The Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria, on Saturday, said it has recovered the black box of a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft 350 jet which crashed on Friday near the Kaduna International Airport.

AIB-N said its investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders to ascertain the cause of the crash that claimed the lives of 11 military personnel including the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru.

In a statement titled, ‘AIB-N To Conduct Kaduna Crash Investigation’ signed by AIB-N General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations specialised agency for global aviation regulation, black boxes, also known as flight recorders, are one of the most relied upon resources for the improvement of aviation safety. Audio recordings from cockpit voice recorders are valuable for post-accident safety analysis, especially to know what transpired in the aircraft (mostly pilots’ last conversation) prior to accidents.

Usually, the AIB-N, according to its mandate, only probes civil aviation accidents and incidents in Nigeria and not military accidents or incidents. But Oketunbi said NAF mandated AIB-N to lead the investigation into the crash.

“The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the accidented aircraft have been recovered and investigation has commenced.

“Investigators will download and analyse vital information contained in the recorders at the AIB-N’s world class Flight Safety Laboratory, in Abuja.

The mandate given to AIB-N is based on the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two agencies on July 1, 2020 covering areas of mutual assistance,” the statement partly read.

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on Sunday rejected the review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly, saying Nigeria needed a new constitution and not amendment of the existing document.

PFN canvassed the enactment of a new legal document that would be in agreement with the socio-political realities of the country and capable of enhancing national economic development on all fronts.

These demands were contained in a statement jointly signed by PFN’s National President, Bishop Wale Oke; National Secretary, Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu and National Legal Adviser, Funmi Quadri (SAN).

In the statement titled Nigeria’s Constitutional Review: PFN’s Stand, the fellowship lamented that the existing 1999 Constitution “is fraught with irregularities that are not helpful for the growth of the federation.”

The statement said the PFN “is aware of the on-going constitutional review process being undertaken by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the public hearing sessions scheduled by the Senate for May 26 and 27 across the six (6) geo-political zones of the country.”

Consequently, the fellowship said the current constitution, which serves as the conveyor belt for the administration of the country, was anti-people and faulty.

“We declare that the present constitution is not a people’s constitution and does not, in any way, reflect the aspirations and yearnings of the PFN and the people of Nigeria at large.

“The PFN is firmly of the view that the review process by amending a segment of the constitution, might just be an exercise in futility that cannot meet the expectation of the people”, the statement further maintained

To this end, the PFN said it was joining forces with other groups in the country in repudiating the 1999 Constitution, calling for the enactment of a new one that would be acceptable and more pliable to the yearnings of Nigerians.

It said: “We stand with the different groups and people across the length and breadth of Nigeria in rejecting the 1999 Constitution, and maintain that it cannot deliver a framework for good governance.

“We do not see the ongoing process of proposed alteration to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999” achieving the objectives of restructuring Nigeria, as desired and canvassed by millions of Nigerians and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN),” it added

The fellowship demanded a new constitution, which it said would guarantee a truly federalist structure for the good and prosperity of all Nigerians.

The US State Department for Justice has said the Islamic State in West Africa Province will not get the $7million bounty it placed on Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect.

Responding to reports on the death of the terrorist leader, the State Department said the bounty was not meant for a group under the ISIS.

The US State Department for Justice tweeted, “News reports today indicate that a Boko Haram terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, blew himself up in a confrontation with ISIS affiliates. Hey, ISIS guys. To clarify: no – you are not eligible for the reward for information on his identity or location. That’s not how the programme works.”

On June 21, 2012, the US Department of State designated Shekau a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224. One year later, a $7 million bounty was placed on him.

“Abubakar Shekau is the leader of the Jama’atu Ahl as-Sunnah il-Da’awati wal-Jihad, more commonly known as Boko Haram, which means “western education is forbidden.” It is a Nigeria-based terrorist organisation that seeks to overthrow the current Nigerian government and replace it with a regime based on Islamic law.

Farming and other economic activities are under serious threat in Faskari and other volatile areas of Katsina State.

This is as a result of banditry which has forced over 60 villages and hamlets to relocate to safer towns and cities.

Faskari, Kankara, Sabuwa and Dandume local government areas, which were badly hit by the banditry, constitute the agricultural hub of the state. Farmers in those communities produce mostly maize, rice, soybeans and sorghum in large quantities.

According to locals, many farms in the area produce more than 2,000 bags of maize every season.

During the launch of the 2021 maize wet season farming and first maize pyramid in Nigeria in the state, Governor Aminu Bello Masari disclosed that over 50,000 hectares of farmland were abandoned by farmers in the state in 2020 due to attacks by bandits.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari had, on several occasions tasked the security agencies to flush out terrorists and bandits so that farmers would have their confidence restored and return to their farmlands.

Sadiq Bala, a farmer in Faskari Local Government Area, said some months back, there were successes recorded by the military against the bandits, but of recent, the miscreants staged a comeback invading remote villages and hamlets.

“Some days ago, politicians and concerned elders of Faskari Local Government Area had to visit the governor and tabled their complaint of the lingering insecurity in the area, especially now that farming season has set in,’’ he said.

Bala added that last Tuesday night, the bandits invaded Garke village in the neighbouring Dandume Local Government Area, where they killed an elderly man, abducted unspecified number of people, as well as robbed the villagers of their domestic animals and other belongings.

According to Bala, the bandits went to Sabuwar Unguwa of Sabuwa Local Government Area in the same night, shot sporadically at the residents and abducted about 20 persons, including women and children.

Malam Hussaini Ya’u Kogo, a resident of Faskari town, said with the relative peace they enjoyed some months back, some communities that earlier relocated were going back to their homes to cultivate their farms .

“At Kurmin Doka, where the residents recently went back to till their farms, bandits last Tuesday night rustled their cattle and sheep. They also abducted not less than 30 people, including married women, after killing two young men. In the morning of the same Tuesday, one Mani Mamman Dusa of Faskari town was beaten to a pulp by Fulani bandits armed with machetes and sticks. They chased his two children away and rustled his cattle at his farm, along Maigora Road,’’ he said.

Kogo further said that last Wednesday morning, bandits went back to the area to attack people working in their farms, but on sighting members of a vigilante group patrolling the area, they took to their heels.

“On that very Wednesday, the bandits robbed one person called Rishi of his new motorcycle while he was at his farm, close to Government Science Secondary School, Faskari,’’ he added.

We learnt that if the recent development is not quickly arrested, it would threaten the production of crops, especially maize in the state as farmers in the affected areas are abandoning their farms for safety.

Also, Malam Hamish Yan’tuwaru told our correspondent that as a result of banditry, the volume of maize produced last year had significantly reduced.

“Only God knows our fate this year as many of us are not ready to mortgage our lives to cultivate remote farms. Last year, many maize and soybeans farms were left unharvested for the fear of bandits,’’ he said.

Yan’tuwaru added that local farmers were looking up to security agents to restore their confidence by dislodging the dreaded bandits in their areas.

Our correspondent learnt that this unfortunate development has escalated the rental fees of farms in Danja, Kafur, Malumfashi and Bakori local government areas as many farmers from the volatile areas were looking for alternatives for food production.

Sani Umar Tandama of Danja Local Government Area said farm owners no longer rented out their farms for a year.

“A good farm that can give 10 bags of maize now goes for not less than N30,000 for a season instead of N10,000 or N15,000 some years back. In some instances, farm owners prefer two years or more of front payment while others lease out the farm on mortgage basis and collect N100,000 and above,’’ Tandama said.

He added that as a result of this development, there is now a scarcity of land to cultivate in the peaceful areas, especially as the state does not have vast lands for farming.