The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted multiple shipments of illegal drugs disguised in Cerelac baby food tins and clothing, bound for the United States and the United Kingdom.
Naija News gathered that the operations took place at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos.
The NDLEA reported that 36 parcels of a highly potent strain of cannabis, weighing a total of 18.50 kilograms, were discovered in six cartons of Nestle Cerelac baby food tins, with six tins in each carton. The discovery was made at the SAHCOL export shed at Lagos airport on Wednesday.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed this information in a statement on Sunday. He stated that Salaudeen Suliat Abiola, a freight agent who attempted to export the consignment to the UK, was arrested.
A subsequent operation in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Saturday led to the arrest of the sender, Bello Motunrayo Folu.
The cannabis was hidden in factory-sealed Cerelac tins, with the bottoms altered to conceal the drugs and covered with loose cereal to evade detection.
In addition, NDLEA operatives seized five separate shipments of opioids and psychoactive drugs, such as promethazine, pentazocine, diazepam, tramadol, and morphine. These were concealed in clothing and other items meant for export to the US and UK and were intercepted in Lagos.
Babafemi noted that one of the shipments, containing 820 grams of promethazine and pentazocine injections, was headed to the US, while the remaining four parcels, totaling over two kilograms of opioids like tramadol 225mg and NPS, were destined for the UK. These shipments were intercepted on Monday, July 29, at a logistics firm in Lagos.
In another operation, NDLEA agents at the Tincan port in Lagos seized 77 packages of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, from the body compartments of four imported vehicles—Toyota Highlander, Ford Explorer, Toyota Corolla, and Toyota Sienna—from Canada.
This operation was conducted jointly with the Customs Service and other stakeholders. The total weight of the seized drugs was 38.5 kilograms. Two suspects, Salami Abiodun Sunday, 34, and Lekan Atoyebi, 33, tasked with clearing the shipments, were arrested.
Additionally, Isiagu Sunday was arrested in Mushin Ojuoye, Lagos, on Thursday, August 1, with 1,740 bottles of codeine syrup (totaling 174 liters) and 1,070 molly tablets (weighing 600 grams).
In Isuada, Owo Council Area of Ondo State, 50 bags of cannabis, weighing 520 kilograms, were recovered, and five suspects were detained in Itaogbolu Forest, Akure North LG Area. The suspects include Jimoh Omotosho, 63; Donald Obi, 62; Emmanuel Patrick, 21; Kayode Oluwaseun, 39; and John Nsikan, 34, connected to the seizure of 42 kilograms of cannabis.
In Edo State, authorities confiscated 22.5 bags of cannabis weighing 220 kilograms in Egbeta Community, Ovia North East Area, on Tuesday, July 30, arresting a suspect, Osayede Aghoma. Another suspect, Ibrahim Abubakar, 55, was apprehended on Wednesday, July 31, with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 19.2 kilograms along the Okene-Lokoja highway in a commercial bus traveling from Lagos to Kano.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and personnel from MMIA, Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Tincan Commands, and those of DOGI, for their diligence in these arrests and seizures.
Marwa praised their efforts in curbing drug trafficking while balancing WADA awareness activities, urging them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain their dedication and momentum.
See photos below:
Nigeria’s D’Tigress have made history by reaching the quarterfinals of the women’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
D’Tigress secured a decisive 79-70 win over Canada in their final group match at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.
This victory marks Nigeria’s first appearance in the quarterfinal stage of the Olympic basketball competition.
Nigeria advanced through the group stage with five classification points, placing them at the top of the standings. France is set to play against Australia later in the day.
Led by coach Rena Wakama, the Nigerian team rebounded from a loss to France in their second game after securing a victory against Australia in their opening match.
The first quarter saw both Nigeria and Canada neck and neck, ending in an 18-18 tie.
Canada managed to pull ahead slightly in the second quarter, leading 41-37 by halftime.
However, the third quarter shifted in Nigeria’s favor, as they restricted Canada to only five points, taking control of the game.
D’Tigress sealed their historic win with a strong performance in the final quarter, achieving a remarkable 9-point victory over Canada.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has raised alarm over an upsurge in the number of doctored and upwardly adjusted age declarations on NIN slips being submitted by candidates.
