News
NAHCON board still incomplete, CSO tells Tinubu

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A Hajj and Umrah Civil Society Organisation (CSO), the Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint the remaining members of the board of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) as outlined in its establishment act.
The President, on October 17, 2023, announced the appointment of Mallam Jalal Ahmad Arabi as the Acting Chairman of the country’s apex Hajj regulatory body.
Additionally, the President announced additional members of the board and forwarded the same to the Senate for confirmation. They have all been confirmed and inaugurated into office.
IHR, in a statement on Thursday signed by its national coordinator Ibrahim Mohammed, said the new board of NAHCON is still incomplete.
According to the statement, “Section 3 of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) Establishment ACT 2006 under the composition of the leadership of the commission clearly states that the commission shall consist of – (a) a chairman, who shall be – (i) the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of the Commission; (ii) responsible to the Commission for the day-to-day management of the affairs of the Commission;
The statement noted that “(b) three full-time members and six part-time members representing each geo-political zone, provided that two of whom shall be women; (c) a representative each of the Ministry of – (i) Aviation; (ii) Foreign Affairs; (iii) Internal Affairs (Immigration); (iv) Finance; (v) Health; (d) a representative of the – (i) Central Bank of Nigeria; (ii) Jama’atul Nasril Islam; and (iii) Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs
Based on the recent appointments by Mr. President, it is clear that representatives of some key agencies are still missing, and this may affect the smooth running of Hajj operations in the country.
“Board members representing the Ministries of Aviation, Health, Finance, and Internal Affairs (Immigration) have all not been announced. The same goes for the representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“These members often coordinate activities related to their establishments, and some of them are very important and cannot be ignored.
The structure of Hajj preparations and operations requires NAHCON to function at full operational capacity as envisaged by the framers of NAHCON Establishment act.
“For instance, the member representing the Ministry of Health should have been at the forefront of the ongoing recruitment of medical personnel for Hajj 2024.
In the same vein, the representative of the Nigerian Immigration Service should be helping secure passports for intending pilgrims just as the representatives of CBN and Aviation should have been helping with facilitating the needed foreign exchange and preparations of selected airlines,” IHR said.
The CSO, therefore, urges the President to appoint the representatives of these MDAs because of the important role they play in successful Hajj operations.
News
Skype To Shut Down May 5 After Nearly 22 Years Of Operation

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Voice and video platform, Skype, is shutting down.
This development comes nearly 22 years after the platform came into existence.
On February 28, Microsoft announced it would retire Skype on May 5 to streamline its services and prioritise Teams for communication and collaboration.
In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion. At the time of acquisition, the organisation stated that it planned to make Skype a central part of its communications strategy.
This plan, however, faced stiff competition from platforms like WhatsApp and Zoom.
Microsoft’s own Teams also gained traction, which affected Skype’s popularity.
Launched in 2003, Skype quickly became a revolutionary tool for free voice and video calls over the internet, amassing more than 300 million monthly users at its peak in the mid-2010s.
The shutdown will impact both free and paid Skype users, although Skype for Business will continue temporarily.
Microsoft has urged users to transition to Teams by visiting skype.com and utilising the “Start using Teams” feature. All Skype chats and contacts will remain accessible through Teams using the same login credentials.
News
Trump Orders Rebuilding, Reopening Of Notorious Alcatraz Prison To Keep ‘Most Ruthless, Violent Offenders’

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
In a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump wrote he is “directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ” to house the US’s “most ruthless and violent Offenders”.
President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to rebuild and reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison, more than 60 years after it was shut down.
In a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump wrote he is “directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ” to house the US’s “most ruthless and violent Offenders”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after a weekend trip to Florida, the president said the move was “just an idea I’ve had” in response to frustration with “radicalised judges” who, according to him, insist that deportees receive constitutional protections, Al Jazeera reports.
“It’s a symbol of law and order,” he said.
The announcement comes as Trump’s administration faces increasing legal challenges over the use of an 18th-century law to deport individuals without due process.
The law, originally enacted during wartime, has been used by the administration to justify deportations of alleged gang members and criminals.
Trump has also “repeatedly floated the legally dubious idea” of sending US citizens convicted of violent crimes to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, known as CECOT.
In a recent interview, the president said he “didn’t know” whether people in the US are entitled to due process rights. The US Constitution guarantees such rights under the Fifth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits states from denying “equal protection of the laws”.
Alcatraz, which operated from 1934 to 1963, was once regarded as the most secure prison in the United States due to its location on an island surrounded by frigid waters and strong currents.
While 36 men attempted to escape in 14 separate incidents, no successful escapes were ever officially recorded. Five prisoners are listed as “missing and presumed drowned”.
The facility was shut down due to crumbling infrastructure and high operational costs. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it was nearly three times more expensive to run than any other federal prison at the time.
Today, Alcatraz Island is managed by the National Park Service and attracts over a million tourists each year. It is also designated a National Historic Landmark.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat whose congressional district includes Alcatraz, criticised the proposal. “It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” she wrote on
News
Bauchi community boils as bandits kill ten hunters, others

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
No fewer than 10 hunters were killed in an ambush by armed bandits in Mansur Forest, located in the Duguri/Gwana Districts of Alkaleri local government area of Bauchi State on Sunday.
The hunters from Duguri and Gwana Districts were on a routine patrol along the Duguri–Mansur–Dajin Madam Forest corridor, a border zone between Bauchi and Plateau States, when they were ambushed by the bandits.
Local sources from Duguri confirmed that four residents from Duguri and five others from Mansur lost their lives in the attack.
The incident reportedly occurred on Sunday morning and the bandits also rustled an unspecified number of cattle and sheep from the area.
It was further gathered that apart from the hunters killed, several of the bandits also died during the clash, including villagers from Sabuwar Sara village were also said to have been killed while attempting to flee the violence.
The Bauchi State Police Command has confirmed the incident but did not state the exact number of those who lost their lives during the attack.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Command’s spokesperson, CSP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, it was revealed that the attack occurred at about 05:40 hours on May 4, 2025, and was reported to the Alkaleri Divisional Police Headquarters around 09:40 hours.
“A combined team of professional hunters from Duguri and Gwana Districts, while on a routine patrol along Duguri, Mansur, and the Dajin Madam forest, bordering Bauchi and Plateau States, encountered an ambush by armed bandits,” Wakil stated.
He added that the confrontation resulted in multiple casualties on both sides, including members of the vigilante group and the assailants.
The PPRO further said tactical teams were dispatched to the scene, where the bodies of victims were recovered.
Police preliminary investigations indicated that the deceased included both local hunters and villagers from Sabuwar Sara village, who were shot while fleeing the attack.
The Command has launched a manhunt for those responsible, with a specialised team tasked with tracking down the perpetrators and anyone connected to the attack.
Commissioner of Police, CP Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has deployed additional tactical teams to Mansur village in Alkaleri LGA and met with community stakeholders.
He condemned the killings, describing them as “utterly reprehensible” and a serious threat to peace and security in the state.
He also extended his condolences to the families of the victims and assured the public that the Command was committed to a thorough investigation and to bringing those responsible to justice.
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