We arrested him, 364 others, killed 35, and rescued 565 kidnap victims – Katsina Gov. Diko Radda

When the Katsina State Governor, Dr Umaru Dikko Radda recently described banditry as a business venture for some highly placed individuals in the country, some felt the governor of the Northwestern State was merely exaggerating issues out of context.

But he didn’t stop there as he also said poverty and injustice are major factors fuelling insecurity in the country.

At an interface with Saturday Vanguard sometime in October last year, Dr Radda had said with his newly launched Katsina Community Watch Corps, he was determined to rid the state of banditry.

Recalling how bandits had killed his biological brother, the governor said he wouldn’t spare anyone, including state appointees who connive with Fifth Columnists to destabilize the state.

He said: “In our efforts, we have come up with the intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This intelligence unit, even the Corps members don’t know them. The reason for setting it up is to check the excesses of the Corps and also to gather information.

“There are some traditional rulers who are identified and those ones are already under scrutiny. So, we are not sparing anybody even commissioners in my regime, we are not going to spare anybody found to be involved in one criminal activity or the other. We are talking about the lives of over 10 million people not one single individual. No single individual is more important than 10 million people or the lives of an innocent person in the village. We are trying as much as possible to gather a lot of information together with the intelligence we are getting from the DSS so that we can build a network that we can arrest and prosecute any person found wanting”.

Seven months later when Saturday Vanguard took him up on the issue, the governor who gave an account of his stewardship in the last year, explained how a village head was paid N700,000 by bandits, to allow free access to his village, and the consequent killing of about 30 of his subjects.

He said his administration was fiercely addressing poverty having discovered how it fuels insecurity. According to him, it was disheartening that for as little as N2,000, some persons would volunteer information to bandits about their neighbours or relatives.

On the village head, the governor said; “I will say yes, that we have arrested a village head in Guga village in Bakori local government of the state because of his involvement with the bandits.

“He was given N700,000 to allow bandits access into his village to kill over 30 people.

“The government deployed so many approaches but the notable ones are the kinetic and non-kinetic approaches and within, there are tangible approaches that have gone a long way in tackling security problems”.

Gov. Radda who said some of his statements had been misrepresented, said; “I hold the security agencies in high esteem because they too are being killed daily in their pursuit to curb the insecurity in the state. But the point is, there is no set category of people who are not involved in this. What are we hiding here? Who was not arrested? Different categories of people were arrested on allegations of being involved in banditry, criminality, and many other vices even here in Katsina.

“I don’t know why people should be bothering themselves with why I said this other than the fact that some people want to fuel it. I still maintain that different categories of people, whether in government or anywhere, are involved. That is because there are several arrests and security reports we have. Even in prisons now, you will see the people we arrested from the security operatives, government officials, and traditional rulers.

“But the issue we should understand is that we have bad eggs, good people everywhere, but we can’t get away from the bad ones, and bad eggs are with us. Why should we be here and then you hear the information from the discussion we had after an hour or 30 minutes? Someone from those people who attended the meeting must have leaked the information.

“You must ask yourself who told them that. It is not rocket science but logic. We don’t want to tell the truth because we don’t want to get to the root of the problem. We are shielding ourselves from the consequences of wrongdoing. We must tell ourselves the truth. We have to examine ourselves. No organization doesn’t have bad eggs in it. We should deal with it so that we get out of it.

“But, when we keep hiding things that we don’t want to blackmail, it continues and there will be no time that it will end. So, it is high time we told ourselves the truth. When we do that, we will correct it. Somebody can challenge me for doing something wrong, and that may be the basis for my correction. Why should we be hiding things from ourselves? And that is one of the major problems affecting this country”, he declared.

On how far his administration has been able to tackle insecurity in the state, Dr Radda said 35 bandits were neutralized by the state joint security taskforce in the last year.
At the same time, 363 bandits were arrested and subjected to the state’s fair judicial system, while 565 kidnap victims were successfully rescued.

Former President of the United States, Donald Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on all 34 felony counts.

The verdict was read in the Manhattan courtroom, where Trump had been on trial since April 15.

Trump is first former president to be convicted of criminal charges in US history and will be sentenced in July

As the world eagerly await what will befall ex-US president, this piece examines a few former presidents who were either charged or jailed.

Below are a few of the recent ex-presidents who were convicted and the reasons behind their convictions.

1. Nicolas Sarkozy, France

Nicolas Sarkozy was the President of France and co-prince of Andorra from 2007 to 2012.

