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Imo Killings: IPOB Condemns Killing Of Policemen, Couple, Distances Self From Insecurity In South East

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

The Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB has distanced itself from the killing of five Policemen and a Couple at Okpala Junction in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.

The Group said that it is disappointed and finds it disheartening for people to be linking the Pro-Biafra Group with insecurity in the South Eastern Region.

A statement by its Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, it said, “IPOB is a peaceful movement seeking separation from the Nigerian state through internationally recognised and accepted modus operandi called self-determination and not through murderous or criminal activities.

“IPOB is a peaceful movement seeking separation from the Nigerian state through internationally recognised and accepted modus operandi called self-determination and not through murderous or criminal activities.

“Even though Nigerian security agents have been brutal on us, we have always maintained our calm. For now, those security men are no hindrance to our freedom, though they are agents of oppression.”

It further reads, “ It is public knowledge that the Federal Government is using both state actors and non-state actors to create insecurity and chaos in the South-East just to blackmail IPOB through some compromised media agencies and agents.

“The paid criminals in the South-East should stop and allow Biafra agitation to flow naturally according to plans. We are warning them to stay off Biafraland or face the consequences. They have already been declared wanted by IPOB, and their sins will catch up with them soon.”

Reactions Trail Appointment Of Ekiti Indigene As Member, Tinubu Inauguration Committee

By
Ayodele Oni
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Makinde Araoye

By Ayodele Oni

There is discordant tune in Ekiti state over the appointment of an indigene, Makinde Araoye as a member of the Presidential Inauguration Transition Committee of President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Araoye, who had earlier served as member of the Campaign Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is among those whose names were announced last week.

However, a group of youths in the state under the name, Ekiti-Kete APC Youths Frontier (EYF), said Araoye does not deserve the appointment.

Rising from its meeting in Ado Ekiti, it stated that “as a group with membership of over 500,000, the nominee is not recognized by us and as such can’t represent Ekiti youth population in such a sensitive committee.

“And neither has he at any point contributed anything meaningful to the development of Ekiti youths and we challenge him to come forward with proofs to the contrary.

“That the nominee was a known arch-antagonist of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu before and during the campaign as clearly instructed by former Governor Kayode Fayemi, his boss who he served as Special Adviser on Federal Matters until recently.

“That the nominee at no time during the stretch of the presidential campaign came out to openly make pro-Tinubu statements or contributions on his behalf either in Ekiti or his Ilawe Ekiti hometown.

“If he has any evidence of videos or audiovisual tapes of meetings he held with Ekiti youths during the campaign to promote Asiwaju’s candidature; he should bring them forward without further delay. Arsoye appt

“That Araoye in his four years in office as Special Adviser to Fayemi on Federal Matters while his former boss was serving as Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum couldn’t attract a single federal project to Ekiti.

“It is on record that this is so despite that the nominee was one of the youngest political appointees of all time in Ekiti.

“That Araoye’s nomination into such a critical Committee is likened to robbing Peter to pay Paul and a slap on the collective intelligence of Ekiti youths who worked day and night to ensure the victory of the President-elect in their respective our domains.

“That for the avoidance of doubts, those saddled with the responsibilities of drafting names for appointments and sundry national assignments should know that Ekiti parades an array of credible and committed youths who can represent the state in various capacities instead of settling for those who want to reap where they did not sow and hustlers of name dropping.”

A statement, signed on behalf of the group by Bayou Ajayi, President and Ige Famuyiwa, secretary, it claimed that Araoye is a political godson of both Niyi Adebayo and Kayode Fayemi who have not hidden their disdain against Tinubu at any given opportunity, and as such his consideration for further national responsibilities will amount to a serious political risk.

“That henceforth, background checks and due diligence must be carried out on future nominees from Ekiti through the genuine leaders of constituted Tinubu campaign chapter in the state for adequate knowledge of such persons and their characters.”

In another statement, Ekiti State Chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) congratulated Araoye on his appointment as member of the presidential transition committee by the President Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

A statement signed by the Chairman of the organization, Hon. Famuyibo Oluwasegun described the appointment of Hon. Makinde Araoye is a round peg in a round hole.

