A budding WhatsApp of Plateau state indigenes and like minds, has sparked a controversy on whether or not, the name “Plateau ” best describes the homogenous identity of the state. 

The group known as “Plateau, our Heritage ” has its members drawn from all walks of life and it is intended to seek for the preservation,promotion and protection of the Plateau heritage through the formulation of a framework that shall give the state and it’s citizens a true identity. 

The founder of the group, Pam Ayuba Dangwong  noted the debate was on the strength that colonial domination had a great impact in “distorting our history. He said, as a people, we were placed on the disadvantaged during the dark days of colonial domination where our ancestors were handed as part of the inheritance of the northern oligarchy. He said, because of this, we still remain where we are because of the indirect rule system of government introduced during precolonial days.
“They argument goes further that due to this, Plateau and all it has has been mortgaged and there is nothing left to pass to the next generation of leaders. This is quite disturbing I believe”, a Submission that generated further inputs.

However, Barr. Danjuma Maina, a political figure and legal luminary of note in the state stressed that ” I do not think it matters much what we are called in this case”

According to him,  the name is a reflection of the geographical feature unique to us as a state. Just like Benue, Kogi and Niger states because of the dominance of the rivers passing through them. The highlands go beyond the northern and southern senatorial districts of the state. 

He argued that “We are on a plateau and calling us Plateau State is appropriate. How much have we used the benefits conferred on us as a Plateau?”

Re echoing the stand of Barr. Maina, Mr. Ali Maina, a seasoned journalist, said he believes  it has amplified the belief on by “if we have, as a people, taken advantage  of what the plateau as a location  has bestowed on us, we would have progressed more than what we are today.

According to him, “no I will say, we have rather enmeshed  ourselves  into tribal and clanish riveries, seeking personal  glories and deny one another opportunities to excel and turning to blame other peoples groups for denying us access to common wealth, true to some extend but what have we been able to do about this passed 44 years. We are largely our own greatest  undoing”. He posited!

Dung Dalyop, a social media activist, in his reaction, submitted that “For a culturally heterogeneous people, I don’t see anything wrong in the name. Throw in our multi-ethnic being or even the plurality of how we pray then like me, you may accept that “Plateau” provides for us all an appreciable sense of cover. 

“This however is because I have not seen or heard of another label which is a leveler to us all, until such is advanced, one is persuaded to make do with “Plateau”.

Continuing he insisted”I think the biggest question is how have we leveraged on the name “Plateau” and use it as glue to mend our differences? That we still allow tribe and tongue to determine our relationships suggests that subjecting the nomenclature of our geography to debate will make mince meat of the fabric of our existence as a State. 

“We have a task of first forging genuine bonds driven by sincere conversations before even thinking of tinkering with this beautiful name”, Dalyop popularly known as Daf D further opined. On his part, Hon. Ayuba Buki Gufwan, Founder/CEO, Beautiful Gates said “Personally, i’m done with blame shifting as it’s no longer tenable. It’s time we accept responsibility for our own undoing as a People and chart a new course for ourselves. Are we the only colonized entity in the World? He queried? Where are our contemporaries in the journey to Nationhood ? India was equally colonized but we all troop there for medical tourism. Colonialism had it’s pros & Cons, let’s leverage on the positives and work on correcting the ills while moving on”.

