Nation

Kaduna Blasts: Casualty Figure Hits 24 …As Moslem Congress Condemns Attacks

Published

13 years ago

April 11, 2012

Eight more people have been confirmed dead, as hospitals in Kaduna metropolis battle to save lives of victims of Sunday bomb explosion, The Tide source has confirmed.

Five of the victims on admission at the St. Gerard Hospital were confirmed dead by the Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr Sunday Ali.

He said three of the patients had also been referred to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, leaving only two at the hospital.

He said one of the remaining victims had a successful surgery on Monday night.

Officials of Barau Dikko Specialists Hospital also confirmed that three of the eight victims on admission at the hospital had lost their lives .

The figure raises the death toll to 24, after the 16 confirmed killed on the day of the incident by the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

The Police are however claiming that only 11 people were killed in the explosion.

Meanwhile, the victims are still waiting for the assistance promised them by the Acting Governor of the state, Alhaji Ramalan Yero, during his visit to hospitals where the victims are receiving treatment.

Relations of some of the victims urged the state government to take over the payment of the medical bills of all those affected by the blast.

“Nobody assisted us with anything since their admittance to the hospital,” one of the relations, Mai Unguwa Ali said.

Ali, whose brother, Mansur Ali, a commercial motorcyclist, was a victim, said he paid for the drugs and other medical charges.

“I found it difficult to pay for the treatment due to the nature of the injury,” Ali said.

Another relation, Ubale Awwal, said his brother, Nura Leko, a student, sustained injuries on his leg and parts of the body during the incident.

“I need help for his treatment. I was not happy with government’s response to the victims’ treatment,’’ he said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr Reuben Buhari, assured that the government would refund the medical bills incurred by the victims.

He said the government was still compiling the list of those affected and the hospitals they were admitted, for easy handling of the payments.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Congress (TMC) on Tuesday condemned the Easter Sunday bombing in Kaduna and described the Boko Haram sect as questionable crisis that should be tackled by government at all levels.

The congress, in a statement by its President, Mr Luqman Abdulraheem, in Lagos, said the killing was a ploy to turn Christians against Muslims and to endanger the peaceful coexistence of the country.

“Boko Haram insurgency is indeed a questionable crisis that must be proactively resolved by the federal, state and local governments, as well as security operatives.

“The Muslim and Christian communities in Nigeria are tired of the senseless bombings,’’ the statement said.

The TMC noted that the activities of the Boko Haram had dented the image of the country nationally and internationally, as well as created fear, terror and panic among the people.

It urged government at all levels to close ranks toward making activities of the sect “a thing of the past”.

“We see the continued bombings of sanctuaries and innocent Nigerians by the Boko Haram as a total failure of the nation’s security system that has consistently displayed incompetence in securing lives and property of Nigerians.

“We are tired of empty assurances and promises from the security agencies that they are on top of the situation,’’ it said.

The statement appealed to politicians, statesmen and opinion leaders to support the Federal Government in putting the situation under control.

The congress lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for the establishment of a special Almajiri School in Sokoto State and urged leaders from the north to embrace the initiative.

Nation

Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.

Nation

Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.

Nation

AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition

Published

1 week ago

February 14, 2025

The Tide

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.