According to him, those who are against his appointment are mere political enemies and selfish individuals who does not see anything good in others.

The statement reads: ”We congratulate our own, a youthful and useful Youth leader in Ekiti State, he has contributed immensely to the growth of Ekiti and that of the youths in particular, his appointment is well deserve and we shall support him to succeed at all time.”

Sudan War: FG To Evacuate Stranded Nigerians By Road

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Muhammadu Buhari

By Akinwale Kasali

The Federal Government has stated that the only viable way to evacuate  Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan is by road.

While most other Countries have since evacuated their citizens, Nigeria did nothing about its own citizens until Sudan’s air space closed and became impossible to use. Now the only viable way is by road, through the Egyptian border.

Speaking on a Political Programme on Channels Television, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyema, said that is the only alternative left in rescuing Nigerians in Sudan.

Nigerians based in Sudan, including over 5,500 students have been calling on the Government to evacuate them from Sudan since war broke out in the country two weeks ago.

He said, “We have been working round the clock in the past two days to get Nigerians out of Sudan. First, we have told our Embassy there to put up a platform where all  Nigerians in Sudan can log on to and information will be available, and to coordinate the process.

Obviously, in a situation like this, what we need is where everybody can congregate before you start moving them out. And because the airport is not safe, the only viable way out is by road.

”Of course, it is not safe, but you will require the Government to provide some level of security and a safe corridor.

”Our situation is challenging. We heard that the US has started evacuating her diplomatic staff, but they have not been able to evacuate their citizens there.

“No, we cannot evacuate our diplomatic staff at the moment because they need to also coordinate the evacuation of the students but we are going to evacuate them.

”Essentially, where we are at the moment is trying to get authorisation of the Sudanese Government to undertake this long journey. We don’t want to risk the lives of Nigerians because we saw that the French in trying to evacuate their citizens came under fire.

”So we are doing everything we can to get the approval of the Sudanese Government at the very highest level. I was in touch with somebody in the office of the President and I made a formal request, they said they had received it.

”The option available to us is the Egyptian border, which is close to Port Sudan and the Ethiopian border. There is a border with Chad as well but the three we are looking at are the Ethiopian border, Port Sudan, and the Egyptian border.”

Tinubu, Wife Expected Back In The Country Today

By
James Orji
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Bola Tinubu and his wife, Remi

Except for a last minute change of plans, Nigeria’s President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to arrive the country today after more than one month rest in France.

ThisDay Newspapers quoting close aides to the former Lagos state governor, said his return is coming 35 days after he won a decisive election on February 25.
James Faleke, the Secretary to the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council said in a tweet that Tinubu’s return on Monday is imminent.

Also, the Secretary of the disbanded All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, has confirmed Tinubu’s expected return today, Monday, adding that he will be back to the country at 2pm in company of his wife, Remi.

According to him: “It’s official. My dear brothers and sisters of this unique family. I wish to inform and request of us all that anyone in Abuja and Nasarawa is invited to join in receiving our Peoples President and First Lady-elect tomorrow by 2pm at the Presidential wing of the International Airport. Departure Time: 2pm. Departure Venue: The Campaign Office.

“Accreditation time: 12pm. Buses will be provided. Only Accredited persons will be allowed at the Airport for security reasons.”

Ahead his arrival, his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC has dissolved the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council, a body set up last year to spearhead the presidential campaign of Tinubu who is expected to be sworn in on May 29.

The party said the Council has successfully achieved its brief of getting Tinubu elected.

Tinubu left the country few days after he had been declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC ahead his two other rivals; Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP.

He left the country amidst controversy sorrounding his health. But his party said the president-elect needed time to rest after leading a successful presidential campaign.

Tinubu has also been consulting with other world leaders on how to collaborate with his government to move the country forward, the APC said after many Nigerians raised questions on his frequent travel abroad for medical check up.