PRESS STATEMENT

GOVERNOR LALONG EULOGISES LATE SENATOR LONGJAN AS HE IS BURIED

The funeral Mass for Former Deputy Governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau South Senatorial District late Ignatius Datong Longjan has been held at the St. Louis Catholic Church Jos.
The mass was celebrated by the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja and Administrator of Jos Archdiocese, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama who described the late Longjan as a humble and godly man that used his opportunities in life for the benefit of others.
Kaigama asked Nigerians to emulate the lifestyle of the Late Longjan who lived a life of simplicity and refused to be lured by the temptation of weath accumulation, arrogance and bigotry.
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau described the death of Senator Longjan as a huge loss to the State because he was a unifying factor who preached and practiced politics without bitterness, betrayal and vendetta.
He asked politicians in Plateau State to use the death of Senator Longjan as a period for looking beyond personal and group interests to putting the general interest of the State on the front burner.
He said “our late father demonstrated that in politics, you can serve with dignity, humility and vision without necessarily making others look bad or truncating their interests. We have a duty to work for peace, development and progress of Plateau State as well as unite our people”.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan and other dignitaries eulogised the late Senator who they said remained a thankful and contented man throughout his lifetime.
Senator Lawan said the late Longjan will be greatly missed because he was a pillar and demonstrated maturity and wisdom in responding to national issues on the floor of the red chamber.
Governor Lalong later led other dignitaries to Kwa, in Quan Pan Local Government Area, the home town of late Senator Longjan where his body was finally interred.
The Governor thanked all those who mourned with the State and made sacrifices to give him a befitting farewell.

Makut Simon Macham, Ph.D
Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State
2nd February 2020

Foreign News

Pope Francis made the admission while visiting the Middle East
Pope Francis has admitted that clerics have sexually abused nuns, and in one case they were kept as sex slaves.

He said in that case his predecessor, Pope Benedict, was forced to shut down an entire congregation of nuns who were being abused by priests.

It is thought to be the first time that Pope Francis has acknowledged the sexual abuse of nuns by the clergy.

He said the Church was attempting to address the problem but said it was “still going on”.

Last November, the Catholic Church’s global organisation for nuns denounced the “culture of silence and secrecy” that prevented them from speaking out.

The Pope’s comments come amid long-running cases of sexual abuse of children and young men by priests at the Church.

Child sex abuse and the Catholic Church
Profile: Pope Francis
What did Pope Francis say?
Speaking to reporters while on a historic tour of the Middle East on Tuesday, the pontiff admitted that the Church had an issue, and the roots lay in society “seeing women as second class”.

He said that priests and bishops had abused nuns, but said the Church was aware of the “scandal” and was “working on it”, adding that a number of clerics had been suspended.

“It’s a path that we’ve been on,” he said.

“Pope Benedict had the courage to dissolve a female congregation which was at a certain level, because this slavery of women had entered it – slavery, even to the point of sexual slavery – on the part of clerics or the founder.”

Pope Francis said sexual abuse of nuns was an ongoing problem, but happened largely in “certain congregations, predominantly new ones”.

“I think it’s still taking place because it’s not as though the moment you become aware of something it goes away.”

Where is the abuse said to have taken place?
The female congregation dissolved in 2005 under Pope Benedict was the Community of St Jean, which was based in France, Alessandro Gisotti of the Vatican press office told CBS News.

In 2013, the Community of St Jean admitted that priests had behaved “in ways that went against chastity” with several women in the order, according to the French Roman Catholic newspaper La Croix.

In a separate case in India last year, a bishop was arrested over allegations that he raped a nun 13 times between 2014 and 2016.

Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who headed the diocese in Jalandhar in the northern state of Punjab, has denied the accusations.

In Chile, reports of abuse of nuns carried out by priests led the Vatican to launch an investigation last year. The women were reportedly removed from the order after highlighting the abuse.

Last year, the Associated Press news agency reported cases of abuse in Italy and Africa.

What have women in the Church said?
Just days ago the Vatican’s women’s magazine, Women Church World, condemned the abuse, saying in some cases nuns were forced to abort priests’ children – something Catholicism forbids.

The magazine’s editor, Lucetta Scaraffia, said Pope Francis’s acknowledgement of the abuse “can be of some help”, but warned that the Church needs to act.

“If the Church continues to close its eyes to the scandal… the condition of oppression of women in the church will never change,” she wrote.

The magazine said the #MeToo movement meant more women were now coming forward with their stories.

Last year, French website Le Parisien reported the case of “Christelle” (in French), a former nun whose name was changed to preserve anonymity.

Christelle said she had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a priest of her congregation in France between 2010 and 2011.

