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A lead pastor and founder of an evangelical ministry based in Lagos State, identified simply as Akintunde, has been accused of assaulting his wife, Modupe, who now seeks a dissolution of their union.
According to Modupe, her husband assaulted her after she accused him of infidelity at their home in the Onosa community, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of the state.
The couple’s marriage, blessed with five children, started experiencing challenges when Modupe, on separate occasions, accused her husband of having a romantic affair with two church members, Punch reports.
Modupe claimed that her husband slapped and beat her up for making the accusations and she was hospitalised after losing consciousness during one of the attacks.
She told the publication that her marriage had collapsed as her husband, who accused her of influencing church members to quit as a result of the adultery allegations, had sent her packing from their matrimonial home. As a result, she is seeking a divorce.
Modupe said, “What caused the fight was because I accused him of adultery with female church members. I discovered he had an illicit affair with two female church members but when I confronted him, he threatened and beat me up.
“The first time that I got to know that he was having an illicit affair with a female church member was when I contracted an infection from him. I confronted him about the infection and he told me he was also experiencing similar symptoms.
“We called our nurse and she treated us. The same nurse also treated a female church member for the same infection and informed me about it. That was how I got to know about their romantic affair.”
Modupe said after confronting her husband, their relationship worsened, adding that instead of doing things to improve the condition, the pastor allegedly got into another illicit romantic relationship with another female church member.
She said, “This second incident of confronting my husband over alleged adultery with another female church member happened last year. The fiancé of the female church member got to know about the illicit affairs and he informed some members who stopped worshipping at our church.
“My husband started saying I was using the adultery allegations to influence the church members to leave, whereas it was the fiancé of the church member he was romantically involved with. He became angry and ordered me to pack out. I disagreed because there was no place for me to go.
“But for my safety, I was advised to give him space. I left with some loads and returned around December 2023 to spend the festive period with my children. When he realised I was at home, he locked me in one of the rooms for two hours, despite one of my children begging him.”
The midwife said she left the house and returned in January 2024, adding that sometime in April, she was at her matrimonial home when she took delivery of a lady’s child and her husband, who was bent on her leaving the house, allegedly attacked her till she fainted.
She said, “He slapped me and pressed my neck till I fainted. I woke up with water all over my body. I also saw that people had gathered around me. He kept saying I had overstayed in the house and he wanted me to leave, whereas it was not only his money we used to build the property. I also contributed my money when we started building the property and the church.
“I have left the house to treat myself. I spent a week in hospital and as I am speaking with you, I am still going to the hospital for treatment from home. It has not been easy eating because my neck is still hurting. It was our neighbours who called my family members, who came to take me to the hospital after I regained consciousness.”
Akintunde denied the allegations but said that efforts were on to divorce his wife.
He said, “I didn’t attack her; she was the one who wanted to injure and kill me on that day and I have my evidence. She wanted to cut my private parts. She once told me that if my organ is not working for her, it won’t work for anybody again.
“She reported the case at the Epe Division; she should sue me in court, I have my evidence. We went to the Epe Division and when we were asked to meet at the court on Monday, May 6, 2024, I went there but she and her family members didn’t come.”
Regarding infidelity allegations with female church members, Akintunde said, “I am a pastor and I have a congregation and she used to bully everyone that she saw me with. I wanted to divorce her and she had already packed her load out of the house but she later returned her load.”
Reacting to the allegation about contracting an infection from a nurse and infecting her, Akintunde said, “She is not well. Thank God the nurse is still alive. She is going beyond her capacity. If not for our children, I would have taken her to a criminal court. I want to divorce her and the case is already in court.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed to the publication that the case had been charged to court.
He said, “The case was charged to court last Thursday. There was evidence he (Akintunde) assaulted his wife and it was on that basis that we charged the case to court.”
A businesswoman, Faith Mwikali Ndiwa, has been charged for allegedly using the name of a Kenya opposition leader, Raila Odinga to defraud a Nigerian investor of Ksh 25 million.
Ndiwa appeared before Milimani Chief Magistrate Susan Shitubi on Monday, May 27, 2024.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) told the court that Mwikali, using her companies Ashley Dylan Limited and Faizel Limited, deceived the Nigerian national, Jude Olabayo Veracruz, a bank CEO, into investing Ksh25 million in a purported tender to supply Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to KEMSA.
Mwikali allegedly forged a framework contract and an amendment to the agreement to support her claims.