The exam body expressed worry that the trend of underage candidates falsifying their age to gain admission into the university has become dangerous, inimical and unnecessary.
JAMB has now insisted that only candidates who will be at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible for admittance into the university.
A statement by the board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said the directive came from the Chairman of the 2024 tertiary admission policy meeting and Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman.
He said the extant 6-3-3-4 on education will be enforced only from the 2025 academic session.
The statement partly read, ”This position is informed by the discovery of widespread and unwholesome practice whereby some institutions collude with candidates to falsify vital details, such as backdated year of entry and subsequent age adjustments, to utilise certificates of genuine candidates with similar names to facilitate illegal admissions to enable participation of fake candidates in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.”
The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja on Sunday changed his hard stance against his opposition to become a beaded crown monarch in Ibadanland.
Ladoja, a former Governor of Oyo State made the disclosure while featuring on ‘Agbami Oselu,’ a flagship radio programme on Fresh FM in Ibadan.
Ladoja is the next in the line of succession to the current Olubadan of Ibadanlan, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin, Ige Olakulehin 1, who was officially installed as the 43rd Olubadan on Friday, July 12, 2024.
LEADERSHIP earlier reports that Ibadan has a unique and transparent traditional succession route to the Olubadan throne, which sees an individual – either from military or civilian line – from the lowest rung of the traditional ladder rise to the peak and ultimately becomes the Olubadan.
The throne of the Olubadan is traditionally swapped between the military and civilian lines, with the 89-year-old Oba Olakuleyin occupying the throne from the military line.
With the ascension of Oba Olakulehin, Ladoja is currently the most senior High Chief from the civilian line waiting in the wings.
However, a review to Section 4 of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration in a gazette issued by the Oyo State Government and signed by Governor Seyi Makinde since 2023, mandated the candidate for the throne of Olubadan to be a bead-wearing king.
Section 4 of the new Gazette states that, “The person who may be proposed as candidate by the Line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that line.”
Speaking on Sunday, Ladoja said numerous Ibadan and non-Ibadan people had mounted pressures on him to consent to becoming a bead-wearing monarch to pave the way for his ascension to the throne when the time comes.
“By the grace of God, I will become Olubadan. God has been merciful to me. My blood pressure has been stable.
“Anyone God destined to become Olubadan will become Olubadan. There is not amount of obstacles that they may put on the road, if God says someone will become Olubadan, he will become Olubadan.
“I will do what Ibadan people want. Everything is being determined by God. We have had many people who became Balogun that did not become Olubadan, we have had many people who became Otun Olubadan but did not become Olubadan. Omiyale and Kuye died ten days apart.
“It is a tough decision but the voice of the people is the voice of God. That is what the people want,” Ladoja said in Yoruba.
An American woman who went to India a decade ago to study yoga and meditation has claimed she survived without food and water for 40 days after being shackled to a tree by her former husband.
U.S. citizen Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found starving and emaciated on Saturday by a local shepherd in a remote forest in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra about 25 miles from Goa, according to reports.
The shepherd broke an iron chain that was used to secure her to the tree. Police said she was severely dehydrated and unable to speak.
Officers said Kumar met and married an Indian man while studying yoga in Tamil Nadu, the same province in southeast India where Kamala Harris’ grandfather comes from. The couple reportedly fell out and the ex-husband has now been charged with attempted murder.
According to the Indian Express, the police case is based on a letter written by the American woman, who has not yet talked about her ordeal.
“Injection for extreme psychosis which causes severe locked jaw and inability to drink any water. Need intravenous food… 40 days without food in forest—husband tied me to a tree in a forest and said I would die there,” the note read.
Police are said to be skeptical that Kumar could have survived for 40 days without food or water.
“When we discovered her, she was seriously dehydrated. It appears that she was stuck there for a minimum of 48 hours. Although she was mute,” said Amol Chavan, an inspector at Sawantwadi Police Station.
Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was married to a man from Tamil Nadu, the same region in South India where Kamala Harris' mother is from
“She is currently not in a position to talk. We are trying to get more details about her background,” said Saurabh Agarwal, superintendent of police in Sindhudurg, the area where she was found.
