News
Kano this morning: Tuesday 18.12.18
By Mukhtar Yahaya Usman
Top Story: Hisbah disrupts ‘Lesbian Marriage’ in Kano
The Kano state Hisbah Command has arrested 11 women in Sabon Gari area of Fagge local government on Monday for allegedly organizing a lesbian marriage, a charge which the suspects have denied.
Officer in charge of the operation Nasiru Ibrahim said the Hisbah Command received intelligence report that Safiyya Yobe was about to get married to Fatima Gezawa at the event.
Nasiru Ibrahim said the Hisbah Command raided the event and arrested 11 women including the alleged ‘groom’ and ‘bride’.
However, one of the suspects Fati Jaririyar Zuciya said they organized the party in honor of the appointment of Fatima Gezawa as deputy chairlady of their dance club while the alleged ‘groom’ Safiyya Yobe is the chairlady of the club.
KANO TODAY recalls that in April 2007, there was a similar a case in Kano when a woman called ‘Aunty Maiduguri’ was alleged to have wedded four wives when she organized a party to raise money for a sex worker who was getting married to a man.
***
Teachers’ recruitment: Women protest in Gwale – Hundreds of women in Gwale local government have protested the alleged reallocation of their offers of employment as classroom teachers to other candidates favored by the council authorities.
KANO TODAY recalls that the Kano state government has recently recruited 1,239 female teachers across the 44 local governments of the state.
After the public launching of the recruitment exercise at the government house where a few candidates received their offers, the others were instructed to collect theirs at their respective local government secretariats.
The protesting women in Gwale are alleging that the chairman Community Re-orientation Committee (CRC) Sani Jibril Danzara connived with others to replace the names of the successful candidates with others who had not participated in the recruitment exercise.
Sani Danzara admitted that not all the women who were presented before the governor received offers of employment but denied that they were replaced by others.
He explained that the number of offers of employment granted to Gwale local government by the state government was less than the number of successful candidates.
***
Potassium Bromate: Court closes bakery – A Kano magistrate court has ordered the closure of a bakery, Sadiq Bread in Jajira, Dala local government and the burning of 796 loaves of bread made with Potassium Bromate.
Potassium bromate is used to strengthen the dough and allow it to rise higher. It also gives the finished bread an appealing white color. But it has been banned by NAFDAC because it can lead to cancer.
Sarkin Tsaftar Kano, Ja’afar Ahmad Gwarzo made the arrest following a tip from residents of the Jajira community.
Ja’afar Gwarzo said the magistrate Hadiza Rabi’u Bello summoned the bakery owner but he refused to appear before the court.
***
Electricity supply returns to Sharada Small Scale Industries – The Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has resumed the supply of electricity to Sharada Small Scale Industries following a power cut lasting more than a fortnight.
Kano Today recalls that the small-scale industrialists had earlier resisted attempts by KEDCO to install meters in their factories preferring a flat monthly payment as estimated billing.
The company however decided to cut its electricity supply alleging that it has been losing about N80million monthly in the area due to unpaid bills.
Following the intervention of Kano state commissioner of commerce, Ahmad Rabiu the small-scale industrialists have now agreed to getting their electricity consumption metered.
KEDCO spokesman, Mohammed Kandi said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has mandated all distribution companies to meter customers in their networks.
Mukhtar Yahya Usman
The Bayero University Kano said all Post Graduate programs in the university especially at Ph. D level will be holding lectures online, beginning from second semester.
Kano Focus reports this was contained in a weekly bulletin released by the University on Friday.
According to the bulletin, the vice chancellor of the University Sagir Adamu Abbas revealed this on Monday when he went round to monitor the commencement of lectures and assess the level of compliance with the Covid-19 protocols by both staff and students.
Mr Adamu a professor of education said the Centre for Information Technology of the University is making frantic efforts to kick start the virtual learning.
He added that the University has secured a license for zoom meeting, as the management is putting adequate arrangement with a view to starting the online teaching beginning from second semester of the current academic session.
He also revealed that the license was the largest in the country amongst the tertiary institutions with the capacity of holding twenty parallel sessions simultaneously with about 500 participants.
The Vice Chancellor, acknowledged the quantum of challenges facing tertiary institutions especially in developing countries on how to conduct their academic activities in conformity with the protocols of Covid-19.
Particularly given the fact that the system was not designed for an online mode of conducting lectures.
“However, as it is now, and for us to survive, it becomes imperative to devise a means to adapt to the new normal caused by the global pandemic of Covid-19,” He said.
He added that apart from the Ph.D degree programs, others that would be conducting their lectures via online mode are the General Studies Program (GSP) at undergraduate levels.
He said this was specifically introduced as part of the response by the government on the need for educational institutions to rise up to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic without making the students miss their lectures.
The Vice Chancellor noted that the virtual mode of lecture would be gradual.
He said it was hoped that in the very near future all courses and programmes would be taught virtually in which case all the needed facilities would be provided.
Professor Abbas charged students to observe all the protocols of curtailing the spread of the virus through wearing of face masks, social distancing, regular washing of hands and the application of hand sanitizers at all the times.
He said the University management would not hesitate to sanction any staff or student who refuse to obey the protocols.
Nasiru Yusuf
The Kano State High Court (Appeal Division) has) on Thursday quashed the conviction of one Yahaya Aminu Shariff, who was earlier in August last year sentenced to death by the Upper Sharia Court Filin Hockey presided over by Aliyu Muhammad Kani.
The court presided over by Justice Nura Sagir Umar, the Chief Judge of Kano State, ordered in its judgment read by Justice Nasiru Saminu, that Mr Shariff be tried afresh by another Upper Sharia Court.
