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Keyamo ministerial screening: Akpabio heads to presidential villa after rowdy session

Bankole ABE
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Keyamo ministerial screening: Akpabio heads to presidential villa after rowdy session

THE President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Monday, August 7, rushed to the Presidential Villa minutes after a rowdy session.

He was reportedly seen at the villa around 2 p.m.

The rowdy session followed a disagreement over the screening of a ministerial nominee, Festus Keyamo. 

The Senate on Monday started with the screening of Mariya Mahmud, a nominee from Kano state.

The rowdy session started after a senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha, moved a motion for the suspension of the screening of Keyamo.

The motion was seconded by a senator from Abia-South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

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Akpabio, after that, subjected the motion to a voice vote, but it led to a commotion instead.

Opeyemi Bamidele, a senator from Ekiti, moved for the extension of sitting time beyond 2 p.m. and a close session to address the issue of Keyamo, which was seconded.

The ICIR reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu forwarded the name of Keyamo to the senate chamber for confirmation as minister on Friday, August 4.

 

Video does not show Nigerian army ready to attack Niger Republic

Nurudeen AKEWUSHOLA
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Video does not show Nigerian army ready to attack Niger Republic

A Tiktok video showing some men in military uniform has surfaced online with a claim that the troops of the Nigerian army have been deployed to Sokoto to contain the military coup in the Niger Republic.

The viral footage gathered so much reaction following the recent coup in Niger Republic. As of August 3, 2023, the post has generated over 330,000 views with 748 retweets and over 2, 000 likes.

A Twitter user, @Sprinter99800 tweeted the video with a caption that reads: “The Nigerian Air Force is reportedly deployed to Sokoto near the Niger-Nigeria border.”

The same claim was retweeted by @KoikiMedia, a verified Twitter account. The Twitter user @KoikiMedia tweeted with a caption that reads:

“The Nigerian @HQNigerianArmy is reportedly deployed to Sokoto near the Niger-Nigeria border.”

THE CLAIM

Video shows troops of the Nigerian army deployed to Sokoto in order to contain Niger Coup.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

Niger Republic is a landlocked nation with a population of about 27 million people. It shares border with northern Nigeria, particularly the frontline states such as Sokoto, Katsina and Borno.

On July 26, 2023, the military successfully toppled the government following the detainment of President Mohamed Bazoum and his family. The incident has since drawn global attention, including concerns from member nations of the Economic Community of the West African States (ECOWAS).

Meanwhile, a document had earlier emerged on social media on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, suggesting that Nigeria’s president was in the process of deploying the Nigerian Army to Sokoto for an aerial attack on Niger Republic. This reported action has raised concerns among certain Nigerians about its potential repercussions.

Fueling the speculation, the video resurfaced online, purporting to show Nigerian military personnel preparing for the operation.

However, checks by FactCheckHub reveal that the video has been online before the military coup in Niger Republic.

A keyword search on social media led us to an earlier version of the video uploaded on July 23, 2023 by a Tiktok account, Real OGT.

Further analysis of the account reveals the user always posts videos related to military  actions and lifestyles. The exact was hash-tagged #militarylife without suggesting that the video is related to the event.

FactCheckHub sent a message to the handler of the account, and he confirmed that the video is unrelated to the incident.

“It’s an old video. It was posted some months ago and just went viral some days ago. It’s my course mate [that] video it [during] operation in Enugu. So, I asked for it,(sic)” the handler responded.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the video shows troops of the Nigerian army being mobilised to Sokoto ahead of the attack at Niger Republic is MISLEADING as findings by FactCheckHub show that the video has been online prior to the incident and not related to the recent Nigerian government’s planned intervention into the ongoing coup in Niger Republic.

This fact-check was republished from FactCheckHub.

Lawyers react to continued detention of suspended EFCC chairman, Bawa

Bankole ABE
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Lawyers react to continued detention of suspended EFCC chairman, Bawa

LAWYERS have reacted to the continued detention of the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, by the Department of State Service (DSS).

The two lawyers who spoke to the ICIR condemned the detention of Bawa for nearly two months without the DSS filing a charge against him in a court of law.

Background

The ICIR reported in June that the DSS detained Bawa and the suspended governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

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DSS invites Bawa after indefinite suspension

But while Emiefele, who was arrested about the same time as Bawa by the secret service, was charged to court on Friday, July 14, Bawa has not been seen in any court of law since his arrest.

The DSS detained Bawa over undisclosed allegations. The detention followed Bawa’s indefinite suspension by president Bola Tinubu.

EFCC Chair, Abdulrasheed Bawa
Abdulrasheed Bawa

A statement released on Thursday, June 14, by the spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, stated that Bawa had acknowledged the invitation and arrived at the Service facility.

The ICIR reported that over a month after Bawa’s arrest by the DSS, he was not allowed access to his lawyers and family members.

