Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal issued a ban on illegal mining in the state on Saturday.

He also ordered security agents to shoot violators of the order at sight.

The governor’s media aide, Malam Suleiman Idris, quoted Lawal as saying in Gusau that the order was part of measures to restore law and order.

The governor noted that illegal mining had fuelled banditry and other criminal activities in parts of Zamfara over the years.

“Illegal mining is undeniably one of the driving forces behind the rampant banditry plaguing Zamfara.

“We must take swift and decisive action to curb this menace and restore peace and security to our communities,’’ Idris quoted Lawal as saying.

The governor ordered security agencies to take other stringent measures against those caught violating the order.

According to him, it is time to end the destructive activity and implement measures to protect the safety and well-being of the people.

“The directive is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the people of Zamfara and deter potential wrongdoers.

“It is also a swift action to enable the government to be in total control of the state’s resources and block activities that endanger the lives and properties of the people,’’ the governor said.

The Nigerian Army absolved self from allegation of confiscation of community land for a proposed civil-military intervention project in Orolu Community in Osun.

This contained in a statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig -Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Wednesday in Abuja. Nwachukwu said that one Chief Babatunde Oyetunji, Eesa of Ifon, had in a statement alleged that the Nigerian Army had decided to forcefully acquire land for a proposed project in Orolu Community.

He said the allegations were entirely false, malicious and an effort by some vested interests to tarnish the good reputation of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and drag the name of the institution in the mud.

“The fact of the matter is that one of the lines of operations of the Nigerian army in tackling security challenges in the country is the Non-kinetic line of operations.

“It is a soft approach, aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the public through the instrumentality of Civil-Military Cooperation activities or programmes of the Nigerian Army.

“This effort, is fundamentally geared towards fostering cooperation and galvanising support of the civil populace for army’s diverse operations to mitigate security challenges across the country.

Hence, the Nigerian army usually executes special community intervention projects, such as hospitals, boreholes, electrification amongst others based on needs assessment, after consultations with the leadership of such communities, at the behest of senior officers, who hail from the benefiting community,” he said.

In this particular case, Nwachukwu said that a retired senior officer conceptualised an intervention project; a medical centre in the state.

He said the proposal had not even been formally forwarded to the Chief of Army staff for approval, adding that the Department of Civil-Military Affairs at the Army Headquarters was yet to receive requisite information to enable it initiate a comprehensive proposal for the project.

He explained that the army would not have in any way known which land belongs to who, since it was not yet involved in the process.

According to him, it is only when and if the request of the retired senior officer is forwarded to the Chief of Army Staff and is approved, that the Army can send a team to carry out due diligence on the project site and carry along all stakeholders in the process.

“Surprisingly, if the said project for which the COAS and the Nigerian army are being maligned sails through and is approved, it is a project that will benefit the civil populace and serve humanity, irrespective of community affiliation.

“The Nigerian Army hereby absolves itself of any involvement in an attempt to confiscate any community land.

“The Nigerian Army is a professional and law abiding institution that has always followed due process in all her intervention projects, so far undertaken.

“Therefore, members of the public are enjoined to discountenance the allegations and continue to support the Nigerian Army and its Kinetic and None kinetic operations across the country,” Nwachukwu said.

US Open 2023: Novak Djokovic to replace Carlos Alcaraz as world number one after win

Novak Djokovic will replace young rival Carlos Alcaraz as the men’s world number one after a routine win on his US Open return.

Serbia’s Djokovic, who lost the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz, won 6-0 6-2 6-3 against France’s Alexandre Muller in Monday’s night session in New York.

Djokovic, 36, was not allowed to play in the United States last year because he was not vaccinated against Covid-19.

He has returned knowing another title will be a record-equalling 24th major.

Matching Australian Margaret Court’s all-time tally is Djokovic’s target and he made a statement start by breezing past 84th-ranked Muller.

“I started tremendously well, we started quite late but nevertheless I was excited to go out on the court – it has been a couple of years,” said Djokovic, who will spend a record-extending 390th week at the top of the ATP rankings.

“In the second and third sets I dropped the level of my serve and I had to work for the points a bit more. Nevertheless I played great and I liked the level.”

Having not started until 23:00 local time, the three-time US Open champion showed he did not want to hang around and only dropped eight points in a 23-minute opening set.

A smiling Muller raised both arms in celebration when he finally got on the scoreboard for 2-1 in the second set but the 26-year-old could not stop Djokovic from moving further ahead.

Muller offered more resistance in the third set before Djokovic won the final four games to wrap up victory in one hour and 34 minutes.