Opinion

Cannibalism: Celebrating a Breakthrough in Zamfara

Published

3 years ago

January 17, 2022

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By Yusuf Idris Gusau

The arrest of a self-confessed cannibal, 57-year-old Aminu Baba and some of his accomplices by the Zamfara State Police Command, which hit the news wave on Thursday January 13, is no doubt a significant breakthrough in the ongoing efforts to rid the state of criminal elements.

Baba and his accomplices were paraded by no other person but the Commissioner of Police, Ayuba Elkana at the command’s headquarters before newsmen, conveyed the shocking information to various homes and streets.

Baba told the bewildered journalists he did not only deal in human parts for monetary gains but served same as part of his menu during breakfast, launch and dinner.

“I paid them N500,000 for each of the killing of the two young boys. We removed penis, eyes, intestines and Esophagus and I used to eat these human organs and sell the remaining parts to those who need them,” he said.

Before the long arms of the law caught up with him, Baba hid behind the garb of a vehicles entrepreneur, dealing in all brand at a popular mart named, Aminchi Motors in the state capital.

The vehicles dealership, as it turned out, was just a front for a more enterprising human parts business under which shadows many people must have disappeared.

For this singular feat, the Nigeria Police and indeed the state police command and other security agencies through whose resourcefulness and commitment the discovery was brought to the fore deserved our commendation.

In the same vein, the state government, under the leadership of Governor Bello Matawalle also deserved a thumbs up for collaborating with the police and other security agencies in the state and providing the much needed enabling environment for them to perform.

In such collaborative gesture, Governor Matawalle in July 2020, donated 200 patrol vehicles to security agencies to enhance their operations, as part of efforts to strengthen the fight against kidnapping and banditry as well as other crimes in the state.

The beneficiary agencies include the Nigerian Army, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), the state’s Hisbah Commission and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Others were the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigerian Correctional Service, and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Beyond the vehicles, Matawalle also instituted a monthly imprest for the security agencies, as well as providing them with decent office and residential accommodations and other operational equipment. The gestures had gone a long way in boosting their morale and greatly enhanced and improved their capacity to rid the state of crime.

He was to add additional 100 vehicles to boost the operations of security agencies later in his bid to further securing the state. This is outside his donation to them when his administration clocked 100 days in the office earlier.

Many are wont to argue that the state government has no business assisting the security agencies with material support to aid their operations and may add that such responsibilities are within the purview of the federal government.

However, it must be pointed out that the federal government with all its might cannot perform its function in isolation and requires collaboration especially from the states in which it’s personnel are intervening. The same way the state government cannot effectively perform in certain areas without the support and collaboration of the citizens and residents.

Like Governor Matawalle had repeatedly pointed out in the past, security of lives and property is everyone’s business, and every citizen and resident of Zamfara State have a role to play in tackling crimes and crminalities in the state.

There could be more Baba cohabiting with us and operating behind a veil, but it is our responsibility to look beyond the veil in order to really understand what is happening.

By being vigilant, we could save lives of those who may be lured into the abyss and also protect the main victims whose blood will be used to water the fortune of their prosecutors.

Due to our lack of vigilance, Abdulshakur Mohammed, 20; Buba, 17; and Tukur, 14 became recruits that oil Baba’s nefarious activities. Today, they are tagged as his accomplices and are already standing trial in the court of public opinion. In the coming days or weeks and even months, they are likely to be sentenced which may be life imprisonment or even death at such young and productive ages because their society failed to do what they were supposed to do initially.

Because of our negligence, Ahmad Yakubu, 9, went missing and later hacked to his early death through the ritualists’ knives and his body parts wet the appetite of savages. Like Ahmad, we failed other youngsters who were similarly slaughtered in their primes in the past.

On a larger scale, our negligence strengthened banditry activities which sought to consume us all today.

Instead of pointing the perpetrators out, we accommodated them and even point out our brothers to them to be abducted and killed.

We became their accomplices, their informants even as the wealthy ones among us sink money into their operations. And today, we can hardly sleep in our houses, ply the roads neither can our children go to the schools. And in a bid to exonerate ourselves, we blame others who are striving to rid our society of the mess we created.

Some dared to blame Governor Matawalle for not doing enough. They sabotaged his peace deal which drew bandits out of their hideouts; the deals which saw many of them surrendering hundreds of arms and ammunition, the deal which got many of them to renounce their criminal activities and released kidnap victims unconditionally.

