Headlines
Take over COVID-19 response from Ganduje before it is too late–Kwankwaso warns Buhari

Nazifi Dawud
A former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwankwaso has warned President Muhammadu Buhari to take control of the COVID-19 rapid response from the Kano state government before the disease overwhelms the state.
Mr Kwankwaso, issued the warning in a lengthy letter addressed to the President and obtained by KANO FOCUS on Monday.
Expressing concern over surging deaths, especially of elderly people in the state, the former governor complained no investigation was conducted to ascertain the alarming rate of deaths.
“Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone.

“Looking at the pattern elsewhere in the world where senior citizens with preexisting conditions were the main fatalities of the novel coronavirus, we are concerned that the inability to conduct tests in the state to determine the status of these senior citizens might be responsible for their death,” he wrote.
Mr Kwankwaso further lamented that the Kano state government under Abdullahi Ganduje, has no active COVID-19 response team, adding that the committee handling the disease is led by “unqualified and incompetent” team.
“What was hitherto, working as a covid-19 committee was a contraption of cronies that are both unqualified and incompetent. As such they kowtow to the whims of politicians without any regards to professional healthcare considerations.
“The committee technically disbanded itself when majority of the members were tested positive for Covid-19.
“I should inform Mr. President that since the announcement of the positive results of the members of the committee, no test was ever conducted in the entire state again.
“This is very frightening as neither asymptomatic nor active cases are being identified and isolated, as such carriers of this dreaded virus are all about and spreading it and causing untimely death of especially our senior citizens,” the ex-governor said.
Read the full letter below:
Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso writes Buhari:
His Excellency
President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR
President Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria
Aso Rock Villa, State House, Abuja.
COVID-19 AND THE RISING INCIDENCES OF MYSTEROUS DEATHS IN KANO STATE: A CALL ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR URGENT ACTION TO SAVE LIVES
May I start by conveying my heartfelt condolence over the death of 32 Nigerians including Mr. President’s Chief of Staff, Malam Abba Kyari following their infection with the deadly coronavirus; may the souls of our departed countrymen rest in peace and may those who are tested positive for coronavirus have a speedy recovery.
Mr. President, I feel obliged to write this letter to you for five reasons: one is the very scary rise in the number of people that are mysteriously dying in Kano every day since the commencement of the fight against Covid-19 and the eventual lockdown of the state; two is the uncoordinated and unprofessional manner in which the fight against the disease in Kano state is being waged and the attendant and unprecedented mistrust of the government by the governed; three is the near absence of cooperation and coordination between the state and the federal government on the covid-19 response; four is the frightening reality of the tendency of the present health emergency (which has already placed unbearable financial burden on both the citizens and the nation) to metamorphose into a security emergency; and five, is to offer some suggestions in the overall interest of the good people of Kano State and the success of the national effort against the covid-19 pandemic.
Permit me Mr. President to draw your attention to the spike in mystery deaths among the aged population in Kano State in the last couple of weeks. Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone. Looking at the pattern elsewhere in the world where senior citizens with preexisting conditions were the main fatalities of the novel coronavirus, we are concerned that the inability to conduct tests in the state to determine the status of these senior citizens might be responsible for their death. We are even more concerned that if sincere and efficient machinery is not urgently put in place to understand and mitigate against this, more lives of innocent senior citizens will be lost.
At present, and to all intent and purposes, the state has practically no Covid-19 response committee. What was hitherto, working as a covid-19 committee was a contraption of cronies that are both unqualified and incompetent. As such they kowtow to the whims of politicians without any regards to professional healthcare considerations. The committee technically disbanded itself when majority of the members were tested positive for Covid-19. I should inform Mr. President that since the announcement of the positive results of the members of the committee, no test was ever conducted in the entire state again. This is very frightening as neither asymptomatic nor active cases are being identified and isolated, as such carriers of this dreaded virus are all about and spreading it and causing untimely death of especially our senior citizens. The stoppage of the tests coupled with series of revelations from within the isolation centre in Kano together with the state persistence in asking for financial assistance from the central government has deepened the already existing mistrust of the government by the governed. This lack of trust seriously jeopardizes the battle against coronavirus especially if it were to be led by the state.
