₦airaland Forum

Senator Ali Ndume has said the federal government is not losing out from the naira depreciation against the dollar, but rather gaining more revenue to fund its 2024 budget.

He explained that the 2024 budget, which was presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last November, is a ‘dollarised’ budget in terms of income, as most of the government’s revenue comes from crude oil exports, which are priced in dollars.

Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, Ndume noted that as the value of the dollar increased, the government would have more naira to spend on its expenditure, which is denominated in naira.

He added that Nigeria’s major product, crude oil is still in high demand in the global market, and that the country will benefit from the current dollar-to-naira exchange rate.

He said, “Don’t forget that this budget is a ‘dollarised’ budget, especially in terms of the income. And when it comes to the terms of the expenditure, it’s in naira.

“So if we are getting our money in dollars and the value of the dollar is up, that means we will have more naira in terms of what we spend, because we are not spending in dollars, we are spending in naira, while we are getting our revenue in dollars.

“Truly, the value of naira against the dollar has fallen but we are selling our major product that we generate income in dollars. And that means any dollar we get now will also be valued at the current dollar-to-naira exchange rate.

“So if you do the analysis critically, it may mean if you balance it up, we may have more money to fund our budget. So technically, Nigeria is even benefiting from the dollar-to-naira hike.”

Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, says President Bola Tinubu is not in support of zoning the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship ticket in the state.

The leadership of APC declared the governorship primary election held in Edo inconclusive after some aspirants were declared winners of the exercise.

Thursday has been fixed for a fresh primary in the state.

Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo and chairman of the panel when the primary was held on Saturday, had declared Dennis Idahosa, a member of the house of representatives, as the winner of the election.

However, Ojo Babatunde, spokesperson of the returning officers, said Sunday Dekeri, a lawmaker representing Etsako federal constituency in the house of representatives, polled 25,384 votes to defeat Idahosa.

Speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday after a meeting with Tinubu, Oshiomhole said he came to seek clarification from the president on rumours regarding the primary.

The former Edo governor said the president expressed commitment to a free and fair primary.

“The president has affirmed that he has no voting right in Edo state. Even though the Edo people have the right to vote for the president, therefore, what matters to him is to ensure that APC members in Edo state in the direct primaries, participate in the free and fair primaries,” he said.

“That is the decision of the president. There have been rumours in the air that there is probably zoning to one area or zoning to another area.

“The president said that as far as he is concerned, he is committed only to free and fair primaries not based on zoning because you don’t do zoning on the eve of the primary.

“If there’s going to be zoning those involved in the decision will have to be so comprehensive that the people of the state understand it. And number two, if you have zoning, you will not allow people who are not from the particular zone to procure forms.”
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Oshiomhole said it is unfair to single out Edo state for zoning when the same was not done for the Kogi and Benue governorship tickets.

“Is it not the same APC where recently, in Kogi state, you have back-to-back somebody from one senatorial zone succeeding the other? he asked.

“Why is Edo different? In Benue state, since 1999, you’ve had only people from one part, one particular language, the Tivs that have produced governor after governor since 1999.

“Are you about to change the rules? In any case, who are you and I to dictate to Edo APC members where their candidate must come from?⁣
⁣
“If you impose a candidate, as some of you want to suggest when you go for the election proper, are you going to tell people to vote based on your privileged elite consensus of turn-by-turn democracy? ⁣
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“What I’ve committed to is that in a democracy, the majority must necessarily have their way. You can’t do it otherwise, there is no sentiment about it.

“Fairness means that the outcome is a reflection of the will of the people. Fairness is not when you allocate. This turn-buy-turn democracy kills fairness.”

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure.

Abure was arrested on Wednesday, in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on allegations of premeditated attempted murder amongst other alleged infractions.

THEWILL reports that his arrest followed a petition by the LP Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia.

Addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, the Petition dated February 13, reads: “I, Comrade Eragbe Anselm, write to you with utmost urgency and grave concern regarding a heinous act of violence perpetrated against me on the 29th of December 2023.

“I am a member and National Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria, and the events I am about to recount are of utmost importance for justice and the safety of individuals involved in political activities.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

“On December 28, 2023, I flew into Benin City Airport around 2 p.m. as part of an official 5-member delegation authorised by the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Lamidi Basiru Apapa.

“Our mission was to organise Ward, LGA, and State Congresses in Edo State, as well as supervise the sale of nomination forms for various posts, as mandated by INEC guidelines, within the stipulated time frames.

