Local Gusau news, Nigeria

Governor Masari: Politicians causing insecurity over 2023

Governor Bello Masari of Katsina State has said the insecurity that has afflicted the state in recent years is sponsored by politicians, who are bent on reaping dubious political gains or use it as leverage ahead of the 2023 elections.

According to Governor Masari, the unnamed politicians want to dent the image of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state and the country and portray them as being passive in the face of ravaging insecurity.

Beside saying insecurity in the Katsina is political, Masari also attributed the spate of killings in the state to reprisal attacks by bandits against the cold-blooded murder of their suspected relatives or collaborators by groups that had been outlawed by the state government.

He said activities of the groups, including the well-known Yan’sankee teams, were counter-productive, as they would travel to distant villages and communities to kill one or two suspects, but the irate bandits would strike back later, killing innocent persons in their numbers in the affected villages.

Amid these claims over the killings are the conclusions of many Katsina residents that the bandits had never hidden their desperation to forcefully evict various rural communities in the state.

A university lecturer in Katsina told newsmen: “Nigerians need to know the exact motive of the bandits, so that these killings and insecurity should not continue to linger in the state and the North-West in particular.”

The don, who spoke in confidence, said: “Fleeing residents of several villages have claimed again and again that the bandits that are killing their men and youths often warned that the people of the areas should vacate the land or they would know no peace.”

This is coming as the Emir of Katsina, Alhajii Abdulmumin Kabir Usman, had repeatedly appealed, almost in tears, to the government to act decisively to stop the killings and destruction of his people’s means of livelihood.

Despite government and security agencies’ assurances that there was no cause for alarm, the internally-displaced persons, IDPs, camps in Faskari and Dandume Local Government areas had thousands of IDPs under their roofs until some weeks ago, when their figures fell considerably.

Other IDPs camps in Batsari, Jibia and Kankara had also seen women and children in their numbers streaming in from different local communities for succour.

Just last Saturday, no fewer than 40 innocent children, officers and men of the military were slain.

Some 11 children in Yammama Village, Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state, were fiddling with what they thought to be toys, when the grenades they found in a farm from which they were cutting grasses to feed domestic animals exploded in their faces.

Six of them, including five from the same parents, died on the spot about 11.30am. The others, who escaped untimely death on the fateful day, were rushed to the hospital in critical conditions for treatment.

It was, in fact, a double tragedy in Katsina that day as no fewer than 16 of the Nigerian soldiers and officers lost their lives in Jibia axis of the state.

Later in the night, it was gathered that the troops were advancing on foot in Shimfida Village of Jibia Local Government Area when they were ambushed by dare-devil gunmen at about 6.13pm.

The cause of the tragedy, which also left about 28 other soldiers wounded, was traced to the bandits’ camp on a hilltop in the area.

However, there were conflicting reports about the casualties on the Jibia incident.

The Defence Headquarters said the troops of Operation Sahel Sanity killed over 17 of the gunmen, but suffered the casualty of an officer and two soldiers, with four others being wounded in the action, contrary to reports.

DHQ: Troops kill six bandits, foil attempt to rustle livestock in Katsina, Zamfara

The Defence Headquarters says troops of Exercise Sahel Sanity have killed six bandits and foiled their attempts to rustle livestock in Katsina and Zamfara States between July 13 and July 14.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, in a statement on Wednesday, said the feat was achieved on July 14 following receipt of credible intelligence.

Enenche, an army major-general, said the troops, backed by helicopter gunships of the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji, stormed the bandits’ enclave at Komani Hills within Rukudawa general area of Zamfara.

He added that the troops overwhelmed the bandits with superior firepower, killing six while others fled with gunshot wounds.

According to him, one GPMG, one AK 47 rifle, one magazine and 34 motorcycles were recovered.

The coordinator further disclosed that the troops had earlier on July 13 responded to a distress call on an attempt by armed bandits to rustle cows at Kasele Village in Batsari area of Katsina State.

He said that when the troops swiftly mobilised to the scene, the bandits fled in disarray and abandoned the rustled animals.

According to him, the gallant troops have maintained a presence in the village and normalcy has been restored.