The 69-year-old was charged with corruption by French prosecutors in two cases, especially concerning his alleged Libyan interference in the 2007 French elections. 

In 2021, Sarkozy was convicted of corruption in two separate trials. 

His first conviction resulted in him receiving a sentence of three years, two of them suspended and one in prison; but, however, appealed against the ruling. 

For his second conviction, he received a one-year sentence, which he is allowed to serve under home confinement. 

In May 2023, Sarkozy lost an appeal to his corruption conviction.

2. Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti

Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986 when he was overthrown.

Duvalier unexpectedly returned to Haiti on 16 January 2011, after twenty years of self-imposed exile in France. 

The following day, he was arrested by Haitian police, facing possible charges for embezzlement of state funds.

On 18 January, 2011, Duvalier was charged with corruption. He, however, pleaded not guilty on 28 February 2013, to charges of corruption and human rights abuse.

He died of a heart attack on 4 October 2014, at the age of 63.

3. Lee Myung-bak, South Korea 

Lee Myung-bak served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the mayor of Seoul from 2002 to 2006.

On 22 March 2018, Lee was arrested on charges of bribery, embezzlement, and tax evasion alleged to have occurred during his presidency.

Prosecutors accused Lee of receiving bribes totaling 11 billion won and channeling assets of 35 billion won to an illicit slush fund.

Shortly before his arrest, Lee posted a handwritten statement on Facebook denying the charges.

He was arrested nearly a year after the arrest of former president Park Geun-Hye, who was arrested on charges stemming from the 2016 South Korean political scandal. 

Lee was convicted on 5 October 2018 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

On 29 October 2020, the Korean Supreme Court upheld a 17-year sentence against Lee given to him by an appellate court.

However, on 27 December 2022, President Yoon Suk-yeol granted Lee a special pardon, cancelling the remaining 15 years of the sentence.

4. Pedro Castillo, Peru 

José Pedro Castillo Terrones was the President of Peru who had a stint in the office between 28 July 2021 and 7 December 2022.

When he sensed impeachment proceedings, on 7 December 2022, Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree. 

But, in response, the Congress of the Republic of Peru impeached him.

After his impeachment, he was detained for sedition and high treason.

5. Jacob Zuma, South Africa

Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. 

Shortly after his resignation, on 16 March 2018, the National Prosecuting Authority announced that it would reinstate corruption charges against Zuma in relation to the 1999 Arms Deal.

He pleaded not guilty on 26 May 2021, but the trial was not slated to take place until early 2023. 

The trial has since been set for April 2025. 

In a separate matter, in June 2021, the Constitutional Court convicted Zuma of contempt of court for his failure to comply with a court order compelling his testimony before the Zondo Commission.

He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment and was arrested on 7 July 2021 in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal. 

However, he was released on medical parole two months later on 5 September. The high court rescinded his parole on 15 December. 

The parole was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court of Appeal, but it allowed the Department of Correctional Services to consider whether to deduct the time spent under it from his sentence. 

On 11 August 2023, the Department of Correctional Services granted Zuma remission of his 15-month sentence.

.. appeal to govt for bailout to distressed construction sector

…to declare industrial action if FG,Federation of Construction Industry, stakeholders fail to resolve differences within 21 days

 
The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association,CCESSA, and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers,NUCECFWW,both affiliates of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria,TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC,disclosed yesterday that over 52,000 construction and furniture workers have lost their jobs in the past one year.

The two unions respectively ,are representing the senior and junior staff in the construction and furniture industry.

The unions which attributed the development to total slowdown in the industry due to disagreement between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Works as a result of unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the minister, appealed to the government for a bailout to the distressed construction sector.

National President of CCESSA,Comrade Engr. Ayodeji Adeyemo and the National President of NUCECFWW, Comrade Stephen Okoro,at a joint press conference in Abuja, said the
unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the Minister of Works,Engr. David Umahi,was contrary to the existing conditions as approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement,BPP.

A joint text of the media conference,read to newsmen, said:”The construction industry as you are aware is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after the Government, but with the recent development in the industry, we deem it necessary to let the world know of our plight in order to avoid a total collapse of an already distressed sector.

“This joint press release is to alert and inform the appropriate quarters and the public at large of the developments in the construction industry and the subsequent effects.

“Today, there is a total slowdown in the industry due to disagreement between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works as a result of unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the Minister, contrary to the existing conditions as approved by the Bureau of public procurement (BPP).