Kumar had her U.S. passport with her when she was found along with various personal belongings, including an identity card with a Tamil Nadu address. She is said to be out of danger but suffering from psychiatric issues.
Police said she had been living in India for at least 10 years and that her visa had expired.
Hoodlums have invaded a Living Faith Church in Daura local government area of Katsina State, looting about 205 chairs, musical instruments, and other valuable items worth millions of naira.
The attacks took place in the wake of #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests on Thursday with attendant violent clashes between hoodlums and security operatives.
The pastor in charge of the church, David Jato, disclosed this to LEADERSHIP, lamenting that they couldn’t hold Sunday service in the auditorium of the church because the hoodlums went away with everything inside the church building during the protests.
Pastor Jato explained, “We have two security men working in the church, one was on duty while the other was off. When the protest began around 10:00am, the hoodlums just diverted to the church, many of them in Keke NAPEP (Tricycle), and broke the doors and classes and penetrated the church auditorium.
“They packed everything inside the church auditorium, including the wall digital clock, musical instruments, pupit, pastor’s chairs, plastic chairs, and a desktop computer at the reception, as well as a scoreboard where the accountant usually kept church documents. They scattered everything.”
He added that three churches were targeted but the hoodlums only succeeded in invading the Living Faith Church and Deeper Life Church, but couldn’t force themselves into the Anglican Church because of the strong iron protector at the gate.
“We’ve informed the police and the Army about it, and the police told us yesterday that they have made some arrests.
“I’m surprised by this attack; when we are thinking about ending bad governance, which now escalated to the invasion of churches, it is something that everyone should seriously condemn. It is not food that we store in the House of God. It is a place of worship. Why is it only church? The government should come to the reality they are serving humanity, and God will judge us all, whether political or religious leaders.
“My prayer to the perpetrators is that they should repent from what they are doing because for you to enter church, a place of worship, is wrong and you know you are not fighting man, they should seek for repentance. I know God is forgiving and He will forgive them,” he added.
Similarly, the former state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN), Very Rev. Nelson Onyekachuku, whose church is named ‘Power of Resurrection’, was also affected in Katsina town, where the hoodlums vandalised the church windows, but they couldn’t enter because of the iron protectors of the church.
He, however, condemned the action in total, adding that the hoodlums should not add pain to the church, even as he called on the government to change its policy and address the grievances of the people and always ensure to protect the church whenever such an incident happens.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sadiq Abubakar, was yet to repond to the message sent to him at the time of filing this report. However, LEADERSHIP observed heavy deployment of security personnel around churches across the state on Sunday to ensure hitch-free Sunday worship.
Nigeria’s Favour Ofili ran a season best time of of 22.24s to win her heat and book a spot in the semi-final of the women’s 200m event.
Ofili outran a field that also had Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and Gambia’s Gina Bass-Bittaye.
Ofili’s finishing time put her in overall second place only behind USA’s Gabrielle Thomas who ran 22.20s.
While Asher-Smith finished in 22.28s, Bass-Bittaye came home in 22.84s.
The Nigerian is participating in her first Olympics.
[Vanguard]
Ethnic tensions are high in Lagos after the campaign started on social media under the hashtag #IgboMustGo.
Here are 10 things to know about the group behind the campaign.
1.The group operates on X, formerly Twitter, under the name Lagospedia.
2.It claims to be proclaiming the virtues of Lagos.
3.It has no fewer than 41,700 followers.
4.The handlers have consistently propagated hate tweets against the Igbo.
5.On July 27, the page tweeted a picture of bodies it claimed were Igbo.
6.On July 27, the group urged Yoruba to prepare for #IgboMustGo protest to commence on August 20 and end August 30.
7.On July 29, it warned all Igbo resident in Lagos to leave.
9.It also claims the Igbo are spearheading the #EndBadGovernance protest.
Prior to the #EndBadGovernance protest, the group announced that Oro (traditional rites) would be observed in various communities across Lagos from August 1 to August 15,making critics to call the exercise ‘Political Oro’.
[OpinionNigeria]
Two alleged fraudsters who are believed to be involved in high-value fraud schemes have been apprehended in Okwu Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA of Abia, while attempting to defraud another victim.