She allegedly deceived the Nigerian national that the contract for the supply of LLINs was for Mr. Odinga's son-in-law who had allegedly run out of money and wanted to be financed to complete the contract.
The accused allegedly deceived the Nigerian that he would earn a profit after paying the Sh25 million to complete part of his bargain.
Between June and December 2022, she is accused of fraudulently obtaining the money from Olabayo in Nairobi County.
She is facing another charge of altering the said contract between her company and Kemsa purporting it to be a genuine agreement for the supply of Insecticidal Nets.
The accused denied all eight counts of forgery, falsifying contract documents and obtaining money.
The prosecution opposed her release on bond, requesting time for the police to file an affidavit detailing reasons for denying bail.
Mwikali's defence argued for her release, citing her constitutional right and claiming she was not a flight risk.
Magistrate Shitubi ruled in favour of the prosecution, detaining Mwikali in Lang'ata Prison until Tuesday, May 28, 2024, for a bail hearing.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Faith Mwikali Ndiwa's arrest stemmed from an incident in May 2022 when she walked into the Guarantee Trust Bank and requested to speak with the CEO, who is the Nigerian investor.
The CEO said the suspect claimed to have some Ksh.70million in her account, for which she needed financial advice.
"The complainant offered financial advice and advised her to make her own decision, the court papers read.
The suspect would return days later with a different request for money, claiming that she needed it to pay off her mother's medical bills.
When the complainant was asked about the Ksh.70 million she claimed to have in her account, she stated that she had purchased a house in Karen.
"The complainant was convinced and advised her to visit the bank where she was granted a loan of eight million Kenya Shillings," the court papers read.
A month later, she called the complainant again, this time claiming to be representing Odinga's son-in-law, who she claimed had recently won a Ksh.19 million tender to supply Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
It has also come to light that the suspect was involved in a similar case in which she presented herself before the DCI Nairobi area with a job card indicating that she worked as a physician for the Kenyan First Lady.
The appointments were made public in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
The statement noted that the posting of the two senior officers to strategic positions within the Police Force is part of ongoing efforts to bolster the efficiency of the Force and multinational approach to tackling crimes.
In her new capacity, AIG Longe will oversee the secretarial functions of the Force Headquarters, ensure that the IGP’s policies and directives are implemented effectively, and coordinate the affairs of senior police officers.
AIG Owohunwa, on his part, will work on enhancing international police cooperation and ensuring that Nigeria fulfills its obligations within the global INTERPOL framework.
According to the statement, “The Inspector General of Police while commending the senior police officers for their dedication and service to the Nigeria Police Force, emphasized that their new assignments is a proof of their exceptional abilities and the trust the Force places in their capabilities.”
Adejobi said the postings are with immediate effect and follow the retirement of their predecessors.
The dead body of a yet-to-be-identified pregnant woman has been discovered in a bush along Amaraku-Umudim Road in Isiala-Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.
According to Punch, the lifeless body of the pregnant woman was discovered with her upper garment removed.
Naija News understands that the body was discovered in the early hours of Tuesday and her identity has not been discovered.
A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the woman’s body showed no signs of blood or trauma.
The source said, “It happened in the morning of Tuesday. The woman was killed and dumped in the bush along Amaraku-Umudim Road. She is pregnant and was stripped naked of her upper wear.
“But the confusing thing is that she did not sustain any blood stain as to link her death to assassins or gunmen. We are yet to find out exactly what led to her death.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said he had yet to be briefed on the matter but promised to revert as soon as the command got information and didn’t get back as of the time this report was filed.
As part of its effort to promote clean cooking energy for families across the country, the Federal Government, FG, yesterday commenced the free distribution of gas cylinders with a target of moving at least one million homes to clean cooking gas by 2030.
The programme, which is under the ‘Decade of Gas’ initiative, tagged LPG grassroots penetration, is expected to distribute about 250,000 gas cylinders to women in rural communities across the country.
People Talk: On sale of new Naira notes at Nigerian parties0:00 / 0:00
Speaking at the flag-off of the programme in the Apo Resettlement area of Abuja, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, said the administration was determined to increase domestic gas usage.
Ekpo who supervised the handing over of 1,000 numbers of 3kg cylinders filled with gas to rural women drawn from the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory, explained that the government’s push for the use of gas as the cooking fuel of choice would improve the health of women and girls who bear the greatest risk in the use of traditional cooking fuel.
He stated: “We’re not only introducing a program today; we’re on a mission to change millions of Nigerians’ lives in our six geographical zones. By 2030, we want to convert 250,000 houses a year to clean cooking gas, which is a lofty but attainable target.
