Ganduje faulted his aide for criticising the APC government

 

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state has sacked his special adviser on media, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, for making a statement termed critical to the Buhari administration.

Yakasai’s sack was announced by the state commissioner for information, Malam Muhammad Garba, on Saturday, February 27.

 Photo: Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR/Facebook, @dawisu/Twitter

He said the termination of Yakasai’s appointment is with immediate effect.

The commissioner stated that the aide was relieved of his duties over his continued unguarded comments and utterances which are deemed contrary to the stand of the (APC) government which he is serving.

The government also warned political appointees and public servants to guard against making statements capable of drawing superfluous controversy.The Kano government stated that Yakasai has failed to differentiate between personal opinion and official stand on matters of public concern.

Yakasai's sack followed a statement on Friday, February 26, where he criticised the current administration in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, reports have claimed that the former aide has been arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) over his comments.

Hours after Yakasai’s viral tweets, it was gathered that he suddenly disappeared even as friends and relations began to panic.

Salihu Tanko Yakasai, a social media aide to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state, has been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) some hours after he criticised President Muhammadu Buhari.

Yakasai had in a series of tweets on Friday, February 26, in reaction to the abduction of about 317 female students of Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara state, said the kidnappings had become too frequent.

The Ganduje’s aide had also said if it was under another president’s watch that the abductions had happened, there would have been more outrage in the north.

Salihu Yakasai hours after criticising President Buhari. Credit: @dawisu

The  attempts to speak with the DSS Spokesman, Peter Afunaya, proved abortive as he neither responded to calls nor a text message on Saturday.

In a related story AIh.Tanko Yakasai, a northern elder statesman and father to Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has confirmed that his son (Salihu) is in security custody.

Yakasai was not specific on which of the security custody was his son detained.

In a phone interview today, the  elder stateman  noted that his son was detained on friday February 26, when he went to the barbing salon and was on his way back home.

Yakasi said:

“He is in the custody of security and not kidnappers. I don’t know which of the security custody now because they (security) are many.

“He was picked yesterday (Friday) when he went to cut his hair at the barbing salon when he was on his returning. But there is nothing to worry about since he is with the security and not kidnappers.

To news on security, following the recent attacks on secondary schools, the Kano government has taken steps to avoid such occurrences in the state.

As a result of this, the government ordered the closure of 10 boarding schools in the state.

This was disclosed by Muhammad Kiru, the state commissioner for education.

FG reopens Third Mainland Bridge

 

The federal government has reopened the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos state after the completion of the rehabilitation works.

The minister of works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced this via his Twitter handle on Saturday, February 27.

He said:

”Third mainland bridge rehab completed. Fully opens to traffic at 12noon today. Thank you all for your patience. Drive safely."

The Third Mainland Bridge after six months of rehabilitation.

The government had announced on Wednesday, February 24, that the bridge would be shut for 24 hours from Friday, February 26.

It will be recalls that the bridge was partially shut for repairs on July 24, 2020.

In his tweet on Saturday, February 27, Sanwo-Olu told the residents of the state that the bridge is now accessible to all.The Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also confirmed the successful completion of the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge.

Sanwo-Olu said:

“Dear Lagosians, the Third Mainland Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation is completed and is now fully accessible to all. Thank you for your patience and kind understanding during the period of its closure. Please adhere strictly to traffic laws while commuting.

“Third mainland bridge rehab completed. Fully opens to traffic at 12noon today. Thank you all for your patience. Drive safely.”

It was gathered that the construction was initially divided into two phases of three months on each carriageway, starting with the Oworonsoki-bound carriageway whose completion dragged to four months.

Meanwhile,  we had previously reported that the federal government shut the busy Lagos Third Mainland Bridge for scheduled maintenance by the federal ministry of works.

It was reported that Fashola said maintenance of the busiest bridge in the country was to replace damaged components for a better motoring experience.

The minister noted that the maintenance work would last from July 2020 to January 2021.

Zamfara govt confirms abduction as Police reveals 317 girls were kidnapped by bandits

 

Hours after the abduction of female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata-Mafara local government area of Zamfara state, the government has finally reacted.

The state commissioner of security and home affairs, Abubakar Dauran, confirmed the incident in a brief interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Friday, February 26.

The commissioner said the abductors in their hundreds invaded the town and took away the students at about 2 am on Friday, February 26.

He said:

"The Zamfara state government said that it would not leave any stone unturned in order to secure the quick release of the abducted girls". Credit: @Bellomatawalle1.

“I can confirm to you now that we have sadly received the report on the abduction of the students of GGSS Jangebe and right now, I am on my way to the school.

“At this moment, l cannot say how many students were taken away by the gunmen until I get there, but we have already mobilized security men and members of the vigilante who are now in pursuit of the abductors.”

According to the report, a staff of the school who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity said the gunmen were shooting sporadically in the air to scare the residents before coming into the school.

The staff reportedly said:

“The gunmen in their hundreds invaded the town around 2 am on Friday, shot sporadically in the air to scare the residents before coming into the school."

A resident of the area who gave his name as Haliru Jangebe was quoted to have said that the local vigilantes had tried to repel the invaders but were overpowered.

It was reported that the incident happened in the early hours of Friday, February 26.

According to the report, a resident of Kawaye village identified as Sadi Kawaye said that his daughters, Mansura and Sakina were among those abducted. 

Meanwhile. Zamfara state police command has confirmed that a total of 317 schoolgirls were taken away by armed bandits in Government Girls Science Secondary School Jangebe in Jangebe, Zamfara state, Channels TV reports.

Speaking to journalists in the state, the Zamfara state commissioner of police, CP Abutu Yaro said a joint search and rescue operation is already underway with a view to rescuing the students kidnapped by the criminals.

President Buhari is yet to make any comment on the situation so far. Photo credit: @MBuhari

CP. Yaro said top security chiefs and other state government officials led a heavily armed re-enforcement team to Jangebe to complement the ongoing rescue operation in the locations where the students were believed to have been whisked to.

The commissioner while interfacing with the Principal of the school and the parents appealed to everyone to be calm, assuring them that the joint efforts of the police and other security agencies will surely lead to a successful rescue of the students 

In a related news the special adviser on media to the Kano state governor, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government has failed Nigerians in terms of securing the lives and properties of the citizens.

He wrote:Yakassai, an APC chieftain, but an avid critic of the Buhari administration, took the government to the cleaners after new reports of students kidnapped by bandits in Zamfara state.

“Clearly, we as APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number one duty we were elected to do which is to secure lives and properties and not a single day goes by without some sort of insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign.

“Each time another tragedy happens, we lament, condemn, create a hashtag, the government pretends to do something, no concrete steps to prevent reoccurrence, and then we repeat the process. To what end? Where are those saddled with the responsibility?

“Just last week it was #freekagaraboys, today we have a new hashtag #RescueJangebeGirls, who knows tomorrow what hashtag we will come up with? Perhaps one for ourselves when we get caught up in one of these daring attacks. This is sad and heartbreaking, I feel helpless and hopeless.’’

Chairman of NGF and governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, made the statement during some governors' solidarity visit to Niger governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, in Minna over the recent abductions in the state by the armed criminals.Meanwhile, the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, on Tuesday, February 23 declared that the ultimate agenda of armed bandits kidnapping people in northern Nigeria is to destroy the country.

Governor Fayemi stated that what is happening in the northern part of the country is terrorism, adding that there was no other term to describe the constant acts of banditry and kidnapping recorded in the north.