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Marwa seeks more NASS support, defends N67.5B 2025 NDLEA budget
Chairman/Chief Executive officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has appealed to the National Assembly for their continued support to enhance the capacity and capability of the agency to deliver on its mandate.
He expressed appreciation to the parliament especially the Senate and House Committees on Narcotic Drugs for their commitment to the nation’s fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
Marwa made the appeal on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th January when he led his management team to defend the 2025 budget proposal of the Agency before the House Committee on Narcotic Drugs and Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics respectively.
He equally thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unrelenting encouragement to the NDLEA.
“I wish to first appreciate the honorable chairman, the deputy chairman, and distinguished members of this esteemed committee for your invaluable and consistent support throughout the 2024 fiscal year. This committee, under its able and dynamic chairman, has demonstrated remarkable courage and commitment towards the war against drug abuse. In particular, your effort towards the amendment of the NDLE Act is also highly appreciated.
“And I respectfully ask your good offices to continue to assist in our area of critical needs during the appropriation process. Our commands across the federation are contending with significant challenges, particularly lack of accommodation.
“I cannot overstate this matter because it all comes to my desk when you get these reports of attacks on our officers and so on and so forth, killing personnel and their families. So, we know that we trust that this esteemed committee will do its best. And we know that there are compelling demands from other MDAs, but the barracks project is critical to the operational efficiency and success of NDLEA.
“I must not forget to seize this opportunity to also appreciate President Bola Tinubu for his continuing support and encouragement to the agency. I also wish to reaffirm the agency’s unwavering commitment to working collaboratively with the National Assembly, in particular this esteemed committee, to advance our shared vision of a drug-free Nigeria.
“With your support, we are confident in our ability to enhance our operations and fulfill our mandate of safeguarding the security of our nation”, Marwa stated in his remarks while pleading for budgetary provision for the ongoing barracks accommodation for the personnel of the agency to enhance their security, dedication and performance.”
In the budget proposal for 2025 fiscal year, the agency was allocated Sixty-Seven Billion Five Hundred and Twelve Million Five Hundred and Sixty-Four Thousand Sixty-Three Naira Eighty Kobo (N67, 512, 564, 063.80), with recurrent personnel cost taking N47, 159,240, 496.80; recurrent overhead N3, 384,332, 017.00 and capital expenditure N16, 968, 991, 550.00.
He explained that the recurrent personnel cost reflects the nominal roll of the agency’s staff strength totaling over 14,038 officers, men and women, while the recurrent overhead cost covers the operational expenses of intelligence gathering, arrests, seizures, investigations and prosecutions.
The NDLEA boss called for the enhancement of the N16 billion provided for capital expenditure, which has zero allocation for the ongoing barracks project component to enable the agency continue with the provision of secure accommodation for its workforce across the country.
Marwa said: “The agency faces growing challenges, including sophisticated drug cartels, drug abuse and inadequate critical infrastructure. To address these issues, NDLEA has embarked on reforms, including constructing barracks to accommodate its personnel, improve operational integrity and ensure security.
“Currently, many commands operate from rented facilities, which are inadequate for effective administration. Proper accommodation will enhance staff morale, ensure security, and strengthen the agency’s capacity to execute its mandate”
In his remarks, House Committee Chairman on Narcotic Drugs, Hon Abass Adigun assured of their commitment to adequate funding to enhance NDLEA’s operational successes.
“This committee recognizes the critical role the NDLEA plays in safeguarding our communities from the scourge of narcotics and illicit substances. As we engage in today’s deliberations, we remain committed to ensuring that public funds are allocated efficiently, with a focus on measurable outcomes, transparency, and accountability. I urge all participants to contribute thoughtfully as we work together to ensure the NDLEA is well-resourced to fulfill its vital mandate in the new year”, the lawmaker stated.
Speaking in the same vein on Tuesday 14th January 2025, Senate Committee chairman on Drugs and Narcotics, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo congratulated the agency for its outstanding performance in 2024.
“We’re all witnesses to the good work you are doing and we are proud of your performance”, the committee chairman stated, assuring of more support to enable the agency function effectively in the new year.”
News
Japa on reverse lane as US releases names, photos of 112 Nigerians on deportation list
Japa on reverse lane as the United States Department of Homeland Security, DHS, has updated its list of Nigerians facing removal from the country, reducing the number to 112 and publishing their names and photographs online.
The latest list features Nigerians from different parts of the country and was published through the DHS official website.