“This has affected employment in the industry, leading to mass sack of Nigerian workers who are members of our unions.

“This is in contrast to the Renew Hope Agenda of the present regime of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The unions said,”Currently ,we have lost over fifty percent of our members as a result of the disagreement; this situation is bound to further increase poverty and insecurity that the country is grappling with.”

“We are using this medium to appeal to the Honourable Minister of Works that what is needed now is a form of bail out to a distressed construction sector rather than any form of conflict.

“The two unions are also concerned about the effect of a prolong unresolved conflict on investor confidence in the stability of the country’s business environment. Moreover, the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency come up with a clear policy of strict adherence to payment terms,”the prepared text read by the union leaders said.

Arising from the foregoing, the unions called on the federal government to among others,”mmediately resolve the conflict in the industry by involving all stakeholders in contract awards like Bureau of Public procurement (BPP), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of works, Council for Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI);put an end to banditry, kidnappings and killings that have been going on in the country, and ensure the safety of our members and all Nigerians in any part of the country.”

Besides,they tasked the government to curb inflation that makes the meagre salary of workers worthless as regards its purchasing power. “

“The cost of commodities in the market has constantly been on the rise with workers salary depreciating in value. Government should do more to stabilize the economy,”they added.

The unions insisted that “government must device means of stabilizing the Naira against foreign currencies and encourage local productions and consumptions.”

“Finally,we urge the Minister of Works; the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) and all concerned to amicably resolve the current conflict within twenty one days. Otherwise, the two unions will be compelled to declare industrial actions in the construction industry in Nigeria to address these issues to prevent further lose of jobs of our members,”the two unions warned.

Marian Robinson, the mother of former US First Lady Michelle Obama, has died at the age of 86, the Obama family announced in a statement on Friday.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mrs Obama said, “My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed.

“She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today.”

In a separate tweet, Mr Obama said, “there was and will be only one Marian Robinson.

“In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life, and we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example.”

Robinson was born in Chicago in 1937 and raised her children, Michelle and Craig, on the city’s South Side. She later moved to the White House to support her daughter’s family during Barack Obama’s presidency.

The Obama family’s statement reads in part:

“Marian Lois Shields Robinson — our mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother — had a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think.

“Her wisdom came off as almost innate, as something she was born with, but in reality it was hard-earned, fashioned by her deep understanding that the world’s roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace.

“At every step, as our families went down paths none of us could have predicted, she remained our refuge from the storm.

“On Election Night in 2008, when the news broke that Barack would soon shoulder the weight of the world, she was there, holding his hand.

“With a healthy nudge, she agreed to move to the White House with Michelle and Barack. We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all.”

A 39-year-old man, Yusuf Umar from Dagu village in Warji LGA, Bauchi State, has been arrested by the State Police Command for attempting to sell his 5-year-old daughter for N1.5 million.

The arrest was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police, Auwal Musa Mohammed, during a briefing at the Police headquarters in Bauchi.

According to him, “Man was apprehended while attempting to sell his biological daughter. Detectives of the Command arrested one Yusuf Umar aged 49yrs of Dagu village via Warji LGA of Bauchi State. The suspect who claimed to be a staff with Warji Local Government area council was arrested for trafficking his 5-year-old biological child.”

The CP added that “On the 26th May, 2024, the accused took the infant (5-year-old) daughter from the estranged wife in Warji LGA under the pretence that he would take her to his sister in Bauchi town.”

He added that “Unknown to the mother, he had already arranged to hand over the girl to an unknown person, not knowing that he is a Police detective, where the defendant was arrested in a Hotel in Bauchi after he bargained for N1.5m to give up his biological daughter.”

“Additionally, the defendant to ensure his interest, sent the sum of N40000 as transportation fare to the person who linked him up with the buyer,” he added.

Auwal Musa Mohammed added, “I have directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Intelligent Department (CID) to discreetly investigate the crux of the matter to unravel more motives behind the defendants actions, after which he will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation for the established offence.”

While answering questions from Journalists, Yusuf Umar confirmed that he actually attempted to sell his daughter and even negotiated with the potential buyer agreeing to sell at the sum of N1.5m.

Asked of the whereabouts of the daughter, he said, “The last time I saw her was last Monday when I brought her to be sold. I am praying that no harm will happen to her. I love her and want to see her again.”

Nigerian gospel singer Yinka Ayefele has said having children despite his spinal cord injury was a miracle.