“The Military High Command congratulates the gallant troops for their dexterity and encourages them to remain resolute and sustain the offensive in the North-West zone of the country,” he said.

Seven Police Officers Deployed To Tackle Banditry In Katsina Die In Motor Accident, 11 Others Injured

Seven police officers have been confirmed dead and 11 others fatally injured in a motor accident on their way to Katsina State.

The officers were part of an additional deployment made recently by the Force to boost the ongoing fight against bandits in Birnin-Gwari.

Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, in a statement said the incident occurred on Sunday.

He said the accident, which involved an 18-seater Toyota bus conveying 18 personnel of the unit, occurred at Jaji town along Kaduna-Zaria Road.

The statement reads, “The Inspector-General of Police, M.A Adamu, has condoled the families of the seven police officers attached to the Special Forces Unit of the Nigeria Police Force who died in a motor accident on 12th July, 2020 on their way to Katsina State. The unfortunate incident, which involved an 18-seater Toyota bus conveying eighteen personnel of the unit, occurred at Jaji town along Kaduna-Zaria Road.

“The deceased were part of an additional deployment made recently by the Force to boost the ongoing fight against bandits in Birnin-Gwari, Katsina State. The IGP, who described the incident as a huge loss to the Force, notes that the incident is one of the unfortunate sacrifices officers often encounter in the line of duty. He described the deceased as “Heroes of Peace”.

“A team of police medical personnel has been dispatched to Kaduna State where 11 officers that survived the accident are receiving medical attention. Three of the deceased officers have been buried according to Islamic rites while the remains of the other four have been deposited in a morgue.”

ALERT: Armed Fulani Group Planning Terror Attacks In Kano State

SaharaReporters has gathered that an armed Fulani group is planning an attack in Kano soon.

The terrorists, who have continued to operate unhindered in most parts of Nigeria, are planning a series of attacks and kidnappings at Kofar Dukayuwa and surrounding areas in Kano State.

SaharaReporters had in the past given similar alerts based on intelligence reports, which turned out to be accurate.

In January 2020, the New York-based news organisation alerted that terror group, Jama'atu Ansril Musilma Naijeriya better known as Ansaru, was planning attacks on Kaduna, Niger, Edo, Kwara and Kogi states after receiving tons of ammunition from a Chinese smuggler in Burkina Faso.

The listed states have since come under heavy attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen and bandits.

Similarly, the Islamic State in West Africa has reportedly appointed female heads to lead units of the terror group for the first time.

A woman, Ya Fana, is now the Amir of Tumbun Mourfou unit while Ya Falmata is leading the Tumbun Alloura unit, which controls the Lake Chad area and surrounding villages.

Court remands student for allegedly stabbing man to death in Kano

A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Kano on Tuesday ordered the remand of a 24-year-old student, Surajo Mohammad, in a correctional centre for stabbing one Gambo Umar, 35, to death with a bottle.

The defendant, who resides at Kofar Ruwa Quarters in Kano, is standing trial for alleged culpable homicide.

The Chief Magistrate, Muhammad Idris, ordered the defendant to be remanded in correctional centre, and asked the Prosecutor, Mr Badamasi Gawuna, to send the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecution for advice.

Idris adjourned the case until Aug.31 for further mention.

Earlier, the prosecutor had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 7 at about 4:00 p.m at Kofar Ruwa Quarters, Kano.

He alleged that the defendant had a misunderstanding with his neighbour whom he stabbed with a bottle on his neck..

“The victim was rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital where he died while receiving treatment,” he told the court.

Gawuna said the offence contravened Section 221 of the Penal Code.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Court remands man for allegedly raping seven-year-old

A Kano Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday ordered the remand of a 55-year-old man, Abdullahi Haladu, at Goron Dutse Correctional Centre for allegedly raping 7-year-old girl.

The defendant, who lives at Unguwar Mahauta Gani Village, Kano, is facing a one-count charge of rape, contrary to Section 283 of the penal code.

The Prosecutor, ASP Badamasi Gawuna, told the court that Isa Uba of the same address reported the case at Sumaila Police Division, Kano, on June 29.