It was also reliably gathered that Bawa has not made any statement to the Service since his arrest.

Lawyers react

Reacting to the continued detention of Bawa, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Abiola Kolawole, said that under Nigerian law, an individual cannot be detained for more than 24 hours.

He, however, stated that the DSS might have a court order to detain him.

“They may not be detaining him indefinitely, they may have gotten a court order, and they may be renewing their court order.

 “Under our law, an individual cannot be detained for more than 24 hours,” Abiola stated.

He added that if an investigation is ongoing and the authority feels that releasing a suspect might jeopardise their work, they will find a way to keep that person.

In addition, Abiola said an individual detained and kept without charges can personally ask his lawyers to file an application of ‘habeas corpus’, which will mandate them to take that individual to a judge. 

He, however, submitted that he had not followed Bawa’s arrest closely.

Also speaking on the matter, another lawyer Adefisoye Okunade said detaining people indefinitely without charging them to court violates their fundamental right to personal liberty. 

He said such liberty is guaranteed by section 35 of the Constitution of the FRN, 1999, as altered.

According to Adefisoye, Section 35(4) of the Constitution provides that: “any person who is arrested or detained in accordance with subsection (1) of this section [i.e. for the purpose of bringing him to court, etc. shall be brought before a court of law within a reasonable time.”

He added that if such a person is not tried within two months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case of a person who is in custody or is not entitled to bail; or three months from the date of his arrest or detention in the case of a person who has been released on bail, he shall be released.

He said such release can either be unconditionally or upon such conditions as reasonably necessary to ensure he appears for trial later. 

“A reasonable time in subsection (4) is defined in subsection (5) as (a) in the case of an arrest or detention in any place where there is a court of competent jurisdiction within a radius of 40km, a period of one day. 

“And (b) in any other case, a period of two days or such longer period as in the circumstances may be considered by the court to be reasonable,” he stated.

He, however, urges individuals like Bawa who are detained without trial to seek redress in a High Court within the State pursuant to section 46(1) of the Constitution and the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules of 2009.

In addition to the remedies mentioned above, he called for law reform that will criminalise the violation of fundamental rights and suggested that any erring law enforcement agent be brought to justice.

Attempts to speak to the spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, were unsuccessful as he did not pick up his call nor respond to messages sent to his phone.

Ministerial nominees screening: Commotion as senate move to step down Keyamo, screens Mahmud

Mustapha USMAN
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Ministerial nominees screening: Commotion as senate move to step down Keyamo, screens Mahmud

THE Senate, has on Monday, August 7,  divided over the screening of Festus Keyamo.

The senate also screened Mariya Mahmud, a nominee from Kano state.

The ICIR reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu forwarded their names to the senate chamber for confirmation as ministers on Friday, August 4.

The lawmakers were in disarray after a senator representing Abia Central Senatorial District, Darlington Nwokocha, moved a motion for the suspension of Keyamo.

The motion was seconded by Nwokocha’s, a senator from Abia-South Senatorial District, Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio thereafter subjected the motion to a voice vote,  but it lead to a commotion instead.

Meanwhile, Opeyemi Bamidele, a senator from Ekiti, moved for the extension of sitting time beyond 2 p.m.

He also moved for a close session to address the issue of Keyamo, which was seconded.

Details later…

Despite literacy concerns, 79 schools in Bauchi have one teacher each

Ijeoma OPARA
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Despite literacy concerns, 79 schools in Bauchi have one teacher each

DESPITE having the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, 79 schools in Misau Local Government Area (LGA), Bauchi, state have only one teacher teaching all subjects.

The Director of School Services of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) in Bauchi Korijo Usman, disclosed this on Sunday, August 6, during a dialogue with journalists.

“In Misau, there are 79 schools that have only one teacher each, while there are zero schools with no teacher. All the schools have teachers except that they are not adequate.

“Misau is even better compared to others. Go to some other schools and see the situation there. So, what we do is to find out where they are congested, and we ask them to redeploy and post them to other places. And that is what we told them from SUBEB that if they see a school with many teachers, they should move to two or three other schools depending on the number there,” Usman.

He further noted that there was an average of 72 students per class, which is higher than the 1:35 teacher-student ratio recommended by the Nigerian government.

In 2022, data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) stated that Nigeria has 20.2 million out-of-school children.

Bauchi had the highest ranking, with over 1.2 million children out of school, a large percentage of the total figure nationwide.

Lack of teachers worsens absenteeism of students

The ICIR reported in May 2023 that teachers and heads of schools were taking advantage of the inadequacy of teachers to operate an epileptic education system.

Many elementary schools in Bauchi are run by volunteer teachers, and many pupils avoid classes, citing the lack of children as a reason.

Some schools, including the Dagaro Primary/Upper Basic School, remain closed whenever the head teacher is absent,

Parents who spoke with The ICIR said they have stopped sending their children and wards to school, as there were hardly any teachers to attend to them.