In order to show commitment to the state, be seen as God fearing, be seen as those having nothing to do with these acts of banditry, all especially politicians who see themselves as opposition must join Matawalle, perhaps take the challenge earlier posed by the governor by swearing with the Holy Qur’an that they have nothing to do with the dastardly acts. Many people in the state were disappointed in the political leaders who are now in the opposition or have refused to identify with Matawalle with vehemence by their refusal to sympathize with the government when scores were recently killed by bandits in the two local government areas of Anka and Bukkuyun. Rather, these people were either challenging the figures of the deceased persons as released by security agencies and the Emirs of Anka and Bukkuyum or at some point, they were celebrating what they unfortunately saw as Matawalle’s inability to end the carnages, even though they know that his role is limited.

It should not be forgotten that people from far and near rushed to the state to sympathise with the government and people while those who placed political undertone to the matter even as indigenes of the state kept mum.

The federal government had sent a high powered delegation led by the Minister of Defence, the Izalatul Bid’a Wa Ikamatus Sunnah group under its National leader, Sheik Bala Lau and the Jamiyatul Ansarudinee Attijaniyya World Secretary General Sheik Muhammadu Lamin Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass were all in the state as well as the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu were all in the state for sympathy, so possible reason does one have under opposition to refuse to even send a letter to console the people and government as indication that we are inseparable when bereaved.

As it is now and with cannibals emerging in the society, it behoves on all to join the governor in order to end these criminalities because the man-eaters like the bandits will not select a Matawalle supporter’s child and leave the other who is son to opposition.

They have now also resorted to banding and manufacturing statistics of brothers and sisters who are daily murdered due to their collective negligence instead of joining Matawalle in his efforts aimed at ending the menace. But how long can they continue on this road; how long can they sustain the tempo? Only time will tell.

Opinion

Between President Tinubu and Governor Namadi of Jigawa State

Published

3 days ago

January 28, 2025

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Malam Umar Namadi

By Adamu Muhd Usman

The third American President, Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809), once said, “The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” He also stated, “That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.” Inspired by these quotes, I feel encouraged to appeal to His Excellency, the Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Umar Namadi (FCA), also known as Dan Modi, on certain critical issues affecting the state. These matters weigh heavily on me, as they directly impact the people of Jigawa, and the governor is in the best position to address them. If revisited and resolved, they will significantly benefit a large segment of the populace.

Currently, Jigawa State lacks substantial federal government presence in this democratic dispensation. Almost all the projects directly impacting the people are state-led initiatives executed by your administration. While intervention funds and empowerment programs are shared across states, they are often not visible or enduring. What Jigawa needs are sustainable projects or programs that benefit the majority of its residents—irrespective of tribe, religion, political affiliation, or nationality.

Jigawa is an agrarian state with over 3,000 hectares of Fadama land capable of feeding the nation, yet it has remained neglected for over 40 years. President Tinubu’s administration has failed to complement the state government’s efforts in executing capital projects, which could have supported Malam Umar Namadi’s 12-point agenda and improved the people’s well-being. The federal government’s neglect of Jigawa is evident, and it has taken the wisdom, experience, and determination of Governor Namadi, with the help of God, to execute key projects during these challenging times under Tinubu’s administration.

It is worth noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2023 presidential election in Jigawa, with Tinubu securing more votes than Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This obligates us to appeal to our governor to advocate for federal support, particularly for the promises made by APC and President Tinubu to Nigerians.

Take, for instance, the Hadejia Irrigation Project or Hadejia Irrigation Scheme, initiated in 1980 under the Shagari regime, nearly 45 years ago. The project, intended to irrigate over 2,000 hectares of farmland, remains underdeveloped. This administration has the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to progress by allocating funds in the 2024 or 2025 budgets to revitalise the project. With proper funding, the Hadejia River Basin could significantly contribute to national food security. Jigawa farmers already grow crops like rice, cowpeas, wheat, and vegetables, which could yield 3–4 harvests annually with improved varieties and irrigation.

Unfortunately, the federal government appears to pay lip service to critical issues affecting the economy and the people of Jigawa. I urge Governor Namadi to leverage his experience, moral values, and close relationship with President Tinubu to push for the federal government’s intervention on these pressing matters. He should continue to appeal, remind, and advocate until tangible results are achieved.

During Dr. Sule Lamido’s tenure as governor, he actively lobbied the federal government under Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan for projects like the Federal University Dutse (FUD), the Federal Medical Centre, and the reimbursement for the Dutse airport construction. His efforts even led to a ₦10 billion allocation for the Hadejia Irrigation Project, though it remains incomplete. Governor Namadi should follow this example and persist in lobbying for federal support.

