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Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo paid a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his residence in Kano, on Thursday.
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‎Obasanjo was received by Kwankwaso and the NDC governorship candidate in the state, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo.
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‎Kwankwaso’s media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, confirmed the visit in a statement, describing it as an opportunity for “warm exchanges” between the leaders.
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‎He, however, did not give further details on what the two politicians discussed during the meeting.

‎Kwankwaso served as Minister of Defence during Obasanjo’s second tenure between 2003 and 2007, and has since then maintained a good relationship with him.

NDC Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, is also a loyalist of the former President.

Obasanjo backed Obi in the 2023 elections and there are reports that he mid-wifed the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance for the 2027 elections.

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Bandits have reportedly set ablaze a primary school in Dekara town, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, despite allegedly collecting a N10 million levy from communities in the area.

Residents revealed that the attackers burnt down Central Primary School, Dekara, during an attack on the town on Wednesday.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bandits emerged from the Kainji Lake National Park and invaded the community.

According to him, villages and communities in Dekara District recently raised and paid N10 million demanded by the bandits after they threatened to attack them if the levy was not paid.

He said the payment was made following assurances from the bandits that residents would be allowed to remain in their communities without further attacks.

“The bandits imposed a N10 million levy on communities in the district. The money was paid because they threatened to attack us if we failed to comply.

“But despite receiving the money, they still attacked the district headquarters and burnt down the primary school,” the resident said.

In a related development, bandits reportedly launched fresh attacks on Dnakau, Lanta and Unguwan Kawo communities in Shiroro Local Government Area.

Residents said one person was killed while another was kidnapped during the attacks.

The victims were identified as Moses Joseph of Unguwan Kawo, who was abducted, and Emma from Bagna community, who was shot during the raid.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Niger State Police Command were unsuccessful.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, neither answered phone calls nor responded to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.

Daily Trust

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An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Essien Udim Local Government Area has sentenced a 36-year-old mother of four, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, to life imprisonment for attempting to murder a 12-year-old girl.

Jonah, a hairdresser and divorcee from Ikot Obong in Afaha Clan, Essien Udim LGA, was convicted on a one-count charge of attempted murder contrary to Section 276 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38 Vol. 2, Laws of Akwa Ibom State, 2022.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Winifred Effiong held that the prosecution proved the charge beyond a reasonable doubt and sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment, the mandatory punishment prescribed by law.

According to evidence presented before the court, the victim had accompanied her mother, a pepper trader, to the market where she was hawking fresh pepper when the defendant approached her under the guise of wanting to make a purchase.

The prosecution said Jonah told the girl that an elderly customer wanted to buy pepper but could not walk to the market. She allegedly persuaded the child to accompany her to a nearby bush, claiming the customer was close by and payment could be made there.

Testifying before the court, the victim said she initially followed the woman because she appeared respectable and was neatly dressed. However, she became suspicious when they ventured further into the bush and attempted to turn back.

The girl recounted that the defendant restrained her, tied her mouth with a piece of cloth to stop her from screaming, and attacked her with a knife.

“She brought a knife from her bag and cut my left eyebrow and the right side of my neck before running away,” the victim told the court, adding that the incident occurred in a bush near Urua Akpan Market in Essien Udim.

Jonah was arraigned on August 12, 2024. The charge was read and interpreted to her in the Annang language, and she pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses and tendered the statements of both the defendant and the victim as exhibits.

In her defence, Jonah admitted taking the child from the market into the bush but denied attacking her. She claimed she handed the girl over to another woman who was cultivating waterleaf in the area.

Justice Effiong rejected the defence, describing the claim as unsubstantiated because the defendant failed to provide the identity, address or any description of the alleged woman.

The court held that the victim’s testimony was corroborated by independent evidence, including the injuries she sustained, the defendant’s admission that she led the child into the bush, and the victim’s immediate identification of the defendant while receiving treatment at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Urua Akpan.

The judge ruled that the circumstances clearly demonstrated an intention to kill.

“The defendant lured a vulnerable child away from the safety of a public market and into a secluded bush. The child sustained a deep cut to the neck and injuries to the eye.

“The neck is one of the most vital and vulnerable parts of the human body. A person who deliberately inflicts a deep cut on the neck of a helpless child must be presumed to intend the natural and probable consequences of such an act.

“The fact that the child survived does not negate the intention,” the judge held.

Justice Effiong further stated that the defendant’s attempt to shift responsibility to an unidentified third party failed to create any reasonable doubt, describing the prosecution’s evidence as direct, credible and compelling.

Following the conviction, defence counsel urged the court to temper justice with mercy and grant the defendant a second chance.

However, the judge held that the court lacked the discretion to impose a lesser sentence because Section 276 of the Criminal Code prescribes life imprisonment for attempted murder.

“This court lacks the jurisdiction to reduce the sentence prescribed by law. The defendant, Uwakmfon Isaac Jonah, is hereby sentenced to confinement for life,” Justice Effiong ruled.