Abuja TimeWednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
America guards Obama’s grandmother
America has sent an elite team of agents to protect President Barack Obama’s grandmother in Kenya.
White House sources said security had been heightened at her Kogelo rural home following the killing of al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.
Also more police officers have beeOn deployed to man Mama Sarah Obama’s in homestead western Kenya following fears of a terrorist attack in retaliation for the killing of Osama by US Special Forces.
According to the local police boss, Stephen Cheteka, officials decided to beef-up security for the relatives of the US president after receiving threats of a planned terrorist attack three days ago and that his men would work with the American security officials.
“We received reports of plans to attack the home of Mama Sarah Obama three days ago and we immediately put in place adequate security measures,” Mr. Cheteka said.
The police boss added that the home would be under round-the-clock surveillance, adding that all visitors would be subjected to a thorough screening.
He, however, assured the public that there was no cause for alarm as the family of Mama Sarah Obama had been well informed of the security measures.
Local leaders, led by former Siaya Mayor Obiero Otare, expressed fears that the Kogelo home of the Obama granny could be the target of terrorist attack, especially now that reports indicated that terrorists had penetrated into Kenyan territory.
“Security must be beefed up at the home and the surrounding environs lest we become the next target of terrorists,” observed Mr. Otare.
White House sources said security had been heightened at her Kogelo rural home following the killing of al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden.
Also more police officers have beeOn deployed to man Mama Sarah Obama’s in homestead western Kenya following fears of a terrorist attack in retaliation for the killing of Osama by US Special Forces.
According to the local police boss, Stephen Cheteka, officials decided to beef-up security for the relatives of the US president after receiving threats of a planned terrorist attack three days ago and that his men would work with the American security officials.
“We received reports of plans to attack the home of Mama Sarah Obama three days ago and we immediately put in place adequate security measures,” Mr. Cheteka said.
The police boss added that the home would be under round-the-clock surveillance, adding that all visitors would be subjected to a thorough screening.
He, however, assured the public that there was no cause for alarm as the family of Mama Sarah Obama had been well informed of the security measures.
Local leaders, led by former Siaya Mayor Obiero Otare, expressed fears that the Kogelo home of the Obama granny could be the target of terrorist attack, especially now that reports indicated that terrorists had penetrated into Kenyan territory.
“Security must be beefed up at the home and the surrounding environs lest we become the next target of terrorists,” observed Mr. Otare.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Kano state, Residents Panic over Osama Death
The ancient city of Kano was once again plunged into confusion yesterday, following reports of the death of Osama Bin Laden, the world’s most wanted man and the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade centre (WTC) in New York.
As the news hit into the city, non-indigenes living in violence-prone areas fled their homes to take refuge in military and police barracks.
There was pani in Kawo, Tishama and Badawa as well as other suburbs, as residents ran helter, skelter for their dear lives.
As apprehension reverberated through the length and breadth of the city, non-natives, besides those who fled to barracks, were seen dashing towards safe areas, particularly Sabon Gari, largely inhabited by non-indigenes.
It was learnt that children and their mothers were the first to flee their homes, in what has been described a desperate move to avoid a repeat of the post election violence in which several people were killed. Now, nobody wants to be caught unawares.
Worried by the situation, the Commissioner of Police on election duty in the state, Mr. Dan’Azumi Doma, assured the people that there was no cause for alarm, as the police have made adequate security arrangement to handle any possible threat to lives and properties.
Doma said in a telephone chat with The Nation “The police are on red alert and I advise the people to return home because there is no cause for alarm.”
There was however, no report of violence in any part of the city, a development that made the people who earlier fled in the morning, to return home in the evening.
As the news hit into the city, non-indigenes living in violence-prone areas fled their homes to take refuge in military and police barracks.
There was pani in Kawo, Tishama and Badawa as well as other suburbs, as residents ran helter, skelter for their dear lives.
As apprehension reverberated through the length and breadth of the city, non-natives, besides those who fled to barracks, were seen dashing towards safe areas, particularly Sabon Gari, largely inhabited by non-indigenes.
It was learnt that children and their mothers were the first to flee their homes, in what has been described a desperate move to avoid a repeat of the post election violence in which several people were killed. Now, nobody wants to be caught unawares.
Worried by the situation, the Commissioner of Police on election duty in the state, Mr. Dan’Azumi Doma, assured the people that there was no cause for alarm, as the police have made adequate security arrangement to handle any possible threat to lives and properties.