He alleged that on the same date at about 8p.m, the defendant deceived and lured the child into his room situated at Unguwar Mahauta and raped her.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge levelled against him.

Chief Magistrate Muhammad Idris adjourned the case until Aug. 31, for mention.

Lance Corporal Martins vs. Broken Presidency, Broken National Assembly, And Broken Country By Bayo Oluwasanmi

Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein of the Eighth Division, Sokoto, Nigerian Army, criticized the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, and Chief of Defense Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, for not doing enough to end Boko Haram terrorism. Martins lamented the needless and senseless killings of citizens.

Shortly after the video went viral, Martins was arrested on the orders of Buratai. Days later, his wife Victoria was arrested “leaving her three children in the care of no one.”

Nigeria, a country ruled by brigands, is a place where anyone, who exposes a crime becomes a criminal. Our abundance of cliches for describing and discussing our broken presidency, our broken National Assembly, and our broken country are inexhaustible. Nigerians’ appetite for diagnosis of all that’s wrong with Nigeria and prescriptions to fix it is bottomless. The truth is, there’s no one in charge of Nigeria. Nigeria is a lawless country. Nigeria is a failed country. How to cure Nigeria’s metastasizing maladies is up to Nigerians.

The arrest of Martins for exposing the rut in the military clearly shows the presidency, the National Assembly, and the country are all broken. The broken presidency is adrift in the midst of competing disasters facing the country. It thrives in deceit and dishonesty. General Muhammadu Buhari is either AWOL or MIA. He has become redundant, irrelevant, and out of touch. Buhari’s regime has turned Nigeria into a politically, socially, morally, and spiritually chaotic country.

The National Assembly is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Briefly summarized, the functions of the National Assembly are: (1) Through debate make laws that influence our daily lives. (2) Hold hearings to inform the legislative process. (3) Conducts investigations to oversee the executive and the judiciary. (4) Serves as the voice of the people and states in the federal government.

To say the National Assembly is broken is to be economical with the truth. Despite its vast authority, the legislature seems paralyzed in the face of the country’s toughest problems. The corrupt legislature has willingly surrendered its authority to the executive branch.

Nigeria as a broken country, is like a virgin whose life had been ended in the bloom of youth. Nigeria is so hopeless and irredeemable. Her desolation is like a deserted land with no one to lift her up. Nigerians are chased from pillar to post. They flee from a lion only to meet a bear. They run into their homes believed to be their places of security, but they are bitten by snakes. They have no hope. No one ray of light!

The service chiefs have over stayed their 35 years. Their capacity and capability have diminished. They have no clue how to prosecute a modern warfare. They are as good as dead. They must go! They must make room for young, brilliant, agile, educated, committed young officers. Instead of listening and fixing the problems Martin complained of, they arrested him and his wife.

How can a handful ragged, war-weary, no weapons army fight terrorists? How can hungry, low esteemed, battered, and frustrated soldiers fight unrelenting Boko Haram insurgents? How can unhappy, low paid, non-paid and low spirited soldiers whose expressions of sorrow are classic go after die-hard terrorists?

The National Assembly should enact a law similar to the US Military Whistleblower Protection Act. The Act covers all members of the US Armed Forces who make “protected communications” about violation of a regulation or law. The superiors of whistleblowers can’t retaliate in any way, shape, or form against the whistleblower. The Act has been vital to many cases of unethical and illegal conduct in the US military. Without the Act, some of the cases that were brought before the courts would never have been possible.

The real enemies of Nigeria are Buhari, Buratai, and Olonisakin not Martins. These three war commanders should be court-martialed for prolonging the war on Boko Haram, for failure to equip soldiers to fight the war, and for making Nigeria a terrorist haven. They are guilty as charged Lance Corporal Martins should be released immediately with generous compensation for wrongful detention. This country ruled by lunatics must be redirected to the path of sanity and civilization.

Ex-APC NWC Member, Inuwa Abdulkadir, Is Dead

Atop member of the All Progressives Congress from the North-West region, Inuwa Abdulkadir, is dead.

