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The family of the Chairman, Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, Alhaji Mohammed Mahmood, who was kidnapped alongside his daughter Yasmin by unidentified gunmen along the Kaduna-Abuja express-way has raised the sum of N13 million ransom, Daily Trust  and other news agancies learnt. This was gathered in an alleged audio recording of phone conversation between the abductee and his relation called Saleh that took place Monday night. Daily Trust reports that Mahmood was abducted alongside his daughter while travelling from Kaduna to Abuja on Monday. During the incident that took place around Katari village, his driver was said to have shot dead. In the audio recording obtained by Daily Trust, the UBEC Chairman urged his family to hurry and gather more money in order to secure their release because time wasn’t on their side.  He said, “Saleh, please be hurry, time is not on our side It would take some time before we decide on the collection point, and we have planned...

*Increases budget figure from N8.83trn to N8.91trn The Senate on Tuesday passed  the 2019 Appropriation Bill presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari last December. The upper legislative chamber, however, jerked up the N8.83 trillion  federal budget estimate submitted by President Buhari to N8.91 trillion to accommodate support for victims of  recent killings in  Zamfara state and severance allowance for federal legislators and their aides which were not captured in the initial budget estimate. The passage of the bill was sequel to the presentation of the budget report by the Chairman of the Senate committee on Appropriation, Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central), at plenary after which the Senate reverted to its Committee on Supply for clause by clause consideration of the report. The bill was thereafter read the third time and passed. Details later…

• Asks for collaboration with FG on security •Yari warns on looming economic crisis Omololu Ogunmade and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has advised state governors to look inwards for ways to generate internal revenue to enable them pay the new minimum wage. Osinbajo also tasked the governors to collaborate with the federal government and design more creative ways of decisively addressing the country’s security challenges. This is coming as the Governor of Zamfara State and Chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, warned that Nigeria stands the risk of running into a serious economic crisis, if nothing is done to diversify its economy before 2026. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of a three-day induction of new and returning governors of the federation, which was organised by NGF, Osinbajo said states should not continue to expect that the federal government can do more interventions because that may not ...

*Allegation baseless, says commission Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is now replacing all the servers in its headquarters and offices in all states of the federation in a desperate bid to obliterate the ‘actual’ presidential election results transmitted from the polling centres across the nation. But in a swift reaction, the electoral body has described the allegation as baseless, adding that it would not engage in media war with the party. The party in a statement Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said that the PDP had been briefed on how the INEC leadership and officials of the Buhari Presidency became jittery and resorted to the desperate measure, after they realised that the servers had information of Atiku Abubakar’s victory at the election. To this end the main opposition party therefore insisted on forensic examination of all releva...

The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, May 1, 2019 as public holiday to celebrate the 2019 Workers’ Day. The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Barr. Georgina Ekeoma Ehuriah yesterday. He congratulated Nigerian workers on their commitment and sacrifice towards building a greater Nigeria. Dambazau also commended workers’ effort at ensuring the full implementation of the policies and programmes of the government through effective service delivery to Nigerians and foreigners at large.

* UBEC chairman, daughter kidnapped John Shiklam in Kaduna with agency report Despite the constant assurance by the acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to travellers on Kaduna-Abuja expressway of their safety, kidnappers yesterday afternoon blocked the major road, forcing several motorists to abandon their vehicles and head for nearby bushes to avoid being abducted. The bandits abducted many travellers, including Chairman of Universal Basic Education (UBEC), Dr. Muhammad Abubakar, and his daughter. The driver of the UBEC chairman was said to have been shot dead when the bandits opened fire on their vehicle. The development has left many motorists and passengers unaccounted for just as their belongings were carted away by the kidnappers. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who narrowly escaped the attack by the kidnappers, reported that the incident happened a few kilometres to Katari village in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna...

The federal government decision to ban all mining activities in Zamfara state over the violent attacks by bandits will drive away thousands of artisan workers registered under over 300 mining cooperatives into the labour market, Daily Trust findings have revealed.   The Zamfara state commissioner for environment, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmad Lugga, in an interview with Daily Trust said most of those mining golds in the state are small-scale miners, contrary to insinuations that they are mega companies owned by some prominent individuals. “Those talking about ex-military generals conducting mining activities in Zamfara state, perhaps, they are talking about General Aliyu Gusau and General Abdulsalam Abubakar. Yes, they obtained the mining exploration license and but they are yet to start the mining activities proper,” Lugga said. “Even those with the exploration licence, few of them have obtained the mining lease that gives them the permission to start the mining activi...

To checkmate PDP’s plan to determine Senate leadership Deji Elumoye  in Abuja As the race for the presidency of the ninth Senate intensifies, the Senator Ahmad Lawan for ninth Senate President Group has resolved to meet with two other ranking senators, Ali Ndume and Danjuma Goje, over the need for them to work together. The plan, according to THISDAY sources in the group, is to checkmate moves by the opposing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to determine the leadership of the Senate that is billed for inauguration in June. The PDP with 43 senators, according to THISDAY sources, plans to vote en bloc and is using its strategic number to negotiate with Goje and Ndume. Apart from bidding for Deputy Senate President, the main opposition party is also negotiating for the chairmanship of strategic committees of the Senate. With a division in the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senators-elect, the coast appears clear for the PDP to have its way with its 43...

* To be arraigned by EFCC today Bauchi State governor-elect, Mallam Bala Mohammed, will today face bribery charges at the Federal Capital Territory High Court 26 proffered against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mohammed, who is waiting to be sworn in on May 29, 2019, is accused of accepting as bribe houses are    located No 2599 & 2600 Cadastral Zone, AO4 Asokoro District, Abuja, from Aso Savings & Loans Plc in 2014,    contrary to Section 18 (b) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and punishable under Section 18 (d). The governor-elect was also alleged to have made a false statement to an EFCC investigating officer, Ishaya Dauda, that he acquired the Cadastral Zone property through a mortgage facility from Aso Savings & Loans as well as failing to make full disclosure of his property on 54, Mike Akhigbe Street, Jabi, Abuja in the course of filing his asset declaration form at the...

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State consoles one of the soldiers wounded during the clashes in Kasuwan Magani community, at Kalapanzi Barracks in Kaduna State yesterday. First on the left is the Deputy Governor-elect Hadiza Balarabe …police debunk reports of fresh violence  The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kajuru Local Government of Kaduna CSP Umar Faruku and several soldiers were among those injured in the crisis that engulfed Kasuwan Magani on Friday. Daily Trust had earlier reported that two persons were killed and a house burnt in the short time the crisis lasted, which was followed by a curfew imposed on the area by the state government.  The DPO and the soldiers as well as other policemen who were shot during the crisis are receiving treatment at the Kalapanzin Barracks, St. Gerard’s and JNI Hospitals in Kaduna. The police public relations officer in Kaduna, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed that the DPO is responding to treatment. Kaduna State Gove...