Doma said in a telephone chat with The Nation “The police are on red alert and I advise the people to return home because there is no cause for alarm.”
There was however, no report of violence in any part of the city, a development that made the people who earlier fled in the morning, to return home in the evening.
Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden's sea burial
Muslim clerics said Monday that Osama bin Laden's burial at sea was a violation of Islamic tradition that may further provoke militant calls for revenge attacks against American targets.
Although there appears to be some room for debate over the burial — as with many issues within the faith — a wide range of senior Islamic scholars interpreted it as a humiliating disregard for the standard Muslim practice of placing the body in a grave with the head pointed toward the holy city of Mecca.
Sea burials can be allowed, they said, but only in special cases where the death occurred aboard a ship.
Bin Laden's burial at sea "runs contrary to the principles of Islamic laws, religious values and humanitarian customs," said Sheik Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand Imam of Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's highest seat of learning.
A radical cleric in Lebanon, Omar Bakri Mohammed, said, "The Americans want to humiliate Muslims through this burial, and I don't think this is in the interest of the U.S. administration."
A U.S. official said the burial decision was made after concluding that it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. There was also speculation about worry that a grave site could have become a rallying point for militants.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security matters.
President Barack Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial, and the Pentagon later said the body was placed into the waters of the northern Arabian Sea after adhering to traditional Islamic procedures — including washing the corpse — aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
But the Lebanese cleric Mohammed called it a "strategic mistake" that was bound to stoke rage.
In Washington, CIA director Leon Panetta warned that "terrorists almost certainly will attempt to avenge" the killing of the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
"Bin Laden is dead," Panetta wrote in a memo to CIA staff. "Al-Qaida is not."
According to Islamic teachings, the highest honor to be bestowed on the dead is giving the deceased a swift burial, preferably before sunset. Those who die while traveling at sea can have their bodies committed to the bottom of the ocean if they are far off the coast, according to Islamic tradition.
"They can say they buried him at sea, but they cannot say they did it according to Islam," Mohammed al-Qubaisi, Dubai's grand mufti, said about bin Laden's burial. "If the family does not want him, it's really simple in Islam: You dig up a grave anywhere, even on a remote island, you say the prayers and that's it."
"Sea burials are permissible for Muslims in extraordinary circumstances," he added. "This is not one of them."
But Mohammed Qudah, a professor of Islamic law at the University of Jordan, said burying the Saudi-born bin Laden at sea was not forbidden if there was nobody to receive the body and provide a Muslim burial.
"The land and the sea belong to God, who is able to protect and raise the dead at the end of times for Judgment Day," he said. "It's neither true nor correct to claim that there was nobody in the Muslim world ready to receive bin Laden's body."
Clerics in Iraq, where an offshoot of al-Qaida is blamed for the death of thousands of people since 2003, also criticized the U.S. action. One said it only benefited fish.
"If a man dies on a ship that is a long distance from land, then the dead man should be buried at the sea," said Shiite cleric Ibrahim al-Jabari. "But if he dies on land, then he should be buried in the ground, not to be thrown into the sea. Otherwise, this would be only inviting fish to a banquet."
The Islamic tradition of a quick burial was the subject of intense debate in Iraq in 2003 when U.S. forces embalmed the bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons after they were killed in a firefight. Their bodies were later shown to media.
"What was done by the Americans is forbidden by Islam and might provoke some Muslims," said another Islamic scholar from Iraq, Abdul-Sattar al-Janabi, who preaches at Baghdad's famous Abu Hanifa mosque. "It is not acceptable and it is almost a crime to throw the body of a Muslim man into the sea. The body of bin Laden should have been handed over to his family to look for a country or land to bury him."
Prominent Egyptian Islamic analyst and lawyer Montasser el-Zayat said bin Laden's sea burial was designed to prevent his grave from becoming a shrine. But an option was an unmarked grave.
"They don't want to see him become a symbol, but he is already a symbol in people's hearts."
Associated Press writers Barbara Surk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Jamal Halaby and Sameer N. Yacoub in Amman, Jordan, and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
List Of Corp Members Killed In Bauchi As Released By Nysc
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed that the nine serving corps members (CMs), all young men, who were killed by rioters in Bauchi State following the April 16 presidential election, will be given a national burial.
