Author: The Nation

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Sunday said its operatives arrested a 90-year-old retired soldier for supplying illcit drugs to bandits in Sokoto.

The suspect, Usman Adamu, was arrested last Wednesday at Mailalle, Sabon Birni Local Government Area (LGA) with 5.1kg of cannabis sativa, NDLEA said in a statement by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday afternoon.

It also said the agency arrested a Pastor, Anietie Okon Effiong, with three drums of crystal methamphetamine, locally called Mkpuru Mmiri, believed to have been imported from India.

Pastor Effiong, according to NDLEA, was arrested on Saturday at Oron Beach, after a consignment weighing 90 kilograms and loaded into a commercial bus with registration number RSH 691XC at Ojuelegba in Lagos was intercepted during a stop and search operation along Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway.

The drug alleged to be destined for Republic of Cameroon, was said to have been packed with 30kgs in each drum.

The agency further said it made four seizures of crystal methamphetamine weighing 4.07kgs that were for shipment to Australia, Indonesia and Philippines at some courier companies in Lagos, adding that another 3kgs of cannabis sativa bound for Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), were also seized.

The consignments, it said, were concealed in body cream, hot burner iron and beads.

“At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a 37-year-old indigene of Ovia LGA, Edo State and resident in Italy; Solo Osamede has been arrested for ingesting 41 wraps of heroin.

“He was nabbed and taken into custody for excretion while attempting to board a Turkish Airline flight to Milan, Italy via Istanbul, Turkey on Saturday 30th July.

“The swallowed wraps of the illicit drug were recovered in four excretions, which the suspect completed on Monday 1st August,” said NDLEA.

A woman, Jatau Lydia Lami, was also arrested at the Lagos Airport for allegedly attempting to export 1,700 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in her luggage to Istanbul, Turkey via a Turkish Airline flight on July 31, said the agency.

Read Also:NDLEA arrests suspect over alleged possession of 5.1kg Cannabis Sativa in Sokoto

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect, a mother of three, hails from Zango Kataf LGA, Kaduna State and lives in Istanbul, Turkey with her family. She blamed her action on pressure to raise N5million ransom to free her mother from the captivity of bandits who kidnapped her since June.
“Also at the SAHCO export shed of the airport, attempts by some freight agents to export two consignments of cannabis in a consolidated cargo to Dubai, UAE on Thursday 4th August were thwarted by NDLEA operatives who have arrested two of them in follow up operations. They are: Oladipupo Oladapo Fatai and Animashaun Qudus, while two others are still at large.
“In Zamfara, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 4th August intercepted a truck from Benin, Edo state enroute Sokoto with 50,000 tablets of Diazepam owned by a drug dealer, Umaru Attahiru, while in Kogi, 14 sacks containing 1,376 bottles of codeine based syrup weighing 190.4kg were seized along Okene-Abuja highway on Wednesday 3rd August.
” The exhibits were found in a delivery bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra and heading to Abuja. Follow up operation in Abuja same day led to the arrest of Jude Ikenna and Ozoemene Cornelius.
“In Kaduna, four suspects: Sulaiman Rabi’u; Sanusi Sha’aibu; Ma’aruf Habibu and Christian Nnachor, were arrested in Zaria, Tafa and Romi Kaduna with 106, 770 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, Diazepam, Exol-5 and 100 bottles of codeine cough syrup.
“In Enugu, 143.5kg cannabis sativa was recovered from locked up stores in new market area of the state capital on Saturday 6th August, while in Delta, a suspect, Ike Okparachi, 42, was arrested at Abraka Junction, Asaba with 10,550 tablets of Tramadol 225mg; Swinol; Rohypnol; and 3,105 bottles of codeine syrup as well as 69grams of Molly.
“Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Akwa Ibom, MMIA, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kogi, Delta, Enugu, and Kaduna Commands of the agency as well as those of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation, DOGI for their recent feats. He charged them and others across the country to remain focused and vigilant,” it said.

Oyo Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Barr. Abdulrahman Abduraheem has denied insinuations that the State Government was planning to return some schools to their original owners.

The Commissioner, who clarified the State Government’s position in a statement at the weekend, added that the government, at no time indicated its readiness to return the schools.

He declared that the only recent event where Governor Seyi Makinde spoke about ownership of schools was at Loyola College during the commissioning of a hall named after Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, where he only advised members of the Old Students Association to direct their request to the Ministry of Education.

According to the Commissioner, the State Government had drawn up a Memorandum of Understanding to guide the planned takeover of Government College, Ibadan by the Incorporated Trustees of the Government College Ibadan, comprising the Old Students Association and government nominees, adding that the new regime of control at the Government College, Ibadan, is meant to serve as a litmus test for necessary template on the matter.