“On arrival at the Benin Airport, I was received by one Mrs Mary Okheime Newberry, who falsely claimed to be providing transportation and accommodation on behalf of unnamed “stakeholders.”

“She proceeded to lodge us at the Smart Homes Hotel, unknown to us that she was plotting a sinister and gruesome ambush. The next morning, a man named Austin Emeka came to pick me and my colleague, Mr Patrick Anethua, up from the hotel lobby, pretending to take us to a meeting venue. Instead, we were violently attacked just outside the hotel gates by a waiting mob.

DETAILS OF THE GRUESOME ATTACK

“The exact timing and sequence of events leave no doubt that this attack was meticulously premeditated for maximum vicious impact. As we exited the hotel gates, a gang of over 60 armed thugs appeared from hiding and completely surrounded our vehicle, blocking any escape. Before we could react, they began smashing the car windows using axes, machetes, and sticks. They rained heavy blows on me and Mr. Anethua with murderous intent. We were dragged out, bleeding and defenceless, convinced we were taking our last breaths. The videos, which I have attached to this petition, show the crazed mob bellowing that Julius Abure was the only national chairman they recognised. They categorically stated that they would kill me for belonging to Alhaji Apapa’s faction and would also murder Apapa if they found him in Edo State.

“This conclusively proves a political assassination attempt sponsored and masterminded by Julius Abure and one Kelly Ogbaloi, who claims to be the State Chairman of the Party, with clear instructions to completely prevent the ward congresses from taking place at any cost through violence.

“The entire sequence of the ambush was coordinated by Kelly Ogbaloi’s suspended Public Relations Officer, one Sam Uropa, who can be distinctly identified in videos directing the mob during the assassination attempt.

“By feigning ignorance and planning our movement, Mrs Okheime and Mr Emeka played crucial roles in deliberately trapping us in the ambush based on inside knowledge of our itinerary. Their actions thoroughly implicate them as co-conspirators in implementing the assassination plot masterminded by Abure and Ogbaloi.

“The videos show the mob openly mentioning my official designation as National Youth Leader of the Apapa faction as the reason why they wished to snuff the life out of my body. Thus, the underlying motive was unambiguously political. Abure and Ogbaloi engineered this murderous ambush as a desperate tactic to violently disrupt the legitimate organisational activities of our Party in Edo State using maximum force.

INVENTORY OF VALUABLES AND CASH ROBBED

“The videos irrefutably document that the mob did not just assault us but also shamelessly robbed us of valuables and cash worth millions of Naira at the scene of the crime. This exposes their role as common criminals in addition to being implements of political terrorism. The items stolen from our persons included my HP Envy laptop worth over N2.1 million, a Tecno Camon mobile phone worth N500,000, as well as $75,000 in cash, set aside specifically for financing the logistics of the impending state congress mobilisation activities. Additionally, they deprived me of two custom medicated eyeglasses costing N400,000, along with other items like wristwatches, chains, perfumes, ID cards, and cash totalling over N1.9 million belonging to both Mr Anethua and myself. The grand total of cash and items robbed exceeds N4.9 million and $75,000. The daylight robbery of such huge sums of cash proves that Abure and Ogbaloi motivated the gang through assurances of generous looting of valuables.

“This investigation should interrogate their regional thug leaders and local goons to trace this stolen cash and understand their corrupted system of dispensing violence, crime, and terror as political favours.

CONSCIOUS THREATS TO NATIONAL SECURITY AND ELECTORAL INTEGRITY

“As if the heinous crimes of attempted murder/political assassination, causing grievous bodily harm, criminal conspiracy, and robbery were not enough, Abure and Ogbaloi continue to brazenly flout the restraining order of April 5, 2023, by the FCT High Court, barring them from parading as Labour Party officials after proof of their forgeries and impersonation of party officers. They stand indicted for various offences by several competent Nigerian courts and the Nigerian police, following forensic investigations, uncovered their forgeries, lies, and fraudulent misrepresentations.

PRAYERS AND DEMANDS

“In light of the overwhelming evidence implicating them, which includes video, audio, photos, multiple eyewitnesses, victims’ testimonies, and their established prior pattern of lawlessness, I strongly demand the following:

1. The immediate arrest, via covert operations, if needed, of masterminds Barrister Julius Abure and Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi as the prime suspects who commissioned, sponsored, planned, authorised, and orchestrated the attempted assassination of Mr. Anethua and myself.