And speaking in Lagos Thursday, Professor Wole Soyinka, expressed dismay over last week’s violence in some parts of the North, saying it was clear to every discerning mind that the mayhem had long been conceived.
In adverts placed in national dailies and electronic media across the country today, the NYSC lamented that CMs who had added credibility to the electoral process became targets of some disgruntled people who were not satisfied with the results of the elections.
The names of the deceased are: Teidi Tosin Olawale (from Osun State, BSc Computer Science); Nkwazema Anslem Chukwunonyerem (Imo State, HND Electrical Electronic Engineering), Okpokiri Obinna Michael (Abia State, BSc Environmental Management), Adowei Elliot (Bayelsa State, BSc Computer Science) and Adewunmi Seun Paul (Ekiti State, BSc, Social Sciences).
Others are Adeniji Kehinde Jehleel (Osun State, BSc Banking & Finance), Gbenjo Ebenezer Ayotunde (Osun State, BSc, Education Economics), Ukeoma Ikechukwu Chibuzor (Imo State, BSc Medical Microbiology) and Akonyi Ibrahim Sule (Kogi State, HND Business Administration). The deceased are to be given national burials after the organisation has liaised with their parents. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to be represented by governors of the states where the slain corps members hailed from.
And speaking in Lagos Thursday, Professor Wole Soyinka, expressed dismay over last week’s violence in some parts of the North, saying it was clear to every discerning mind that the mayhem had long been conceived.
In adverts placed in national dailies and electronic media across the country today, the NYSC lamented that CMs who had added credibility to the electoral process became targets of some disgruntled people who were not satisfied with the results of the elections.
The names of the deceased are: Teidi Tosin Olawale (from Osun State, BSc Computer Science); Nkwazema Anslem Chukwunonyerem (Imo State, HND Electrical Electronic Engineering), Okpokiri Obinna Michael (Abia State, BSc Environmental Management), Adowei Elliot (Bayelsa State, BSc Computer Science) and Adewunmi Seun Paul (Ekiti State, BSc, Social Sciences).
Others are Adeniji Kehinde Jehleel (Osun State, BSc Banking & Finance), Gbenjo Ebenezer Ayotunde (Osun State, BSc, Education Economics), Ukeoma Ikechukwu Chibuzor (Imo State, BSc Medical Microbiology) and Akonyi Ibrahim Sule (Kogi State, HND Business Administration). The deceased are to be given national burials after the organisation has liaised with their parents. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to be represented by governors of the states where the slain corps members hailed from.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Cbn Imposes Limits, Penalty On Cash Transactions, Again!
….N150,000 for individuals; N200,000 for corporate organisations
From June 2012, individuals that make cash withdrawal or deposit above N150,000 would pay a fine of N100 per extra N1,000, while corporate organisations that make cash withdrawal or deposit above N1 million would pay fine of N200 per extra N1,000.
These limits for free cash withdrawal and deposits were part of a new policy aimed at reducing the high usage of cash in the economy announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday.
The policy, which would be enforced in Lagos State, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Aba in the first instance also banned encashment of third party cheques above N150,000 across the counter
The policy was contained in a circular signed by Mr Muhammad Nda, Director, Currency Operations Department and addressed to all banks, Cash In Transit (CIT) companies and electronic payment providers.
The circular entitled: “Industry policy on retail cash collection and lodgement” stated: “In view of increasing dominance of cash in the economy with its implication for cost of cash management to the banking industry, security, money laundering, etc., the Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Bankers Committee, is adopting policies to reduce the high usage of cash, moderate the cost of cash management and encourage the use of electronic payment channels. Consequently, the Central Bank of Nigeria hereby directs as follows:
The limits
“Commencing from June 1, 2012, a daily cumulative limit of N150,000 and N1,000,000 on free cash withdrawals and lodgments by individual and corporate customers respectively with Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) shall be imposed. To this end, individuals and corporate organisations that make cash transactions above the limits will be charged a penal fee of N100/thousand and N200/thousand respectively for amounts above the cumulative limits.
“Contravention of this policy shall attract a fine of five (5) times the amount that the bank waives as a first offender. Subsequently, the bank shall pay ten (10) times the charges waived.
“Furthermore, 3rd party cheques above N150,000 shall not be eligible for encashment over the counter. Value for such cheques shall be received through the clearing house.
Penalties
“If a bank allows 3rd party cheque encashment, it shall be liable to a sanction of 10% of the face value of the cheque or N100,000 whichever is higher.
