before he can be discharged.
The Commissioner also disclosed that all the Almajiris, including their Mallams, have been confirmed negative and ready for discharge accordingly.
Meanwhile, two returnees have been received in the hospital, one from Lagos and the other from Ibadan; both with relevant symptoms but clinically stable.
May 7, 2020