He noted that any man with cord injury might not be able to impregnate a woman, stressing that his case was rare.

Ayefele spoke on the ‘Curiosity Made Me Ask’ show hosted by content creator, Bae U Barbie.

He debunked claims that he “bought” his children, clarifying that he impregnated his wife and she gave birth to their triplets.

The host, “I’m shocked you said you have three beautiful and amazing kids. My question is, how did you do it?”

Ayefele replied, “How did I do what? Curious that I impregnated my wife? How did I get three kids? You would have seen pregnant women before. I impregnated my wife and she got pregnant and had triplets.

“You thought I bought them? I don’t understand what you mean. I know you are curious, you want to talk about my spinal cord injury. Anybody who has a spinal cord injury might not be able to impregnate a lady. Yeah, it’s a fact, it’s one out of a hundred.”

He began his music career in 1997 after he was involved in an automobile accident which damaged his spinal cord and made him reliant on a wheelchair.

He is married to Temitope Titilope and they are blessed with three children.

Stanley Nwabali is glad to see Maduka Okoye return to the Super Eagles and claims there is no rivalry between them.

Nwabali established himself as the Super Eagles first choice goalkeeper at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Okoye has been recalled to the team by head coach Finidi George after an impressive debut season at Serie A club Udinese.

The former Watford shot-stopper’s return is set to add more competition to the goalkeeping department.

Nwabali, however, said there is no rivalry between him and Okoye.

“There’s no debate. If Maduka can give what he’s giving Udinese to the country, then he should play,” Nwabali told Lagos Talks.

“It’s not like a club side, where you see a new signing and you talk about fighting, No. This is the country we are playing for, we are representing this green white green, and we want to see everyone happy.”

President Bola Tinubu has decried the poor delivery of democracy dividends at the grassroots, calling on state governors to prioritize the needs of local communities.

Tinubu, who made the call when he received the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, also spoke on out-of-school children, security, and the economy.

While noting the lack of attention for the grassroots, where he said the highest number of votes come from during elections, the President said the ACF leadership should intervene by imploring governors to urgently pay attention to the needs of people in the councils. 

Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngalale, said: “We are running a constitutional democracy. I will appeal to you to summon the governors. I am doing my very best to enhance the revenue base of the country. They must equally be sympathetic and urgently consider the needs of the local people.

“People reside in the local communities. That is where they work, farm, and live. If the local governments are not effective in delivering services; as leaders, we must not hang on to the numbers. We have 774 local government areas, but are they truly effective? Do they solve problems for Nigerians? Do they coordinate development programming with the state and federal governments?

“Who is being held accountable for the performance of the 774 local governments? Maybe we should look at recalibrating. What was good four years ago may not be good today. When we want the votes, we go to the locals; when we get the votes, we move to and focus on Abuja.”

Highlighting the significance of education in nation-building, the President described the situation of out-of-school children in parts of Nigeria as unacceptable.

On security, President Tinubu commended the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his efforts, saying: “Everybody wants to be secure, and we need to invest more in technology. We will do it, I promise you. We will put our heart and soul into ensuring that Nigeria is secure and its citizens are protected.”

Tinubu also used the occasion to appeal for national unity and continued support for his government as it makes effort to address challenges confronting the populace.

He directed the establishment of a committee to follow up on the issues raised at the meeting and assigned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to lead the follow-up efforts.

The sum of ₦3.8 billion has been allocated by the Tinubu-led Federal government to support stranded Nigerian scholars in foreign countries.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Sonny Echono, shared this information on Thursday in Abuja during a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on TETFund.

He mentioned that the fund has provided support to 1,500 scholars, totalling ₦3.8 billion in funding.

In response to the reported delay in scholarship payments, Echono clarified that the recent spike in foreign exchange rates has raised concerns among scholars from various countries, including the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Echono confirmed that these concerns had been communicated to the National Assembly, the Presidential Villa, the Ministry of Education, and even TETFund.

“We were happy that the response was very positive and that was why we were able to secure the President’s approval and do what we called the bail out or assistance.

“We did observe that part of the challenge.

“In the past, each time we send funding for the institutions, we send money directly to the schools and it is the responsibility of the institutions to now remit to the students.

“However, for illegitimate and legitimate reasons, many of the institutions came back to us and complained that it takes a whole lot of time to process the transfers to central bank.

“But we now pay directly to the institution as part of our intervention,” he said.

Echono disclosed that Nigeria’s performance in research grants has improved, moving from 9th to 7th place in Africa.