Headline

Bauchi Govt Demolished Citizen’s Property Without Court Order Because Of Party Differences- Aide

Published

4 years ago

October 6, 2021

Mr. Ukkasha Rahama, the Secretary to Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi, member, representing Bauchi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives has insisted that the state government demolished his principal’s building in the middle of the night and without any court order.

Rahama, who stated this in a news conference with journalists in Bauchi on Wednesday, further stated that the state government was aware that his principal had instituted a legal action against it, the Attorney General of the state, Ministry of Land and Survey as well as Bauchi State Urban and Development Board.

It could be recalled that the state government had on October 1, 2021
demolished the building of Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi.

The state government explained that the building belongs to it but was illegally sold out by an official of the immediate past administration.

The government, through a team of officials led by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor of Bauchi State, Mukhtar Gidado, explained that the building was part of the nine houses dedicated as ‘legacy assets’ having been there right from the creation of the state in 1976.

The government further said that the nine houses have over the years been used as official residences of Commissioners and other top Government functionaries including security chiefs posted to the state and therefore could not have been sold on owner-occupier basis as claimed by the Federal lawmaker.

While reacting to the government’s stand, Rahama said “For record and clarity, Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi owned the property through purchase from the original owner. A Deed of Assignment was prepared between him and the original owner. The Deed of Assignment was duly registered after the State Government approved the consent to assign the property to him.

“The Honourable paid all the necessary fees to the State Government for registration of his title in the land registry Bauchi in 2018 after obtaining the consent of the Bauchi State Government. He acquired title to the property in 2018 before the birth of the current administration of Governor Bala Mohammed.

“Before commencing building on the land he lawfully acquired, he submitted a building proposal to the State Urban and Development Board for approval. The building proposal and plan was approved by the Board in 2018 and the amended building proposal was approved on the 22nd October, 2020 and he paid all the necessary fees.

“After obtaining building approval from the Board to erect structures on his plot of land he lawfully acquired and the structures have gone far, the saddest thing that will ever happen to a Nigerian citizen was what befall Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, member representing Bauchi Federal Constituency at the National Assembly because of political party differences.

“The State Government, after collecting a huge sum of money from him for registration of title documents with the land registry and hugely paid for obtaining building approval from the State Government as well as spending millions of naira in raising the structure, the Bauchi State Government has done what can be termed as robbery,” he said.

Rahama further stated that the building construction on property covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. BA/39705 was not an illegal construction, adding that the state government granted approval to his principal to erect the structures.

He also said that in line with the State Government approval, his principal commenced construction on his plot of land at No. 7 Buba Yero Road, old GRA, Bauchi.

“Having collected huge money from him, the State Government is now raising issues on the property just because of political differences with him.

“Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi came into the property lawfully after following due
procedure for acquisition of the landed property and at no time his title was challenged by the Bauchi State Government before a Court of law.

“It is unfortunate that the Government that ought to protect the life and properties of its citizens as guaranteed in our law, is the one using its hands to grievously injure the citizens and demolish the property.

“The causing of grievous injury to the security guards of the property without any provocation in a desperate attempt to illegally demolish the property of Hon. Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi further confirmed that the Bauchi state government does not value the Sanctity of human lives created by Almighty Allah,” He stated.

Headline

China, US Agree To Resume Trade Talks

Published

12 hours ago

October 18, 2025

Editor

China and the United States agreed on Saturday to conduct another round of trade negotiations in the coming week, as the world’s two biggest economies seek to avoid another damaging tit-for-tat tariff battle.

Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation.

Trump had also threatened to cancel his expected meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

In the latest indication of efforts to resolve their dispute, Chinese state media reported that Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had “candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges” during a Saturday morning call, and that both sides agreed to hold a new round of trade talks “as soon as possible”.

On social media, Bessent described the call as “frank and detailed”, and said they would meet “in-person next week to continue our discussions”.

Bessent had previously accused China of seeking to harm the rest of the world by tightening restrictions on rare earths, which are critical to everything from smartphones to guided missiles.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also participated in the call, according to the report by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Hours before the call, Fox News released excerpts of an interview with Trump in which he said he would meet Xi at the APEC summit after all.

Trump told the outlet that the 100 percent tariff on goods from China was not sustainable.

