News
Two weeks after, Katsina Customs command yet to parade officers that attacked Gov Radda’s CoS
Suspicion has continued to trail the failure of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Katsina Area Command to parade and handover to the Police its personnel who allegedly attacked Alh. Jabiru Tsauri, the Chief of Staff, CoS, to the Katsina State Governor.
It would be recalled that several newspapers and online platforms reported on Thursday, July 13, 2023, how some personnel of the NCS in the State opened fire on the vehicle of the Katsina Governor CoS, along Gorar Yammama Highway, on his way to Abuja via Kaduna.
Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, the Chief Press Secretary, CPS, to the Katsina Governor, in a statement, noted that the Customs officers targeted Alh. Tsauri as he was departing Katsina State on his way to Kaduna and ultimately Abuja, at a location known as Gorar Yammama.
“According to Mr. Tsauri, while en route to Kaduna, he and his driver encountered a recent accident near the Gorar Yammama highway area, leading to significant traffic congestion.
“Once their car was finally able to move away from the accident site, the assailants, armed with firearms, targeted their vehicle, firing shots at the tires and body of the car in an attempt to harm Mr. Tsauri.
“However, thanks to the quick thinking and courageous actions of his driver, they managed to speed away to safety in a nearby town,” part of the statement by Kaula Mohammed reads.
In the wake of the incident, the Katsina NCS’ Command, in a statement by its spokesperson Tahir Balarabe, said an investigation had already been launched to unravel the immediate and remote course of the incident.
He also assured that any of its personnel found wanting will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
But 12 days after the incident, it was reliably gathered from credible sources involved in the investigation, that the Katsina Customs Command are shielding the culprits from prosecution.
“As it is now, the Customs are not willing to release their personnel who attempted to ‘murder’ Governor Dikko Radda’s Chief of Staff, almost two weeks ago. We also gathered that two civilians were among the Customs officers’ team who attacked Alh. Tsauri. But they are also being shielded by the Katsina Customs Controller,” one of the sources revealed pleading for anonymity.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the attack on the Katsina State Governor’s Chief of Staff was one of reasons why the Acting Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, penultimate Monday disbanded all its CGC’s Strike Force Teams, across the country.
The Senate, last Tuesday, also condemned the indiscriminate shootings by personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, in Katsina State.
It similarly charged the Service to investigate the incident that led its operatives to open fire on unarmed citizens and fish out the airing officers.
Similarly, the Senate urged the NCS to improve on the training of its personnel in handling firearms.
The three prayers were adopted by the Senate on Wednesday following a motion filed by Senator Abdul’Aziz Musa Yar’adua representing Katsina Central on the urgent need to investigate the abuse of fire arms by officers of the NCS in Katsina State.
News
Breaking: NHRC, LEDAP begin consultative forum on eliminating harmful traditional, religious practices
By Bonaventure Phillips Melah
A consultative forum to seek ways of eliminating harmful traditional religious practices that impact rights of women and gender equality in Nigeria is set to begin in Abuja.
Organized by the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and the Legal Defence and Advocacy Project, LEDAP, the gathering is themed- “Empowering Traditional Rulers in Nigeria to Adopt and Implement Community Guidelines for Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Against Women.”
Among dignitaries to speak at the event are Dr. Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Chino Obiagwu, SAN, National Coordinator, LEDAP and Prof. Joy Ezeilo, SAN, Executive Director, Women Aid Collective.
Details later…..
The Director General of AGRHYMET, Dr. Issoufou Baoua, led a high-level delegation to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as part of the Joint Mission on the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel (RCC-WAS).
He was accompanied by the WMO Representative for West, Central & North Africa, Dr. Bernard Gomez, and the ECOWAS Representative, Prof. Mansur Matazu.
The mission focused on advancing regional collaboration required to fully operationalize RCC-WAS — a key initiative designed to enhance climate services, strengthen resilience, and support informed decision-making across West Africa and the Sahel.
During the engagement, the AGRHYMET DG outlined the core objectives of the mission, which include strengthening institutional partnerships, aligning regional priorities, identifying capacity-building needs, and setting actionable milestones for the effective take-off of RCC-WAS.
Receiving the delegation, the Director General/CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, reaffirmed NiMet’s commitment to the successful establishment of RCC-WAS. He emphasized that NiMet will provide technical expertise and tools — including MeteoWiz — participate in joint research efforts, and contribute to the development of advanced climate monitoring and forecasting capabilities for the region.
The visit marked a significant step forward in consolidating regional cooperation. Both institutions reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening climate services, and the meeting concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel.
President Bola Tinubu has set up a high level committee to resolve issues on N4 trillion owed to federal contractors in the country.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, the President also expressed displeasure over the huge debt.
He made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by the President at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the President was enraged after learning that about 2,000 contractors are owed.
Onanuga, who stood in for the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris said: “He made it very, very clear he is not happy and wants a one-stop solution.
“An important highlight in the course of the FEC meeting is that the President expressed very, very grave displeasure about the fact that contractors are being owed money.
“The DG (Director-General) of the Bureau of Public Procurement actually told the President that about 2000 contractors are being owed money and this made the President very, very upset.
“So the ministers are going to look into the problem to really find a solution, to find the money to be used in paying the contractors.”
The presidential aide explained that the committee has as members, the Ministers of Finance (and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Wale Edun; Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; Works, Dave Umahi; Education, Olatunji Alausa; Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa; and Marine & Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, along with the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Kurfi; and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacch Adedeji.
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