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STARTLING REVELATION: THE PROBLEM OF DRUGS IN NIGERIA IS ENORMOUS, WE PROBABLY DISCLOSE 0.1% OF THE FIGURE OF ARRESTS AND SEIZURES MADE – NDLEA MEDIA AND ADVOCACY DIRECTOR, FEMI BABAFEMI By Oki Samson •COMMENDS CHAIRMAN/CEO BUBA MARWA FOR GAME-CHANGING LEADERSHIP Since January 2021, when the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) came under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd) as the new Chairman/CEO, the agency has received a new burst of life. The number of arrests and drug seizures that were made in the past eight months has probably never been made in the past 30 years of existence of the security agency. With more than two million kg of illicit drugs seized, 5000 drug traffickers arrested and over 500 convictions, the former Military Administrator of Lagos state have proven that he is the round peg in the round hole when it comes to fighting drug crimes. He has also affirmed the confidence reposed on him by the President Muhammadu Buhari who gave him the jo...

Boko Haram Named Governors, Senators, Aso Rock Officials As Sponsors - Ex-Naval Boss Olawunmi said the government has not been able to prosecute the sponsors because it is allegedly partisan. He said, “Recently, 400 people were gathered as sponsors of Boko Haram, why is it that the Buhari government has refused to try them? Why can’t this government bring them to trial if not that they are partisan and part of the charade that is going on? “You remember this Boko Haram issue started in 2012 and I was in the military intelligence at that time. We arrested those people. My organisation actually conducted interrogation and they (suspects) mentioned names. I can’t come on air and start mentioning names of people that are presently in government that I know that the boys that we arrested mentioned. Some of them are governors now, some of them are in the Senate, some of them are in Aso Rock. “Why should a government decide to cause this kind of embarrassment and insecurity to the sense of wh...

Public Service Announcement On INEC Voter Registration At Anambra Wards  This is to inform the public that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will begin the Continuous Voter Registration exercise at all the 326 Wards in Anambra State beginning from Monday, 30 August 2021.  The address and location of the registration centre in each wards is published at the 21 LGA offices of INEC.  The exercise will end on Sunday, 5th September 2021.   The continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise is for the following categories of people:  1. New Registrants (that is, persons that are up to 18 years of age but who have not registered before) 2. Old registrants who have experienced any form of problem with accreditation in the past elections, such as failure to read their card, failed authentication process, fingerprint issues and when a voter has PVC but can’t find his or her name in the electoral Register 3. Old Registrants seeking transfer, collection of ...

PRESS RELEASE NIGERIA SIGNS MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION  AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA Nigeria has signed a Military-Technical Cooperation Agreement with the Russian Federation. The Honourable Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi MAGASHI (Rtd), who is on an official visit to Russia, signed on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Dmitry Shugaev, signed for the Russian Federation. The signing ceremony, which took place on 23 August 2021, was witnessed by the Nigerian Ambassador to the Russian Federation, His Excellency (Prof.) Abdullahi Y. SHEHU, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Auwal Zubairu GAMBO, the Defence Attache in the Embassy of Nigeria in Moscow, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo ADESANYA, representatives of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force, other senior Military officers, and officials of the Nigerian Ministry of Defence. This Agreement terminates the earlier Agreement...

30 Residents Die In Fresh Attacks In Jos, Several Houses Burnt Many people have been reportedly killed at Yelwan Zangam community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. According to Daily Trust, several houses were also burnt down in the attacks which reportedly claimed more than 30 lives. This is coming barely one week after 27 travelers were killed in Gada-biyu – Rukuba road, still in Jos North LGA. Yakubu Bagudu, a resident, confirmed the fresh attack on Wednesday morning. He said more than 30 people were killed, adding that security personnel had been deployed in the area. The Plateau State Police Command is to is yet to give details of the incident, as at the time of filing this report.

 STATEMENT CONCERNING SAMUEL ORTOM, THE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE Governor Samuel Ortom has few political principles. We can see this from the fact that he has changed political party five times during his undistinguished career. Every time he feels the wind may be blowing in a certain direction, he follows it. Unfortunately, for the good citizens of Benue State, the most dangerous direction he blows in today is that of sectarianism and ethnicity. In an attempt to boost his sinking political fortunes, Ortom takes the cheapest and lowest route possible by playing on ethnic themes – and in doing so knowingly causes deaths of innocent Nigerians by inciting farmers against herders, and Christians against Muslims. Specifically, Ortom stirs up hatred by targeting one single ethnic group in Nigeria – using language reminiscent of the Rwandan genocide. As was the case in Rwanda where the then Hutu leaders of the country incited their countrymen against each other, claiming there was a “secre...

The attack launched on the facility of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on Tuesday, rather than throw a dampener into the morale of our Armed Forces as it is intended to, will buoy their determination to make a decisive end of criminality in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.   Noting that the attack, which led to loss of lives, came at a time that the military had put insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, and other types of criminals on the retreat, the President says the heinous action would accelerate the total uprooting of evil in the polity, which members of the Armed Forces are solidly resolved to accomplish in the shortest possible time.   Commiserating with the families who lost their loved ones, and praying God to comfort them, President Buhari vowed that the deceased would not die in vain, as the degenerate act would have consequences that will eventually clean the country of vermin, and emancipate the polity from deliberate, targeted and contrived atroci...

On an official visit to President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), I had a fruitful discussion with His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, bordering on more prospects for our dear State, Imo. We shall continue to synergize our networks for better services to the people. - Hope Uzodimma. More photos below.