Fidelity Bank, Partners Give Free Foods To Nigerians

By
James Orji
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As part of its initiatives to reduce poverty and alleviate hunger in the country, leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, recently launched a Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, scheme tagged the Fidelity Food Bank.

Through the initiative, the bank would partner with carefully selected charity organizations across Nigeria to provide food items to members of the society monthly.

At an event held to officially launch the project at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, Victoria Island, Lagos, MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe said, “According to the Global Hunger Index, an estimated 2.4 billion people, which represents more than 30 per cent of the world’s population, faced severe food insecurity in 2022. In Nigeria, data published by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022, stated that over 133 million Nigerians are multidimensionally poor and the major issue is hunger.

We recognize that one of the ways we can continue to touch lives and give back to the communities we serve is by the introduction of The Fidelity Food Bank initiative.”

The launch ceremony had in attendance clergy from the church, led by the Parish Priest, Reverend Father Julius Olaitan, as well as Executives and staff of Fidelity Bank Plc and climaxed with the official handover of the food packs to the church who is one of the bank’s partners in the food bank initiative.

“It is often said that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with people. This is the philosophy behind our partnership with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and other Fidelity Food Bank Partners across the country. Our Partners will assist in the distribution of food items to people across their various locations”, explained Onyeali-Ikpe.

The Fidelity Food Bank project comes under the bank’s Health and Social Welfare CSR pillar. Other pillars in the CSR strategy are Education, Environment and Youth Empowerment.

Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged customer commercial bank operating in Nigeria with over 7.5 million customers serviced across its 250 business offices and digital banking channels. The bank was recognized as the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. The bank has also won awards for the “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

Useni Nominated Himself To Succeed Abacha; Bamaiyi Saved The Day; Abdulsalami Saved  By Abacha’s Death –  Gidado Idris

By
The Source
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Gidado Idris

By Gideon Njoku

Gidado Idris, Secretary to the Federal Government under the Military Regime of the Late General Sani Abacha, had, before his own death,  revealed that Lt. General Jerry Useni wanted to be Abacha’s successor in office.

Idris revealed this while narrating the intrigues which marked the choice of a successor following the unexpected death on  8th June 1998, of Abacha.

In an interview with the Weekly Trust in 2015 to mark his 80th birthday, Idris said at the time of Abacha’s death, there was a dilemma over who would succeed Abacha and fill the vacuum his death created.

It would have been easy as Lt General Oladipo Diya was the second in Command, but he was languishing in jail, waiting to be executed by firing squad over the alleged Coup he and others planned against Abacha’s Government.

Politically,  Useni was the next after Abacha and Diya, and since Diya was out of it, then Useni. He zeroed in on that and nominated himself as Abacha’s successor.

But the then Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, spoilt his day and backed Abdulsalami.

Here’s how.

In Military hierarchy, Abdulsalami who was the Chief of Defence Staff is senior to Useni, even though both of them were Lt Generals. So, Bamaiyi used that to break the jinx and nominated Abdulsalami. Useni caved in, stood up and saluted Abdulsalami, who then was immediately promoted to a full General on Useni’s recommendation.

Lucky Abdulsalami, Abacha’s death saved his career and that of Bamaiyi. Otherwise, the two of them had been slated for retirement, and Abdulsalami  didn’t want to stay in Abuja to face the humiliation. According to Idris, Abdulsalami decided to pack his things and move them to Minna but he, Idris, stopped him. It was on the day Abdulsalami was going to be retired that Abacha died.

Narrated Idris to Weekly Trust: “It was the 8th of June, 1998, the day Sani Abacha died. Of course, I didn’t know he had died until I got to the house. At about 8:00 am, I got a phone call from the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Coomassie and he told me that he wanted me there with them urgently at the Villa.

“I took breakfast and drove myself there at about 8:30 am. When I got to the gate, I was allowed to pass through but on getting to the main building, I was barred even though they knew I was the SGF.

“They told me that the meeting wasn’t taking place there. I then argued that I was told by the IG that the meeting was taking place inside the Villa but they insisted it was in the office and directed me there.

