ABU shuts down NBAIS in Zaria
SOKIPEP urges el-Rufia to do more for victims of attacks

Kaduna metropolis was thrown into panic yesterday, as armed policemen clashed with Shiites who were on procession. Two people were feared dead and others injured.

Officials of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) condemned the decision by the police to prevent their members from processing in the state.

Shiites spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, stated: “Provocative attacks occurred in Zaria and Kaduna after the completion of Ashura processions today, as heavily-armed security forces came and started shooting at mourners with live ammunition killing two in Kaduna, and injuring many others.”

Relatedly, the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has shut down the premises of the National Board For Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) and recovered its properties from the institution.

There was pandemonium when more than 50 armed security men stormed the examination centre of NBAIS along Gaskiya road in Zaria, chased out the guards and locked down the centre.

Addressing journalists at the weekend, Registrar of the Board, Prof. Muhammad Abdullahi, said the report that reached him last Thursday revealed that ABU security men and armed police stormed the centre, forcing the security guard out of the premises and locked all offices.

Meanwhile, Southern Kaduna Peace Practitioners (SOKIPEP) has appealed to Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai to intervene in the plight of victims of Kaduna killings by not only paying for their hospital bills but also sending relief materials to the displaced.

The peace advocacy group in southern Kaduna, however, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and other service chiefs for the deployment of Special Forces to the area following the crisis in the area.

In a statement signed in Abuja yesterday by its National Coordinator, Rev. Dauda Fadia, the group expressed gratitude to Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the internal security military outfit in the area for mediating between warring factions, saying the development had restored peace and harmony among locals.

Also in Kaduna, Connected Development (CODE) said it has helped the Federal Government save N569 million while tracking Universal Basic Education (UBE) projects in four Kaduna councils.

Executive Director of CODE, Hamzat Lawal, who spoke through the Programme Director, Mrs. Lucy Abagi, during the virtual presentation of a three-year project impact report on UBE spending in Kaduna, said need assessment was carried out on over 600 schools.