Mr. President in times of crisis like this, we require a robust and unifying leadership that will assure the citizens that it understands and shares its concerns; but unfortunately, the State Government is even denying that there is an unusual surge in the number of deaths in the state. This denial has also cultivated mistrust and doubt on the part of the citizens as the state government have failed to provide the desired leadership required at a critical time like this.
Mr. President everywhere in the world, the fight against pandemic is being spearheaded and superintended by central governments. The W.H.O. and such other global bodies, for example, have no business liaising with states on matters of global pandemic. But right from the first recorded case in Kano, the state government was in a tug of war with the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the federal agency vested with the responsibility of coordinating the fight against the disease. This is very counter-productive to the people of the state and a serious impediment to the success of the nation in the fight against the disease. Especially given the fact that as at today, the NCDC COVID-19 test centre at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) has closed down ‘due to lack of reagents’.
Kano is the most populous state in the country and Kano city is one of the biggest in Africa. Experts have expressed concern that if the Kano situation is not handled professionally, sincerely, efficiently and competently, we have the tendency of becoming the epicenter of this disease in Africa in a matter of months. Every sincere leader should be concerned about this. Everything that ought to have been in place: from advocacy and awareness campaign to sensitize the public, to the provision of support (material, medical and emotional) to the citizens is conspicuously absent in Kano. Mr. President, in a state like Kano where large majority of its inhabitants earned their living from the informal sector and where big chunk of its citizens live below poverty line, there is no gainsaying that sustaining the lockdown in Kano demands that people are not left hungry. Any support in this regard should not be made on partisan basis. At the moment, the state government palliatives are being distributed based on political patronage (4 persons in each polling unit of 500 persons). This is grossly inadequate. A hungry and angry population cannot be kept in lockdown for too long!
Mr. President, these concerns are what prompted me to write to you to proffer some suggestions that might go a long way to help in the fight against the virus in Kano State. It is my prayer that Mr. President consider the following:
1. The situation in the state should not be seen by Mr. President as a state government matter that should be left to the state. The lives of tens of millions of Nigerians living in Kano state is at stake, as such the central government should be seen to be actively involved in caring for, and saving their lives. There is need for empathy;
2. The federal government should take over the responsibility of rapid response on coronavirus in the state;
3. The State Government should be made to constitute a proper State Taskforce on COVID-19 with members selected base on their professionalism and competence;
4. At least five additional test centres should be established with 10 other sample collection centres across the State;
5. The Taskforce should designate trained medical personnel in all cemeteries across the state that will collect records of all deaths. While another team of medical personnel follow up with inquiry of the cause of death. Furthermore, those that attended to the sick and those that prepared the dead body for burial should also be identified, isolated and contact traced for testing;
6. Since it is undeniable that there is a spike in the number of death and it is probable that these deaths are either as a result of COVID-19 or some other illness, the State Government and citizens should treat and consider all deaths as if it is caused by the virus; therefore all protocols as advised by medical experts be observed whenever death occurs;
7. An independent Federal Government team of experts should be mandated to investigate the rise in cases of death in the elderly population across the State;
8. Palliatives should be generous and general. The virus does not belong to any political party just as hunger and poverty are not partisan.
Your Excellency, while commending Nigerians for their support to, and cooperation with the fight against the pandemic; we appreciate the sacrifices of our health workers and other frontline personnel providing other essential services. Let me also express my gratitude to numerous well-meaning Nigerians who are making enormous sacrifices with their wealth, skills and know how. Mr. President these concerns boarder on matters of life and death.
The time to act on the Kano situation is now.
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Long Live Kano State
Sincerely,
Signed
Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Headlines
Police arrest ninety-six suspects in Kano over attempts to disrupt inauguration activities