“On reaching the office, I met Lieutenant-General Abdulsalami Abubakar sitting he asked why I was there and I told him I was invited by the IGP. He then told me he was invited too, and that was why he was waiting. Others came, as well.

“Then-Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General Ishaya Bamaiyi came in and asked me to go up and see if the Head of State had come so that we could have the meeting. I did, but there wasn’t anyone, not even the soldiers who intermittently checked on us. I came back and told them something strange is happening.

“Eventually, someone came and apologized for keeping us waiting. We were led into the house by Lieutenant-General Abubakar and taken to the sitting room where we usually sit with General Abacha. We did not see him, though they said the meeting was with him.

Instead, we saw the first Lady, Maryam Abacha, Mohammed Abacha, Alhaji Gwarzo (National Security Adviser) and Buba Marwa (Military Governor of Lagos State). We sat down and then the shock came when Gwarzo said the reason why they had invited us was that the Head of State died that morning.

He added that Abacha’s body was upstairs and they were waiting for the Chief of Defence Staff to go and identify it. Just like that, out of the blues, we were told he’d died.”

Abacha’s Death Saved Abdulsalami’s Career

Idris told Weekly Trust how. According to him, “Every weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, I usually meet with the Head of State. You know, his death was announced on Monday.

“Now, the Thursday before the announcement, I was home when the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abubakar, came and said he wanted to say goodbye to me, and that he was leaving for Minna. I asked him what was wrong and he asked if I was not aware that he was going to be retired on Monday.

I thought he was joking. He added that the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Air Staff would all be retiring on Monday, too.

“He then told me that rather than being disgraced, he had packed up his things and he was leaving immediately so that they could announce his retirement on Monday while he was home in Minna. I then advised him not to behave that way, as a General. I told him that it was a Thursday and we still had some days before Monday and that I was going to see the Head of State on Saturday and find out what the problem was.

“I then pleaded with him with the name of God to return to his home and after some time he obliged. So he did not go to Minna. I tried to find out what was being discussed in the house, but I didn’t get anything from anyone. I found it unusual and when I had a meeting with General Abacha, I couldn’t extract any information.”

“When we came down, we sat as we didn’t know what to do and some of the workers asked what the next step should be. I then said the next step is the announcement of his death. And we couldn’t do that without telling Nigerians who would step into his position because this was sort of new. And I said I didn’t know how to go about it. I then said as far as I know, we did not have a problem with who will step into his position.

“Normally, we have a number 1, 2 and 3. In an instance where there is no number one, number two will step in. I said that we have a situation because we did not have a number one as we had just lost him and we did not have a number two as Diya was in jail, but we have a number three, which is General Abubakar.

“He was very reluctant and said ‘SGF, I do not agree with you’ and asked if I could organize a meeting of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) by 1:00 pm that same day. I said I would try.

“I got all the aircraft, all the pilots and in any case the only people who would be coming from outside Abuja were people from Lagos and Enugu. The ones from Kaduna normally preferred to drive. And you know military men have their way of doing things, so by 1:00 pm they were all there.

“Before then, I had anticipated everything that would happen and had already prepared the oath of office for the new Head of State. I then summoned Chief Justice Mohammed Uwais and explained to him what he needed to do with the oath of office, so he went and dressed up for the task ahead.

“By 1:00 pm, we were all there, seated and I told Lieutenant-General Abubakar, who was also to preside over the meeting, to go and welcome them, which he did. He then told them the situation at hand and that the next step to take was to produce a new Head of State and that it had to be done immediately because the body of the late Head of state was still upstairs and had not been buried.

“So we started the meeting immediately. Lieutenant-General Jeremiah T. Useni was there and he spoke first. By the time we got halfway into the meeting at about 5:00 pm, only half of the members of the Council had spoken.

