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Five-Year Ban On Mining In Zamafara State Lifted – Dele Alake
Five years after it suspended mineral exploration in Zamfara State, the Federal Government yesterday announced the lifting of the ban on mining activities in the Northwest state.
Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake, who dropped the hint in Abuja yesterday, said the move was made following significant improvement on the security situation in the state.
The Federal Government banned all forms of mining activities in Zamfara in 2019, following alarming reports of banditry and its link to illegal mining.
According to Alake, insecurity in the state had been reduced to a manageable level to facilitate the operation of legitimate mining activities.
He said that reversing the ban would support efforts to boost the country’s economic profile, particularly as the state possessed critical minerals in commercial quantities needed for energy transition.
The minister said: “The nation has a lot to gain from reawakened economic activities in a highly mineralised state like Zamfara that is imbued with vast Gold, Lithium, and Copper belts.”
The minister explained that the ban had created a vacuum, which was exploited by illegal miners to rob the nation of its resources.
He said: “The concomitant result was the colossal loss of revenue to the affected communities, local government, the state and the Federal Government as legitimate owners were forced to shut down operations.”
According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to address insecurity in the country by deploying intelligence-gathering and other security operations to neutralise merchants of insecurity
He stated that Tinubu’s strategy had led to the neutralisation of key bandit commanders, thereby significantly reducing incidents of insecurity across the nation.
“A recent success was the capture of one of the most wanted bandit commanders, Halilu Sububu, in a covert operation in Zamfara,” he said.
The government, Alake said, is responsible for protecting lives and property, and contingency plans have already been made to protect mining operators in Zamfara and other states.
He further explained that the strategies adopted to achieve the feat were increased intelligence gathering by relevant security agencies, who would work alongside the mining operators.
The minister stated that lifting of the ban would also facilitate better regulation of mining activities in the state.
He added that the host communities would also benefit from the ban lift through the implementation of corporate social responsibility projects by the mining companies.
According to him, the move will ensure the country benefits from the state’s rich mineral resources, and the significant contributions of the sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The minister also explained the provisions of its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with France, on boosting mining in the country.
He reassured that the agreement does not imply Nigeria was relinquishing control over its mineral resources or entering into any military pact with France.
On December 1, the minister announced an agreement with France to develop joint projects to promote and diversify the value chain of the critical minerals in the solid minerals sector of both countries.
The partnership is also to open opportunity for the remediation of more than 2,000 abandoned pits in the country through environmental rehabilitation and post-mining projects intervention plans.
Alake said: “The high point of the MoU is on training and capacity building for our mining professionals. We need all the assistance we can get in terms of capacity, technical, and financial support from abroad, and that wasn’t even the first we are signing.”
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Delta NMA Declares Blessing CEO’s Cancer Report Fraudulent
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Delta State branch, has officially debunked the cancer claims made by relationship influencer Blessing Okoro, popularly known as Blessing CEO.
In a statement on Tuesday, the association revealed that the document is an altered version of an original medical report belonging to a different patient diagnosed with breast cancer.
The statement, jointly signed by NMA Delta State Chairman, Dr. Israel Adaigho, and Secretary, Dr. Usamah Hannah, was sighted by The Nation on Tuesday.
According to the NMA, the viral report was purportedly issued by Xinus Medical Diagnostics and signed by consultant pathologist Dr. O.A. Odigwe.
However, Dr. Odigwe, who is the proprietor of the diagnostic centre, clarified that his facility never issued any report to Blessing Okoro.
The association explained that Xinus Medical Diagnostics is located in Asaba, Delta State not Enugu State as claimed in the circulating document.
The centre was contacted in May 2025 by a doctor from a private hospital in Asaba to conduct a confirmatory histology test for a patient identified as Mbara Deborah, who had a suspected case of breast cancer.
The test confirmed breast cancer, and the original result was issued to the referring doctor on May 9, 2025.
The NMA stated that the document currently being paraded online by the law firm Allen Juris Law is the original report bearing the name Mbara Deborah.
The version linked to Blessing CEO appears to be a doctored copy of this same report.
The statement read in part: “Our attention has been drawn to an online histology report purportedly issued to one Blessing Okoro, aka Blessing CEO, by Xinus Medical Diagnostics allegedly located in Enugu State. The said histology report was also alleged to have been signed by Dr. O.A. Odigwe, a consultant pathologist.
“The proprietor of Xinus Medical Diagnostics, Dr. O.A. Odigwe, who is also a member of the Nigerian Medical Association, Delta State chapter, has reached us and offered the following clarification: that Xinus Medical Diagnostics is located in Asaba, Delta State and did not at any time issue any report to Blessing Okoro.
“The centre was contacted in May 2025 by a doctor from a private hospital in Asaba to do a confirmatory test on a possible case of breast cancer for a patient, Mbara Deborah. The test was done and the result issued to the referring doctor as a case of breast cancer on May 9, 2025.
“A copy of that result is the one currently being circulated online by the law firm, Allen Juris Law, with the name Mbara Deborah as the patient. That result from the law firm is the original version issued to the patient through her hospital.”
The NMA said the clarification became necessary because of the way the altered report was allegedly being used to solicit public sympathy and financial assistance.
It urged the public to be cautious and warned against actions that could tarnish the integrity of medical professionals.
The association also called on relevant security agencies to take appropriate steps to protect unsuspecting members of the public.
“The integrity of our association and its members is very paramount and should not therefore be taken for granted.
“We call on the authorities responsible for maintaining law and order to do the needful and save unsuspecting members of the public from being unduly taken advantage of,” it added.
Recall that Blessing CEO recently solicited financial help from the public for the treatment of what she claimed was stage four cancer.
Following widespread backlash and allegations that her medical report had been edited, she made a U-turn, stating in an interview: “I don’t have stage 4 cancer. That was a miscommunication.”
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Abuja Court Jails Boko Haram Food Supplier, Hamatu Modu For 40 Years
Justice Binta Fatima Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Hamatu Modu, a major food supplier for Boko Haram terrorists, to 40 years imprisonment for his involvement in terrorism activities.
Modu, who confessed in the open court to supplying food items and information to terrorists, was put on trial by the federal government through the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
He was slammed with 4- count charges and instantly pleaded guilty to them.
The Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation, DPPF, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, led the prosecution.
In his judgment, Justice Nyako sentenced him to 10 years on each of the count but due to the plea of the defense counsel, the judge ordered that the 40 years imprisonment should run concurrently, giving the convict opportunity to spend only 10 years.
In another development, Isah Ali, another food supplier also in Borno, was jailed 10 years by Justice Nyako.
His jail term will, however, start three years ago when he was arrested and clamped into detention.
The convict confessed to committing the offence as charged.
Justice Nyako ordered that the convicts be made to undergo rehabilitation and radicalization at the end of their service of the jail terms.
The Federal Ministry of Interior was ordered to determine where the two men will serve their jail terms.
News
Just In: Kebbi Assembly Speaker Muhammad Ankwai Passes Away
The Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Muhammad Usman Ankwai has passed away in the late hours of Monday, 6 April 2026.
Ankwai, who represented Zuru Constituency under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was elected Speaker at the inauguration of the 10th Assembly on June 8, 2023.
Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately disclosed at the time of filing this report.
His death has, however, triggered an outpouring of condolences from fellow lawmakers, political associates, and residents across Kebbi State, many of whom have described him as a dedicated public servant who contributed to legislative development in the state.
Further announcements regarding burial arrangements are expected to be made by his family soon.
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