WOMAN SLUMPS, DIES IN NIGER GOVT HOUSE

A FORTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD woman, identified as Hajiya Belkisu Mahmoud, yesterday slumped and died immediately in the office of the Niger State governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu.
The woman, who was said to have waited several hours to see the governor, suddenly slumped three minutes after she was ushered into the governor’s office.
She was immediately rushed to the Minna General Hospital where doctors confirmed her dead.
The late Mahmoud, who was a former staff officer (SO) to the Deputy Governor, was said to be suffering from asthma.

SERVE OR DEFECT, ALIYU TELLS PDP MEMBERS

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu on Tuesday warned Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the state who are desperate to win elections in 2015 to either serve the people or defect to alternative political parties.
Aliyu, who said this at Government House, Minna, while signing into law the 2014 appropriation bill of over N98.8bn for 2014, called on the National and state assemblies to regularly scrutinise the MDA’s and Commissioners.
He said, “If you want to win election, you must serve the people and those of you in the PDP, who want to win election by all means without working, should defect to other parties.”

NIGER WRITES PRESIDENCY OVER OIL, GAS DEPOSITS IN BIDA

THE Niger State government has formally informed the Presidency over the discovery of oil and gas deposits in commercial quantity in the Bida Basin of the state.
The message, conveyed to President Goodluck Jonathan was signed by the Niger State Governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, but details of the letter was not immediately known, even as the Presidency was said to have acknowledged its receipt.
Niger, almost two years ago, commissioned the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University Lapai and some experts to study the Bida Basin, with the sole objective of determining if the hydrocarbon deposits in the area were in commercial quantity.
The committee had since turned in a favourable report, resulting in the state government engaging other states in the funding of exploitation of the deposits.

SINGLE TERM PACT: JONATHAN’S MEN AFTER ME – GOV ALIYU

Niger State governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has alleged that there is a plot to silence him and pit him against the party.

The governor also alleged that some political gladiators in Abuja have concluded arrangements to print posters with his portrait and a message, “Vote Babangida Aliyu for President”, thereby pitting him against his party which has placed an embargo on campaigns for the presidency.

‘WHY WE COULD NOT PROSECUTE MAN WITH 89 WIVES’

In the past four years  Niger State government’s efforts  to prosecute the man with 89 wives in Bida, Mallam Bello Masaba had been unsuccessful because of legal lacuna.

 The Speaker Niger State House of Assembly, Barrister Adamu Usman has disclosed that the various attempts to prosecute Masaba ran into hitches because there was no provisions in the law of the state to effect his prosecution.

The Speaker who was the Attorney -General in 2009 when Masaba was arraigned disclosed this yesterday at a public hearing on five bills to amend the High Court Law, Sharia Court of Appeal Law, Sharia Criminal Procedure Code, Sharia Penal Code and a law for the constitution of Sharia Courts of the State at the Assembly Complex.

VARSITY STUDENT ARRAIGNED FOR BEHEADING GIRLFRIEND FOR DENYING HIM SEX

A 500-level student of Federal University of Technology, Minna, Godwin Lawani Idoko, has appeared before a Minna Chief Magistrate Court, for allegedly beheading his girlfriend, Ramatu Isa, on January 1, 2013, for refusing him sex.

According to the charge sheet read by Chief Magistrate Moh’d Gimba Gabi, the accused was said to have committed culpable homicide offence punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code.

Idoko was alleged to have beheaded his victim for refusing him sex after he had paid Ramatu, who sold groundnut, an agreed fee of N2000.

The father of the victim, Mohammed Isa, reported the killing of Ramatu at Bosso Police Station.