… As Nigeria, UAE to track illegal gold trade -Minister***
The Police in Jigawa said kidnappers have abducted a 38-year-old man in Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Jigawa Police Command, ASP Lawan Shiisu, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Dutse on Wednesday.
Shiisu said the suspects allegedly abducted the victim identified as Lawan Zakar at his residence at Dankoli quarters, on July 17.
“On July 17, at about 5:50 a.m., one Aliyu Zakar of Dankoli quarters in Kiyawa LGA came to the police station and reported that:
“On the same date at about 3 a.m., a gang of five criminals jumped into the house of his brother one Lawal Zakar, aged 38, of the same address.
“The suspects demanded for 60 million from him whereas it was N60,000 that was brought to him on the fateful night by his boy.”
He explained that the suspects ransacked the whole house, seized the phone of the victim and those of his wives.
The PPRO added that the suspects, who used a car, later took the victim away.
According to him, efforts were on top gear to rescue the victim, as well as arrest the suspects.
The newsmen recall that suspected gunmen had on July 14, kidnapped a 47-year-old housewife in Marke village, Kaugama Local Government Area of the state.
In another development, the federal government in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to track huge illegal movement of gold from Nigeria to Dubai.
Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, announced this in the newsmen Forum.
According to Adegbite, Nigeria government is currently negotiating a bilateral agreement with the UAE to check every gold entering Dubai from Nigeria.
He noted that huge quantity of gold were being moved from Nigeria illegally on a daily basis to Dubai, adding that the gold passed through UAE police freely unknown to them that royalties were not paid to Nigeria.
“The UAE collect their own charges on gold that arrived in Dubai airport but Nigeria government has told UAE to ask anyone entering Dubai with Nigeria gold to present certificate of exportation got from Nigeria before allowing them to pass.
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“We have agreed with UAE to seize any gold from Nigeria without certificate of exportation; we told them that the value of the gold will be shared equally as an incentive for UAE to eradicate illegal exportation of gold from Nigeria to Dubai.
“All we expected from whoever that is travelling from Nigeria to Dubai with our raw gold is to pay royalty to the Nigeria government and such person will be given certificate of exportation.
“The certificate of exportation will be automatically integrated into the Nigeria Customs Services system, our law accepts exportation of gold but royalty must be paid,” he said.
