House Member Served Vote of No Confidence in Gombe

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Member representing Akko Federal Constituency, Gombe State and Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo has been served a vote of no confidence.

A coalition of youth groups in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe that expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the lawmaker in the green chamber also endorsed Hon. Dattuwa Ali Kumo as their choice to replace him.

Addressing a press conference in Gombe yesterday, the coalition led by the Chairman, Coalition of APC Support Groups, Mr. Khalid Ahmed, said they were not satisfied with the performance of the lawmaker because he is not interested in making laws and reforms that would better the lives the people, especially the youths.

According to Ahmed, “it is not about giving out money, even as the Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, we are still living with many security challenges because, among many others, he is not playing his part well.”

He said: “Our constituency lacks a purposeful representation it deserves in NASS. This has made it to become the most backward and poverty stricken out of the six federal constituencies in Gombe State.

“Data available has shown that we have the greatest number of jobless youths in the state with majority of them turning into political thugs, phone snatchers and all forms of social vices and crimes.

“The coalition is, therefore, calling on Hon Dattuwa Ali Kumo, a former member of the Gombe State House of Assembly and current Special Adviser to Governor, Inuwa Yahaya on House of Assembly Matters, to come and rescue the constituency by contesting the position in 2023.”

He said that Kumo has the entire required standard to represent the constituency because he has been contributing to the growth and developments of Akko Local Government for a long time.

On curbing youth’s restiveness and crimes, he said: “Kumo empowered over 1000 women through skills acquisition programmes initiated for youths and women with beneficiaries drawn from all the eleven wards of the LGA. They were given sewing machines, grinding machines while others were given tools for the skills they acquired with a startup capital.”

He said another set of 1000 youths were trained in various trades and issued with startup capital to start their private businesses and be self dependent, which took them out of the streets.

“He facilitated the approval of federal government’s survival funds to 90 youths to enable them start fresh business or improve on the existing ones. These among many others attracted series of commendation to him from people across all walks of life within and outside Akko LGA,” he said.

These and many other reasons has convinced them that Kumo will give them the best representation at NASS coupled with his legislative experience which they added will bring into play in ensuring that Akko Federal Constituency get what it deserves for it to move forward.

Again, Gunmen Kill 18, Torch Several Houses in Fresh Attack on Plateau Community

***police arrest suspected killer of UNIJOS student

At least 18 persons have been confirmed killed following attack on Ancha community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State by unknown gunmen, who also burnt several houses in the early hours of yesterday.

An eye witness from the community said that the gunmen stormed Ancha and shot sporadically into the air before they began their operation.

National Publicity Secretary of Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Mr. Davidson Malison, confirmed that 18 persons were killed in the midnight attack that lasted for over two hours.

Malison said: “The attack, which lasted for over two hours, from 12:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. undistracted and unchecked led to the killing of 18 persons with six others injured, while 24 households with over 100 residential rooms razed down. Other properties like motor vehicles, motorcycles, and harvested food crops were also destroyed with many valuables stolen and carted away.”

Also confirming the attack, the military Special Task Force on security in Plateau (Operation Safe Haven) in a statement signed by its Information Officer, Major Ishaku Takwa, said: “In the late hours of Tuesday, 11 January, 2022, troops of Operation Safe Haven received a distress call of an attack on Ancha Community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau.

“The troops responded swiftly and mobilised to the village. On reaching the community, the attackers had fled the village. Houses were destroyed and some villagers lost their lives during the attack.”

He added that the troops were trailing the assailants and details of the pursuit would be made available later.

The statement also said that the Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major General I.S. Ali, commiserated with the families of those that lost their lives during the attack, and has reiterated his resolve to ensure that perpetrators of evil on the state would face the consequences of their dastard acts.

Vexed by repeated attacks in the state in recent days, Governor Simon Lalong, has ordered security agencies to ensure that they fish out the attackers at all costs, as bringing such perpetrators to justice is the only way to halt the barbaric killings.

Lalong, in a statement signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Simon Macham, said the attack, which was carried out on Tuesday night is another sad tale in the unending cycle of violent attacks in the area that has continued despite several measures taken by government.

He asked the GOC 3rd Armoured Division and Commander Operation Safe Haven, the Commissioner of Police, Department of State Services, Operation Rainbow, and other security organs in the state to utilise intelligence available from survivors and other sources to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack, and indeed other attacks, are apprehended and exposed.

While commiserating with the families of those killed and survivors, the Governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Peace Building Agency to move in and assess the damage as well as offer immediate humanitarian interventions.

Meanwhile, the Governor has commended security forces for bursting a kidnap group and rescuing some victims in Barkin Ladi, describing the action as heart- warming and a proof that criminals would not be allowed to rest in the state.

Also, the State Police Command has arrested the killer of the 300 Level student of the University of Jos, Miss Jennifer Anthony, whose lifeless body was found mutilated on January 1, 2022, at Domus Pacis Guest House, Jos.

Briefing the press, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bartholomew Onyeka, paraded Mr. Moses Oko, a 20-year old boy, as the suspect and boyfriend to the deceased, adding that he fled after committing the crime.

“The command in a bid to arrest the perpetrator launched an aggressive manhunt on the suspect and tactically trailed him to Benue State where he was arrested by hawked-eye police operatives of the command. The suspect will be arraigned in court as soon as investigation is completed,” he assured.

The police commissioner said the command has also rescued one Dr. Micah Samaila of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, who was kidnapped by gunmen, adding that the kidnappers, on sighting the operatives, engaged them in gun duel but were overpowered by the superior gunfire of the police and in the process, they abandoned the victim and fled into the bush.

The police urged residents to cooperate and synergise with the police by giving us timely and useful information in order to fight all forms of criminalities.

Other criminals arrested by the police included cultists, armed robbers, and human traffickers.