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Sokoto Monarch Dies, Son Free, Despite N60m Ransom
District Head of Gatawa in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Isa Muhammad Bawa
The adducted District Head of Gatawa in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Isa Muhammad Bawa, has been confirmed dead in captivity.
His son who was with him has been released after the payment of N60 million ransom.
Honourable Almustapha Boza, the lawmaker representing Sabon Birni North in the State’s House of Assembly, confirmed the tragic news to newsmen in Sokoto, on Wednesday.
He said that the team sent to deliver the ransom demanded by the bandits met the monarch’s corpse .
The lawmaker said the team only came back with his son while the district head was already buried before they get to the bandits enclave.
The Police authority in the state could not be reached as at the time of filing this report .
The monarch’s elder son, Surajo Isa said that the bandits collected N60 million and five motorcycles were given to secure their release.
“They came back from the bandits’ den around 8:30pm,” he said
He also confirmed that their father who died in captivity was buried by his abductors.
“This is what our brother told us after his release,” he revealed.
The monarch was abducted alongside his son and one other person by suspected armed armed bandits on his way to Sabon Birni from Sokoto and eas held for 25 days before he died in captivity.
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Groups protest over deputy speaker’s professional integrity
The controversy centres on petition BB/LPDC/1948/2026, filed on January 20, 2026, by John Aikpokpo Martins, Esq., where he alleged significant inconsistencies regarding Kalu’s National Youth Service Corps NYSC service year and his period of enrollment at the Nigerian Law School’s Enugu Campus.
The Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) protested today over what it described as a “continued failure, refusal and neglect” by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee LPDC committee to act on a petition involving the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu.
The controversy centres on petition BB/LPDC/1948/2026, filed on January 20, 2026, by John Aikpokpo Martins, Esq., where he alleged significant inconsistencies regarding Kalu’s National Youth Service Corps NYSC service year and his period of enrollment at the Nigerian Law School’s Enugu Campus.
Members of the coalition who stormed the premises of the Body of Benchers in Abuja, wielded placards with various inscriptions such as “Integrity First; Verify Before You Lead”, “Show Your Certificate, Benjamin Kalu”; “No More Foolery, Submit Your Certificate”; “Transparency Now, Show Your Certificate”; and, “The Law Applies to Everyone Including You”, among others.
CSGGG maintained that these allegations strike at the very root of the Deputy Speaker’s professional standing and the integrity of his admission to the Nigerian Bar.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the LPDC Chairman, convener of the CSOs, Chief Dominic Ogakwu argued that the committee’s silence suggests that certain individuals may be considered “beyond scrutiny.”
“The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee exists precisely to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the legal profession.
Its responsibilities are not discretionary exercises to be undertaken only when convenient; they are statutory duties imposed by law”, he stated.
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JUST IN: IGP Disu Assigns Portfolios to New DIGs
DIG Zachariah Fera Achinyan has been deployed to Legal Services, DIG Zango Ibrahim Baba to Research and Planning, and DIG Isyaku Mohammed to Training and Development departments.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu has assigned the new Deputy Inspectors -General of Police (DIGs) their duties responsibilities.
Sources said that the DIGs were assigned departments based on their areas of competence.
DIG Zachariah Fera Achinyan has been deployed to Legal Services,
DIG Zango Ibrahim Baba to Research and Planning, and DIG Isyaku Mohammed to Training and Development departments.
Similarly, DIG Margaret Agebe Ochalla has been posted to the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID);
DIG Mohammed Abdul Sulaiman to Finance and Accounts; DIG Kenechukwu Onwuemelie will oversee the Force Intelligence Department (FID); DIG Fayoade Adegoke will head Information and Communication Technology, while DIG Umar Shehu Nadada has been posted to Operations departments.
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Airport Access Gates: FG Approves Cash and FAAN Go Cashless Cards for Payment
The statement also noted that motorists who already possess FAAN Go Cashless Cards can continue using them until further notice.
In addition, other electronic payment channels, including Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals and approved digital platforms, will remain available
The Federal Government has directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to accept both cash and electronic payments at airport access gates nationwide, as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion.
The directive followed a meeting between the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and officials of the FAAN, alongside senior officials of the ministry, on Tuesday.
The move comes after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the suspension of the full cashless payment system at airport access gates following complaints that it had caused traffic gridlocks.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, the government has resolved to gradually transition to a fully automated payment system at airport access points.
As part of the interim measures, the ministry announced that a hybrid payment system allowing both cash and card payments will take effect at all airport access gates from March 13, 2026.
The statement also noted that motorists who already possess FAAN Go Cashless Cards can continue using them until further notice.In addition, other electronic payment channels, including Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals and approved digital platforms, will remain available
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