The suspects, who claimed to be indigenes of Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA of Abia State, were apprehended by Okwu community youths in Olokoro and their operational motorcycle was also seized.
The two men, Uche Harrison, 42, and Lucky Nwohu, who refused to disclose his age, were apprehended by youths of Okwu who were carrying out an environmental sanitation exercise at the village’s market square on Saturday when the suspects rode into the community on their bike.
An indigene of Okwu who spoke to DAILY POST about the incident said: “On sighting the strange faces moving around the village, some villagers indicated interest in knowing who they were, but they took to their heels, making the youths raise an alarm that evil men have entered the community.
”But they later ran out of luck when their motorcycle suddenly went off at the market square, where the youths were doing sanitation work and they were eventually apprehended.”
He added that the two suspects initially claimed that they came from Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North, to Okwu Olokoro to look for a canteen to eat but after being interrogated by the youths, the suspects confessed that their occupation was to use tricks to collect money from people.
Upon further interrogation, the suspected fraudsters revealed how they duped one of their victims, Mrs Okwuchi Ihezie, from Ihete Uboma, Imo State.
Meanwhile, the female victim, Mrs Okwuchi Ohezie, who was duped of N350,000 two months ago, stormed Okwu Olokoro on hearing that the suspects had been apprehended by the youths.
The Imo woman told the youths how the suspects sold a fake business idea to her before duping her of her hard-earned money.
The suspects were later handed over to the Zone 9 Command of the Nigerian Police, Umuahia, by the Chairman of Okwu community, Mr Bartholomew Nwaeze, who warned criminals to stay away from Okwu Olokoro.
In Imo State, a dark cloud grief, despair and panic has enveloped residents of Umucheke Okwe autonomous community following the brutal murder of leaders of the enclave by gunmen.
A clutch of armed men invaded the community in Onuimo Local Government Area of the south-east State on Saturday and killed the seven community leaders.
Those killed are President General of the community and six village leaders.
It’s gathered that the gunmen brutally murdered the victims after they stormed the venue of their weekly meeting and opened fire on them.
“Gunmen have just shot dead the President General of Umucheke Okwe and six village heads,” a community leader who pleaded anonymity told newsmen.
It’s gathered that the attack took place at the President General’s shop in the community market, where the meeting was being held.
The source said the gunmen also set ablaze the shop after killing the community leaders, adding that the incident has forced many villagers to flee their homes to escape the terror.
The source further revealed, “Upon their arrival, the gunmen unleashed gunfire, killing all the community leaders before setting the place ablaze. All the community chiefs perished in the assault.”
The motive behind the attack remains unclear, as the source noted, “Nobody understands the reason for the assault. No one knows the purpose of the meeting.”
The community now stands deserted, with villagers fleeing their homes in terror.
The Imo State Police Command, through the Public Relations officer, ASP Henry Okoye, is yet to issue a statement on the incident.
More...
Jamiu Abiola, son of the late Nigerian business mogul Chief MKO Abiola, claims that the forces that annulled the June 12, 1993, election are now targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Abiola’s son, currently serving as Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties, believes those protesting against hardship and demanding better living conditions are reacting emotionally without considering Tinubu’s achievements.
In an interview with Channels Television, Jamiu addressed the ongoing protests, which began on August 1 and are expected to continue until August 10. Protesters have vowed to persist until their demands are met.
Jamiu argued that some Nigerians have not accepted that they were not destined to win the 2023 general election, leading them to create difficulties for the current government.
“There are some people with sinister motives. The forces that worked against my dad and annulled his election now target Tinubu. They wouldn’t want someone who supported my dad to become president and succeed,” Jamiu stated.
“Sometimes, things have to get tough before they get better. It’s a test from God. People need to realize that God’s hand is in everything, not just Nigeria.
“Many Nigerians view this president like previous ones because they have experienced broken promises. So, they see any difficulty as another broken promise.
“But the president we have now is different. He believes in democracy and loves the common man. He needs time. Those protesting are emotional and haven’t reflected on his achievements since taking office.”
President Bola Tinubu has asked protesters not to allow enemies of democracy use them to topple his government.
