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Published 14 March 2021
The Peoples Democratic Party has described the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as “a parlour of corruption for fraudsters.”
The assertion by the opposition party followed the reported revelation by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, that $1bn arms funds went missing under the watch of the immediate-past service chiefs.
This was as Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, and Transparency International called for the probe of Monguno’s allegation by anti-graft agencies.
Monguno had, in an interview with the Hausa Service of the
British Broadcasting Corporation early Friday, alleged that neither the funds nor the weapons the ex-service chiefs were meant to buy could be traced.
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• Katsina last LG poll held 2014
• Directors of personnel running Kwara LGs
By our correspondents
No fewer than 10 states have not conducted elections into local governments despite the absence of elected officers in the councils.
Investigations on Monday showed that some of the local governments were being administered by caretaker committees constituted by state governors.
This contradicts a 2016 judgment of the Supreme Court, which voided laws enacted by state Houses of Assembly that empowered governors to sack elected local government chairmen and councillors and replace them with caretaker committees.
Findings showed that states, which had yet to conduct local government elections despite the expiration of elected officers’ tenures included Ogun, Katsina Anambra, Kwara, Osun, Zamfara and Sokoto.
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Why Buhari hasn’t used force against bandits –President’s aide
Our Reporters
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has dispatched two helicopters and operatives for the rescue of about 317 abducted schoolgirls in Jangebe, Zamfara State.
The IG also disclosed that the military, police and the Department of State Services operatives have commenced a coordinated search towards the rescue of the schoolgirls.
Suspected bandits in Hilux vehicles and a number of motorcycles had, on Friday, kidnapped over 300 students of Government Secondary School, Jangebe in the Talatar Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara.
A statement by the force spokesman, Frank Mba, titled, ‘Police commence coordinated search and rescue operation for abducted Zamfara schoolgirls,’ said the deployment was in addition to the personnel of Operation Puff Adder II earlier drafted to Zamfara State to support efforts by the command to combat banditry, kidnappings and ot
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Our Reporters
Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, has said he will not be intimidated by the fresh attempt by the police, the army and the Department of State Services to arrest him, saying any effort to arrest him on Yorubaland will fail.
Igboho said this during an interview with
Saturday PUNCH on Friday, while reacting to the face-off between him and security agents around the Guru Maharaji bus stop along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Yoruba rights activist, who has been in the news for serving a quit notice on Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the South-West, said he was never invited before they attempted to arrest him.
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Influential Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, said on Saturday that the kidnapped Kagara schoolchildren might be released today.
Bandits, donning military uniform, had around 2am on Wednesday invaded Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State and whisked away 27 pupils and 15 staff members after killing a Senior Secondary School 3 pupil.
The incident has created nationwide agitation and worries over the safety of the kidnapped pupils and school staff members, who were whisked away into the bush by the bandits.
In an interview on Saturday, Gumi, who has been in talks with the bandits in the forest, told
Sunday PUNCH that there was a possibility that the abductees might regain freedom today, given ongoing talks between the government and the bandits.