“This program is evidence of our steadfast dedication to lessening the over-reliance on solid fuels, which for a long time served as many households’ primary source of energy and include firewood, kerosene, and charcoal.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Director, ‘Decade of Gas’ program, Mr. Ed Ubong, said the programme which is funded by the private sector would bring an end to the use of woods and kerosene in homes.
He added that the ‘Decade of Gas’ program is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s theme: “Gas to Prosperity, a Renewed Hope”.
He stated: “As part of the LPG grassroots programme, we would be committed to see how we can move over a million cooking cylinders, mainly to women, in rural areas.
“Cooking gas is cleaner and Nigeria has significant gas resources and so we will be partnering with the private sector working under the supervision of the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas) to see how we can deploy over a million cylinders at about 250,000 a year to all parts of Nigeria”.
Court Remands Chioma Egodi In Suleja Prison Over Alleged Criminal Defamation Charges Against Erisco Foods Limited
AFOLABI
A Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded Mrs Chioma Egodi in the Nigerian Correctional Centre in Suleja over the criminal defamation charges against her.
Justice Peter Lifu on Tuesday remanded Egodi after she pleaded not guilty to the two-count charges brought under the Cybercrime Act of 2015.
The judge fixed Friday for ruling on her bail application filed by her lawyer, Inibehe Effiong.
Effiong had tendered a medical report while contending that his client had suffered a miscarriage as a result of the psychological trauma of the case.
However, the prosecution counsel, Abdulrashid Sidi, asked the court to refuse the bail application because, going by the history of the case, she would likely jump bail.
The prosecution informed the court that the defendant had failed to honour the terms of her initial administrative bail and would not comply if given a fresh one.
Unable to deliver the ruling on the spot, the judge shifted it to Friday while the main hearing would commence on June 13.
The Inspector-General of Police had filed a two-count charge against Chioma, Happiness Obas and Don Kashking, both said to be at large, on alleged conspiracy to send a message on Facebook through the handle Chioma Egodi Jnr, to instigate people against Erisco Foods Limited.
According to the charge, the defendants knew the said “information to be false and with intent to cause annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to Erisco Foods Limited, the management and members of the family.”
The offences are contrary to Section 27 (1) (b) and 24(1)(b) Cyber Crime Prohibition Act.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has discovered a total of 122 illegal oil refining sites in the past week across the Niger Delta region.
The NNPCL said a filling station was sealed for selling illegally refined fuel to motorist in Akwa Ibom State.
According to a documentary released by the NNPCL on Tuesday, 65 illegal pipeline connections were uncovered and removed within the past week in Rivers and other states in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
“310 incidents were recorded between May 18 and 24 across the Niger Delta region,” the NNPCL disclosed while reeling out its efforts in fighting oil theft and vandalism.
Our correspondent gathered that the filling station selling illegally refined fuel was uncovered at Grey Creek in Akwa Ibom State.
The 122 illegal refineries were spotted at Tomble II, III, IV, Umuajuloke, Rivers State as well as Oporomor III, Eduwini, and Ajatiton in Bayelsa State.
Vandalised well heads were reportedly discovered in Tomble IV, Rivers and Egbema in Imo State.
A pit filled with crude oil from a vandalised wellhead was also discovered.
Five illegal storage sites were sighted with oil stored in sacks, pits, cans and a filling station, the energy company stated.
Twenty vehicles, including a tanker, were seized in Delta and Imo states, while 29 boats transporting crude oil or illegally refined products were confiscated across several creeks in Bayelsa and Delta states.
It was said that 33 suspects have been arrested in connection with the incidents.
Recently, The NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, emphasised the need to fight insecurity in the oil and gas sector to increase production.
According to Kyari, the nation’s crude oil production keeps dropping due to oil theft and vandalism.
“How do you increase oil production? Remove the security challenge we have in our onshore assets. As we all know, the security challenge is real. It is not just about theft, it is about the availability of the infrastructure to deliver the volume to the market.
“No one is going to put money into oil production when he knows the production will not get to the market. Within the last two years, we removed over 5,800 illegal connections from our pipelines. We took down over 6,000 illegal refineries. You simply cannot get people to put money until you solve that problem,” he stated.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, has said the paucity of funds is responsible for the delay in appointing ambassadors for Nigeria.
The minister who disclosed this during the ministerial sectoral briefing on Tuesday in Abuja, said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was facing a significant financial and economic challenge.
