Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has publicly insulted his Director of Protocol, Abdullahi Yarima, during a security council meeting at the Government House in Minna.
The confrontation, which took place last weekend and was captured on video obtained by the media, shows the governor speaking in Hausa, saying: “Yarima, you lack sense, you are very stupid.”
Sources said the clip was first shared on WhatsApp by Abdullahi Umar, a Channels TV cameraman, and led to his suspension.
“The governor didn’t include Abdullahi in his trip to New Bussa to visit the family of the pupils of St. Mary Catholic School that was kidnapped on Friday, that got him angry and he began to share the videos,” a source alleged.
Watch Video below:
The abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area, occurred on November 21, 2025.
Armed men kidnapped at least 303 pupils and 12 staff members, while no fewer than 50 pupils later escaped. Security forces, including the Niger State Police Command and the military, have been deployed to rescue the remaining victims.
Governor Bago reportedly accused Abdullahi of gossiping and engaging in side talks, prompting him to request that Channels TV management reassign Abdullahi from his posting at the Niger State Government House.
Additional concerns were raised over his unauthorised use of the Channels TV logo to produce the video.
Governor Bago has faced other controversies in the past, including accusations of lying about paying graduate assistants to work on his farm and ordering the police to file charges against student activist Isah Mokwa.
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