Disrespecting Abacha’s Body

“Not everybody was sold on the succession drama, though. One of the Generals was unhappy that Abacha’s body was still upstairs while all these discussions were going on

“Brigadier-General Bashir S. Magashi questioned why the body of the former head of state was being treated with disrespect. He was furious that time was fast going and he hadn’t been buried yet. That got me thinking and I felt that there must be some kind of conspiracy going on. I then went to Lieutenant-General Ishaya Bamaiyi and asked to see him for a few minutes and I asked him if it was possible for us to quickly fly to Kano and bury him then come back and finish the meeting. He then asked if the body was prepared for burial and I said I would check.

I did, and I was told from inside the house that it was ready.

“I then arranged for two aircraft, one to take his body and a few of us and the others to bring other members of the AFRC.

“Military men being who they are, were very fast about it and after ten minutes I was told that they were ready to receive us at the airport. So I called Al-Mustapha and told him that we would go to Kano and bury the Head of State first and come back for the meeting.

“We reached Kano and quickly did the burial and by 1:00 am we were back in Abuja. From the airport, we went straight to the Council Chamber to finish our meeting. We had earlier done more than half of it, so it was easier to finish.

“The Chief of Army Staff, Bamaiyi, was the last person to speak and he asked why we were wasting time and said by tradition we have got two hierarchies, political and military. He said Useni had already spoken and he said if we go by hierarchy, he was the highest military officer today to take over from Abacha, but he quickly added that he was prepared to abide by whatever decision the council ruled.

“He recommended that we appoint Abubakar as the new Head of State. As he was a Lieutenant-General, Useni also recommended Abubakar’s promotion to full General with immediate effect. He immediately got up and saluted General Abubakar. All I did was ask Justice Uwais to administer the oath of office and allegiance to him.

“I took him to the office, opened it, set the chair for him and he sat down and that was how he assumed his status as Head of State.

“Of course, there was opposition at the end. The most senior officers in the army then didn’t want Abdulsalami to succeed Abacha. But with the persuasion of Bamaiyi, everyone came on board.

Contrary to what many people feel and think about Bamaiyi, he saved the day.”

Revealed; Abacha Died On A Chair

By
The Source
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0

By Gideon Njoku

Since former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, suddenly died in one of the many Guest Houses in the Presidential Villa, there have been many speculations on  the cause of his death and/or how he died.

The most popular is the story of two “apples” who were with him. When they say that, what they mean is that the General was in the company of two foreign female guests when he suddenly collapsed and died. The suspicion has always been there that, perhaps, there was more to his death, that the female guests knew what happened to him, and perhaps, they were used to target Abacha.

A few days to his death, a number of Nigerians who saw the state of the late Head of State when he went to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the former Libyan President, Muammar Ghadafi, now late, suspected he was ill, very ill.

He had lost weight. The colour of his skin kind of changed. His face was drawn and ashened. He looked tired. But nobody thought anything of the sudden changes until that night of 8th June, 1998, when he died at the age of 54.

Now, a new angle, perhaps, the most reliable version of how he died has surfaced. It has always been there, in print, but obviously, nobody took serious note until now when the person who revealed it passed.

In an interview in 2015 with Weekly Trust, the  Secretary to the Government of the Federation, under Abacha, Gidado Idris, an accomplished Civil Servant and technocrat, revealed how Abacha was when his body was found.

Gidado granted the interview to  Weekly Trust to mark his 80th birthday.

And it turned out to be a bombshell.

Aside from how Abacha was when his body was seen, he also revealed that Abacha had another “coup” in the offing which he planned to execute days before he died. He planned to retire the man who succeeded him in office, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was then the Chief of Defence Staff. He also planned to retire the then Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi.

Gidado also revealed the intrigues that produced Abdulsalami as the Head of State, and how it was Bamaiyi who saved the day.

On Abacha, he said the former Head of State was found dead whilst still sitted on a chair. On the floor beside him was an inhaler, an indication that Abacha was suffering from asthma, and may have had an attack in the last moments of his life on earth. What it means is that there was no foul play as has always been suspected.

When Weekly Trust asked Gidado if he thought there was more to the General’s death, he told the Newspaper:

“The General was found on a chair with an inhaler, for asthma, on the floor. I never knew he was asthmatic until that day. When I met him two days before he died, he seemed normal even if he was coughing a bit.

