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Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
By: Michael Mike
Scavengers activities have been restricted in and around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to dumpsites as they have been warned against moving around either during the day or at night in the city.
The present ban followed the criminal activities of some scavengers popularly known as ‘baba nbolas’ in the area.
They have been alleged to be involved in carting away critical infrastructure especially manholes from the expressways in the city.
Parading 36 scavengers who were arrested with dangerous weapons and vandalized items, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Dr Olusola Odumosu, said scavengers who roam the streets of FCT, indiscriminately, perpetrate all forms of criminal activities under the guise of scavenging.
According to him, the move by the FCT Administration was necessitated by the need to nip vandalism of public infrastructure such as manhole covers, streetlights, solar panels, armoured cables, and so on, in the bud.
Items recovered from the 36 suspects include four daggers, three jack knives, two chisels, three knives, two pinches and 10 bottles of codeine syrup.
Others are 45 wraps of indian hemps, thrash bags, pieces of iron rods and narcotic drugs.
The scavengers, he explained, go about the nooks and crannies of the city and satellite towns; house-to-house, estate-to-estate, scavenging for plastics, scrap metals and irons.
He said: “But from previous arrests, interrogations and investigations, we have realised that their real business is to vandalise and remove our road infrastructure such as: manhole covers, flood drain covers, streetlights, armoured cables, rail sleepers, iron rods for bridge enforcement and the likes, which would fetch them good money.
“The public also needs to know that some ‘Baba Nbolas’ now disguise to rob innocent commuters and bystanders as they go about with dangerous weapons to attack and disposes them of their personal belongings especially at night. Our record shows that many who dared to challenge them in the past had met their untimely deaths while others are maimed in various parts of the Federal Capital Territory” he said.
Many residents of the FCT and environs, Odumosu noted, have experienced sudden disappearances of many of their household items like generators, cooking pots, stoves, pressing iron, air conditioners, compressors, car batteries, security light panels, iron drain covers and so on.
“Scavengers are major suspects to most of such disappearances and they carry out these activities whenever they notice that there is no one in sight, but not without wielding dangerous weapons in case they are busted by the house owners.
“The most vital is that many of them work as informants for armed robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins, terrorists, bandits a#nd all sorts of criminal gangs. Many families have fallen victims of kidnapping, abduction for ransom, murder, assassination and the likes because they give information about your family, the number of children you have, the types of cars you drive, where you work and by extension, keeping tabs on your movement.
“They (baba nbola) also assess and profile you through the kind of household waste products you dispose which, in most cases, reveal your status and lifestyles.
Unfortunately, and in most cases, many of us perceive these miscreants and criminals as ordinary innocent, poor Nigerians, hustling for their daily bread so they move about unchecked and unquestioned by anyone, some of us even sympathise with them, by extending alms to them, whereas, they are responsible for the various crimes happening around you.
“Owing to these revelation and credible intelligence at our disposal, it is therefore imperative that citizens and residents join hands with the corps and other security agencies to flush out these dangerous elements in the FCT by chasing scavengers away whenever you see them in front of your houses, your streets, neighbourhood or estates.
“The public should note that, although, they appear innocent, armless and vulnerable, most of them are extremely dangerous, their activities are criminal in nature and they constitute threats not only to the safety and security of lives, property and infrastructure in the FCT but to Nigeria’s national security architecture as a whole” he noted.
The commandant used the occasion to advise FCT residents to dispose their refuse properly and stop patronising the Baba Nbolas for the sake of their own safety and that of their family members.
Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites
Govt Namadi Awards Special Scholarship to 801 PWDs, Destitute Children
By: Aminu B Dutse
No fewer than 801 People Leaving With Disabilities (PWD), PWDs and other destitute children students studying in various tertiary institutions across the country got special scholarship in addition to general scholarships from Jigawa State governor Malam Umar Namadi.
Speaking while launching the programme, governor Malam Umar Namadi at Banquet Hall at government house, said the programme is under the “Danmodi Students Care” initiative where the beneficiaries drown from 27 local government areas of the state.