A member of the party's National Working Committee that was dissolved recently, the 54-year-old Abdulkadir is said to have died at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, on Monday to suspected Coronavirus complications.

He is expected to be buried at his Gawon Nama residence around 2pm on Monday.

Reps Move To Rescue Buratai’s Critic, Lance Corporal Martins, In Military Detention

The House of Representatives has begun the process to rescue a soldier, Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein, who was detained for criticising the service chiefs over the rising spate of insecurity in Nigeria.

At the plenary on Thursday, the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, moved a motion to call for Idakpein’s rescue, Punch reports.

It was titled, ‘A call on the Nigerian Army to release Lance Corporal Martins Idakpein from arrest based on His expressed opinion.’

ldakpein, from the 8 Division, Sokoto, of the Nigerian Army, had criticised the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and other service chiefs in a viral video over the handling of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Subsequently, ldakpein was arrested and moved from Sokoto to Abuja. His wife, Victoria, was also arrested after she granted a media interview, calling for the release of her husband.

Elumelu said, “The House is disturbed that though Section 122 of the Armed Forces Act forbids the military from perpetually detaining any officer, Lance Corporal Martins ldakpein, has been held in detention till date and his wife who tried to secure his release has also been detained.

“This is an affront to the letters of Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which guarantees the fundamental human rights of citizens.”

The House mandated the Committees on Defence and Army to “investigate the alleged detention of Lance Corporal Martin’s ldakpein and his wife.”

Also, the House asked that “ldakpein should be brought before the relevant House committees and the leadership, to brief them of the happening in the northern part of the country.”

Shortage Of Food, Medicare Hit Southern Kaduna After Attacks

Shortage of food, drugs and other relief materials has hit Southern Kaduna communities following persistent attacks by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militiamen.

Four local government areas of Southern Kaduna – Zango-Kataf, Kaura, Kauru and Jemaa – have been under persistent attacks, forcing the state government to impose a curfew on them.

Following a week-long attack on communities in the LGAs and the inability of the villagers, who are subsistence farmers, to go to the farm, hunger has crept into the communities.

Sources, who spoke with Punch, said some of the Internally Displaced Person camps, especially at Zonkwa, were being flooded by displaced villagers, including aged women and children.

It was learnt that the development has led to a shortage of food, drugs and relief materials in the camps, as well as in the communities.

A farmer, Jatau Mutum, told Punch that since Saturday, the IDP camp at Zonkwa had witnessed an increased number of displaced persons from Zikpat and other communities under attack.

Mutum, however, added that there was no commensurate food and medical supplies to take care of those at the camp.

"Before now, the ECWA church camp was sustaining no fewer than 1,500 IDPs, but we have over 3,000 displaced persons following the recent attacks on some communities," he said.

The spokesman for the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Luis Binniyat, stated that daily the union was besieged by calls from families who were starving because "there is no market and farming activities have come to a stop."

"Both the federal and state governments are not ready to look into the plight of the displaced persons in Southern Kaduna," he added.

Meanwhile, the Muslim community in Southern Kaduna, under the aegis of the Muslim Youth Foundation of Southern Kaduna, has alleged isolated killing of its members in the area.

The group added that Muslims were being targeted for killing following attacks on Zikpak in the Jemaa LGA where no fewer than nine persons were killed on Friday.

The chairman of the group, Mohammed Bello, in a statement, said, "Guerrilla attack on Muslims, who are either in transit or in the process of carrying out their legitimate business, has been going on in Southern Kaduna for quite some time now."

Following the recent attacks, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday, extended the 24-hour curfew to Jema'a and Kaura LGAs.

In a related development, a religious organisation, Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, on Monday expressed the fear that the killings in Southern Kaduna could unleash hunger on the people of the region and the state.

The organisation recommended that more security posts should be put in place in Southern Kaduna to check the spate of killings, adding that the security post personnel should work with the communities.

A statement by the co-chairmen of IDFP, Bishop Sunday Onuoha and Alhaji Kunle Sanni, called on Kaduna State Government to put in more efforts towards protecting the lives and property of citizens to ensure sustainable peace in all parts of the state.