He stated, “On Yahaya Aminu Sharif, the court set aside the trial for some procedural irregularities.
“But the case has been remitted back to the sharia court for a retrial”.
Justice Saminu also said the defendant must be provided with legal representation during the retrial.
He said it is mandatory where anyone is standing trial for a capital offence that may result in death penalty, such a defendant is entitled to a legal representation.
Justice Saminu relied on section 269 (3) and (4) of the Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, ACJL, which says any person standing trial in capital offence shall be entitled to legal representation, which must under any circumstances be provided even if it entails the court appointing a lawyer for the defendant, what is known as ‘Dock Brief’.
It may be recalled that on August 10, 2020, the Upper Sharia Court Hausawa Filin Hockey convicted and sentenced Mr. Sharif under section 382B of the Kano State Sharia Penal Code (2000) for insulting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a voice note he shared to a WhatsApp group called Gidan Umma Amina.
Similarly, the court also discharged and acquitted another blasphemer, Umar Faruk Bashir who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
The court set aside the sentence passed on Mr Bashir and declared the entire Upper Sharia Court’s judgment a nullity as the said Umar Faruk is a minor whose admission of guilt is inadmissible in law.
It could be recalled that the duo of Yahaya Sharrif Aminu and Umar Farouq Bashir were said to have sometimes early last year committed blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and making derogatory statement against Almighty Allah respectively.
The defendant through one Kola Alapinni appealed against the death sentence and 10 years imprisonment at the Kano State High Court (Appeal Division).
Reacting to the Thursday’s judgment, Mr Alapinni described the judgment as bitter and sweet.
He said, “Today, we have a bitter-sweet judgments as Umar Farouq has been set free completely because he was a minor that was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
“On the issue of Yahaya Aminu Sharrif which was a death sentence and that really shocked the whole of the country and international community. It also made us a laughing stock before the international community where someone will say something which was regarded as being disrespectful in a religion and he will be sentenced to death.
“He was sentenced to death without legal representation. It is unacceptable. And the court found in our favour that there were procedural irregularities. We were hoping that the court will set him free but unfortunately that didn’t happen and the matter has now been remitted back to the Shari’a court and it will be heard by another judge. And will be with proper guidance and legal direction. We will defend this robustly even up to the Supreme Court.”
On the constitutionality of the Shari’a penal code, he said, “we will go back and study the judgment and decide if we want to go to the court of appeal and Supreme Court thereafter. We want to know if the Shari’a penal code is in conflict with the Section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution which says the Federal or state government must not be seen to be promoting any religion. That is what Kano State is doing.”
On his part, the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Musa A. Lawal said on one hand the judgment was a victory for the people of Kano especially that the court reaffirmed that the Shari’a penal code law has come to stay in the state.
“Constitutionally, the courts are created so that people can go there to get justice. The court today, reaffirmed that the Shari’a penal code law in Kano state is here to stay because in the appeal, the appellant clearly claimed that the law is contrary to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the court says no that the Shari’a penal code is a law that is here to stay in the state. So of course, this is a victory for the people of Kano state on one side.
“On the second part, if you look at the second case which was a minor, what the court says is that he is a minor and so cannot be tried as he has not attained the age or incurring liability. That is the reason why he was discharged and acquitted not because the Shari’a penal code law was unconstitutional or for any other reason.
“To buttress that fact, the second case was ordered for retrial under the said law. And the only reason given there was based on the constitutional provision especially when you are charging someone with a capital offence you need to get him a lawyer. There was no legal representation on his part. So if you look at the two cases it is a victory for the people of Kano state and victory for the Shari’a penal code,” Mr Lawan stated.
Nasiru Yusuf
Kano Road and Traffic Agency, KAROTA has intercepted a motor vehicle conveying 172 parcels of l Indian hemp worth N30 Million into the state.
A statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson of the agency Nabulisi Kofar Na’isa said the operation which took place around 3:30 am on Wednesday led to the arrest of the diver along Gwarzo road while other suspects believed to be the owners of the consignment managed to escape.
He however said the Agency has handed over the exhibits to the state office of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA for further investigation.
The statement quoted the Managing Director of the agency Baffa Babba Dan’agundi calling on people to assist the agency with credible information that would lead to the arrest of any person or group of persons engage in any form of crime in the state especially on the state roads.
Kano was rated among the states with highest record of drug abuse in Nigeria. This among many other factors led to the state government to constitute a task force on drug abuse comprising personnel of NDLEA, Police, Civil Defence, KAROTA personnel and Hisbah (Moral police).
BUK begins online lectures next semester
Blasphemy: Court orders retrial of Aminu Sharif sentenced to death
KAROTA intercepts 172 parcels of Indian hemp
COVID-19: Ganduje directs local governments to constitute committees against Coronavirus
Police arrest 4 suspected kidnappers including a woman terrorising Zamfara, Kano
Ganduje pays condolence visit to Kwankwaso, tips of turbanning Baaba to succeed his late father
Police arrest gunman who abduct a German after killing his escort
Kano government delegation condoles Kwankwaso
Ganduje mourns Kwankwaso’s death
Police bust Kano phone snatching syndicate, arrest suspects
-
Headlines1 year agoMeet Abubakar Terab: Sheikh Daurawa lookalike in ‘dancing video’
-
Headlines1 year agoAKTH gets acting CMD
-
Reports2 years agoSex for Marks: How Kano students are suffering in silence
-
Headlines1 year agoAbducting, converting our children to Christians ‘very dangerous’–Kano Elders