The Commissioner said: “There is clearly no truth to the story making the rounds that the government of Oyo State was about to return schools to their original owners.

“The government does not have such intention and there was nowhere His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde made that statement.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Governor was confronted about a possible return of the Loyola College, Ibadan to the Old Students Association and he asked the association to direct its request to the Ministry of Education for necessary engagement.

“He did not give any directive on the return of the school or any school, whatsoever. It is true that the state has developed a proof of agreement with the Incorporated Trustees of GCIOBA, but that does not in anyway amount to a blanket return of all schools to their original owners.

“While the State will not shy away from productive partnership with stakeholders in the education sector to support its policy of free and qualitative education, it will not take any step capable of upsetting the cord of alliance already existing in a highly treasured sector like education.

“Let me use this opportunity to address some interests who appear bent on twisting the submission of Mr. Governor on this subject upside down to look for other things to do as it is clear they will not succeed in the inglorious path of attempting to whip up religious sentiments on this issue.”

Makinde, while speaking at the donation, expressed the willingness of his administration to “consider the proposal of returning school to it’s original owners of it receives one.”

The notice had also attracted attack by some an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).

MURIC on Friday gave Makinde what it tagged “notice to quit the government house by 2023.”

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The group accused Makinde of “acting the script written by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)”.

The quit notice was contained in a statement issued by Prof Ishaq Akintola, the Director of MURIC.

The statement reads in part: “Makinde is in the habit of snatching from the Muslims what belongs to them. Yet he wants Muslims in the state to continue to cooperate with his administration. He lives in self-delusion with his divide et impera as he hoodwinks an infinitesimal minority of Muslim dealers and ignores the real Muslim leaders. With this ill-advised announcement, he has betrayed those few stomach-infrastructure Muslim dealers who always claimed they needed to be near the governor.

“Makinde will soon know his fate. Muslims will teach him an electoral lesson. We expect Oyo governors to take a cue from what happened to Bola Ige in 1983. Nobody plays with Muslim interest in Oyo State and gets away with it.

“Makinde started by toying with the Hijrah holiday which his Muslim predecessor (ex-governor Ajimobi) gave us. He also refused to issue any circular on hijab to date. He marooned his Muslim deputy governor for three good years until the latter was eventually impeached and replaced with a Muslim-by-name deputy. Seyi Makinde’s anti-Muslim agenda cannot stomach the idea of a genuine Muslim deputy governor.

“We hereby give the ‘Eleyi of Agodi’ notice to quit Agodi Government House come 29th May, 2023. The Muslim dealers masquerading as Muslim leaders and romancing with our traducers for contracts will not be able to save him. Makinde’s days in government house are numbered. He has murdered sleep. From this day to 29th May, 2023, Makinde shall sleep no more. We advise him to start loading his back-pack with his most essential commodities from today.”

Nigeria is just one gold medal away from having its best outing in history after winning its 11th gold medal at the ongoing Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Nigeria has competed at 15 Commonwealth Games from 1950.

Nigeria did not attend four Games, in 1962, 1978, 1986 and 1998.

Nigeria has won at least one medal at every Games, including a high of 37 in 1994 when it won 11 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze medals in Victoria, Canada.

Read also:BREAKING: Tobi Amusan defends Commonwealth 100m hurdles gold

The first medal in 1950 was won by Joshua Majekodunmi in the High Jump.

So far in its 15th appearance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, it has won 11 gold, eight silver and 14 bronze medals.

Three Nigerians are in finals of their events with Ese Brume and Ruth Usoro competing in the women’s long jump while Elizabeth Oshoba will compete against Northern Ireland’s Michaela Walsh in final of the women’s featherweight boxing later on Sunday.

 

Abductors of Oniku of Iku, Ikare Akoko, High Chief Mukaila Bello, has demanded N50m for his release and three others.

Others abducted with Chief Mukaila were a former House of Assembly candidate for Akoke Northeast constituency, Yeye Gbafinro, Hon Adeiran Adeyemo and Mr. Bashiru Adekile.

They were abducted on Thursday evening at Ago Panu axis in Owo local government while returning from Akure.

The driver conveying them was shot in the head and receiving treatment.

It was gathered the family members have asked for a reduced ransom but the kidnappers refused.

According to a source: ”lt is true that the abductors have open a line of discussion with the families of the four victims demanding for a ransom of N50m before they can be released.

”The family members have held a meeting and pleaded with the kidnappers to reduce the ransom, but they insisted that they won’t reduce it. We have pleaded that the families are not bouyant to raise such huge amount of money.

”We are still begging them to reduce it. They are yet to reach out to us again.”

It was gathered that prayers were held in lkare for the release of the victims.