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Police Kill Two Bandits in Kaduna, Rescue 20 Victims – Official

Published

6 years ago

January 23, 2020

Eric

Eight passengers abducted on Wednesday afternoon along Kaduna-Zaria highway have been rescued by the police.

Also rescued were three workers of Airtel Communications Company abducted on Tuesday, and nine others kidnapped on January 14 when bandits attacked the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum.

The police, however, said in the Wednesday’s attack, two of the bandits were shot dead and all the eight abducted passengers rescued.

The victims, according to the Kaduna State police command spokesman, Yakubu Sabo, were travelling to Abuja from Kano when their Sharon vehicle was forced to stop by the bandits.

According to Mr Sabo, the police responded quickly after receiving information from its DPO in Mararraban Jos at about 3 p.m. that bandits had blocked the Kaduna-Zaria highway and abducted eight persons.

“On receipt of the information, the Command mobilized teams of operatives with some Armoured Personnel Carrier to the area, engaged the attackers, successfully gunned down two of the bandits and rescued all the eight victims unhurt while many other bandits escaped with bullet wounds,” he said.

He identified the passengers rescued as Aisha Umar, Samira Ibrahim Dakata, Safiya Idris, Hauwa Aliyu, Aisha Yakubu, Ma’aru Adam, Safiya Audu and Yahaya Bello, all of Kano State.

He said the police are still on the trail of the hoodlums with a view to apprehending and bringing them to justice.

In a separate incident, the police have also rescued three workers of Airtel Communications Company abducted in Giwa Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

Mr Sabo said the workers, Henry Agim, Kamal Raman and Segun Adejimoh, were abducted from Maidaro village in the local government, but the police were alerted by a good Samaritan.

“After a fierce gun duel, we successfully rescued all the three workers unhurt,” the command’s spokesman said.

“While, on manhunt of the fleeing bandits, our operatives also intercepted nine other captives who were passengers of the Morcopolo luxurious bus that was attacked along Kaduna- Zaria Road on January 14, alongside the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum at Foundation village.

“The victims are identified as; Abdulhafiz Wakil, Abdul Wasiu Jimmoh, Mujittaba, Hajara Usman, Emmanuela Dimka, Dahiru Isa and three others who were debriefed by the Commissioner of Police and supported to be reunited with their respective families.

“The Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri sincerely appreciates the cooperation of the local communities who helped the Command to overcome the current security challenges.”

He further urged for more support to enable the police reduce criminal activities in the state to the barest level. (NAN)

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.