“His gestures became more and more inappropriate,” she said, adding: “But he kept going… until the day he raped me.

“He was unable to control himself… he had a split personality.”

HON MANJI B.D.GONTORI SEND/ PAY A TRIBUTE TO LATE SEN.IGNATIUS DATONG LONGJAN AS HIS BODY IS LAID TO REST…..

Few weeks ago,we received with utter shock the news of your demise which is a colossal lost not only to us on the plateau but Nigeria as a whole.Baba LONGJAN,death came to snatch you from us,leaving us in a grieving state seeing how treasured you are to us especially the youthful politicians.it ache my heart as I reminisced over your departure considering how we were to tap from your humility,loyalty and wealth of experience as we coarse on this political landscape.

As you we pay our last respect to you this day,know that you have inspired us in many ways and we won’t rest until we build on your legacies towards making plateau state a better place for all.we are resolute in our quest to ensuring that plateau of our dream is achieved even as you have left us in the middle of the road.

Once again,I condole with the immediate family of our late veteran,the Governor and government of plateau state,the leadership of the red chamber in the national assembly,the traditional council and the good people of Quanpan and southern senatorial district of plateau state over this irreparable lost.may God Almighty comfort us all and grant his soul and the souls of the faithful departed eternal rest.

Adieu Baba LONGJAN.

Sign:
Hon Manji B.D.Gontori
(on behalf of Gontori support team for 2023 Governorship plateau state).

…RECOVERS WEAPONS
By Josiah Habila, Abuja.

A local hunters’ group led by 70-year-old female spiritualist (name not stated) has killed 40 bandits in Zuguruma, Mashegu local government of Niger state, the group has claimed.

A local hunter identified as Mallam Alhassan, who was part of the operation, stated this while speaking to journalists on the ‘exploits’ of the hunters in the battle against banditry.

He said the team sporadically shot into the air to scare the bandits out of their hideouts in the Zuguruma forest, and allowed them to exhaust their bullets before descending on them.

“They (bandits) continued shooting without a particular target until their bullets finished. It was at that point the hunters now descended on them and killed 40 of them,” he said.

He also said several weapons, including machine gun, anti-aircraft gun and rocket launchers amongst others, were recovered and handed over to the police.

However, the state police command was yet to confirm this as at the time of filing this report.

The command said the operation was still on and that they would address the press at the end of the exercise.

Also, in a reply to a text message from our correspondent, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Adamu Usman, said he was in Awka, Anambra state for the police games.

It was learnt that the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani-Bello had enlisted the spiritualists to assist the state in ridding the state of bandits few days ago, and that this was the first operation the septuagenarian would be leading into the forest.

It was also gathered that a commander of the bandits and three others who came into the town to buy recharge cards and other basic needs for the group were arrested and handed over to the state police command, and were currently helping the police for further investigations.

According to Alhassan, no single casualty was recorded on the side of the hunters, while an antelope that was trying to escape from the fireworks was killed by the hunters.

This ‘breakthrough’ in the fight against the bandits was coming barely one week after the state government declared a state-wide prayers in mosques and churches against the bandits.

Governor lauds move

Commenting on the new strategies, Governor Sani-Bello said local militia, community vigilante groups and local hunters must collaborate with security agencies in a renewed effort to engage and completely chase away kidnappers, cattle rustlers and armed bandits in the country.

A statement by the chief press secretary, Mrs Mary Noel Barje, quoted the governor as speaking Saturday at Zuru, Kebbi state, where he was special guest of honour at the civic reception organised by the Zuru Patriotic Forum.

He expressed joy over the success recorded by the efforts of the spiritualist and the hunters, saying a radical approach towards the bandits had become necessary

He said governors of the most affected states of Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger were in talks to perfect the new strategy in order to address the situation that has hindered development and deprived the people of their means of livelihood.

He said: “We must not allow them to send us out of our respective homes. We have to defend our territories and it has started in Niger and we have started recording success in that direction.”

…Presidency directs suspension of project.