“Banks will cease cash in transit lodgment services rendered to merchant_customers from June 1, 2012. In this regard, customers could engage the services of the CBN licensed cash-in-transit (CIT) companies to aid cash movement to and from their banks at mutually agreed terms and conditions. Contravention of this policy shall attract a fine of N1.0 million per specie movement.
“This arrangement shall be in force in Lagos State, FCT, Port Harcourt, Kano and Aba in the first instance. The arrangement shall be extended to other parts of the country at a date to be determined by the Bankers Committee.”
“To achieve interoperability of local currency POS transactions, no card scheme, foreign or local, shall operate exclusive acquirer agreement or contract in Nigeria with effect from June 1, 2011. Any payments scheme, processor, switching company, service provider or
bank that contravenes this policy may be suspended for a minimum of one (1) month by the CBN as a processor, switching company, service provider etc in the first instance. The license may be withdrawn by the CBN if the contravention is repeated.
“This policy shall apply to both private and public sector transactions. All financial institutions including Deposit Money Banks, Savings and Loans, Mortgage and Microfinance Banks shall comply accordingly.
“Compliance with the policy shall be monitored by the Banking Supervision Department and the Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department with appropriate sanction applied to erring institutions.
“While the Central Bank of Nigeria will make general announcements and carry out public awareness programmes individual banks are expected to do same. The affected customers of banks should be informed in good time by the banks with clear advice on alternative electronic payment channels available to them.”
From June 2012, individuals that make cash withdrawal or deposit above N150,000 would pay a fine of N100 per extra N1,000, while corporate organisations that make cash withdrawal or deposit above N1 million would pay fine of N200 per extra N1,000.
These limits for free cash withdrawal and deposits were part of a new policy aimed at reducing the high usage of cash in the economy announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, yesterday.
The policy, which would be enforced in Lagos State, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Aba in the first instance also banned encashment of third party cheques above N150,000 across the counter
The policy was contained in a circular signed by Mr Muhammad Nda, Director, Currency Operations Department and addressed to all banks, Cash In Transit (CIT) companies and electronic payment providers.
The circular entitled: “Industry policy on retail cash collection and lodgement” stated: “In view of increasing dominance of cash in the economy with its implication for cost of cash management to the banking industry, security, money laundering, etc., the Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Bankers Committee, is adopting policies to reduce the high usage of cash, moderate the cost of cash management and encourage the use of electronic payment channels. Consequently, the Central Bank of Nigeria hereby directs as follows:
The limits
“Commencing from June 1, 2012, a daily cumulative limit of N150,000 and N1,000,000 on free cash withdrawals and lodgments by individual and corporate customers respectively with Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) shall be imposed. To this end, individuals and corporate organisations that make cash transactions above the limits will be charged a penal fee of N100/thousand and N200/thousand respectively for amounts above the cumulative limits.
“Contravention of this policy shall attract a fine of five (5) times the amount that the bank waives as a first offender. Subsequently, the bank shall pay ten (10) times the charges waived.
“Furthermore, 3rd party cheques above N150,000 shall not be eligible for encashment over the counter. Value for such cheques shall be received through the clearing house.
Penalties
“If a bank allows 3rd party cheque encashment, it shall be liable to a sanction of 10% of the face value of the cheque or N100,000 whichever is higher.
“Banks will cease cash in transit lodgment services rendered to merchant_customers from June 1, 2012. In this regard, customers could engage the services of the CBN licensed cash-in-transit (CIT) companies to aid cash movement to and from their banks at mutually agreed terms and conditions. Contravention of this policy shall attract a fine of N1.0 million per specie movement.
“This arrangement shall be in force in Lagos State, FCT, Port Harcourt, Kano and Aba in the first instance. The arrangement shall be extended to other parts of the country at a date to be determined by the Bankers Committee.”
“To achieve interoperability of local currency POS transactions, no card scheme, foreign or local, shall operate exclusive acquirer agreement or contract in Nigeria with effect from June 1, 2011. Any payments scheme, processor, switching company, service provider or
bank that contravenes this policy may be suspended for a minimum of one (1) month by the CBN as a processor, switching company, service provider etc in the first instance. The license may be withdrawn by the CBN if the contravention is repeated.
“This policy shall apply to both private and public sector transactions. All financial institutions including Deposit Money Banks, Savings and Loans, Mortgage and Microfinance Banks shall comply accordingly.