2. Arrest and interrogation of their loyal agents, including but not limited to Comrade Sam Uropa (08064797804), Mrs. Mary Okheime Newberry, Ken Omusi (07032733420), Jeff Scott-Emuakpor (07056452432), “Lucious” (07060496671), Franklin (08164084137) and Mr. Austin Emeka, who played indispensable roles in trapping me, tracking my movements, and the final execution of the violent ambush.

3. Identification and arrest of all 60 thugs involved in perpetrating the attack using video evidence that clearly shows their faces. CCTV footage from the hotel and surrounding areas will also expose the criminals.

4. Interrogation of the above suspects to identify and prosecute every single sponsor of this attack at the LGA, State, and National levels within the Labour Party ecosystem.

5. Immediate freezing of financial assets and bank accounts of Abure, Ogbaloi, and other prime suspects to enable tracing of the funds used to organise, mobilise, and deploy the armed mob for this crime.

6. Prompt prosecution of Abure, Ogbaloi, and all the identified suspects for criminal conspiracy, attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm, armed robbery, malicious damage to property, and other relevant offences.

7. Investigation into the role of any INEC officials, staff, and insiders who may have illegally colluded with Abure and Ogbaloi in furtherance of their crimes by flouting the judicial restraining order.

8. Intervention to sanitise the Labour Party structure across the country by ridding it of all corrupt and violent elements with criminality running through their veins, who are essentially desecrating the party’s ideals, ethos, constitution, and democratic principles.

9. Provide me and other stakeholders with matching armed security to prevent victimisation, as we reorganise and rebuild the Labour Party to abide by its founding values of justice, transparency, and internal democracy.

“I respectfully urge you to urgently intervene with your full constitutional powers as law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute Abure, Ogbaloi, and their hired goons who have openly declared disdain for the law through this brazen and barbaric attack.

“Their violent actions and deceit threaten the peace, safety, lives and constitutional order. Decisive action against them will prove that no entity is above the law. Justice must be served most expeditiously.

“I am available and willing to provide any additional information and/or evidence that may help accelerate your investigations and bring same to swift closure.

“I remain confident in your avowed commitment to law, order, justice and accountability and look forward to a thorough, professional and objective outcome.”

Alleged misappropriation: LP State Chairmen ask National Chairman, Julius Abure to step aside

Protest broke out in Oyo State, South-West Nigeria, on Monday, over high cost of living, food inflation and the current economic hardship in the country.

Staged in the Mokola area of Ibadan, the state capital, placard-carrying youths in their droves chanted songs to drive home their points.

Some of the placards have inscriptions such as ‘End food hike and inflation’, ‘The poor is starving’, ‘Tinubu, don’t forget your promises’, amongst others.

Armed policemen were seen at the protest scene even as demonstrators held the peaceful rally against the economic hardship in the land occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange windows.

The police had on Sunday warned that no breach of peace would be allowed during any protest in the state.

The protest in Oyo followed others in Kano, Minna, amongst others, over economic hardship occasioned by petrol subsidy removal, food inflation, and high cost of living.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has described his job as the second most difficult on the globe.

This is as he said the Federal Government’s reform and other actions are paying off.

Cardoso spoke Sunday in Abuja at the opening of the 2024 First Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).

The event was themed, “Synod on Synodality: Areas of Concern for the Church in Nigeria “

“I will continue to remember that in spite of (my job) the second most difficult job on the face of the planet, this is really something that remains very memorable,” the CBN governor said.

Cardoso, who was the Chairman of the occasion, expressed optimism that despite all the difficulties, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“As a result of some of the recent reports from the CBN, over the course of the last week, about $1.8bn came into the markets.

“As long as the country can sustain a positive trajectory, Nigeria will get out of its economic woes and the foreign exchange market will begin to moderate itself,” he said.

He said the apex bank will soon hold the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, where very critical decisions will be made to continue making the economy more investor-friendly.

Cardoso said an attempt to merge the official rate with the black market rate had been made, adding that the difference between the two is now significantly lower.

“There is a positive outlook on that. The positive outlook comes from the fact that a series of reforms have been made by the federal government and the Central Bank, which are now paying off in such a way that international investors are coming back in again,” he said.

He said one of the problems of economic advancement in Nigeria is finding ways to move as a country beyond being a consumer nation and shelf appetite for foreign goods.

“You have got to move as a country beyond being a consumer nation. And it is something that we as Nigerians have been talking about for so long, but really, we’ve not been able to actualize it.