Southern Kaduna: A Long Story of Herdsmen Raids, Reprisal And Government Neglect

In the last five years, more than a thousand lives have been cut short in southern Kaduna in a series of intermittent raids allegedly by Fulani herdsmen and reprisal on Fulani settlements.

The river of bloody conflict in Southern Kaduna can be traced to minor provocations in a tension-prone area of the Northwest state.

These provocations are rooted in feelings of hatred against the Hausa/Fulani settlers by ethnic groups in the state as the region battles land exploitation and religious clashes. SaharaReporters examines the genesis of the crisis in this report.

How it all started

Before now, the incidents were outbursts of violence that could be traced to a particular event.

After the politically-motivated election violence of 2011, a more dangerous trend of killing that chiefly involved cattle trampling on farmlands and herders carrying guns became the order of the day.

SBM Intelligence said in a research published in January 2017 that the bloodbath in 2016 was the epiphany of the new wave of sustained killings in Southern Kaduna.

“When viewing the current Southern Kaduna crisis, it is important to differentiate between this – killings between September 2016 and January 2017 and the previous historical incidents,” the publication said.

“The first critical difference is in the duration of the incidents. Most of the violent incidents before 2016 were either single incidents or closely related incidents occurring within a short space of time.

“That is not so with the ongoing violence. The violence has occurred in several separate incidents over a while much longer than any others in the history of Southern Kaduna."

SBM, however, recalled that in the aftermath of President Buhari’s loss to Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, there were 13 separate incidents of ethno religious attacks in Kaduna state alone – Southern Kaduna inclusive.

The killings, according to SBM research, was reported to have started in May 2016 and subsided in September 2017.

Land exploitation

A research titled, “Southern Kaduna and the atrocities of Hausa-Fulani Muslim herdsmen,” authored by the African Conflict and Security Analysis Network (ACSAN), said the sustained devastation, which SBM reckons began in 2016, had started earlier.

This report says some communities in Southern Kaduna were “so devastated that they could not even participate in the general election – 2015.”

ACSAN’s paper noted that the bitterness in that part of the state had its roots in the feelings of marginalisation by the different non-Hausa/Fulani groups.

This emotion has festered over the centuries.

“Before colonial and after colonial rule, the indigenous people of Southern Kaduna feel an alien system of governance was imposed upon them.

“In 1450-1850, it was the Saurata System in Zazzau, then came the Emirate System in 1816-1903 and the Native Authority System in 1903-1930, and in all these periods the indigenous people were marginalised and their land exploited,” the report recounted.

Timeline of killing spree

Reports of the frayed relationship between the dominant minority and the marginalised majority started filtering through in the eighties.

Reports reviewed by SaharaReporters showed there were several attacks which culminated in the destruction of properties, before the wildfire of 1987, which led to the death of 19 persons according to official records in 1987.

ACSAN recollects that the fire was reportedly ignited by a Muslim student, Aisha Garba, who was incensed by the preaching of a pastor that had switched from Islam to Christianity, Abubakar Bako.

Ms Garba is said to have jumped onto the podium at the event organised by the Fellowship of Christian Dtudents in the Kafanchan college of education, seized the microphone and “called on all Muslims to rise in defence of Islam.”

On a Sunday thereafter, some Muslim youths attacked an ECWA church.

The governor of the state at that time, Abubakar Umar, issued a broadcast, saying mosques and copies of Koran had been burnt in Kafanchan.

Governor Umar’s seemingly unfounded claim sparked a riot that turned the headquarters of Jema’a local government inside out and spread to other parts of the state.

Before the now frequent herdsmen raids, three more high-fatality riots split the frail cohabitation between the settling Hausa/Fulani and the ethnic non-Muslims of Southern Kaduna.

Between February and May of 1992, the Rahila Cudjoe commission said in its unpublished report that the Zangon-Kataf crisis caused over a thousand deaths and the destruction of multiple properties.

This crisis was sparked by an attempt to relocate the location of the weekly market, which was situated in a clustered Hausa/Fulani neighbourhood.

Within the same period, eight years later, Human Rights Watch said between 2,000 to 5,000 persons were killed, when Muslims and Christians in all of Kaduna went on a violent killing spree.