By Jatmak Solomon,Jos

The management of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), is battling to extricate itself from a purported scandal over the award of N118M Amenity Ward contract at the permanent site of the tertiary hospital at Lamingo, Jos

The humongous contract which has reportedly sparked off crisis in the institution, has to do with a contractor that was technically schemed out of a bidding process. The contractor, Dantonic Investment Limited, has refused to let the matter lie low as he petitioned the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), alleging violation of the procurement act.
This is as it was gathered that the presidency through the BPP has directed the immediate suspension of the project pending the review of the bidding process.
Part of the complaints is hinged on the fact that the contract was awarded to a printing press as against a construction firm.
The Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH which recorded two major strikes by Resident doctors and Health workers over an alleged poor management, is now faced with a serious credibility issue over the manner the contract was awarded.
Already, the chairman of the hospital board, Mr. Barth Nwibe, has distanced the board from the contract as he directed Middlebelt Reporters inquiries to the Chief Medical Director, saying that the board was not involved in the process.
Nibe said; “I am aware of the complaint from a contractor, which I forwarded to the CMD, but the board was not involved in the award of the contract.” On his own part, the Chief Medical Director, Professor Edmond Banwat, confirmed the assertion of the Board’s chairman, stressing that the Procurement Act did not involve the board in contracts awards.
According to Prof. Banwat; “In the Act, the boards are not part of the procurement process.”
However, in spite of the CMD’s claim that the board is not involved in contract award, checks by Middlebelt Reporters indicate that Article 7 of the Act establishing the board of teaching hospitals, section ( 1) a, b, and c, stipulates that the board is empowered to; “Equip, maintain and operate the hospital so as to provide facilities for diagnosis, curative, promotion and rehabilitative service in medical treatment,” and; “To construct, equip, maintain and operate such clinic, outpatient departments, laboratories, research or experimental stations and other like institutions…,”
Further findings revealed that the Bureau for Public Procurement has written to one of the contractors assuring that the contract will be suspended
pending the review of the process.
In a letter dated February 03, 2020, referenced, BPP/S.1/CCM/20/VoL.1/013, and addressed to Dantonic Investment limited and signed by Olanrewaju Yusuf Olaleye, deputy director complains, certification and monitoring, said a letter has been forwarded to the Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH management to suspend further action pending a review of the process.
The letter reads; “The Bureau has forwarded your complaint to the hospital directing it to suspend any further action on the procurement, and forward all the relevant procurement document for independent review by it in line with the provisions of section 54(4)(a) of the public procurement act, 2007.”

When contacted, the Managing Director of Dantonic Investment Limited, Mr. Onah Christian Onaura, confirmed receipt of the BPP letter over alleged violation of the Procurement Act by the JUTH
management.
Onaura said; “I have written the Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH management drawing their attention to the violation, of the BPP Act, because I posted the lowest amount of N114,095,168.25, but the contract was awarded to Andex Press, who posted the highest amount of N118,789,516.2.
“That was why I wrote a complaint to the BPP, drawing their attention for further action, yet the Jos University Teaching Hospital JUTH management went ahead with the execution of the project.”
Additional checks by Forefront News, revealed that ANDEX PRESS & ALLIED SERVICES LIMITED that was awarded the contract is registered by Corporate
Affairs Commission with registration 745364 as a printing press that specialized in printing services and not a construction firm.
However, the Chief Medical Director of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), insisted that the process was transparent and in line with laid down rules, adding that contractors not satisfied have the right to make complaints.
The CMD also said that his office has not received any letter from the BPE calling for the suspension of the project.
He said; “The law says anybody who is not satisfied will be shown the template of the analysis. A staff from there came and was satisfied with the analysis.
“Any complain we receive, we give it attention because we run a transparent process and you might post the lowest price but after the technical aspect, you might not be awarded the contract.
Legal minds have however discredited the CMD’s claim, saying that the non-inclusion of the board in the award of the contract is a fraud which can attract prosecution.