“Compliance with the policy shall be monitored by the Banking Supervision Department and the Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department with appropriate sanction applied to erring institutions.
“While the Central Bank of Nigeria will make general announcements and carry out public awareness programmes individual banks are expected to do same. The affected customers of banks should be informed in good time by the banks with clear advice on alternative electronic payment channels available to them.”
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Narrow Escape By NYSC Corpers In Bauchi
THEY never knew that evil was on the way. All was calm in the neighbourhood, although the news had been broken that rioters were on the rampage in the city.
Suddenly, it got noisy and rowdy outside the building where no fewer than 50 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members huddled together, feeling safe, away from the madness that had seized the city by the throat.
Angry youths protesting the results of the presidential election stormed the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) Secretariat in the heart of Minna, the Niger State capital.
They forcibly locked the Corps members in and set the building on fire.
But the leader of the Corps members, fondly called Papa by his colleagues, found the strength to break down the door and set his colleagues free.
“Some had burns,” one of the lucky boys and girls told The Nation at the Army Barracks, where they are taking refuge.
He said they were initially few at the “Family House”, as the secretariat is called by NCCF members, but many rushed in to escape the rioting near their homes in other parts of the city.
“We were taken by surprise. We couldn’t retrieve anything from the fire,” he said, pleading for anonymity so that, according to him, his relatives would not panic over his safety.
The building was smouldering yesterday.
The irate youths also burnt the NCCF 18-seater bus, which was bought two months ago, and a motorcycle belonging to the fellowship.
The development has forced the NYSC to direct all Corps members in Chanchaga (Minna) Local Government Area to relocate from their homes to the Nigeria Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) barracks on the outskirts of the city.
Two NYSC officials were taking care of about 200 “refugees” at the barracks. Religious organisations have sent relief materials to them.
The Family House of the NCCF, a fellowship centre and a lodge for Christian corps members, was one of the seven worship centres burnt by the youths who said they were protesting the emergence of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as winner of the presidential election.
If the “Minna 50” were lucky, not so four of their colleagues and two police officers in Bauchi. They were killed by rioters.
Christian Association of Nigeria {CAN} chair Bishop Musa Tula said more than 20 people died in the violence unleashed on innocent people by those he suspected to be political thugs.
Several churches, cars, homes and business houses were burnt.
The police said over 200 suspects had been arrested in connection with the violence in Bauchi metropolis, Misau and Azare Dambam.
Banks and government businesses in the state capital have closed. Three churches, including Gospel Life Church and Deeper Life Church in the state capital, were burnt. Another one in Bara, Alkaleri Local Government Area, was burnt.
It was learnt that trouble started when some youths said to be CPC supporters suddenly went berserk over the results of the election.
The new police commissioner deployed to the state to ensure a hitch-free election, Ammama John Abakasanga, told reporters yesterday that over 200 suspects had been arrested.
He said four Youth Corps members were killed in Itas Gadau during the election. He added that no fewer than 20 other Corps members were still missing.
The Commissioner said the police rescued 20 of the 51 corps members in Itas Gadau, Jamare and Dabam local government areas.
The rescued Corps members are at the Police Officers’ Mess, Bauchi.
But the NYSC secretariat in Bauchi yesterday kept quiet over the corps members.
Abakasanga said a Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Police Division, Jama’are Local Government Area and a woman Corporal were killed in Giade. The Divisional Police Officer and DCO of Dabam Local Government were injured. They are hospitalised.
The police boss said his men recovered three ballot boxes and 10 locally made guns from the suspects, who include two under age children.
There were looting and burning yesterday by youths who seized shops, business premises and the streets as early as 7a.m., attacking innocent citizens.
Residents of Igbo quarters, Zango, Railway and most parts of the metropolis fled to the Army and Police barracks as the arson continued.
The INEC offices in Bauchi, Jamare, Misau, Dabam and Itas Gadau were torched.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Senator Iliya Audu, told reporters that all the offices were looted before being set ablaze.
Audu said at the INEC office in Bauchi, 500 laptops, 16 power generating sets, cabinets and burglary proof belonging to the commission were stolen before the building was set on fire.
No fewer than 6,000 persons have been displaced, Abubakar Adamu, Bauchi State Secretary, Nigeria Red Cross Society, said.
According to Abubakar, about 23 others, who are injured, have been hospitalised.