 NDLEA: Marwa, late officers' widows hail President Buhari over payment of entitlements Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) on Wednesday 25th August joined widows of deceased officers of the Agency to appreciate and pray for President Muhammadu Buhari for granting intervention fund to pay the burial entitlements of at least 188 personnel who died in active service. Marwa and the widows spoke at a brief ceremony at the Agencys headquarters in Abuja for the payment of burial entitlements that had been pending since 2014 to the widows and families of the deceased officers. The NDLEA chairman recalled how President Buhari had equally stepped in to provide bailout funds for states twice to be able to pay workers salaries, among other pro-masses interventions by his administration. In the course of his speech, he asked the gathering to offer both Islamic and Christian prayers for the President and his governmen...

Court Sends Undergraduate to Jail for Lottery Scam The Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 secured the conviction of one Udoh Sunday Okon for offences bordering on Facebook lottery scam. Udoh, an undergraduate, allegedly defrauded an American, Kimberly, to the tune of $500USD via Facebook lottery. The 20-year-old Akwa Ibom indigene was prosecuted on one-count charge, to which he pleaded guilty. The charge reads: “That you, Udoh Sunday Okon (Christopher Wray) sometime in March 2021 at Ilorin, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did cheat by personation when you pretended to be one Christopher Wray a white male with +18315088635 as your WhatsApp business line and fraudulently deceived Kimberly, an American, to send $500.00 ( Five Hundred United States Dollars) worth of Ebay gift card to you after you made him believe that he won $1,000,000.00 (One Million Dollars) Facebook Lottery and you thereby committed...

EFCC Opposes Mompha's Accomplice, Koudeih's Application For Foreign Medical Checkup The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has urged Justice Ringim Tijjani, a vacation judge of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos to dismiss the application of one Hamza Koudeih seeking leave of the Court to travel to Lebanon for psychiatric treatment. Koudeih is being prosecuted by the EFCC alongside one Kayode Phillips, both of whom are alleged accomplices of Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, before Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos for alleged money laundering.  The defendants, who are high-valued targets in Organized Cyber Syndicate Network, OCSN, were arraigned on November 28, 2019 on 25-count charges, bordering on conspiracy and money laundering. One of the charges read: “That you, Kayode Phillips (aka Voice of the King) and Hamza Koudeih (aka. HK), sometime in May, 2019 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspire...

Again, Abiodun emerges Best Governor in Agriculture .dedicates laurel to Federal Ministry of Agriculture, partners The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has once again won the Governor of The Year Award in Agriculture. The governor, who emerged tops in the 2020 edition of the award organised by the Nigeria Agricultural Award (NAA), was on Tuesday night, declared winner in the agric sector at award ceremony of the Feed Nigeria Summit,  held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. Speaking after receiving the award, Abiodun noted that the Summit  has become an international dialogue forum for the advancement of Global Agriculture, with sufficient reference to Agricultural development in Africa and Nigeria. While appreciating the organisers of the event for the follow up on Ogun State agriculture despite its trademark low profile as well as quiet focus on delivery, the governor explained that the state's Agricultural Agenda has been tailored towards the Agricultural Agenda of t...

The Lagos State Civil Service Pensions Office, in collaboration with Parastatals Monitoring Office, recently organised a workshop to sensitise the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and Directors of Finance & Accounts (DFAs) on the 2007 Pensions’ Law as it applies to their responsibilities on remittance of deductions of workers' contributions. In her address during the workshop, the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle, stated that the Government had contended with unending requests for bailouts on payment of Pensions and Gratuities of retirees from parastatals. The Commissioner, who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Abiodun Onayele, stressed that the issue of delayed remittance persisted despite full payment of subventions to agencies. He maintained that parastatals are expected to deduct workers' contributions and credit their pension accounts in accordance with the Pensions’ Law of 2007. Mrs. ...

PICTURES: GOV. BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU ATTENDS THE SPECIAL BOOK PRESENTATION TITLED: “FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION” AND LAUNCH OF SDG CHALLENGE FUND IN COMMEMORATION OF 60TH BIRTHDAY OF KHALIFA MUHAMMAD SANUSI II, 14TH EMIR OF KANO, AT EKO HOTELS AND SUITES, V.I, LAGOS, ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2021   PIX 1From fourth left: Celebrant and former Emir of Kano, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his Kaduna State counterpart, Governor Nasir El Rufai; Chairman of Coronation Capital Limited, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Group Managing Director/CEO, Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe and others, during the special book presentation titled: “For The Good of The Nation” and launch of SDG Challenge Fund in commemoration of 60th birthday of Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II, at the Eko Hotels And Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday, August 24, 2021. With them from left is the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr...

  UN uncovers Nigeria’s secret programme for Boko Haram commanders A report by a United Nations (UN) independent news organisation, The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News), has uncovered a secret programme by the Nigerian government tagged, Suhlu, aimed at pulling top commanders of terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP) out of the forests, rehabilitate them and provide them with a means of livelihood.   According to the UN organisation, Sulhu grew out of the behind-the-scenes attempts to free the more than 270 Chibok schoolgirls seized by Boko Haram in 2014, and is applauded by its supporters as smart warfare – a means to remove the senior jihadists from the battlefield more effectively than the orthodox military campaign. The discovery follows intelligence agencies’ investigations into the recent surrender of over 1,200 terrorists and their families in the last three weeks, to the Nigerian government, to ascertain whet...