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One Reportedly Killed As APC, PDP Supporters Clash At Bauchi Gov’s Village

Published

3 years ago

March 9, 2023

One person was reportedly killed while about 15 others sustained injuries from gunshots and machetes attacks at a campaign rally of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Sadique Abubakar, at Duguri town on Wednesday.

The PUNCH reports that Duguri, a village in Alkaleri Local Government Area, is the hometown of the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.

The incident, which happened a few minutes before 6pm, came barely five hours after seven out of nine governorship candidates met at the Bauchi State Police Headquarters and signed a peace accord ahead of the governorship and state Assembly elections.

The candidate of the APC who was absent at the venue of the signing of the peace accord was however represented by his running mate at the event.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference held at the Media Unit, Government House, Bauchi at 11.50 pm on Wednesday, the Director-General, Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council, Farouk Mustapha, accused the APC and its candidate of being responsible for the attack.

He alleged that Abubakar, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, led thugs belonging to his camp and party to unleash terror on the governor’s kinsmen and also destroyed billboards of the PDP.

Mustapha said, “Today (Wednesday) is one of the saddest days in the political history of Bauchi State. All governorship candidates of various political parties in the state were at the State Police Headquarters with all the security agencies to sign a peace accord as has been the practice in every election season. However, the candidate of the APC was conspicuously absent with only his deputy in attendance, showing no respect for the peace and harmony to reign in Bauchi State.

“To our dismay, while the candidates were signing the peace accord, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, took a campaign tour to Duguri town, the hometown of His Excellency, Senator Bala Mohammed, who doubles as the sitting governor as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming election.

“His gang leaders who led today’s thuggery, unleashed terror, intimidation on the people of Duguri town. They were chanting abuses and breaking all PDP billboards carrying His Excellency’s pictures, buses and even Keke NAPEP and the office of the PDP were all burnt down.

“This barbaric act was resisted by the people of Duguri led by the thugs and even the armed security men to open fire on the unarmed and innocent people of Duguri. They left several people injured and killed one Mallam Mai Ungwan Shata through a gunshot and also macheted others, about 15 of them, who sustained different degrees of injuries, and they are right now at the Teaching Hospital here in Bauchi.”

However, in reaction to the incident, the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council, Salisu Barau, accused the PDP of hiring thugs who opened fire on the campaign team of the APC governorship candidate.

“Suspected hired thugs, using dane guns, opened fire on the convoy of the Bauchi State governorship candidate of APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, in Duguri the birthplace of the incumbent Bauchi state, Sen. Bala Mohammed.

“According to eyewitnesses, sounds of sporadic shootings were heard around the premises where the campaign lecture was being held, which made the security operatives at the venue rush to the scene of the shootings where, in an attempt to disarm the thugs and retrieve the guns from them, three people were shot: one Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; one from a vigilance group and one from the hunters union.

“However, the NSCDC operatives succeeded in recovering two dane guns from the thugs while others escaped with their own guns,” Barau said

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Wakil, who confirmed the incident however, said there was no record of any death pointing out that only 14 people sustained various degrees of injuries.

He said, “Today (Wednesday), APC governorship candidate went out on a rally at about 17.4500hrs, while in Duguri Village, under Yuli-Yin Ward, Alkaleri Local Government Area, violence ensued during the rally in which 14 people were injured. Among the 14 injured, six were taken to Primary Health Center in Duguri, where they were treated and discharged.

“Among the eight that were treated and discharged, was Suleiman Adamu, Danlami Musa, Kabiru Sani, Rabi, Abdulrasheed Bala and Tanko Wakilin Pawa, all residents of Duguri Village. These are the six that were taken to the Health Center in Duguri.

“Eight others were seriously injured, they were referred to the General Hospital, Alkaleri. Because of the severity of the injuries, the doctor could only attend to one Mohammed Abdullahi, who is also a resident of that Duguri. The remaining seven were transferred from the General Hospital Alkaleri to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi for medical treatment.

“Among those attacked were part of the personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps attached to His Excellency’s entourage. But their details were not yet made available to us. Furthermore, two Sharon Galaxy buses were damaged.”

Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said that immediately after the Command received the distress call, the state Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan, directed the Area Commander Metro and the Divisional Police Officer, Mainamaji and that of Alkaleri to commence investigation.

Asked to react to allegations that two people were killed in the incident, he said, “I have mentioned all that was here, I mentioned six first that were injured and I have mentioned eight that were transferred out of which one is in Duguri. I don’t have knowledge about any of them that are dead. All of them were taken to the hospital by the police and up to this moment that I am giving you this report, none of them has died.”

He called on members of the public to be calm as the situation was under control. He vowed that the Command would not leave any stone unturned to deal with anybody who wanted to disrupt the peace that the state was presently enjoying.

News

Nigeria Ready, Willing To Host Commonwealth Games — Tinubu

Published

6 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

Nigeria on Thursday welcomed the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja, a major step towards hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, formally received the delegation at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“What I can assure you is that we’re ready,” Tinubu told the delegation.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to hosting an inclusive, diverse, and world-class 2030 Commonwealth Games on African soil.‎

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Thursday titled, ‘Nigeria ready to host Africa’s First Commonwealth Games in 2030-President Tinubu assures‎.’

Gbajabiamila, along with a strong Federal Government team of Ministers and senior government officials, held strategic talks with the delegation led by Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at Commonwealth Sport, and a member of the 2030 Evaluation Commission.

President Tinubu emphasised that the Commonwealth champions unity and diversity, and Africa deserves its moment after nearly a century.‎

Africa has never hosted the Games since their inception in 1930. Nigeria made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2014 Games. The city of Durban in South Africa won the bid to host the 2022 Games, but could not do so due to financial difficulties. Birmingham in the UK took over and hosted the Games. Thus, Nigeria’s bid to host the 2030 Games would be historic, Onanuga stated.

In his welcome remarks, Gbajabiamila called on the visitors to savour Nigeria’s renowned hospitality: “You’re very welcome to Nigeria. I hope you enjoy our great hospitality, which we are known for. Mr President also asked me personally to convey his regards; he fully supports this bid.”‎

“The President has written a Letter of Guarantee to you; his full weight is behind this bid. What I can assure you is that we’re ready. We’re willing, we’re able, and we actually want this. It’s been almost 100 years. The games have not been held on any soil in Africa.

‎”The element of inclusivity is what the Commonwealth is, and we hope that will benefit us,” he stated.

President Tinubu stressed that his administration has set some bold reforms to reposition sports, having realised its role as a strategic driver of national development.

He added that he scrapped the Ministry of Sports and replaced it with the National Sports Commission in the bid to drive sports development.

The President further assured the delegation that all infrastructural, security, and hospitality needs will be met ahead of schedule.‎

He emphasised that Nigeria’s bid is not just about hosting but also leaving a legacy for youth and national development.‎

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, made a strong case for Nigeria over India, stressing that Africa has 22 Commonwealth nations, and Nigeria, as the continent’s giant, deserves the honour.‎

“One thing I want to assure you is that the President sees the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, if we win the bid, as a celebration of the country’s growing force in sports, beyond just participation.”

‎President of Commonwealth Sport Nigeria, Habu Gumel, said the country is ready to host an environmentally sustainable Games.‎

Chairman of the Bid Committee, Mainasara Illo, presented Nigeria’s proposal, highlighting key plans and innovations.‎

He revealed that Nigeria proposes 15 sports, with football introduced to boost excitement, global visibility, and audience engagement.‎

Director of Games and Assurance, Darren Hall, thanked President Tinubu and the Nigerian team for their warm welcome.‎

“I have been most thrilled by the passion of the Nigerian people in all their endeavours, including sports.”

He said the Commonwealth, now comprising 56 nations, aims for greater diversity as it approaches its 100-year milestone.‎

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, Minister of Aviation, Festus Kayamo, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and‎ Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, attended the meeting and made statements in support of the bid.

Nigeria and India are the two official bidders for the 2030 Games, with Abuja and Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, as their proposed host cities.‎

‎After a thorough evaluation of both bids, the Commonwealth Games General Assembly will decide the host city in November 2025.