The deaths were allegedly ignited when Muslim youths attacked a protest organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) against an executive bill to introduce Sharia law in the state.

In November 2001, 1,295 persons were murdered in Gwantu, Sanga LGA of Southern Kaduna, according to a police report. This outpour of blood was provoked by the traditional Muslim head of Gwantu and the Christian chairman of the local government.

ACSAN notes that both parties failed to explain to each other that the creation of a Sharia and customary court in the LGA would not affect their way of life. Once clashes broke out on the streets after Friday prayers, the Sanga LGA chairman was said to have left.

Passive government

Since 1987 when the occasional burst of killings started, the federal and state governments have been reported to be either passive or on the side of the Hausa/Fulani attackers.

In 1987, the riot was sparked by the state governor. In 1992, the Rahila Cudjoe commission failed to publish its report, and no stories of culprits being sentenced were reported.

The military did not step in to quell the violence sparked by the Sharia riots until the third month. Riot police were reported to have stayed back and watched houses, churches and mosques get burnt, done nothing.

While the crisis lasted, people were slaughtered on the streets and barricades of burning tyres erected across the state, including in the South.

The military was said to have stepped in when some youths, reported to be Christians, tried to launch a reprisal in a Muslim neighbourhood.

The present Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has been accused of partiality since the sustained herdsmen attacks began.

On February 15, 2019, the former FCTA minister said 66 persons of Fulani extraction were killed in the troubled local government of Kajuru, which is bordered by three local governments at the heart of the southern Kaduna crisis.

He said the death toll rose to 130 four days later but reportedly refused to comment on the killing of 11 persons from the Adara ethnic group during the same timeline of the massacre he announced.

The senator representing the area, Shehu Sani; human rights advocate, Chidi Odinkalu; and the commissioner of police in the state at the time, Ahmad Abdurrahman, disowned El-Rufai’s claims. Sani said the death toll was between 10 and 15; while Odinkalu noted there were 11 deaths.

El-Rufai, who revealed that most of the herdsmen terrorising residents of southern Kaduna and Kajuru are foreigners, attempted to expand the Ladduga grazing reserve.

The Southern Kaduna people, who said they had already lost lands to the Hausa/Fulani settlers, felt this was an affront.

SBM, in its January 2017 report, noted that the failure of governments at both state and federal level, to make policies out of genuine consultation, could see a full-blown militia created in the region.

The intelligence-gathering company highlighted the moves made by the Tarok, Jukun and Eggon ethnic groups to defend themselves against Fulani herdsmen attacks and carry out reprisal on innocent Fulani settlements when provoked.

In one incident in 2013, the Eggon militia was reported to have killed 90 security personnel.

When will the killings in Southern Kaduna stop? Time will tell.

Again, Fulani Herdsmen Attack Southern Kaduna Village, Kill Six People, Many Declared

No less than six people have died after armed Fulani herdsmen attacked Doka Avong Village in Kaduna State.

This is the fourth attack in less than five days on predominantly Christian farming villages in Southern Kaduna area by armed Fulani herdsmen, which has claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

The attackers, who raided Agwala Magayaki area of Doka Avong Village overnight, used machetes to cut unarmed men, women and children to death while many others are reported missing at the time of this report.

Some of the survivors are currently in critical condition at the Idon General Hospital.

One of the victims, a 26-year-old woman, Alheri Mandela Ishaya, is unconscious after sustaining deep machete cuts to her head and face.

Many houses were also burnt in the attack.

President Buhari Loses Second Nephew In 23 Days

Ibrahim Dauda, President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, is dead.

This is coming few days after the death of Mutari Dauda, another nephew of the President, who passed away on May 8, 2020.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, in a statement on Saturday, said Dauda died in Daura, Katsina State, after a prolonged illness.

In a condolence message, Buhari said the death had robbed the family and the Daura community of one of its finest gentlemen.

He said, “I am deeply touched and devastated by the passing of yet another family member, a man who had demonstrated amazing kindness and honesty in all his dealings.”

The deceased is survived by a number of children including Ibrahim, a chief administrative officer in State House, Abuja.