The Niger State Government said they are ready to collaborate with any group or individuals that would key into the urban renewal policy of the present administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
The Niger State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Renewal, Hon. Abubakar Umar, stated this yesterday while receiving the management of Ample Homes Ltd., who were in his office to sign a Memorandum of Understanding MoU for the construction of 1,000 housing units in the Tafa Local Government Area of the state.
He said the state government was desirous of addressing the issue of the housing deficit through the construction of affordable housing units across the state, stressing that the decision of the firm to construct houses for the use of the residents of the state was a welcome idea and assured them of support and cooperation to achieve the dream.
Speaking also, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Habiba Ahmed, said the meeting was called in order to study the MoU between the two parties to ensure that expectations were met before it was signed.
She explained that the project, when embarked upon, would be in three phases, with each phase to be completed within 24 months, while the entire project would be completed within the lifespan of the present administration in the state.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of Ample Homes Ltd., Ahmad Gara, said they were in the state to see how they can partner with the government to provide housing for the people of the state, adding that the project will consist of two-bedroom and three-bedroom bungalows.
"We came about this based on our research; you know, we are looking at civil servants, people with small families or big families," he said.
He said they were very hopeful that the project would receive the blessings of the state government to ensure its success, while also promising that they would not betray the confidence they had in it.
Five suspects have been arrested by a sister security agency for unlawful possession of a human skull while on routine patrol at the toll gate along Bida-Minna Road on September 11, 2023, at about 12:30 hrs.
The Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, Niger State Command DSP Wasiu Abidoun, said in a press release issued and obtained by Newsline on Friday that the suspects were interceded inside a Mitsubishi Lancer vehicle while in the course of searching the passenger, from where they were arrested.
The two arrested suspects, according to him, were Isah Mohammed, 26 years old, and Idris Mohammed, 28 years old; both of them are from Sakpe village in Edati Local Government Area of Niger state.
DSP Wasiu said the two suspects were found to be in possession of a human skull wrapped in a Bagco bag; hence, they were transferred to the Police Area Command Bida for interrogation and further investigation.
The PPRO further disclosed that the suspects, during interrogation, claimed that they got the human skull from their village and mentioned three other persons who aided in digging the grave where they exhumed the skull.
These included Ibrahim Jiya (18 years), Suleiman Usman (22 years), and Abdullahi Usman (24 years), all at the same address mentioned above.
Isah and Abdullahi, according to the PPRO, claimed to have met one Alfa Suleiman from Kwara State at Bida three weeks earlier, who told them to get a human skull for him for money ritual purposes and instructed them to take it to someone in Minna with thirty thousand naira only, while the unknown recipient said that when they get to Kpakungu, they should call him to meet them to receive the message.
The five suspects, DSP Wasiu Abidoun said, have been transferred to SCID Minna for discreet investigations and diligent prosecution while the case was under investigation.