Another urgent issue is the reconstruction of the Hadejia-Gamayin-Kafin Hausa-Jahun-Ajingi-Gaya-Wudil federal road. Despite efforts by previous administrations, including Sule Lamido, the road remains in disrepair. This road connects Jigawa and Kano states and serves as a vital link to the northeastern region. Given the cordial relationship between Governor Namadi and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf Kabir, as well as Vice President Kashim Shettima’s influence, there is an opportunity to collaborate and push for the road’s reconstruction.

The road, which leads to Sule Lamido University Kafin-Hausa, has become a death trap, with frequent accidents and armed robberies. It also serves as a crucial route for transporting farm produce and livestock from rural to urban areas. Its reconstruction would promote education, economic growth, and social development, while reducing insecurity. I appeal to Governor Namadi to prioritise this project and secure federal support.

Lastly, Governor Namadi should remind President Tinubu about ensuring equitable representation of Jigawa indigenes in federal appointments and opportunities. Allegations persist that Jigawa’s quotas in federal agencies and commissions are often sold or allocated to individuals from other states. Your Excellency, please investigate and address this issue to ensure fairness and transparency.

May Allah continue to unite, protect, and bless Jigawa State.

Adamu Muhd Usman
Kafin-Hausa, Jigawa State

Opinion

Celebrating the selfless contributions of the President, Emnamu Foundation

Published

3 days ago

January 27, 2025

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Emmanuel N. Musa

By Wilberforce Edward

In a world where kindness and compassion seem to be fading, individuals like Mr. Emmanuel N. Musa, President of Emnamu Foundation, remind us of the transformative power of humanity. Through his tireless efforts, Mr. Musa has been a beacon of hope for countless lives across Nigeria.

Based in Kala’a, Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Emnamu Foundation has been a driving force for positive change under Mr. Musa’s visionary leadership. His unwavering commitment to empowering the unemployed youth, supporting the aged, and uplifting indigent communities has earned him a reputation as a true humanitarian.

Mr. Musa’s selflessness and generosity have touched hearts and transformed lives across several states in Nigeria. His dedication to creating opportunities for the marginalized and vulnerable is a testament to his character and compassion.

As we celebrate Mr. Musa’s remarkable contributions, we are reminded that one person can make a difference. His story inspires us to embrace our shared humanity and strive for a world where kindness, empathy, and generosity are the guiding principles.

We salute Mr. Emmanuel N. Musa for his outstanding work and encourage others to follow in his footsteps. Together, we can build a brighter future for all.

Opinion

Island of Harmony: Praslin, Seychelles, Where Humans and Animals Coexist in Perfect Peace

Published

3 days ago

January 27, 2025

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By Lamara Garba

Tucked away in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, the town of Praslin some 120 km from Mahe the capital city of Seychelles is a haven of peace and harmony.

This picturesque town is home to a unique and fascinating phenomenon – humans, animals, and birds living together in perfect synchrony.

Unlike in Nigeria where human lives have no value whatsoever as evident by the frequent incidences of wanton destruction from the hands of bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers and sometimes even from the “accidental discharge of fire arms” from the security forces, in Praslin, it was a completely the opposite situation.

As you stroll through the streets of Praslin, you’ll notice a striking absence of fear or aggression between the different species. Birds flit about, perching on shoulders and arms, while giant tortoises amble along, unafraid of the humans around them. Even the town’s dogs and cats seem to have made peace with the island’s wildlife, often lounging together in the shade.

What catches my attention was the way I noticed birds picking from the ground while I was pursuing them, but they never entertain any fear of aggression from me, rather, they seems to be unmindful of my presence and instead, busy with their business of picking items for their stomach

Therefore, this remarkable harmony is no doubt, a manifestation of the peaceful nature of the inhabitants of Praslin in particular and the good governance of Seychelles.

The island nation has long been committed to preserving its unique environment and promoting sustainable tourism. As a result, Praslin has become a model for eco-friendly development and community-led conservation.

Visitors to Praslin can’t help but be enchanted by the town’s laid-back atmosphere and the warm hospitality of its people. Whether you’re exploring the island’s stunning beaches, hiking through the lush forests, or simply soaking up the tranquility of the town, Praslin is a true gem of the Indian Ocean.

Perhaps in a world often marked by conflict and division, Praslin stands as a shining example of what can be achieved through peaceful coexistence and responsible governance. As you leave this enchanting town, you can’t help but feel inspired by the possibility of a more harmonious world.