President Tinubu had on September 2, 2023, recalled all career and non-career ambassadors operating the country’s diplomatic missions, embassies and consulates globally.
Nigeria has 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally.
The lack of ambassadors has raised concerns about Nigeria’s diplomatic representation and the effectiveness of its foreign missions.
However, the Minister said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been receiving the necessary funding to operate effectively.
He noted that it was pointless to appoint ambassadors without the financial resources to support their travel and the effective running of missions abroad.
“We met a situation where Foreign Affairs was not being funded like the way it should be. It is a money problem. There is no point sending out ambassadors if you do not have the funds for them to even travel to their designated country and to run the missions effectively, one needs funding,” he said.
Despite these hurdles, Tuggar assured that the government was addressing the issue.
“Mr. President is working on it and it will be done in due course,” he said.
A federal high court in Kano has ordered the removal of Muhammad Sanusi II from the official residence of the Emir of Kano.
S.A. Amobeda, the presiding judge, granted an ex parte motion filed by Aminu Ado Bayero, the dethroned Emir of Kano, and the applicant.
The order comes hours after a state high court restrained Bayero from parading himself as the Emir of Kano.
In the suit marked FHC/KN//CS/190/2024, seen by TheCable on Tuesday, Amobeda ordered Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), and Hussain Gumel, Kano commissioner of police, to ensure that all rights and privileges of an Emir are given Ado Bayero.
“An order restraining the 3rd, 4th, and 5th respondents and all other respondents from denying the applicant to use his official residence and palace at the Emir’s Palace, Kofar Kudu, as well as enjoyment of all rights and privileges accrued to him by virtue of being Emir of Kano State, and to evicting anybody residing within the palace illegally pending the hearing and the determination of the originating summons,” the temporary injunction reads.
The judge also restrained the security agencies from arresting Bayero pending the determination of the suit he filed.
The matter was adjourned until June 4 for a hearing.
Meanwhile, Amina Adamu Aliyu of Kano high court has restrained the police and other security agencies from evicting Sanusi.
THE BATTLE
Trouble began when Sanusi was reinstated as Emir on Friday by Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano.
Sanusi’s reinstatement followed the repeal of the law that Abdullahi Ganduje, the former governor of Kano, used to depose and exile him in 2020.
On May 23, a federal high court in Kano ordered the state government not to enforce the Emirate Council Repeal Law 2024.
Bayero returned to Kano from a trip to Ogun on Saturday and moved into a palace in Nassarawa LGA.
But the Kano governor ordered Bayero’s arrest “for creating tension in the state”.
The Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has stated that the first year of President Bola Tinubu’s administration can be described as a period of progress and development.
The group claimed that during the administration of former president, Muhammadu Buhari, the South-East region faced deliberate economic suppression, leading to strife and insecurity.
They, however, noted that Tinubu’s regime has fostered hope in the southeast.
Speaking further, Ohanaeze stated that the Minister of Works, David Umahi, is the best performing Minister in the Federal Executive Council.
They also commended two others, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, for being the pillars of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ohanaeze’s factional secretary-general, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said that despite inherited challenges such as a retrogressive economy, treasury looting, and infrastructural decay, Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to overcome these obstacles more effectively than in the previous eight years of Buhari.
The statement reads in part: “During Buhari’s tenure, the South-East region faced deliberate economic suppression, leading to strife and insecurity. In contrast, President Tinubu’s administration has fostered hope and progress in the South East through initiatives like the ongoing road reconstruction and rehabilitation projects led by Engr. David Umahi and fostering economic activity and inclusivity.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo unequivocally declares Engr. David Umahi the Best Performing Minister in the Federal Executive Council due to his diligence, dedication, and innovative ideas that have reshaped the region’s narrative.
“The organisation also commends Minister Nyesom Wike for his visionary leadership, Minister Tunji-Ojo for his reformative efforts, and Presidential aide Bayo Ononuga for his invaluable contribution to promoting President Tinubu’s vision.
“As the administration addresses challenges like insecurity and economic issues in the South East, Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on President Tinubu to halt property demolitions in Lagos, release Nnamdi Kanu, enhance trade policies, and reopen the Calabar seaport to stimulate economic growth further.
“The organisation also advocates for the removal of underperforming ministers to drive progress and efficiency. Ohanaeze Ndigbo affirms its commitment to partnering with the government and urges opposition leaders to join hands with President Tinubu to rebuild the nation for prosperity and progress.”
