Headlines
Why parents of 9 abducted Kano children deserve arrest–Emir Sanusi
By Mukhtar Yahya Usman
Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II has said parents of the nine Kano children who were abducted, forcefully converted to Christianity and sold in Anambra state, deserve to be arrested by the police for criminal negligence.
Kano Focus recalls that Kano Police Command had rescued nine missing children and paraded six Igbo persons who have confessed to abducting the kids, renaming and forcefully converting them to Christianity before selling them in Onitsha, Anambra state.
Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time, Mr Sanusi said when the abductions were first reported to him at his palace, he had asked his aides to find out from the Kano Police Command if there was any law on negligence.
The Emir spoke on Saturday at the 2019 public campaign on drug abuse organized by League for Societal protection against drugs abuse (LESPADA) held in Kano.
“People are talking that Igbo kidnapped our children, yes they did, but do they enter your house and steal them? Or you left your 3-year-old child roaming the street without knowing their whereabouts until they were missing?,” he asked rhetorically.
He said it is only in Hausa land that people abandon their children to roam the streets without taking care of them and when they are kidnapped, they would blame the government instead of themselves.
“Let’s tell ourselves the truth, I could remember when the case started and complaints were filed at the palace of missing children, what I said at that time was if I am the government I would have ordered the arrest of the parents for their negligence.
“I even asked to find from the then commissioner of police if there is any law on criminal negligence. How can someone appear before the emir and say his 3-year-old or 4-year-old child was missing? Any person who comes to tell the emir that his 3-year-old child has been abducted while playing outside his house deserves to be jailed for criminal negligence,” the Emir added.
‘Go to Onitsha and try it’
Mr Sanusi, who has been criticized for being silent on the abduction saga, however said he has been in contact with his counterpart, the Obi of Onitsha since the case began.
“I was in contact with Obi of Onitsha since the beginning of the saga, and we have discussed a lot and have made progress, we know what is going on and we are following the matter” he said.
The Emir lamented that “we always blamed Igbos or Yorubas for our problems when we are the ones to blame”.
“If not go to Onitsha today and try to abduct their children. Go there and see if you will find a 3-year-old or 4-year-old child roaming the streets or begging. It is only here (in the North) that a man will stay at home and send his child to beg for money and bring it to him to feed his wife. You are expecting your child to feed you,” he said.
‘I’m used to being misquoted’
Emir Sanusi also said that even though parents of the nine rescued children should take a blame for negligence, he didn’t say kidnappers of the children are innocent.
“And I didn’t say the kidnappers are innocent because people will now say that I blamed our people for allowing their children to be kidnapped. I am used to being misquoted. I didn’t say the kidnappers should not be punished because a proverb in Hausa that ‘idan kuda yana da kwadayi to alawa ma tana da zaki’ meaning if a housefly is greedy, the candy is also sweet,” Mr Sanusi said.
“If someone comes to your state to steal your children, they won’t be able to do it unless you left the children roaming the streets. If we don’t start to admit our own faults, then we would continue to remain in despair, blaming others for our own problems,” he added.
The monarch also identified the biggest problem of a typical Hausa man as the “inability to understand love.”
“We don’t know the meaning of love. A man will marry a woman but does not know the meaning of love. A man will give birth to a child but does not know the meaning of love.
“That is why a typical Hausa man will abandon a 3-year-old child who will fall into a well and drown. How? His father will be in the farm, while his mother will be chatting with her neighbours leaving the child roaming near an open well. And when the child falls into the well and dies, you will be crying and people will be condoling you. If you really love that child, you wouldn’t have allowed them to die. So, you are responsible for your child’s death. If not a Hausa man, nobody will do this. Therefore, we the Hausas need a radical change of mindset,” he said.
In her remarks, coordinator of LESPADA Maryam Hassan lamented the deteriorating social condition of the girl-child, saying parents must admit their failure and embrace change.
She said more women and girls are into drugs misuse as a result of forced marriages or marriage pressure.
Mrs Maryam advised parents to stop forcing their children into unintended and/or unwanted marriages in order to reduce societal problems.
She also called for collaboration between LESPADA and the Kano emirate, government, security agencies, community groups as well as individuals in the fight against drug abuse.