The next Commonwealth Games will be held in 2026 across four venues in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

News

JAMB Extends Post-UTME Deadline For Underage Candidates In 23 Varsities

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the deadline for universities to submit Post-UTME screening scores of underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, announced the extension on Thursday in a statement on Thursday.

Benjamin, who explained that the decision was reached in collaboration with the affected institutions, said a reminder has been sent via email to the defaulting universities.

He noted that despite the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the National Examinations Council on September 17, several institutions had yet to comply.

Benjamin, hoiwever, urged the affected institutions to forward the results without further delay.

He said, “23 out of 71 universities failed to meet the earlier deadline of September 15 for the submission of the scores. The institutions are among those chosen by candidates seeking admission.”

Benjamin further directed all public universities to upload their recommended candidates to the Central Admissions Processing System on or before September 30, while private universities have until October 31.

He added, “The measure was necessary to meet the overall admission deadlines of October 30 for public universities and November 30 for private institutions.”

Benjamin said a breakdown of the affected schools shows that the University of Lagos tops the list with 39 underage candidates, followed by Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, with 18, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with 15.

Others include the University of Abuja with 12 underage candidates, University of Uyo with nine, Federal University of Technology, Owerri has eight, and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu with six.

The board spokesperson added that in total, 135 underage candidates are involved across 23 institutions.

JAMB had earlier disclosed in August that it would conduct a special screening for over 500 outstanding underage candidates seeking admission for the 2025/2026 academic session.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the screening would be handled by a technical committee between September 22 and 26 at designated centres in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri.

He noted that while 41,027 underage candidates wrote the 2025 UTME, only a little over 500 met the requirements to proceed to the next stage.

News

FULL LIST: Anglican Church Approves 15 New Dioceses

Published

7 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has approved the creation of 15 new dioceses, bringing the total number of dioceses across the country to 176.

The decision was taken at the Standing Committee Meeting of the Church, which held in Ekiti State between September 15 and 19, 2025.

According to a statement signed on Thursday by the Church’s Communication Officer, Korede Akintunde, the approval followed a series of inspections, verifications and validation exercises after the lifting of the moratorium on the creation of new dioceses in September 2024.

The statement read, “The inspection team are as follows: Old Province 1 headed by Archbishop Joseph Akinfenwa, Old Province 2 headed by Archbishop David Onuoha while Old Province 3 headed by Archbishop Daniel Yisa.

“They presented their fact-finding report at the Standing Committee held at Niger-Delta Diocese in February 2025 which formed the basis of the assignments of the Church of Nigeria Validation Team on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses which was constituted and inaugurated by the Primate on 27th March, 2025, headed by the Most Rev’d Dr Timothy Yahaya.

“The Validation Team in turn visited, inspected and verified the contents of the report of the Inspection Teams and Verification Committee and made the recommendations to the Primate on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses in the Church of Nigeria.”

The statement noted that five of the new dioceses would operate as full-fledged dioceses, while 10 others were approved as missionary dioceses.

The full-fledged dioceses are:

1.⁠ ⁠Ekiti South Diocese out of Ekiti Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Kalabari Diocese out of Niger Delta Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Lagos South West Diocese out of Lagos West Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Omoku Diocese out of Ahoada Diocese
5.⁠ ⁠Ozoro Diocese out of Oleh Diocese

The missionary dioceses include:

1.⁠ ⁠Eket Diocese out of Uyo Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Idanre Diocese out of Akure Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Ikom Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Keffi Diocese out of Kubwa and Lafia Dioceses
5.⁠ ⁠Nasarawa Diocese out of Lafia Diocese
6.⁠ ⁠Ogoja Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
7.⁠ ⁠Oyo South Diocese out of Oyo Diocese
8.⁠ ⁠Oyun Diocese out of Kwara Diocese
9.⁠ ⁠Takum Diocese out of Jalingo Diocese
10.⁠ ⁠Zuru Diocese out of Kebbi Diocese

The church added that the election of bishops, consecration, inaugurations, and enthronement dates would be announced later.