“It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is… They forced me to do that,” he said.

The high-level video call came as Washington worked to rally Group of Seven finance ministers in response to the latest Chinese export controls.

For now, the G7 ministers have agreed to coordinate a short-term response and diversify suppliers, the EU’s economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Washington.

Speaking after the grouping met this week, Dombrovskis noted the vast majority of rare earth supplies come from China, meaning that diversification could take years.

“We agreed, both bilaterally with the US and at the G7 level, to coordinate our approach,” he said on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings.

Countries would also exchange information on their contacts with Chinese counterparts as they work out short-term solutions, he added.

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told journalists he hopes that Trump and Xi’s meeting can help to resolve much of the US-China trade conflict.

“We have made it clear within the G7 that we do not agree with China’s approach,” he added, referring to the group of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva also expressed hope Friday for an agreement between the countries to cool tensions.

The US-China trade war reignited this year as Trump promised sweeping tariffs on imports soon after returning to office.

At one point, US-China tariffs escalated to triple-digit levels, effectively halting some trade as businesses waited for a resolution.

The two countries have since lowered their respective levies, but their truce has remained shaky.

AFP

Headline

Morocco Jails Student One Year Over Gen Z Protest

Published

2 days ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

A student arrested during Morocco’s youth-led protests has been sentenced to one year in prison, his lawyer told AFP on Friday.

The case marks the first publicly known prison sentence linked to the kingdom’s Gen Z demonstrations, which have been held near-daily between late September and last week to demand social and political reforms.

The student was charged with “participating in an unauthorised and unarmed gathering” and “insulting the judicial police by providing false information”, lawyer Mohamed Nouini said.

“The ruling is unfair, and we will appeal,” he added, arguing that sit-ins did not require authorisation as per a Supreme Court precedent.

The lawyer said his client was arrested on September 30, three days after the protests erupted in the North African country.

According to a report by news website Hespress, citing another lawyer, the student’s arrest was “an unfortunate coincidence” as he was in Casablanca for a family visit.

The other lawyer, Mohamed Lakhdar, told the judge the student had “not insulted” police nor provided false information, telling them he “was just a student”, according to the report.

Hundreds were arrested during the early days of the largely peaceful demonstrations.

Some cities had seen spates of violence and acts of vandalism, while authorities have said three people were killed by police acting in “self-defence” during clashes in a village near Agadir.

The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) has said roughly 550 people are facing prosecution on suspicion of joining the protests, with some still in detention.

The organisers of the online-based movement behind the nationwide protests, the GenZ 212 youth collective, remain unknown.

The collective has called for “peaceful sit-ins” on Saturday and demanded the release of those arrested during the demonstrations.

The protest came after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a hospital in Agadir.

But protesters have also demanded reforms to the education system and a change of government.
AFP

Headline

Trump Refiles $15bn Defamation Lawsuit Against New York Times

Published

2 days ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

US President Donald Trump has refiled a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, court documents show, weeks after it was thrown out by a federal judge.

Trump has intensified his long-established hostility toward the media since his return to the White House, and the suit is one of numerous attacks against news organizations he accuses of bias against him.

The Times’ complaint was thrown out in September because District Judge Steven Merryday took exception to its florid writing, repetitive and laudatory praise of Trump, and its excessive 85-page length.

The suit filed Thursday in Florida and seen by AFP runs to less than half the length, at 40 pages.

It takes aim at “false, defamatory, and malicious publications”, highlighting a book and two Times articles.

The lawsuit named the newspaper, three Times reporters and the publisher Penguin Random House as defendants.

It accuses them of making defamatory statements against Trump “with actual malice.”

“The statements in question wrongly defame and disparage President Trump’s hard-earned professional reputation, which he painstakingly built for decades” before entering the White House, the lawsuit says.

The court was asked to grant compensatory damages of not less than $15 billion and additional punitive damages “in an amount to be determined upon trial.”

Trump’s attacks on media outlets have seen him restrict access, badmouth journalists critical of his administration, and bring lawsuits demanding huge amounts of compensation.

In July, Trump sued media magnate Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal for at least $10 billion after it reported on the existence of a book and a letter he allegedly sent to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over election coverage on CBS News’ flagship show “60 Minutes” for $16 million the same month. He had alleged that the program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.

AFP