“The other thing, of course, is to moderate appetite for foreign goods. And that’s closely related to what I had said earlier with respect to becoming a producer nation, because at the end of the day, many of the things you see and many of the things that bother a lot of people with respect to foreign exchange are all essentially down to demand and supply,” Cardoso said.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a large consignment of Loud, a synthetic strong strain of cannabis, concealed in giant loudspeakers tucked in a consolidated cargo imported from New York, United States of America.

When the giant wooden boxes dressed as sound speakers seized by NDLEA officers at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport, were opened, the sound boxes were stuffed with sixty (60) bags of the expensive but highly sought-after psychoactive substance, Loud, weighing 33.5 kilograms.

At least, three suspects: a freight agent Akeem Afeez; logistics company manager Babalola Ayodeji Gboyega and the receiver of the consignment Taiwo Olusegun Anuoluwapo have been arrested in follow-up operations between Thursday 15th and Friday 16th February 2024. While Afeez was arrested at the airport, Gboyega was nabbed at his office on Allen Avenue Ikeja and Taiwo traced to his residence at 13 Ayo Babatunde Crescent, Lekki Phase1, Lagos, where he was picked on Friday.

In Abia, a joint raid operation between the NDLEA and men of the State Homeland Security
at 23 Arochukwu street, Umuahia around 11pm on Wednesday 14th February led to the arrest of a female lawyer, Adaobi Nweke, 36; her boyfriend, Emeka Nkemefola, 36; her mother, Mrs. Ngozi Nweke, 65; Dike Okpara, 43, who is herbalist to the family; Chukwudi Abel, 33, member of the family; Amarachi Paul, 18, another member of the family and their 22-year-old salesgirl, Blessing Jonathan.

Investigations reveal that members of the family had long been in the illicit drug business passed on to them by their now late father, Jonathan Nweke. Recovered from them as at the time of their arrest include various quantities of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Loud, Cannabis Sativa and precursor chemical with a total weight of 1.670kg as well as N578,400 monetary exhibit.

Attempt by a 25-year-old Uber driver, Joshua Henry to deliver a consignment of 26.2grams of Loud picked in Abuja to a customer in Keffi, Nasarawa state on Monday 12th February was thwarted by NDLEA operatives who intercepted him. In the same vein, 54-year-old Dada Adedara was on Wednesday 14th Feb arrested at Dan Bare area of Kano State with 468 blocks of cannabis weighing 246.4kg. Same day, operatives in Ogun state arrested the duo of Kafayat Junaid and Sakirat Osoanu with 13kg cannabis sativa.

In Kogi state, a suspect, Charles Chike, 45, was arrested by NDLEA operatives in a hotel in Lokoja on Friday 16th Feb. with 290 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 116kg. The exhibit was concealed in the boot of a blue Honda Accord car marked Abuja ABC 853 SL, which took off from Ekiti state enroute Abuja. Not less than 227kg of same substance was recovered from Atoshi camp, Emure -Ile, Owo LGA, Ondo State, while two suspects: John Jonathan and Emmanuel Alex were arrested.

Operatives in Edo state acting on intelligence on Wednesday 14th Feb. intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Lagos, in a Toyota Sienna bus marked Anambra NZM 347 ZL. The meth consignment weighing 0.966kg was concealed inside a cassava made local food item, African salad popularly called "Abacha". The driver of the vehicle, Afamefuna Ibeawuchi Kingsley, 42, was arrested in connection with the seizure. On the same day, a team of NDLEA officers also intercepted a Peugeot 406 space wagon car driven by Akhere Fardam, 47, along Uromi road in Esan Northeast LGA. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 865 bottles of codeine; 2,600 pills of tramadol and 600 tabs of swinol and rohypnol.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives conducted raid operations in Kubwa area of the FCT during which they arrested Tawa Wasiu, 47, and Iliya Ibrahim, 18, with 10.5kg cannabis, 13.5 grams of diazepam and 2.9 grams of tramadol tablets. Another suspect, Yaro Bala, 27, was arrested on Thursday 15th Feb. with 50.5kg cannabis during a stop and search operation along Abaji/Abuja highway on his way from Auchi Edo state to Paiko, Niger State.

With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of St. Theresa's College Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Oyo state; students and staff of Banma Girls Day Secondary School, Bida, Niger state; students of Dame High School, Abatete, Anambra state; students of Government Day Secondary School, Tudun Saibu, Soba LGA, Kaduna state; students of Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Obinagu, Udi LGA, Enugu state and students of Government Girls Secondary School, Garo, Kano state.

