News
NDLEA intercepts Qatar-bound illicit drugs concealed in African salad, dried vegetables(PHOTOS)
. Seizes consignment hidden in noodles packs going to Bayelsa creeks, razes over 3 tonnes of cannabis in Edo forests
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue after she was caught attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70 kilograms concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos state.
NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security had on Thursday 28th March intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration. She said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.
Two suspects: Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos, where they recovered from them 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly. Attempt by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.
In Bayelsa, the bid by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilograms to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday 27th March by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa where Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow up operation.
The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle.
While two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on Friday 29th March,
NDLEA operatives in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on Thursday 28th March with 131kg cannabis sativa.
In Abia state, Nwachukwuu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Friday 29th March at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA by NDLEA officers. Recovered from him include 46.65kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and rohypnol as well as N71,500 monetary exhibit.
At least, 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/Kabba road, Idoani area of Ose LGA, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano. The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano road, Bakura Goni was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday 26th March in a follow up operation and flown to Kano to face charges. The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano.
While 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo state was recovered during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects: James Thankgod; Wisdom James and Akpa Festus were arrested on Thursday 28th March.
In the same vein, Commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy lectures in the past week. These include: Sensitisation lectures for students of Federal University of Technology, Ihiagwa, Owerri, Imo; students and teachers of Community Secondary School, Eyo-Abasi, Oron, Akwa Ibom; students and teachers of Oke Iragbiji Grammar School, Osun; commercial motorcycle riders in Oye Ekiti, Ekiti state; commercial motorcycle riders at Ankpa, Kogi state and Muslim faithful at Aliade Central Mosque, Aliade, Benue state.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 31st March 2024
News
Abia bans unauthorised free medical outreaches
The Abia State Ministry of Health has reacted to the hospitalisation of some persons who attended a free medical outreach in Abiriba, Ohafia LGA, on Saturday, saying that the distribution of drugs to the public by uncertified persons was without the authorisation of the state government.
The Commissioner for Health, Professor Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche, who said this in a press release on Sunday, said that the organisers of the medical outreach did not obtain approval from the state government before embarking on the exercise.
He therefore announced that any medical outreach without authorisation from the Ministry of Health is illegal and can put the health of Abia people in jeopardy, warning that those who do so would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
DAILY POST recalls that many people were rushed to the hospital on Saturday at Abiriba after developing some medical emergencies on return from the medical outreach organised by a group.
According to Processor Uche, preliminary reports indicated that medications distributed during the outreach may have caused adverse drug reactions among unsuspecting recipients, even as he said that the identified victims of these untoward medical events are currently receiving medical attention at designated public health facilities within the state.
“Our dedicated healthcare personnel are working assiduously to stabilise and treat affected people. The Abia State Ministry of Health is deeply concerned by the dire consequences and high risk posed by unauthorised healthcare activities. We wish to hereby warn the public to be cautious of individuals and groups organising unapproved healthcare events,” said the health commissioner.
News
Many Pastors Are Not Enjoying Their Marriages Due To Wives’ Behaviours – Bamiloye
Renowned Christian filmmaker and evangelist, Mike Bamiloye, has raised concerns about the challenges some pastors face in their marriages, attributing these struggles to the behavior of their wives.
Bamiloye shared that many pastors are unable to fully enjoy their marriages because their wives use their husbands’ pastoral roles against them. He explained that some pastors’ wives feel secure in the knowledge that their husbands, being men of God, are unlikely to consider divorce or other drastic measures. This, according to Bamiloye, emboldens them to act in ways that strain the marital bond.
He pointed out that such behavior not only affects the pastors but also impacts their ministry, as they are expected to maintain exemplary relationships in the eyes of their congregations.
In addressing this issue, Bamiloye emphasized the need for mutual respect, understanding, and open communication in pastoral marriages. He urged pastors and their wives to prioritize their relationship and seek counseling when faced with difficulties.
“Pastors’ marriages should be a beacon of light and a model for others. When the relationship at home is troubled, it can hinder the effectiveness of their ministry,” he noted.
Bamiloye’s observations have sparked important conversations within Christian circles about the unique pressures pastoral families face. His call to action serves as a reminder of the importance of building healthy relationships and seeking support to ensure that ministry work does not come at the cost of personal happiness and marital stability.
News
FG eyes 25,000 jobs from Lagos textile, garment economic zone
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Dr Olufemi Ogunyemi, has said the Lekki Textile and Garment Special Economic Zone project located in the Eyin-Osa area of Epe, Lagos State, will generate 5,000 direct and over 20,000 indirect jobs when operational.
Ogunyemi made the remarks while disbursing cash compensation to the seven Eyin-Osa families that contributed the 240.09 acres of land for the Federal Government project.
A statement issued by the NEPZA Head, Corporate Communications, Martins Odeh, disclosed this on Sunday in Abuja.
The MD, represented by Mrs. Chika Ibekwe, Director of Zone Operations, said that the community would be continually regenerated, adding that the benefits that would accrue from the gestures would spill over to several generations.
The beneficiaries included families of Olayinka Salami, Aderenle village, Muhammed Balogun, Bashorun Seidu, Iyanda, Matanmi Mobolaji, as well as the Agara Onileyan respectively.
“The space will generate 5,000 direct and over 20,000 indirect jobs for the country, just as it will serve the export markets of the South-West region.
“There are many benefits to gain from the SEZ, including employment generation, especially to the local community, the opportunity for backward linkage, improvement of infrastructure network around the project, and others too numerous to mention now,” he said.
Ogunyemi further said that the development was in line with the goals and objectives of the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.
He, however, stated that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu is not just interested in attracting Foreign Direct Investments through the Free Trade Zone Scheme but was also interested in the development of all the host communities.
“This exercise is to commence the application of the Authority’s new concept of Community Social Regeneration in order to open a new chapter of cooperation and mutual understanding to foster unhindered progress of the free trade operations across the country.
“NEPZA has since re-aligned its mandate with the administration’s economic policy to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president.
“NEPZA will not shy away from leading the country on the path of economic growth. The Lekki Textile and Garments SEZ project is already attracting investment interest to this remote area of Lagos.,” Ogunyemi said.
Ogunyemi also explained that the Federal Government had taken steps to replicate the economic scheme across the six geopolitical zones, adding that more states should leverage the speedy development potentials of the scheme.
According to him, the Lekki Textiles and Garment SEZ will also serve as hubs for Information and Communication Technology, Agro-industries, as well as world-class sports and community development centres.
On his part, the president of Eyin-Osa United Kingdom Development Association, Muftau Shittu, the umbrella association for the host community, said that the area had been occupied by their forefathers for over 500 years.
He said that at the beginning, the enclaves and villages that constituted the community had lived in peace practising economic activities such as farming, hunting, fishing, brewing of hot drinks and timber lumbering.
Shittu however, said that trouble started in mid-year 2003 when groups of land grabbers started claiming ownership of Eyin-Osa lands from the original and rightful owners.
According to him, in May 2008, without due diligent information, the lands were expropriated to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, and the journey for adequate compensation with the Lagos State Government began.
“We are delighted today for this humane approach of the federal government through NEPZA. The community can only imagine these good gestures as most of the earliest promises were not kept. We now have NEPZA management and government that are serious about regenerating the Eyin-Osa land.
“We are happy to cede the total of 240.09 acres to NEPZA for the economic emancipation of our land. We pray that this cooperation and the steps to regenerate our people become permanent,” he added.
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