Kano state governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has raided a warehouse where over 1,000 bags of maize were distributed by the state government as palliatives were diverted and hoarded.
Kano Focus learned that the governor busted the warehouse, located at the Sharadaan industrial area of Kano City on Saturday.
The governor, was visibly angry after seeing how the 10kg bags of maize meant for poor people were emptied and the maize grains re-bagged in larger unmarked bags, apparently to be sold in the open markets.
It could be recalled that over 200,000 bags of food items had been distributed by Mr Yusuf, a few months ago to vulnerable people to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.
It is understood that Governor Yusuf vowed to uncover and punish the persons behind the diversion and hoarding of the relief materials.
….. Set aside Six Billion for Six 6,000 Beneficiaries
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
In fullfilment of one of the campaign promises as contained in his blueprint, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano state has Saturday flagged-off the first tranche of settlement of death benefits to deceased civil servants and gratuity of pensioners to about six thousand (6,000) beneficiaries who exited from the civil service and deceased workers between 2016 and 2019 totalling billion naira at an elaborate occasion that was held at Coronation Hall Government House.
KANO FOCUS reports that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf said the payment was possible despite meagre resources, inherited empty treasury and competing developmental projects as the government had blocked leakages of public funds siphoning and more viable projects for people of the state.
A statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the governor Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa quoted Yusuf saying his administration was highly concerned with the plight of pensioners especially those at the lower level as they are the end receipients of the economic hardship occasion by the removal of fuel Subsidy in the country.
The Governor added that to ensure the continuation of the settlement of the backlog, 10 billion naira was propose in the state next year’s budget for more inclusion of gratuity and death benefits of bereaved families of deceaseds civil servants to enjoy their legitimate entitlements.
He made a clarion call to the receivers of the funds, to make judicious use of what they collected and invest wisely in lawful businesses for more incomes to cater for their day to day needs and other necessities of life.
In his submission, the deputy governor and Commissioner for local governments and Chieftaincy affairs, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo appreciated the selection of beneficiaries with not more than 3 million at the state level, 1.5 million at local governments levels all within grade level 1-6.
The Executive Chairman of Kano State Pension Trustees Fund, Alhaji Habu Muhammad Fagge, said the commencement of liquidating the backlog and ensure prompt payment of gratuity and death benefits was a clear indication of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s zeal to better the lives of pensioners and provide succur to the families of deceased civil servants.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano state government has announced that out of the 138,430 tested for HIV, 4,728 have been found to be positive from January 2023 to date.
KANO FOCUS reports that with this figure, it indicates that a total of 46,732 persons are living with the disease and receiving treatment in the state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran, made this known on Friday while delivering a speech at the commemoration of this year’s World AIDS Day in Kano.
He, however, disclosed that the state has improved its strategies to halt mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by successfully conducting tests for 95 percent of all pregnant women during their first ANC visit, out of which only 0.04 percent are found positive.
He stated, “We have tested a total of 138,430 people for HIV and found 4,728 positive and have successfully initiated new 4,140 HIV-infected persons on ART from January 2023 to date.”
He noted that “Currently, the state has 46,732 people living with HIV receiving treatment.
“We have improved our strategies to halt mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by successfully conducting HIV testing for 95 percent of all pregnant women during their first ANC visit, out of which only 0.04 percent turned HIV positive,” the Commissioner stated.
Dr. Ladan further explained efforts by the state in managing the situation where he said, for the first time, the state has achieved a state HIV budget target of 3 percent, N2 billion, of the total health budget in the proposed budget submitted to the Kano state Assembly.
The event themed “Let Communities Lead” was in collaboration with the USAID in Kano as well as other partners.
He said that the state government appreciated the support of partners like USAID, LHSS, NEPWHAN, and KanSLAM for their advocacy engagements towards achieving the KSACA’s budget.
Earlier, the Director-General of the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACA), Dr. Usman Bashir, said SACA has brought on board 600 persons living with AIDS to benefit from the free healthcare service package introduced by the state government.
Dr. Bashir then hinted that “Most of the beneficiaries are children of those who died of HIV, as well as those children living with the disease.”
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