In his nationwide broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu said democracy has been enjoyed in Nigeria for 25 years, highlighting its dividends.
On Saturday, photos and videos of protesters in Kano waving the Russian flag went viral as the demonstrators chanted in Hausa, “We don’t want bad government.”
Hundreds of mostly underaged youths urged President Vladimir Putin of Russia to intervene in Nigeria.
“We are raising the Russian flag because we believe Tinubu is playing his imperial masters’ scripts—the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United States of America,” a protester reportedly told TheCable.
A lawyer and social commentator, Bulama Bukarti, said the images indicated the growing support for Russia in Northern Nigeria.
Russia, an Eastern power which is currently having a cold war with the West, Nigeria’s colonial power, has been fingered in the coup d’etats in West African countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, among others.
Although he did not make any reference to Russia in his speech, Tinubu appealed that enemies of democracy should not be allowed to promote unconstitutional agenda.
“Let us work together to build a brighter future for ourselves and for generations to come. Let us choose hope over fear, unity over division, and progress over stagnation. The economy is recovering; Please, don’t shut out its oxygen. Now that we have been enjoying democratic governance for 25 years, do not let the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda that will set us back on our democratic journey. FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER!
[DailyTrust]
A financial analyst and educator, Kalu Aja has said President Bola Tinubu’s error was not saying early that he inherited a dead economy with an empty treasury.
In a post on his X handle on Friday, Aja said former President Muhammadu Buhari left nothing behind, not even a kobo.
The financial expert said Tinubu knew things were wrong but chose to stay silent so as not to rock the boat.
Aja said: “Tinubu error was not saying early that he inherited a dead economy with an empty treasury. Buhari left nothing behind, not a kobo.
“BAT knew things were wrong, but he stayed silent so as not to rock the boat.
“Buhari printed N22t then told BAT to repay with oil production at lows.
“BAT, instead of calling him out, started to believe his own PowerPoint slides.”
[DailyPost]
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has said that the protest by youths is not the solution to mounting challenges of governance.
He noted that well-meaning leaders had cautioned against the action, warning that it could be hijacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem.
The governor recalled that, before the commencement of the protest; he had engaged major stakeholders across the state on the need to shun it.
He said he had warned that it could degenerate into another #EndSars protest which led to loss of lives, businesses, property of citizens and public infrastructures.
However, as the protest entered the third day, Oborevwori, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Avon, commended Delta youths for embracing peace across the state.
He said: “My dear youths of Delta, I thank you for the way and manner you organised yourselves.
“We are aware that Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. We shall continue to protect the lives and property of our people.
“As a state government, we remain committed to the ideals of good governance anchored in our MORE Agenda.”
Also, the governor appealed to those behind the protest to end it, saying that it would aggravate the nation’s challenges.
Oborevwori renewed the appeal when he hosted the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, and his delegation at Government House, Asaba.
He said: “We know it is a very hard time but we believe that any time our people go to the streets to protest, the outcome is always different.
“We know all the demands and requests of the protesters. We are doing our best to make sure that our people are being taken care of. So, protest is not the solution at this time.
“You have reason to protest, but can you manage the protest? We have seen it in the past, we know what happened and how it ended. People were robbed and attacked.
“We have listened to your cry and we are doing our best. The solution is that we have to be more united and peaceful to see how we can move the state from the level it is today to a higher level. I believe we will achieve it.”
The governor urged Christian leaders to appeal to the youths for calm during services.
Also, while inaugurating newly appointed Commissioners and Special Advisers, Oborevwori, said the nation was experiencing hard times which require innovative and creative thinking by governments at all levels to provide good governance for the people.
He charged the appointees to “be innovative and think outside the box,” adding, “The times we live in call for creativity and innovation on the part of those of us who have been entrusted with leadership.”
He stressed: “Staying afloat in a turbulent economy demands mental rigour, strategic planning, and creative execution of policies and programmes.
“I urge you all to think outside the box. As leaders, you must be resourceful, encourage and welcome new ideas, and be ready to churn out innovative policies and programmes targeted at meeting the real needs and aspirations of our people. You must therefore guard against nonchalant attitudes and hit the ground running.”
[TheNation]