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Abia, Nasarawa, Edo, Kogi, Kano, Ogun, Ondo and FCT Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 18th February 2024

Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave at the end of the 2023-2024 season when his contract expires, Sky News understands.

Mbappe's current contract with PSG expires in the summer and since 1 January he has been able to hold pre-contract talks with other clubs.

The terms of the forward's exit are yet to be finalised as the two parties negotiate whether Mbappe will leave for a fee or sacrifice his own earnings to protect PSG financially.

It is understood PSG and Mbappe will make an announcement once this is agreed in the coming months.

The 25-year-old has been widely linked with a move to Real Madrid.

But, it has been reported Mbappe would have to take a pay cut to join the Spanish side.

Tension heightened in Anambra state on Thursday, February 15, following the destruction of newspapers and beating of vendors in the state by the men of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA).

It was gathered that they brazenly declared their disregard, suggesting the matter be left to God, while insisting that the state government forbids newspaper sales on the streets.

Among the newspapers destroyed were The Nation, The Sun, Vanguard, Punch, and Guardian.

The aides also attacked individuals at the popular Aroma junction, including security personnel, and destroyed the vendors’ PoS machines.

The action of men of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority ACTDA, made passersby and petty traders in the area, to rein curses on the operators of such mayhem.

The Nation reports that the reckless action by the ACTDA drew curses from onlookers and local traders.

The vendors have therefore vowed not to resume newspaper sales until there is a change in Soludo’s administration.

The tables of the vendors were equally destroyed while their umbrellas were confisticated by the agents of the government.

Last week, such inhuman treatment by Soludo ‘s aides attracted the attention of the state lawmakers, who advocated for a mini market to set up for them in the state.

According to the lawmakers, such was to control the menace of street trading and associated effects on the state capital.

The sponsor of the motion, Henry Mbachu, is the member representing Awka South 1 Constituency.

While making his submission during plenary, Mbachu said poverty rate was on the increase, adding that creating avenues for people to earn a living had become mandatory.

“There are many quarters within Awka metropolis which create the need to establish local mini-markets to serve the people living within those areas.

“It is nearly impossible to secure a shop within the already established markets and the limited shops available are in high and exorbitant price to rent.

“The creation of mini-markets within Awka metropolis, will be a solution to solve the menace of shanties, street trading and serve as a means of encouraging micro businesses thereby achieving the goals of making Anambra a livable and prosperous homeland, ” the lawmaker said

Soludo ‘s Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, told The Nation, that he was not aware of the situation, but promised to reach out to the MD of the agency.

Aburime maintained that keeping Anambra clean was for everyone, adding that even in Lagos, newspaper vendors were allowed to exist at their different designated areas.

The Nation overheard one of the ACTDA officials saying, “our Governor is behind what we are doing, if they like, let them report to Tinubu, nothing will happen.”

The destruction had not been against the vendors alone, but to every petty trader along all the streets in Anambra state as part of government’s ‘keep Anambra clean project.

Fuel , cement , food , dollar , cost of living, insecurity, and dead economy, …. After afcon e go clear 🚶🏿‍♂️🚶🏿‍♂️🚶🏿‍♂️
Enjoy the moment ….

A total of twenty-four (24) suspected drug traffickers and dealers including a 42-year-old man taking thousands of concealed opioid pills to insurgents enclave in Banki area of Borno state, a six-month-pregnant lady, a mother of three children and three other women have been arrested in major interdiction operations by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, leading to the seizure of over 7,609 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs in eight states.

The bulk of the seizures was made in Nasarawa state where NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Sunday 4th February intercepted a truck marked Lagos JJJ 64 YC conveying 367 jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 4,037 kilograms from Akure, Ondo state to be delivered at Shabu area of Lafia, the state capital. Three suspects: Shuaibu Yahaya Liman, 35; Monday Audu, 33, and Linus Samuel, 42 have been arrested in connection with the seizure.

The following day Monday 5th February, operatives in Abuja, FCT arrested the duo of Jibrin Shuaibu, 23, and Prosper Innih, 17, with 169 bags and 80 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 1,961.5kgs concealed in a truck with registration number Ogun WDE 557 XC. The truck was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Abaji - Abuja highway on their way from Uzeba to Dei-Dei, FCT.