On the over 6000 displaced, the Red Cross boss said: “No food or any kind of aid has been supplied to them. They desperately need food. And the State Emergency Management Agency is yet to respond, despite their knowledge of these people’s situation.”
He said residents who ran away for fear of being attacked were returning to their homes.
Suddenly, it got noisy and rowdy outside the building where no fewer than 50 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members huddled together, feeling safe, away from the madness that had seized the city by the throat.
Angry youths protesting the results of the presidential election stormed the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) Secretariat in the heart of Minna, the Niger State capital.
They forcibly locked the Corps members in and set the building on fire.
But the leader of the Corps members, fondly called Papa by his colleagues, found the strength to break down the door and set his colleagues free.
“Some had burns,” one of the lucky boys and girls told The Nation at the Army Barracks, where they are taking refuge.
He said they were initially few at the “Family House”, as the secretariat is called by NCCF members, but many rushed in to escape the rioting near their homes in other parts of the city.
“We were taken by surprise. We couldn’t retrieve anything from the fire,” he said, pleading for anonymity so that, according to him, his relatives would not panic over his safety.
The building was smouldering yesterday.
The irate youths also burnt the NCCF 18-seater bus, which was bought two months ago, and a motorcycle belonging to the fellowship.
The development has forced the NYSC to direct all Corps members in Chanchaga (Minna) Local Government Area to relocate from their homes to the Nigeria Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) barracks on the outskirts of the city.
Two NYSC officials were taking care of about 200 “refugees” at the barracks. Religious organisations have sent relief materials to them.
The Family House of the NCCF, a fellowship centre and a lodge for Christian corps members, was one of the seven worship centres burnt by the youths who said they were protesting the emergence of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as winner of the presidential election.
If the “Minna 50” were lucky, not so four of their colleagues and two police officers in Bauchi. They were killed by rioters.
Christian Association of Nigeria {CAN} chair Bishop Musa Tula said more than 20 people died in the violence unleashed on innocent people by those he suspected to be political thugs.
Several churches, cars, homes and business houses were burnt.
The police said over 200 suspects had been arrested in connection with the violence in Bauchi metropolis, Misau and Azare Dambam.
Banks and government businesses in the state capital have closed. Three churches, including Gospel Life Church and Deeper Life Church in the state capital, were burnt. Another one in Bara, Alkaleri Local Government Area, was burnt.
It was learnt that trouble started when some youths said to be CPC supporters suddenly went berserk over the results of the election.
The new police commissioner deployed to the state to ensure a hitch-free election, Ammama John Abakasanga, told reporters yesterday that over 200 suspects had been arrested.
He said four Youth Corps members were killed in Itas Gadau during the election. He added that no fewer than 20 other Corps members were still missing.
The Commissioner said the police rescued 20 of the 51 corps members in Itas Gadau, Jamare and Dabam local government areas.
The rescued Corps members are at the Police Officers’ Mess, Bauchi.
But the NYSC secretariat in Bauchi yesterday kept quiet over the corps members.
Abakasanga said a Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Police Division, Jama’are Local Government Area and a woman Corporal were killed in Giade. The Divisional Police Officer and DCO of Dabam Local Government were injured. They are hospitalised.
The police boss said his men recovered three ballot boxes and 10 locally made guns from the suspects, who include two under age children.
There were looting and burning yesterday by youths who seized shops, business premises and the streets as early as 7a.m., attacking innocent citizens.
Residents of Igbo quarters, Zango, Railway and most parts of the metropolis fled to the Army and Police barracks as the arson continued.
The INEC offices in Bauchi, Jamare, Misau, Dabam and Itas Gadau were torched.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Senator Iliya Audu, told reporters that all the offices were looted before being set ablaze.
Audu said at the INEC office in Bauchi, 500 laptops, 16 power generating sets, cabinets and burglary proof belonging to the commission were stolen before the building was set on fire.
No fewer than 6,000 persons have been displaced, Abubakar Adamu, Bauchi State Secretary, Nigeria Red Cross Society, said.
According to Abubakar, about 23 others, who are injured, have been hospitalised.
On the over 6000 displaced, the Red Cross boss said: “No food or any kind of aid has been supplied to them. They desperately need food. And the State Emergency Management Agency is yet to respond, despite their knowledge of these people’s situation.”
He said residents who ran away for fear of being attacked were returning to their homes.
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