“I knew he was ill, but I didn’t know what was wrong. I wouldn’t say he was targeted.”

Abacha was Nigeria’s Head of State from 1993 to 1998.

Tinubu: Why Obi’s Petition Will Fail- Nnamani

By
James Orji
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0
Chimaroke Nnamani

Chimaroke Nnamani, a former governor of Enugu state has advised the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the February 25 election to withdraw his petition against the winner of the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu the winner of the keenly contested election, ahead of Obi who came a distant third.

The LP candidate alongside the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar who came second in the election filed a petition at the tribunal challenging the victory of Tinubu on the basis that he did not win the election fair and square.

But in a statement on Sunday, Nnamani said the LP candidate’s appeal will fail, saying that all Obi wants to achieve is to discredit the former Lagos state governor.

The former governor said the southeast stands to lose if Obi continues to pursue his petition against the APC candidate.

Rather than going to court, Nnamani said Obi should have allowed Igbo leaders to negotiate with the APC candidate in other to play a critical role in the next government.

Tinubu will be sworn in as president and commander-in-chief on May 29, 2023.

According to him, Igbo must not be left out in the ongoing negotiations among all the geo-political zones to play critical roles in Tinubu’s government, adding that Obi’s petition will fail.

He said “His Petition is dead on arrival. He does not have the spread or national appeal. His appeal to non-electoral matters is to demarket the President-elect and besmirch his reputation.

” His petition is ego-driven, a joke carried too far . His attempt to highlight non-electoral issues is trying to embarrass the President-elect.

“Obi needs to come down from his high horse to allow sedate minds to negotiate on behalf of the Igbo and South East for a safe landing to include our stake in the national Palavar and Share of the accruals of the commonwealth.

“We must join the mainstream and participate in making a new Nigeria. We are not going anywhere. We de kampe and ready to bargain for our own share. It is common knowledge that others are doing the same.”

Lesser Hajj: Saudi-bound Widower, Divorcee Arrested At Lagos Airport With 14.4kg Cocaine

By
The Source
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0
NDLEA

  • Lesser Hajj: Saudi-bound widower, divorcee arrested at Lagos airport with 14.4kg cocaine.

  • As NDLEA intercepts illicit drugs in wedding gown; nabs 400-level varsity student in Bayelsa, cripple in Edo, ex-convict in Adamawa, notorious dealer in Ondo; seizes 1.2 tons of skunk in Kaduna

A widower, Ariyibi Ahmed Olaseinde and a divorcee, Akanbi Silifat Tunrayo who were going for lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos for attempting to export 14.4 kilograms of cocaine concealed in lace and ankara fabrics.

Ariyibi was intercepted on Thursday 20th April at the screening point of MMIA Terminal 2 during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers travelling from Lagos via Doha to Medina, Saudi Arabia. When his carry-on bag was checked, four sets of white lace material with linings of substance that tested positive to Cocaine weighing 11.50kg were discovered.

The suspect who claimed to be a widower and an advertising practitioner said his original plan was to ingest the drugs but had to change his mind after failed attempts to swallow bitter cola, which he was using to practice the process. He is expected to be paid One Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N1,800,000) upon successful delivery of the consignment in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

The previous day, Wednesday 19th April, NDLEA officers at the Terminal 2 of the airport also arrested Mrs. Silifat Tunrayo Akanbi with 2.90kg cocaine during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers from Lagos via Doha to Jedda, Saudi Arabia. A search of her hand luggage led to the discovery of six sheets of cocaine weighing 2.90kg concealed in ankara fabrics.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a divorcee and a trader who used to hawk cloths around Awoyaya area of Ajah, Lagos. Based on information in her statement, a follow up operation that lasted through the night into the early hours of Thursday 20th April was carried out, during which the person who recruited her, Alhaji Adebayo Adeola Wasiu was arrested at No 28, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos. Adebayo is the managing director of B&T Travel Agency.