In another operation by NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Tuesday 6th February, a suspect, Abdulhameed Dauda, 27, was arrested with 89kgs of the same psychoactive substance loaded into his truck in Owo, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada in FCT. On the same day, operatives also intercepted another driver, Hassan Ade, 30, transporting 696.5kgs of the same substance loaded in Idoani, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada and Dei-Dei in FCT. A follow up operation led to the arrest of a mother of three children, Mrs. Joy Chukwuka, 42, linked with the consignment.

In Ondo state, apart from the seizure of 633.5kgs of cannabis at Eleyere, Ogbese in Akure North LGA, NDLEA operatives also recovered 59 jumbo bags of same substance loaded in a truck marked GAD 287 XA heading to Northern part of the country. Detergents were sprayed on the cannabis bags ostensibly to suppress the odour of the psychoactive weed, while 192 packs of table water were loaded on top to conceal the illicit consignment.

Not less than 187kgs of same substance were seized by operatives at Sapele road, Benin, Edo state while in Kano, NDLEA officers on Monday 5th February arrested 58-year-old Bashir Attahir in Bachirawa area of the state with 216,000 pills of tramadol 250mg. Another suspect, Ejike Moses Nmenme, 47, was nabbed the following day Tuesday 6th Feb with 25,190 capsules of tramadol and different quantities of rohypnol and codeine syrup along Emir road, Sabon Gari area of the city while the duo of Yusuf Abdullahi Musa, 35, and Yusuf Musa, 28, were nabbed at Gadar Tamburawa, with 1,000 ampoules of tramadol injection on
Thursday 8th February.

In Borno state, a 42-year-old suspected supplier of illicit drugs to insurgents in Banki, a border region between Nigeria and Cameroon, Ahmad Mohammed was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday 9th February at Bama check point. When his luggage was searched 20,000 capsules of tramadol were recovered from him while on his way to deliver the opioid consignment in the border town.

A six-month pregnant woman, Amarachi Akaolisa, 25, and another lady, Ifeoma Iheanyi, 21, were among six suspects arrested for dealing in illicit substances in Oraifite and Umuni-Evili, Aguleri, Anambra state. Others nabbed include: Okwuchukwu Chukwuka; Onyedika Ngwu; Ekene Hyginus and Nzomiwu Ikechukwu. Recovered from them were over 6 kilograms of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and codeine syrup in raids conducted NDLEA operatives between Tuesday 6th and Thursday 8th Feb in parts of the state.

In Lagos, two ladies: Boluwatife Adebayo and Omolade Fola Adebayo were among suspects arrested during raids in parts of the state on Saturday 10th February. While Ogah Sunday Adole and Boluwatife Adebayo were arrested at Agidingbi, Ikeja, in connection with 220grams of cannabis, 10.6 litres of codeine syrup, and other psychotropic substances, Omolade Fola Adebayo was nabbed at Ijesha with various quantities of cannabis, codeine syrup, rohypnol and molly.

The Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture on Drug Use and Mental Health for students and staff of Oba Akinbiyi High School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; Owode Senior Secondary School, Owode Yewa, Ogun state; Federal Science and Technical College, Awka, Anambra state; Yusad Secondary School, Gashua, Yobe state; and African Church Grammar School, Ilesa, Osun state as well as WADA advocacy visit to HRM Ochi'Idoma, Agaba Idu, Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji John at his palace in Otukpo, Benue state and the Emir of Rano, HRH Amb. Muhammed Kabiru Inuwa in Kano state.

While commending the efforts of the Nasarawa, FCT, Ondo, Kano, Borno, Edo, Anambra and Lagos Commands of the Agency for jobs well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) urged them and their compatriots across the country to always strive to surpass past feats in their drug supply and drug demand reduction efforts.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 11th February 2024

From Igbukwu field D/line to Go Round football club Omoku to Enyimba football club Aba and to Wikki Tourist of Bauchi to Lobi stars of Makurdi to Katsina United and finally Chippa united football club of South Africa (2022-date), the coast has always been clear for Stanley Nwabali.

Stanley Nwabali’s dexterity and determination in the ongoing TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations tournament embody the spirit of every Rivers youth. His remarkable saves inspire us all.

Congratulations to Nwabali and the entire Nigeria Super Eagles team on the victories so far. We believe in your abilities and wish you triumph in the finals.

Keep shining, knowing you carry the hopes of a proud nation and embody the resilience and aspirations of our youths. We stand with you as you bring dignity to make us proud.

Well done to Nigeria 🇳🇬 for making it to the final of AFCON 2023

South Africa 🇿🇦
Thank you so much for your unwavering support for @BafanaBafana throughout this tournament.