The Northern Governors Forum has felicated with the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye over his 78th birthday (2nd March).
In a statement, Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong described Pastor Adeboye as a man of God who continues to use every minute of his existence for the service of God and humanity.
He said “the labour of Pastor Adeboye in the Lord’s vineyard over his many years of preaching and evangelism clearly sets him apart as a vessel of honour that God has used to touch the lives of the people not only in Nigeria, but the world at large”.
The Northern Governors Forum according to Lalong also recognised the passion of Pastor Adeboye for improving the lives of the people through education, healthcare, infrastructure, empowerment and entrepreneurship as demonstrated by many platforms of the Church.
Lalong appreciated God for granting Pastor Adeboye good health and the grace to continue to render his best towards the salvation of many, as well as praying for the peace and progress of Nigeria.
The Northern Governors Forum wished Pastor Adeboye more years of peace and joy as he continues to serve God and humanity.

Makut Simon Macham, Ph.D
Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor of Plateau State
1st March 2020

Plateau state commissioner for health, Dr. Nimkong Larndam has said there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in Plateau state.

The commissioner however said there 43 persons had to isolated for 14 days so as not to take chances.

Larndam gave the confirmation yesterday in a press conference held in his office to disabused the minds of Nigerians and citizens of the state over allegations that the virus has been ditected in Plateau state.

According to Larndam, “We have four Chinese miners who just returned from holidays in China, since they came from another country that is heavily infected with the virus, they could be suspected to have the virus. But the Chinese were screened in Addis Ababa, Euthiopea, they were also screened in Abuja airport, and in those screenings they were proved negative.

“Even though the suspects were not positive, such people are supposed to be isolated for 14 days. So we have isolated them between now and 11th of March

“It is not only the four Chinese be that we had to isolate, all the people that had contacts with the Chinese on their return to Wase has to be fished and isolated too.

Larndam who was accompanied on the press conference by the state commissioner for Information and Communication Mr Dan Manjang said, “So, the fact that we have to isolate these suspects is not a confirmation by that the virus has been ditected in the state, we are only been very cuatious” he said.

“As we monitor those 43 we have isolated, at the end of the 14 days, if the suspect did not show any symptom of coronavirus, we will allow them to enjoy their normal life”

The commissioner assured people of the state and other Nigerians who has anything to do with the state to feel free and go about their normal businesses. There is no any single case of coronavirus in Plateau state.

He also said the state government has put measures in place to handle any case of coronavirus, we have isolation wards in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and also in Plateau Specialist hospital. We have a surveillance medical team stationed at the Yakubu Gowon Airport to screen and monitor movement of air passengers, and government has set aside funds to handle any emergency.

“But so far, there no reason to panic, the situation in Plateau is under control” he said.

Banditry, kidnapping, drug abuse, almajirai, excruciating poverty, terrorism and insurgency, sectarian violence, ethnic and religious bigotry, these are the defining features of northern Nigeria today. If you want to know how the North is collectively addressing these existential issues you may hasten to attend some of the numerous conferences that are routinely convened for this purpose. You are likely to see convoys of limousines, cars and four-wheelers of every description, conveying dignitaries clad in offensively expensive attires to the venue. There will be speeches after speeches lamenting the state of things in the North and how things have deteriorated so badly from what used to be. There will be the inevitable reference to the days of yore complete with anecdotes of when the North was such a beautiful place to be. Meanwhile outside the venue of the event kept well away from the access to the inner recess by a compliment of well-armed security personnel are hordes of the tattered, hungry, destitute and deprived on whose behalf the event is purportedly taking place shouting a chorus of want much to the disinterest of those assembled at the inner chambers of the venue. The event will end with a well-crafted and articulated communique mainly for the benefit of the media and the dignitaries will depart in their rolled up, smoked glass limousines in a cloud of dust that will descend on the hapless masses quarantined at the perimeter of the venue. It is truly one of the great paradoxes of Nigeria that the area covering two-thirds of its landmass and more than half of its population is this time warp of development. To carry the irony further, it is incredulous that northern Nigeria which has been dominating the power stakes in Nigerian political history remains collectively more underdeveloped relative to the southern part of Nigeria. This is borne out by every measure or statistic of human development.