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Naira Falls 221%, Inflation Hits 33.6% - How Tinubu’s Monetary Policy Failed To Renew Hope Of Nigerians
AFOLABI
… More Needs To Be Done To Achieve Monetary Policy Target- Muda Yusuf
Muhammed, a civil servant at the Ministry of Agriculture almost lost his temper after buying 25 pieces of pepper for N1000 after the sellers refused to sell N500 tomato to him.
Dona who sells auto spareparts in Gudu market, Abuja has been frustrated by exchange rate depreciation. The importer has struggled with his spareparts business since the naira fell to over N1,700 per dollar in February 2024.
These testimonies explain how the ‘Renewed Hope’ monetary policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria has failed to bring down inflation and stabilize the naira despite several policy initiatives.
The Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration inherited a central bank that applied an unorthodox monetary policy approach in the discharge of its mandate.
In his ‘Renewed Hope’ Manifesto released months before the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu told supporters that monetary policy must focus on the exchange rate, interest rate and price levels.
For him, the trio must serve the objective of fiscal policy, which is broadly shared prosperity.
Tinubu’s Promise To Stabilise Exchange Rate And Deal With Inflation
In order to undo the mistakes of the past government, Tinubu in his Renewed Hope Agenda highlighted some of the issues leading to the depreciation of the naira including, low crude oil production and the multiple exchange rate windows which gave rise to financial dislocation, currency speculation and arbitrage.
“To ensure that exchange rate policy harmonises with our goals of optimal growth and job creation driven by industrial, agricultural and infrastructural expansion, we will work with the Central Bank and the financial sector to carefully review and better optimise the exchange rate regime. Our economic policies shall be guided by our desire for a stronger, more stable Naira founded upon a vibrant and productive real economy,” part of the manifesto reads.
On tackling inflationary pressure, Tinubu said his team would assess the sources and causes of inflation and deploy the right mix of fiscal and monetary policy tools to contain it; instead of copying the policies and practices of economies from other countries.
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The manifesto reads, “To impose the usual anti-inflation medicine of higher interest rates and tighter money-supply will only weaken the patient. The answer to supply-driven inflation is not to suppress normal aggregate demand levels. The better solution is to find ways to increase production and supply. To suppress demand will result in the overall loss of economic activity and jobs.
“Worse, since the inflation is grounded in supply-side issues, placing this weight on the demand side will do little to answer the root causes of current inflation. In short, we punish the national economy and the people without deriving any meaningful benefit.”
Naira Devalues By 221% While Inflation Rises To 33.6% One Year After
Two weeks after the administration took over, the CBN on June 14 introduced the ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ model and harmonized the different foreign exchange markets into the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) window.
Before the CBN took the decision, the naira was trading at an average of N460.72 in May. The currency moved to N589 on June 24, N770.88 in July, N783.17 in November 2023.
However, the CBN has achieved success in narrowing the gap between the official and black market rates. In May when the naira traded officially at N460.72, the black market rate was N780 effectively allowing speculators to enjoy an arbitrage of N319 per dollar.
As of May 24, 2024, the black market rate was N1,510 against N1,481.1 traded officially.
Inflation has constantly risen since the government assumed office in May last year. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) measured inflation at 24.41 per cent in May 2023 but surged to 33.6 per cent as of April 2024.
The Olayemi Cardoso-led CBN has consistently increased the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to combat inflation.
The administration met MPR at 18.5 per cent but the CBN increased it to 22.75 per cent on July 25. At the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee in February 2024, the bank further raised MPR to 22.75 per cent; adjust the asymmetric corridor to+ I 00/-700 basis points around the MPR and raise the Cash Reserve Ratio from 32.5 per cent to 45.00 per cent.
In March, the MPR was raised to 24.75 per cent and in May, the bank also hiked the rate to 26.25 per cent.
This approach is in contrast with the manifesto that condemns increasing “interest rates and tighter money supply” as a “usual anti-inflation medicine.”
More Needs To Be Done To Achieve Monetary Policy Target- Muda Yusuf
Reacting to the development, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises, Muda Yusuf told THE WHISTLER that more needs to be done regarding the approach to monetary policy.
The CPPE boos said, “With respect to issues around interest rates, Customs Duties exchange rate and issues around the volatility in the foreign exchange market, I think the current administration needs to do a lot more in that area because you cannot have an exchange rate that should be swinging almost on daily basis. You can not also have a Customs Duties rate that is also changing almost on a daily basis.