BREAKING: APC Governors Forum donates N200m to Super Eagles players ahead of their semi-final match against South Africa at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

*Super Eagles Camp Update*
Victor Osimhen has been declared fit and available for selection in the semi-final clash against South Africa on Wednesday. He has joined the team in Bouaké and has trained with the squad today.
#SoarSuperEagles #letsdoitagain

A special shoutout to @burnaboy, @davido, @ayrastarr, @asakemusik, and all Nigerian talents represented as nominees at the Grammy's, the apex music award in the world.

Your mastery reached unparalleled heights on those exclusive platforms, showcasing world-class talent we're immensely proud of.

To those who may feel disheartened by the results, remember, in the eyes of your fans and Nigerians, you're everlasting winners and with every global arena and stadiums you fill up, your representation of Afrobeat and Nigeria is unparalleled, and soon you'll light up the stages you desire as triumphant victors.

Cheers to more timeless moments as you continue to tell the world our stories with your music.

AGAIN VANDALS CAUSE COLLAPSE OF TOWER T388 ALONG JOS-BAUCHI 132KV TRANSMISSION LINE

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) hereby states that its tower number 388 along the Jos-Bauchi, 132kV Single Circuit transmission line was vandalised, resulting in its collapse. The incident, suspected to have occurred on the first of February, 2024, at about 10:20PM, led to a power outage in Yobe and Borno States.

Following a line trip in Jos, Plateau State and bearing in mind past experiences associated with line tripping in that axis, the General Manager, Transmission of Bauchi Region, Engr. Tijjani Ahmadu invited the police anti-bomb squad and the Department of State Services (DSS) to accompany the TCN line crew and investigate the transmission line to find the cause of the tripping.

Upon inspection, the team uncovered remnants of detonated explosives by vandals by the tower legs, which had exploded and caused the tower to collapse. This incident mirrors a recent and similar act on December 21, 2023, which brought down towers T372 and T373 along the Gombe-Damaturu 330kV Single Circuit transmission line, killing a security operative and affecting power supply in the same Yobe and Borno States. The line and towers from the December incident were fully reconstructed and energized on 2nd February 2024.

Meanwhile, TCN has engaged one of its contractors on an emergency basis to quickly mobilize to the site of the incident to commence the reconstruction and restringing of the affected line and tower.

While TCN is determined to keep working at rehabilitating and further expanding the nation’s bulk power transmission network, to ensure consistent bulk power transmission, it is pertinent to note that the continued vandalism and theft of power equipment is a constant setback to the ongoing implementation of the transmission system expansion plan. This is because funds earmarked for grid expansion are usually diverted as a matter of emergency, to repair vandalized power infrastructure, and sometimes to avert grid collapse.

Ndidi Mbah
GM, Public Affairs
3/2/ 2024

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted large consignments of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana loaded in two trucks and a J5 bus with a total weight of 14, 524.8 kilograms.

The three vehicles conveying jumbo bags of the psychoactive substance were trailed and intercepted at Ojuelegba area of Lagos in the early hours of Sunday 28th January 2024. In the process of blocking the vehicles, two of the drivers jumped off on motion while the third driver, 66-year-old Nasiru Ojomu, who works with wanted Akala, Mushin based drug baron, Suleiman Jimoh (alias Olowo Idi Ogede, also known as Temo) was arrested.

In the last three years, NDLEA operatives have seized several shipments of same psychoactive substance worth billions of naira linked to Temo. The wanted drug lord has since gone into hiding while the Agency continues manhunt for him.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives on routine patrol around a warehouse sealed at Church street, Idumota, Lagos by the Agency over an ongoing investigation on Thursday 1st February arrested three suspects: Joseph Joshua; Muhammed Adamu and Balarabe Musa who burgled the store and loaded 546,700 pills of tramadol and other opioids into a waiting yellow bus marked BDG 447 XD and an unregistered Suzuki minibus.

Meanwhile, a male deaf and dumb suspect dealing in illicit substances has been arrested at Samaru area of Zaria, Kaduna state. At the time of his arrest, 150 grams of cannabis were recovered from him while selling the psychoactive substance. Another suspect, Ibrahim Sani, 56, was also arrested in possession of 51 kilograms of same substance at Tirkaniya area of the state.

Operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 31st January arrested Emmanuel Paul with 43.5kg cannabis concealed in used shoes loaded in a trailer coming from Ogbese, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. In Katsina state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Dutsinma - Katsina road on Friday 2nd February apprehended a suspect, Murtala Isah, 35, with a total of 37,600 pills of tramadol and other opioids recovered from him.

