SOMALI WORLD CUP REFEREE DENIED ENTRY TO UNITED STATES. (PHOTO).

Image
 Somali World Cup Referee Denied Entry to United States Award-winning Somali referee, Omar Artan, has been denied entry into the United States despite holding a valid visa, according to a senior official in Somalia’s sports ministry. Artan, who is set to become the first Somali referee to officiate at the FIFA World Cup finals, was stopped at Miami International Airport and subsequently returned to Istanbul, where he had been residing. The reason for the denial was not immediately disclosed. However, Somalia is among the countries affected by a travel ban introduced by the administration of Donald Trump. Reacting to the development, Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain, described Artan as one of Africa’s most respected referees. “Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir told AFP on Monday. He added that preventing the referee fro...

NDLEA BUSTS LETHAL DRUG SYNDICATE, ARRESTS MEMBERS IN ANAMBRA STATE. (PHOTOS).#PRESS RELEASE.



Fentanyl: NDLEA busts lethal drug syndicate, arrests members in Anambra
. Vows to hunt down others involved in the killer trade

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested members of a syndicate involved in the illicit importation and trafficking of lethal synthetic opioid, Fentanyl, a drug which is 100 times stronger than Tramadol and capable of causing mass casualty among the youth population being targeted by the cartels.

The arrest of two members of the syndicate: Odoh Collins Oguejiofor and Oliver Chigozie Uzoma at Ogbogwu market, Onitsha Head Bridge, Onitsha South LGA, Anambra State, in well-coordinated and clinical operations, is coming on the heels of an alert issued by the anti-narcotics Agency on Tuesday 22nd November 2022 that some criminal elements were plotting to flood the Nigerian market with the drug, which is currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States. According to the CDC in the US, Fentanyl is 80 times as potent as morphine and 100 times more potent than heroin. 

Following credible intelligence and synergy with local and international partners, the NDLEA was able to mobilise necessary assets to trace the illicitly manufactured drug to the Ogbogwu market, Onitsha Head Bridge, reputed to be the largest drug market in West Africa, after months of undercover monitoring.

Convinced that the Agency has gathered sufficient evidence to nail the suspects, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) ordered a deployment of operatives to pick members of the syndicate one after the other. Odoh Collins Oguejiofor was the first to be arrested while on a business mission with packets of 100 micrograms of Fentanyl, while the arrest of Uzoma who is a major dealer in other illicitly manufactured pharmaceutical opioids including Fentanyl, followed. 

While packs of liquid Fentanyl were recovered from Odoh, different quantities of banned and controlled drugs including Fentanyl were seized from Uzoma. They include: Ampules of Fentanyl Injection; Ozempic solution for injection in pre-filled pens; Ampules of Sustanon 250mg/ml; Ampules of Rivavirin injection 200mg/2ml; Ampules of Erythropoietin injection; Ampules of Recombinant Anti Rho-D Immunoglobulin injection 300MG; Ampules of Pethidine 100mg/2ml solution for injection and Zoladex 3.6mg Goserelin.

Reacting to the arrest of members of the syndicate, Marwa commended all officers and men of the Agency involved in the operation while directing them to intensify the crackdown on other members of the cartel who may have gone underground. Well no doubt hunt down every member of this criminal gang before they do further harm to our public health especially our youth population. In the meantime, Ill like to thank our international partners for the huge confidence in us and their support and partnership for the benefit of humanity. In the same vein, Ill urge parents and other stakeholders to be vigilant, alert and warn their young ones against attempting experimenting with this illicit substance, Marwa stated.

 The Agency wishes to reiterate that exposure to this lethal opioid, which could come in different forms, as has been shown by the seizure, may result in pinpoint pupils, falling asleep or losing consciousness, slow and shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, limp body, and pale, blue, or cold skin

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Tuesday 30th May 2023.
More photos below. 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SHAKIRA COVERS WOMEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE,APRIL ISSUE.

THE NEW OONI OF ILE-IFE,WILL NOT EAT THE HEART OF THE LATE OONI-PALACE CHIEFS.

INNOSON GIVES OUT BRAND NEW IVM G5 AND SALARY FOR LIFE TO THE MAN WHO PROPHESIED ABOUT HIS VEHICLE MANUFACTURING IN 1979.(PHOTO).