Why has the North not made good its dominance of political power in Nigeria to transform the area? The answer if we must be honest to ourselves is that the elites of the North who are expected to drive this imperative of northern development has somehow found morbid comfort in the situation. ‘’It is our culture and religion they say’’ with a straight face when confronted on this. It serves the northern elite very well to promote the notion of northern cultural superiority such that even the masses of northern poor in their abject condition still feel not only contented with their lot, but also believe that it is their spiritual and moral duty to resist any moves to change their lot no matter the benign intentions and benefits. Northern elites’ resistance to transformation of the north takes two main trajectories; keep the Northern masses in a state of underdevelopment to make them malleable and secondly to use it as a political tool for power negotiation in the political stakes in Nigeria. This was the main reason behind the bridling of westernizing forces and influences in the North during colonial rule. It was also the reason why the North felt able to delay the independence of Nigeria. Northern dominance of political power in this regard has not been of such significance as to change the fortunes of the North fundamentally. The North has never really initiated and followed through any development initiative either for itself or for the nation. The push for that always comes from the South. The first University in the North was established not because the North wanted to on its own, but because it needed to respond to a similar initiative from the South-West and South-East. Same for the polytechnic, the stadium, the newspaper and several other policies. Power, as exercised by the northern elite in the political stakes in Nigeria, has been more to entrench their social class in the North and in dominating politically the southern political elites through a delicate political game of divide and rule. If the North elite are content to promote northern backwardness in order to continue to entrench their agenda for regional and national political dominance, the rest of the country is not. Indeed the blowback to that retrograde politics is what we are seeing all over the North today. In the past, Aminu Kano was able to step into the void and mobilize the northern masses to press for their political and social rights in which he succeeded to a large extent. The void created by Aminu Kano’s passing away and the yearning for that is what accounts to a large extent for the rise of Muhammadu Buhari whom the northern masses saw as an incarnate of the late great political leader. But your guess is as good as mine whether that yearning in the North has been fulfilled thus far. Also within the North, the passage of time and the perceived political exclusion of certain areas of the north have widened the ethnic and religious fissures which hitherto were of a tolerant and manageable level. Now, of course, such fissures have morphed into such frightening levels as to threaten the once taken-for-granted northern unity and cohesion across the ethnic and religious divides. At the national level, the southern political blocs seeing that the abiding political agenda of the northern political elite is to continue to entrench itself through the deliberate promotion of backwardness among the northern masses, are having to ask themselves justifiably why they have to continue to stay in a union with such retrograde arrangement by people who for one reason or the other have found themselves dominating the political power stakes in Nigeria. This I believe is the reason behind calls variously for political restructuring or secession in the country by southern political groups. The northern elite will have to consider these developments seriously because of objective factors on ground.

On January 27, 2000, a leap year, Zamfara State instituted Sharia Law following the push by the then governor of the state, Ahmad Sani Yerima, which started in 1999. One of the few casualties of the Sharia legal system adopted by some northern Nigerian states was Lawali Isa, who had his right wrist amputated in 2001 for stealing a bicycle following a Sharia court judgment

Your wrist was amputated in 2001 following a Sharia court judgment, how difficult has it been coping without it?

I was not the first person whose limb was amputated as a result of implementation of Sharia legal system in Zamfara State. I was the second person and also the last one.

The first person was Bello Buba Jangebe, whose hand was amputated in 2000 for stealing a cow. Mine was done in March 1, 2001 and since then, nobody has been punished again in that manner.

I stole a bicycle and was arraigned in a Sharia court. The judge ruled that my right wrist should be cut off in accordance with Sharia legal system. It is not easy to survive with one good hand, but I have been managing to feed myself and my family.

What have you been doing to survive?

I have been with politicians since 2001 when my amputated wrist got healed. The moment I recovered from the wound I sustained as a result of the amputation, I repented and promised not to steal again. I also decided to be following some members of the All People’s Party, which later became All Nigeria Peoples Party and now the All Progressives Congress.