In Kogi state, operatives on Wednesday 31st January destroyed 833.32 kilograms of cannabis sativa on a two acre of farmland at Iluke community, Kabba- Bunu LGA while the owner, Samuel Atonila, 49, was equally arrested. On the same day, operatives in Nasarawa also arrested three suspects: Muhammed Musa, Bilyaminu Musa and Sadiya Ya'u with same psychoactive substance weighing 24.4kg at Uke, Karu local government area of the state, while no less than 258 kilograms of same substance were recovered from a bush store around Ikare bypass, Owo, Ondo state.

In the same vein, NDLEA Commands across the 36 states and the FCT continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, work places and others in the past week. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Gombe State College of Education and Legal Studies, Nafada; parents, students, and teachers of Kemta comprehensive high school, Olugbo, Odeda LGA, Ogun state; students of Government Day Science Technical School, Babura, Jigawa state; students and staff of Government science school, Mokwa, Niger state; students of Ansarudeen secondary school, Iludun, Osun state; students of St David's Anglican Basic School, Ogbomoso, Oyo state; students of Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, Anguwar Danya, Wudil LGA, Kano state; traders at Ogbo-Olu timber market, Anambra state and commercial motorcyclists in Oko Afo, Olorunda LCDA, Badagry, Lagos state, among others.

Commending the arrests and seizures of the past week by officers and men of the Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Kogi and FCT Commands, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts on both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction simultaneously.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 4th February 2024

To what extent do people in Africa rely on police for assistance?

1. Namibia: 29%
2. Botswana: 29%
3. South Africa: 21%
4. Liberia: 20%
5. Kenya: 19%
6. Angola: 16%
7. Cameroon: 14%
8. Morocco: 11%
9. Malawi: 10%
10. Senegal: 9%
11. #Nigeria: 8%
12. Ghana: 8%

Note: Data collection: Late 2021 & Mid-2023)

Hassan Innocent (not real name) is an inmate at the medium-security correctional facility in Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos State.

He is in prison because, according to him, he fell out with a friend, who then got him arrested and charged in court. This court is not ready to hear his case yet.

Yet to be convicted of any crime, he is one of over 51,000 awaiting-trial inmates in the country whose rights are suspended.

“We don’t have enough food or any money here,” Innocent told FIJ. “The conditions here are bad, but now there are death row and life sentence inmates in the same cells as us. They offer us money to have sex with us, and if we refuse, they assault us.”

Innocent told FIJ that prison officials recently moved condemned inmates from maximum security to the medium security facility and this led to a rise in sodomy cases.

FIJ earlier reported how Peter Nielsen, a death row inmate, enjoyed special treatment after he was transferred out of the maximum security prison. Innocent, however, told FIJ he had not encountered Nielsen and could not say he was one of the inmates taking advantage of others.

“They have nothing to lose,” he said. “If they are caught, they can’t get extended sentences because they are spending life in prison already. Sometimes, they offer us N2,000, sometimes, it is N5,000.

“In the night, when people are sleeping, they go to meet the people they have negotiated with, then they go from behind them to have sex with them through their nyash.

“They negotiate because they cannot openly say they want to take advantage of the boys. But once anyone refuses, they just start beating them anyhow on subsequent days. The truth is that many boys take the offer because there is not enough food. We eat poorly.”

In early December 2023, Haliru Nababa, Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), told a joint National Assembly Committee on Interior that the NCS spends more to feed dogs than it does to feed inmates.

He said the NCS had a N750 daily budget to feed inmates, while it spent N800 to feed dogs.

He said, “The NCS has written to the Minister of Interior requesting a review of the amount we are using to feed the inmates from N750 per day to N3,000 per day. We are still waiting for approval. We are, therefore, seeking the assistance of the National Assembly to approve the increment.”

Innocent told FIJ that the inmates were conflicted over addressing the matter, as although some of them were willing to stand up to the death row inmates, others were okay with getting paid.

On Thursday, FIJ called Rotimi Oladokun, the Correctional Service Public Relations Officer, Lagos Command. He said, “You are just bringing this to my notice. Sodomy is a serious offence in the correctional facility, and anyone caught would face disciplinary action. We will investigate this.”

On Sunday, FIJ obtained a video of two inmates caught for sodomy. One offered the other N5,000. No wardens could be seen in this video as fellow inmates beat and made the pair dance naked on prison grounds.