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Ex- Nigerian Minister of Finance and Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, has died at the age of 88.

According to Daily Trust, family sources confirmed that the elder statesman died on Thursday morning at a hospital in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, after a brief illness.

Alhaji served as Minister of National Planning and later Minister of Finance during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida. In 1992, he was appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom after leaving the Finance Ministry. He served in London until mid-1996, when the military government of General Sani Abacha replaced him with Ambassador Uche Okeke.

A direct descendant of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo, Alhaji began his public service career in 1964 as an Assistant Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. By 1975, he had risen to the position of Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Trade before returning to the Ministry of Finance as Permanent Secretary in 1979.

As Permanent Secretary, he managed Nigeria’s relations with external creditors and served on the country’s negotiating team for the Lomé II Agreement. His reputation for administrative competence earned him appointment as Minister of State for Budget and Planning in 1988 under the Babangida administration.

He served as Minister of Finance between 1990 and 1991, a period marked by the implementation of structural adjustment policies and Nigeria’s engagement with international financial institutions.

Following his ministerial service, he represented Nigeria as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, where he was widely regarded for his measured diplomatic approach.

Beyond public office, Alhaji held one of Northern Nigeria’s most prestigious traditional titles.

He was turbaned Sardauna of Sokoto in 1990, succeeding to the revered title once held by the late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of Northern Nigeria who was assassinated in 1966.

As Sardauna, he was regarded as a custodian of the values and heritage of the Sokoto Caliphate.

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…confirms NJC has party’s petition already

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said it has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) against Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over his handling of the suit in which he ordered the deregistration of the party and four others.

ADC National Legal Adviser and ex- Edo State Governor, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, revealed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, declaring that the judge’s conduct is a serious breach of judicial hierarchy.

“We had actually petitioned Justice Lifu to the NJC. We already have a petition against him, and we are pursuing it. This is even an additional reason for us to pursue it because it is incumbent on all of us to ensure that we have a sanitised judiciary in Nigeria,” Osunbor said.

The professor of law accused the judge of deliberately disregarding an order of the Court of Appeal directing him to stay proceedings in the matter.

“How flagrant can a violation be, more than what Lifu did? To say to the Court of Appeal, ‘Yes, I am aware; I have seen; I have received and acknowledged your stay of proceedings, but I will not obey it because you do not have any power to arrest my judgement.’ That is disturbing. For a lower court to completely disregard the order of a superior court is unprecedented. The rule of law thrives on obedience to court orders,” he added

Responding to questions about the possibility of further litigation, Osunbor expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would uphold the principle of obedience to court orders.

“The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that it will not tolerate the violation of court orders. No matter how perverse a court order may appear, it is not for anyone to disobey it. The court will come down very hard on anyone who violates a valid court order,” he said.
Osunbor also criticised recent moves to deregister opposition parties, noting that many Nigerians initially believed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was working in concert with those seeking to weaken the opposition.

His remarks came a day after the Court of Appeal in Abuja nullified the Federal High Court judgement directing INEC to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

In a unanimous judgement delivered on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the June 15 decision of the Federal High Court was a nullity because it was founded on an incompetent suit filed by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), a body the court held lacked the legal capacity to institute the action.

Justice Abba Mohammed, who delivered the lead judgement, ruled that the trial court wrongly assumed jurisdiction and ignored evidence showing that the affected political parties had won elective positions in previous elections.

The appellate court also faulted Justice Lifu for proceeding with the case despite an earlier order directing him to stay proceedings pending the determination of an appeal.

The court described the trial judge’s action as “a form of judicial impertinence”, noting that the Supreme Court had previously held that a judge who disregards a superior court’s order could be considered “unfit for the bench”, describing such conduct as “judicial rascality.”

The appellate court consequently set aside the deregistration order, restored the legal status of the five political parties, and awarded costs against the NFFL, which had instituted the suit.

Justice Lifu had earlier ruled that the parties failed to satisfy the constitutional requirements for continued registration under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), citing their alleged poor electoral performance in the 2023 general elections and subsequent by-elections. He had also restrained INEC from recognising the parties or accepting candidates nominated by them for the 2027 general elections.
However, the Court of Appeal held that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit and ruled that all the affected political parties remain duly registered.

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Police operatives in Sokoto State, supported by troops of the Nigerian Army, have rescued 32 abductees after a fierce gun duel with armed bandits in Maikujera village, Rabah Local Government Area of the state.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation followed a distress call received at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Rabah Division, reporting the movement of a large group of heavily armed bandits around the remote community bordering Zamfara State.

The intelligence indicated that the gunmen were moving with several kidnapped victims and rustled livestock while shooting indiscriminately to intimidate residents.

Upon receiving the report, the DPO immediately mobilised tactical assets, including personnel from the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violent Crime Reaction Unit (VCRU), while coordinating with troops at a nearby Army Forward Operating Base (FOB).

Security forces swiftly established blocking positions along suspected escape routes to prevent the bandits from fleeing with their captives.

The combined team subsequently engaged the criminals in a prolonged exchange of gunfire, forcing the bandits to abandon both the kidnapped victims and the rustled livestock before escaping into the surrounding forest under sustained pressure from the security forces.

Following the encounter, security operatives conducted an extensive search of the bush and nearby communities to locate victims who had dispersed into the surrounding area while seeking safety.

The operation led to the successful rescue of 32 kidnapped victims, all of whom were recovered alive and without physical injuries.

The rescued victims comprised six adult males and 26 females, the majority of whom were children.

The victims were evacuated to a secure location where they are receiving medical attention and psychosocial support ahead of their reunification with their respective families.

However, Zagazola gathered that four residents were killed by the bandits during the initial attack on the community before the arrival of security personnel.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Sokoto State, CP Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, expressed condolences to the bereaved families and assured residents that security agencies were intensifying efforts to track down and apprehend the fleeing bandits.

He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state, urging members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.

The latest operation illustrates the growing synergy between the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army in responding to bandit attacks across communities in northwestern Nigeria, particularly along the Sokoto–Zamfara border, where criminal groups have continued to exploit difficult terrain to carry out kidnappings, cattle rustling and attacks on rural settlements. (Zagazola)