In the same vein, NDLEA officers attached to courier companies have intercepted two drug consignments consisting of ecstasy and skunk going to United Arab Emirate. While the pills of ecstasy were concealed in a gold colour wedding gown, the skunk was hidden in a micro controller.

This is even as a 400-level Marine Engineering student at the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa state, Kelvin Ogenedoro has been arrested for dealing in 600grams of skunk. He was nabbed at the university’s gate in a follow up operation following the interception of the consignment in a commercial bus along Tombia-Amassoma road.

In Adamawa state, a notorious drug dealer, Sunday Ishaku Emzor (aka Lalas) who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2010 for drug offences, was on Thursday 20th April arrested for drug dealing. He was arrested at Hayin Gada, Imburu Numan LGA where he went to supply 1.650kg cannabis to an undercover operative. His Yellow Press Cub motorcycle used for supplying illicit drugs and a cash of N78,120 suspected to be proceed of the illegal business were recovered from him at the point of arrest.

On the same day in Kaduna, operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a truck conveying 110 bags and 200 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 1.223 tons (1,223kg) in Zaria while the truck driver, Adekunle Olanrewaju, 32, and his assistant, Tunde Jamiu, 20, were arrested.

In Edo State, a 42-year-old cripple, Lucky Aigberenmolen trading in illicit drugs on his wheelchair was arrested in a raid of drug joints in parts of the state. While Lucky was nabbed at Ekpoma, Esan West LGA with 1.3kg of Cannabis Sativa and 10 litres of Monkey Tail, another suspect, Mary David,46, was arrested at Ugbegun, Esan Central LGA with four litres of Monkey Tail and Osagiede Stephanie, 19, at Ekpoma, with various quantities of Colorado, Methamphetamine, and Molly. A 50kg cannabis stored in a bush ready for distribution was also recovered in Irrua area of the state.

While two suspects: Adeshina Olalekan and Christopher Joel, were arrested at Lektop hotel, Igbeba, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, with 39 litres of Skuchies, as well as various quantities of tramadol, and rophynol, operatives in Imo State intercepted a female suspect, Ijeoma Anyiam Loreza, 40, at Orogwe, Owerri North with 70 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 30kg.

A notorious drug dealer in Okitipupa area of Ondo state, Mathew Obateru, 42, has also been taken into custody after different quantities of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Colorado and Loud were recovered from him. In Taraba, a suspect, Mohammed Usman was arrested on Monday 17th April in connection with the seizure of 10,009 pills of tramadol.

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Kaduna, Edo, Ogun, Imo, Ondo and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the excellent job done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the bar of professionalism in the daily discharge of their responsibilities.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 23rd April 2023

Anambra: Imam Narrates How Obi Built A Mosque; Sponsored Muslims On Pilgrimage

By
James Orji
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0
Peter Obi
The Chief Imam of Onitsha Central Mosque, Anambra state, Alhaji Abdulrahman Imam, has narrated how Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, LP, built a mosque for the Muslim community in the state.
Imam made the revelation when Obi visited the Muslim community in Onitsha on Sunday  to felicitate with them as part of this year’s Eid Mubarak celebrations.
The LP party candidate had recently been criticized for being a religious bigot, after an audio tape of his conversation with Bishop David Oyedepo, the leader of a popular Pentecostal church, surfaced.
Obi has denied the tape where he allegedly described the last presidential election as a “holy war,” the point he reiterated during his visit to the Muslim community.
Speaking, the chief Imam said the LP party candidate has been showing love to the community since his days as the governor of the state.
He said the former Anambra state governor is the only sitting south east governors who had made it a habit to visit Muslims during their celebrations.
He explained that Obi rebuilt a mosque in Onitsha, after it had earlier been demolished, adding that the former governor visited them in the barracks during one of the religious crisis in the state.
According to the Imam, “This mosque was rebuilt by you when it was demolished years back. You visited us in Army barracks when we had problems then. All the years you were governor, you always visited us during celebrations like this, so you are not new to us.
“For the eight years you were governor, you sponsored a lot of our members to Mecca. You did all these, even though you are a Christian. That is why we say we are with you, even as a Christian
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