Malam Umar Namadi explained that the initiative complements the state’s annual local and foreign scholarship program, which benefits over 36,000 of students from the state.
He revealed that in 2024, his administration reviewed and increased the annual scholarship allowance by 150%, ensuring it covers at least 50% of undergraduates’ registration fees.
Governor Namadi emphasized his administration’s commitment to investing in human capital development, particularly in education and empowerment, which are fundamental to achieving sustainable growth and development.
According to him “Education is a key pillar in our 12-Point Agenda, and we will continue to invest in our students, who are the future assets of our dear state, he said.
At the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Student Affairs and President of “*Danmodi Students Care”, Comrade Salisu Muhammad Seeker, explained that the special scholarship targets students studying Medicine, Health Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, and selected Arts and Social Science courses.
“Additionally, students under the ‘Women for Health’ program” , selected from rural areas, are among the beneficiaries,”* he said.. “The scholarship will support them from admission until graduation, subject to annual academic performance reviews based on the program’s criteria.” Comrade Salisu stated.
He noted that the initiative aligns with Governor Umar Namadi’s agenda to ensure access to education for every child in the state, regardless of their parents’ socioeconomic status.
Comrade Salisu further stated that, For the 2024/2025 academic session, Danmodi Student’s Care assisted over 1,000 students to gained admission into various universities and tertiary institutions, with 400 of them qualifying for this scholarship.
He revealed that “Danmodi Students Care” is an initiative designed to support rural and underprivileged students in securing tertiary education admission while providing comprehensive welfare and academic support to enhance their performance.
Govt Namadi Awards Special Scholarship to 801 PWDs, Destitute Children
Police Conduct Raids Across Abuja, Arrest 62 Suspects for Criminal Activities
By: Zagazola Makama
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 62 suspects during a series of coordinated raids on black spots and uncompleted buildings across various areas in Abuja.
Police sources confirmed that the raids took place on the night of April 17 at around 11:40 p.m. Police operatives from multiple divisions, including Kubwa, Nyanya, Kabusa, Lokogoma, Utako, Gwarinpa, and Bwari, participated in the operation targeting criminal hotspots in their areas of responsibility.
The police recovered a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, as well as illicit drugs, from the locations raided.
“The arrested suspects are currently in custody and undergoing screening and interrogation at their respective divisional offices. Those found to be involved in criminal activities will be charged to court,” the sources stated.
Police Conduct Raids Across Abuja, Arrest 62 Suspects for Criminal Activities
Joint Nigeria–Niger Airstrikes Target Terrorist Enclave in Lake Chad Region
By: Zagazola Makama
The Nigerian Air Force, in a coordinated operation with its Nigerien counterpart, on Friday launched a series of precision airstrikes on suspected terrorist hideouts along the Nigeria–Niger border in the Lake Chad region.
The joint operation, which reportedly lasted for over four hours, was based on actionable intelligence gathered by Nigerien air surveillance units. The intelligence guided Nigerian fighter jets to specific locations believed to be used by terrorists for cross-border attacks.
According to initial field reports, the targeted area, described as a strategic terrorist enclave, was suspected of housing a mix of fighters, women, and children. The location had been under sustained observation for its alleged role in coordinating operations across the tri-border region of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad.
Following the bombardment, over 50 individuals were reportedly seen fleeing towards Fefewa, a remote village within the Lake Chad basin. Some of the escapees, according to unverified accounts, may have been attempting to regroup with a larger armed faction said to be fortified in nearby forested zones.
Although the casualty figures remain unclear, sources monitoring the operation, including Phantom Eye Hub, confirmed that investigations are underway to ascertain the impact and full extent of the strikes.
The joint air campaign underscores the increasing regional collaboration between Nigeria and Niger in countering insurgency threats.
Joint Nigeria–Niger Airstrikes Target Terrorist Enclave in Lake Chad Region
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