NDLEA intercepts substances in Kebbi, Kwara, FCT, arrests trans-border traffickers in Adamawa, Kano
About Two Million Seven Hundred and Fifty (2,750,000) tablets of Tramadol 225mg weighing 1,650 kilograms worth One Billion Three Hundred and Seventy Five Million Naira (N1, 375, 000,000) have been intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA).
The consignment packed in 55 cartons of Tapentadol and Carisoprodol types of Tramadol was seized during examination of a container number SUDU 7538656 on Saturday, July 30, following credible intelligence.
This comes on the heels of similar efforts by anti-narcotic officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja that thwarted bids by drug traffickers to export various psychoactive substances to London, UK and Dubai, UAE through the Lagos airport in the past week. At least, five suspects have so far been arrested in connection to the attempts.
On Monday, July, 25, a Dubai, UAE-bound passenger Ms. Ebhodaghei Gloria Osenemeshen was intercepted during the outward clearance of travellers on Rwanda Air via Kigali to Dubai. Discovered in her luggage were sachets of Tramadol 225mg concealed inside gari, a cassava product packed among other foodstuffs.
DRUG Suspect arrested in Lagos
She however claimed that the bag was given to her by someone who she passed the night in his house before coming to the airport to help deliver to another person in Dubai. The following day, Tuesday, July 26, a total of 50 blocks of cannabis sativa with a total weight of 27.1kg concealed inside large quantity of crayfish going to London, UK as part of a consolidated cargo were seized at the SAHCO export shed.
Same day, a Dubai bound female passenger, Emebradu Previous Rachael, was arrested with 1.8kg cannabis packed inside bitter leaf in her luggage while attempting to board Rwanda Air flight to UAE via Kigali. The mother of one who hails from Oghara in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State said she was into selling of men’s wears before she decided to travel to Dubai to expand her clothing business. She claimed her ex-boyfriend that lives in Dubai, requested her to bring the bag, which contains the illicit substance along with foodstuff.
In the same vein, operatives at the NAHCO import shed of the airport on Saturday, July 30, evacuated cartons of khat leaf with a total weight of 51.50kg.
The consignment had earlier come in from Sierra Leone on Royal Air Moroc flight.
In Adamawa state, four drug dealers in Konkol and Belel, two villages at Nigeria – Cameroon border were arrested for exporting and retailing Tramadol and importing Diazepam into the country. The suspects include: Kabiru Ahmadu; Eric Emil; Abdulmumini Bapetel and Alphonsus Yusuf.
A total of 59.018kg Tramadol, Diazepam, Exol-5, Cannabis Sativa and two jerry cans of formalin substance (Suck & Die) were recovered from them.
In Kebbi, no less than 4,010 ampoules of pentazocine injection were seized on Friday, July 29, when a commercial vehicle with registration number Sokoto RBA 220 XA was intercepted along Yawuri – Kebbi road and two suspects: Muktar Yunusa, 26 and Lukman Aliyu, 30, arrested. Similarly, a raid operation in Oko-Olowo area of Ilorin on Tuesday, July 26, led to the arrest of Onaolapo Zakariyau, 50, with 79kg cannabis sativa.
Also in Abuja, no fewer than 90 blocks of cannabis (48.2kg) and 700grams of methamphetamine were intercepted at the Jabi motor park while at least a suspect has been arrested in connection with the drug exhibits. And in Kano, 51 suspects were arrested in a raid at Sky restaurant in Nasarawa area of the state on Friday, July 29. The suspects were caught with various quantities of cannabis and codeine based cough syrup.
In his reaction to the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of Apapa seaport, MMIA, Adamawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Kano, and FCT Commands for their vigilance and commitment. He urged them and their colleagues across the country not to rest on their oars but remain resolute in pursuit of the Agency’s goal of ridding Nigeria of illicit substances.
Gunmen yet to be identified have allegedly killed two police officers in Enugu State in an ambush.
The officers were killed when the hoodlums ambushed a mobile police patrol team Wednesday evening.
The incident happened at about 7:30 pm along the Udi-Ozalla Road as the Operation Restore Peace Enugu team was on routine patrol.
The victims were identified as Danjuma Joseph, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Inspector Abu Elamaje.
The source hinted that they were rushed to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Ituku-Ozalla for treatment but were confirmed dead by doctors on duty.
Another officer, Inspector Udeme Udomeng, who sustained bullet wounds, was treated and discharged.
Daily Sun quoted a source in the command as saying that “MINE and other command tactical teams reinforced at the area of incident on cordon and search operation for possible arrest of suspects. Further development shall be communicated.”
It is unclear whether the policemen were killed by the kidnappers who have been on rampage in different parts of the State or another set of hoodlums.
The Advocate reports that about eight security operatives were ambushed and killed in Imo State last weekend.
Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Enugu State Police Command, DSP Daniel Ndukwe on the development was unsuccessful by press time as he did not answer the calls.
A text message sent to him has also not been replied as of the time of filing this report.
The Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu has upheld the election of Dr. Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the March 18 election in the state.
Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) had approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration on the grounds that Mbah wasn’t qualified to stand for the election.
He alleged that he forged his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC certificate and cases of over-voting in Udenu, Nkanu East and Enugu East local government areas.
The Tribunal chaired by Justice Kudirat Murayo Akano dismissed all grounds of petition saying his petition lacked merit.
The panel held that NYSC isn’t a requirement for contesting for the office of the Governor and there’s no where that the NYSC Certificate was attached to the documents Mbah submitted to INEC by the respondent.
On the issue of forging NYSC Certificate, the panel discountenanced all the evidences by the DSS, NYSC official and others because they weren’t in compliance with paragraph 4, sub-section 5D of the evidence act.
Only the witness of the pw26 which was described as a hearsay by the panel and those not help the petitioners and therefore resolved the issue of Certificate Forgery in favour of Mbah.
On the issue of wrong computation of results of the Labour Party in Udenu local government, the panel said they petitioners failed to prove his case and the witnesses they called gave the same report from different polling units and wards and wondered why their testimonies are the same even from different locations.
The panel also said that the witnesses presented by the Labour Party weren’t duly accredited agents by INEC and makes their testimony invalid.
The panel based on the witnesses from the right agents in 3 polling units, deducted 51 votes from PDP and added same to Labour Party.
The tribunal held that the deduction isn’t enough to Overturn the election of Mbah.
In Amagu polling unit in Nkanu East the panel cancelled the votes for all parties because the witness pw10 proved he was there and the right person.
In the remaining 11 polling units, the tribunal held that the witnesses didn’t sign the result sheet and their witnesses is discountenanced because they can’t prove they were party agents
After resolving all the matter, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.
Transnational Corporation Plc (“Transcorp”), Nigeria’s largest listed diversified conglomerate renowned for its investments in the Power, Hospitality and Energy sectors, has embarked on a groundbreaking environmental Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.
On Wednesday, September 20th, the group launched an initiative aimed at sensitising schools across the country on proper waste management and recycling, fostering a greener and more sustainable future for Nigeria.
Employees from various Transcorp Companies in Nigeria; Transcorp Plc, Transcorp Hotels Plc, Transcorp Power Limited, Transafam Power Limited, and Transcorp Energy Limited passionately participated in the project. The dedicated staff members visited two schools each across the different states they operate in, engaging with students and educators to raise awareness about the importance of responsible waste disposal and the advantages of recycling.
The project is aligned with Transcorp’s Africapitalism philosophy, which is embedded in its vision to power positive change within the environment the group operates. In executing this environmental initiative, the Group has chosen to work through the leaders of tomorrow, by partnering with secondary schools, to instill a sense of environmental responsibility among the young generation, inspiring them to become champions of sustainable practices.
During the engaging sessions representatives effectively communicated the significance of proper waste management techniques and the positive impact recycling can have on the environment. Students were educated on various waste segregation methods and the significance of reducing, reusing, and recycling materials to minimise their ecological footprint.
To reinforce the importance of recycling, Transcorp Group partnered with Recycle Points, one of Nigeria’s foremost waste recycling and social benefit company and an alumnus of the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Transcorp also donated segmented dustbins to each school, designed to facilitate and streamline the recycling process. These specialised dustbins will empower the students and staff to segregate different types of waste effectively, encouraging a culture of recycling within the school premises. They have also collaborated with a strategic partner who will ensure that the recyclables are collected, and proceeds used to train out-of-school children.
Speaking at the occasion, President/GCEO of Transcorp Group, Dr. Owen Omogiafo OON expressed immense pride in the Group’s commitment to environmental stewardship. She stated, “At Transcorp, being the Africapalists that we are, we firmly believe that sustainable development is a shared responsibility. Actively engaging with local schools and investing in educational initiatives, allows us to create a lasting positive impact on our environment and inspire the younger generation to adopt eco-friendly practices.”
In his closing remarks, the representative of the School Principals, on behalf of Lagos State Government, Permanent Secretary, teachers and other staff, expressed his appreciation for this initiative. He encouraged students to imbibe the culture of environmental consciousness and the habit of recycling.
Transcorp’s dedication to sustainability extends beyond this project, as it continues to explore innovative solutions for reducing its own environmental footprint. Earlier in the year, the Group Chairman Mr. Tony O. Elumelu CFR planted trees at Transcorp Hilton Abuja to commemorate World Environment Day. Combining the resources and expertise of its subsidiaries in the Power, Hospitality, and Energy sectors, Transcorp seeks to lead by example and inspire other organisations to embrace environmentally responsible practices.
Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp Group) is a publicly quoted Conglomerate, with a diversified shareholder base of approximately 300,000. Its portfolio comprises strategic investments in the power, hospitality, and oil and gas sectors. Its businesses include Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Transcorp Hotels Calabar, Aura by Transcorp Hotels, Transcorp Power, Transafam Power, and Transcorp Energy.