“That is not good, and we should also define the limits of tightening monetary policy because interest rate is getting to a point that nobody can do business with bank funds. We are talking about 30-35 per cent interest rate.What business are you going to do with that. It is not a perfect situation, but I believe some progress has been made.”
However, the former Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry DG said that a lot has been achieved compared to past CBN regime led by Godwin Emefiele.
According to Yusuf, the CBN under the previous administration, had a “terribly dysfunctional” foreign exchange market where there was corruption, round-tripping, and a lot of opaqueness in the way that the market was managed.
Yusuf said, “From all the audit reports, we can see the kind of atrocities that were committed under that regime. Under the current dispensation, at least you have more transparency, you have a minimum round-tripping because the gap between the official and parallel market rate have narrowed significantly and the market is beginning to generate more revenue from government.
“We are seeing better governance and stakeholder engagement by the central bank. We are not seeing the kind of reckless use of ways and means financing that we had under Emefiele, which was a gross violation of the CBN Act.”
NDLEA Arrests Couple And Four Others, Recovers Multi-billion-naira Cocaine And Fentanyl Consignments
AFOLABI
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a couple heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Daudah in Lagos and Ogun states.
They were apprehended with multi-billion-naira worth of the illicit drug recovered in two major operations following the arrest of the kingpin and his queen in one of the intelligence-led raids.
In a statement released, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the duo were arrested on Saturday 25th May 2024 by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.
‘’At the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them. A swift follow-up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms. ‘’ Babafemi said.
He stated that in another raid by the special operation unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.
‘'No less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin who was also arrested at Idumota market. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.
Two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Taofik Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them.''
Babafemi added that at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 25th May intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5kg concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325. The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
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He said a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment. A bribe of six million naira offered to the NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as an exhibit for the prosecution of the case.
Reacting to the arrest of the drug kingpins and the seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the special operation unit for their resilience in targeting and taking down drug cartels and barons. He equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all commands and formations of the Agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive action against the drug underworld.
Minister Of Agriculture and Food Security has blamed the rising cost of tomato products across Nigeria on an infestation of tomato farms known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.
He disclosed this on Monday through his official social media account.
Kyari was reacting to the astronomical rise in the prices of tomatoes in Nigeria.
DAILY POST reports that the average price of one kilogram of tomato rose by 131.58 per cent yearly to N1,123.41 in April 2024 from N485.10 in April 2023.
However, Kyari said the infestation in tomato farms has reduced product availability and price hikes.
“Many of our tomato farms have been affected by a severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.
“This has drastically reduced the availability of tomatoes and contributed to rising costs.
“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.
“Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.
“We understand the impact this has on your daily lives and are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes”, he wrote.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s food inflation surged to a record high in April.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food and headline inflation increased to 33.69 per cent and 40.53 per cent in April 2024, respectively.
Four teams from Nigeria have secured two grand prizes and two first prizes at the Huawei ICT Competition 2023-2024 Global Final held in Shenzhen, China, on May 26.
At the competition designed to help students enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, the Nigerian teams emerged as part of 19 teams from nine countries that won the Grand Prizes of the Practice and Innovation Competitions.
This 8th edition of the Huawei ICT Competition, themed “Connection, Glory and Future,” attracted more than 170,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 countries and regions, making it the largest offline competition since its launch.
More than 160 teams, consisting of over 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions, made it through national and regional competitions to reach this year’s global final.
The Nigeria team, comprising four students from the University of Ibadan – Rufus Olusoji Adisa, Tolani Adekunle Adisa, Chibueze Emmanuel Ibekwe, and Lawrence Chukwuemeka, won the grand prize in the Computing Track category.
In the Cloud Track category, another Nigeria team also from the University of Ibadan won the grand prize. The students include Lukman Oyeniyi Abdulyekeen, Sodiq Babawale, and Temiloluwa Oloye.
Two teams from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, also won first prizes in the Network Track category. Students in Team 1 include Knimi Bakna Musa, Kaosar Salaudeen Ahmad, Taiye Ayantola, and Oluwagbemiga Victor Ogundele, while Team 2 consists of Justus Ilegieuno, Yusuf Olanrewaju Toye, and Jamiu Damilare Dahunsi.
The Nigerian students beat thousands of competitors at the national level competition, testing a range of practical and theoretical digital skills, and represented Nigeria at the regional level contest where they qualified for the finals in China.
Speaking at the event, the President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, Ritchie Peng, described ICT as the cornerstone of the intelligent world.
“ICT is the cornerstone of the intelligent world. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, we aim to provide students with a global platform to compete and exchange ideas.”