Ninety- six suspects were arrested by the Nigeria Police in Kano following alleged attempts to disrupt peace in the state during Monday’s inauguration ceremony.
KANO FOCUS reports that State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, who disclosed this at a press conference held at the Command’s Bompai headquarters, Wednesday remarked that the arrest followed a series of crackdowns by his men.
He noted that the suspects, who were picked up differently across the state within the last one week included 56 suspected mobile phone robbers, 17 illicit drug related suspects, and 20 suspects who were arrested on account of attempts to commit violent crimes.
Items recovered from the suspects included five cartons of suspected Tramadol tablets, 83 sachets of suspected Diazepam and 371 pieces of rubber solution, including 12 parcels and 303 wraps of dried leaves.
Other recoveries from the suspects included 157 weapons, four locally made guns, one toy gun and 18 mobile phones as well as 34 ATMs .
He explained that preliminary investigations had led them to conclude that the suspects were saboteurs and sponsored criminals given that they were found with dangerous weapons and were also under the influence of drugs during their arrest
Usaini added that all the suspects would soon be charged to court even as he advised the members of the public to be law abiding.
He insisted that the Police would continue to match its words with actions until all the criminally minded persons in the state repented or decided to leave the state.

Headlines
Alleged $1.3 fraud: EFCC withdraws amended charges against Zaura

Aminu Abdullahi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has sought the withdrawal of its amended charge against the Kano Central senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdulsalam Abdulkareem Zaura before the Federal high court sitting in Kano.
KANO FOCUS reports that prior to Wednesday’s retraction, EFCC at the last proceeding failed to produce prosecution witnesses to prove the criminal charges against the defendant, which necessitated another adjournment of the matter.
AA Zaura as fondly known is being held by the financial crime commission for alleged financial fraud in the sum of $1.3 million dollars in a prolong retrial involving a Kuwaiti nationale.
At the resumption of the matter before Justice Mohammad Nasir Yunusa on Wednesday, counsel to the EFCC, Aisha A.T Habeeb told the court the withdrawal of the application already served the defendant become pertinent to forestall possible delay in the case.
Although, Zaura through his counsel, Isyaka M. Dikko, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN had filed a motion on notice seeking the court’s convienent to struck out the amended charge for lacking in substance.
Earlier, Zaura informed the court of it’s pending motion on notice dated 12th April,2023 prayed for the court lordship order of stay of proceedings of the trial pending the hearing and determination of application on a related matter before the supreme court.
Zaura through his attorney, Dikko SAN contended that it would amount to double exercise for the lower court to continue with the matter presently pending before the apex court.
The senior lawyer told Justice Yunusa that application before the Supreme Court is challenging the Appeal court judgement that order the retrial after the defendant already discharged and acquitted.
In a counter argument, the prosecution counsel, Habeeb pledged for outright dismissal of the defendant application, insisted the motion was orchestrated to delay the trial.
Barrister Habeeb countered the defendant on the pending application before the supreme court, insisted the matter has already being decided by the apex court. The EFCC lawyer cited references of previous matters which disallowed criminal trial and allowed a concurrent proceeding.
In a swift response, Zaura’s lawyer Dikko SAN counter the objection of the prosecution, reaffirming that the application before the supreme court is rather pending and yet to be decided.
Even though, the EFCC stood her ground on the conviction that Supreme Court had already dismissed Zaura’s application, the prosecution was unable to furnish the court with prove of evidence when asked to do so.
In his ruling, Justice Yunusa ordered the parties to supply the court with necessary documents to back their claims. The case is adjourned to 13th July 2023 for ruling on the application.

Headlines
Abba Kabir Yusuf set up task force on phone snatching in Kano

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has set up a special joint taskforce to fight phone snatching and other street crimes in the urban and semi-urban areas of the state.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Governor, who spoke in Kiru Reformatory Centre, Monday, disclosed that “this taskforce comprises of teams from law enforcement agencies and mobile courts that would work together to clear our streets of these criminals and bring all of them to justice swiftly.”
He explained that “My first port of call after the inauguration, was the Kiru Reformatory School, which will be fully reopened soonest for the purpose of rehabilitating drug addicts.
“Due to the persistent cases of armed robbery (especially phone snatching), and other violent crimes being perpetrated on the streets of our State, we have formed a Special Joint Taskforce to fight phone snatching and other street crimes. This taskforce comprises of teams from law enforcement agencies and mobile courts that would work together to clear our streets of these criminals and bring all of them to justice swiftly.”

In a statement by ASN II Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, Ag. PRO, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Kano Command, which was made available to newsmen, revealed that the governor and the commander engaged in fruitful discussions on how to effectively curtail the menace.
Maigatari stated that NDLEA Kano State Command is grateful for the governor’s support in his fight against drug abuse.