Among those listed are Cletus Onyali, Olaolu Alabi, Marcus Unigwe, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Blessing Uchanma, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Richard Ugbah, Oluwamuyiwa Olawoye, Anthony Asanya and Ebele Agbasiele
Others identified on the list include Izuchukwu Okoye, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Abiemwense Obanor, Chibuzo Nwaonu, Oluchi Jennifer Chimdimma Chime, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Quazeem Adeyinka and Talatu Dada.
The complete list contains 112 names, with the photographs and details of the other individuals available through the DHS online portal.
The publication comes amid stepped-up immigration enforcement by the US government, particularly involving undocumented immigrants and individuals with outstanding removal orders.
It also comes against the backdrop of efforts by US authorities to obtain increased cooperation from foreign governments in receiving their nationals who have been ordered to leave the United States.
Nigeria has previously faced pressure from the US over the repatriation of its nationals subject to deportation.
The updated publication provides public access to the identities and photographs of the Nigerians currently identified by DHS for removal from the United States.
News
Oyo kidnap: Five defendants plead not guilty to seven count charges
The Department of State Services, DSS, on Thursday re-arraigned five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnap of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
They were arraigned on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.
The defendants, accused of being members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group, are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
All five defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them by the Registrar of the court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, applied for the immediate trial of the defendants in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
He also applied for the names of witnesses lined up to testify in the trial to be shielded and for them to be permitted to wear masks to ensure their protection.
Following no objection from counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the request of the DSS counsel.
At the time of filing this report, arrangements for the full-scale trial were being put in place.
News
Autopsy Confirms #EndSARS Journalist Pelumi Onifade Died From Gunshot Wound
LAGOS — A post-mortem examination conducted by the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has confirmed that 20-year-old journalist Pelumi Onifade died from a penetrating firearm injury to the abdomen.
The finding is contained in a six-page autopsy report dated July 30, 2026, and submitted to the Lagos State Coroner’s Court investigating the circumstances surrounding the young journalist’s death during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
According to the report, Onifade died from massive haemoperitoneum, a severe accumulation of blood in the abdominal cavity, caused by a high-velocity projectile that penetrated his abdomen.
The forensic finding provides medical evidence establishing a gunshot injury as the cause of death, while the circumstances surrounding who fired the shot and the events that followed remain matters before the coroner’s proceedings.
How Onifade Died
Onifade was a 200-level History student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) and worked as an intern reporter with Gboah TV, a Lagos-based online news platform.
On October 24, 2020, during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, he was assigned to cover an attempted looting at a government palliative storage facility in the Abattoir area of Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.
According to accounts presented by his family and colleagues, Onifade was wearing a press jacket and carrying reporting equipment when officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force opened fire while attempting to disperse the crowd.
He was reportedly struck by a bullet and subsequently taken away in a police van, commonly referred to as a Black Maria.
A colleague who was with him at the scene reportedly attempted to identify him as a journalist and explain that he was carrying camera equipment, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Onifade was not seen alive again after that incident.
Family Searched Police Stations, Hospitals
Following his disappearance, his family and colleagues searched police stations, detention facilities and hospitals across Lagos in an attempt to establish his whereabouts.
According to the family, police authorities denied having him in custody.
Six days later, on October 30, 2020, the family located his body at the mortuary of Ikorodu General Hospital, where it had been registered as a “brought-in-dead” case under body number 1385.
The discovery triggered years of demands for an independent investigation into how the young journalist died and how his remains ended up in the mortuary.
DNA Test Identified the Body
The identity of the body was subsequently confirmed through forensic DNA testing.
Results from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre established a match between the unidentified body bearing tag number 1385 and reference samples obtained from Onifade’s parents.
The DNA confirmation provided a crucial breakthrough after years of uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts and identity of the missing journalist.
Court Ordered Coroner’s Inquest
The search for accountability later moved into the courts.
In July 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government and the police to conduct a coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death.
The objective of the inquest is to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine the facts surrounding the actions of the security personnel involved.
The ongoing proceedings before the Lagos State Coroner’s Court are being presided over by Magistrate Temitope Oladele.
Following the submission of the post-mortem report, the court has directed key witnesses, including police personnel who were on duty in the Oko-Oba area on October 24, 2020, to appear and testify.
Rights Groups Demand Accountability
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which has supported the Onifade family in its legal efforts, has described the post-mortem findings as significant evidence in the case.
Rights activists, journalist unions, and the deceased’s family continue to demand the public prosecution of the police officers who fired the shot and those who supervised the deployment during the Lagos #EndSARS demonstrations.
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