Does that mean you are now a politician?

I am not a politician per se, but I follow them to earn a living. I am one of their ‘boys’ (laughs). But I now find it difficult to get money because our people are no more in government here in Zamfara. You know what happened last year when the Supreme Court disqualified all the APC candidates because the party didn’t conduct primary elections. The Peoples Democratic Party candidates were announced as winners of the last general elections in the state. But I am still with the APC despite all that.

What were you doing before your wrist was amputated?

I was a farmer in my hometown, Gummi. I owned a small farm which could not solve my financial problem and that of my family, even if I had bumper harvests.

But since your wrist was amputated, Sharia law has not been effective, how disappointed are you as it appears that some of you were used as scapegoat for something the government couldn’t follow through with?

As a true Muslim, I have no regrets for what happened to me. I was fully aware that what was done to me was in line with Sharia law. It is what the law says; anybody found guilty of committing theft would have their right wrist amputated. So when I was arrested and taken to a Sharia court during Ahmad Sani Yerima’s administration, I knew what was going to happen to me because it had happened to someone before me. My only regret is that, immediately I was amputated, everything was stopped. There has been no more amputation since that time till date.


You were amputated for stealing a bicycle but many politicians have stolen public funds running into millions and billions of naira, yet no Sharia court ordered that they should be amputated, how does that make you feel?

I feel disenfranchised, more especially now that the Sharia legal system is not working. You see, the system is not working now. When Yerima was in power, the system was working and many people were afraid to steal. But immediately he left office, everything stopped.

Can you talk about the crime, how the judgment was passed and the amputation was carried out?

When I was arrested with the stolen bicycle, I was arraigned in the Sharia court and when the judge asked me whether I committed the crime or not, I confessed that I stole the bicycle. The judge further asked me if I knew the punishment for theft in Islamic Sharia and I said ‘yes’. From there, the judge ruled that since I had confessed, my right wrist would be amputated. He asked me if I would like to appeal and I told the court that I was satisfied with the judgment. My right wrist was amputated on March 1, 2001.

What was your initial reaction after it was done?

I felt so sad and ashamed of myself. I was ashamed because of the publicity my case generated. So I was not happy with the kind of situation I put my family in. I felt society would be looking down on me and my family, but as time went on, all these things passed. I now mingle with people without any molestation or animosity. So I thank God.

How would you describe the healing period?

It was not painful because the amputation was done in the modern day by a doctor. So I didn’t feel much pain.

How long did it take to heal?

It took three months for the wound to finally heal.

The Governor of Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje, was seen in some viral videos collecting what was believed to be bribes and pocketing them, but the matter didn’t get to a Sharia court, how does that make you feel knowing your wrist was cut off for stealing a cow?

(Smiles) I don’t compare myself with Ganduje or any other public figure. Most of these people are almost above the law. They can commit whatever atrocity they want to commit and go unpunished. But don’t forget that there is a final day of judgment when everyone will be judged by the Supreme Being who will not differentiate between the rich and the poor.

I thank God that I have been punished for stealing. I told you earlier that I have no regrets.


What made you steal the bicycle?

I was pushed by poverty to steal. I had no food to feed my family and myself, so I decided to steal the bicycle so I could sell it and buy food. I have one wife and four children.

How do you provide for them without two good hands?

I rely on my party members (APC members). Sometimes I get assistance from the immediate former governor of the state, Abdul’aziz Yari, and the state APC chairman, Alhaji Lawal M. Liman.

What do you think about Sharia law itself?

I think the law is okay if properly executed. You see, if people know that their hands will be amputated if they are caught stealing, many people will not want to steal for fear of losing their hands. But if someone is arrested for stealing and given a jail term, they will finish the term and return to their unlawful business.

So I strongly believe that if Zamfara State could continue with amputation of hands, many people would stop stealing as nobody wants to be looked down upon as a thief. As soon as people see you with an amputated wrist, they know who you are.