“I have since stopped sending my four grandchildren to school because all they do is play. The boys will play football, and the girls will play ‘gada.’

“If you ask them what they learnt, they will tell you nothing because the teachers did not come or did not enter the classes to teach. Many have stopped coming and opted for Almajiri education. They are cheating our younger ones by not coming and doing their duties,” said Muhammadu Inuwa, a resident of Katagum LGA, Bauchi.

Women’s world cup: 10-Man England defeats Nigeria 4-2 on penalty shootout

Dotun OMISAKIN
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Women’s world cup: 10-Man England defeats Nigeria 4-2 on penalty shootout

ENGLAND defeated Nigeria’s Super Falcons, 4-2 via penalty shootout to progress to the quarter-finals of the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The keenly contested round of 16 knockout stage match between England and Nigeria ended in a 0-0 draw in normal time but saw out extra time before prevailing in a shootout.

During the penalty shootout, Nigeria’s Desire Oparanozie and Michelle Alozie missed their first two before Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick to secure the next round for Lionesses.

Before England’s numerical disadvantage of their player Lauren James was sent out at the death of the second half, Nigeria had opportunities in the first half to take the lead.

The first half witnessed Ashleigh Plumptre’s left-footed shot from the edge of the area hit the woodwork and her quick header was saved by England Goalkeeper Mary Earps.

In the thirty-four minutes, the Video Assistant Referee, VAR cancelled a penalty awarded to England after Nigeria’s Ajibade was penalised after tussling with England Daly.

The resumption of the second half saw England encroaching on Nigeria defense but their attempts met the firm resilience of the defenders.

Diaso Vwaere: Lagos govt insists blood was available, sacks facility managers

Mustapha USMAN
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Diaso Vwaere: Lagos govt insists blood was available, sacks facility managers

THE Lagos State Government says it has sacked and blacklisted the facility managers in charge of the management of the Hospital’s House Quarters over the elevator crash that led to the death of Diaso Vwaere at General Hospital, Odan.

The state government also suspended the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA). The government also debunked the claim that there was no blood. 

A statement by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy Olumide Sogunle, on Sunday, August 6, stated that the initial findings of the state’s panel of inquiry identified the persons who might be culpable for the incident.

The ICIR reports that Vwaere Diaso died as a result of an elevator crash at the General Hospital, Odan, on Tuesday, August 1.

Vwaere death was followed by outrage from the hospital staff and concerned Nigerians, including the Lagos State Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which declared an indefinite strike.

Although some individuals levelled accusations of negligence and corruption against the hospital management, the state government clarified that the management of the House Officers Quarters for health workers was outsourced to a facility management company, noting that LASIAMA oversees the company’s activities.

Meanwhile, the operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly.

Part of the statement read: “The Lagos State Government, in recognition of the importance of providing functional and comfortable accommodation for health workers, outsourced the management of the House Officers Quarters to a facility management company. The Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA) oversees the activities of the facility management company.

“Following the incident, we immediately set up a panel to look into its likely causes, identify persons who might be culpable, and suggest ways of preventing any future occurrence. For transparency, the membership of the panel included representatives of the Medical Guild and six representatives of House Officers. The panel has now concluded its deliberations and submitted its report.

“According to its findings, the incident happened around 6.50 pm. Due to the impact, the elevator doors were damaged and needed to be forced open to rescue the trapped house officer. She was extracted at about 7.50 pm, and resuscitation commenced immediately. She was wheeled to the emergency room and was immediately attended to by a medical team led by a highly experienced consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon. 

“The team was assisted by all house officers who were present at the time. The initial objectives were to ensure a clear airway, maintain breathing, and establish circulation. The team was also joined by two consultant anaesthetists, including the Medical Director, who intubated the patient. Despite all the efforts, she stopped breathing around 8.13pm and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) commenced. This went on until 8.59pm when she was pronounced dead.”

Despite the state NMA confirming that there was no blood to resuscitate Diaso’s life at the time of the incident, the state government argued that there wasn’t a request for blood at the time CPR commenced.

“It is important to state that blood samples for cross-matching had not been taken and there had not been a request for blood at the time CPR commenced; it is not true that blood was not available. The state has a strong network of screening centres where blood is available. Besides, there is a register of voluntary donors who can be mobilised at very short notice.”

The statement noted that the crashed elevator was brand new and installed in 2021, adding that elevator experts working with the Lagos Safety Commission have carried out an initial inspection and will be removing the elevator for further mechanical examination.

It said the experts’ findings will determine if the government has a case with the elevator installer, noting that engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time.

The state government said the installation and maintenance contractors have been handed over to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution.

The ICIR on Saturday, August 5, reported that the Lagos state police command’s public relations officer Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed to The ICIR that three suspects in connection with the Diaso’s tragic death have been arrested.

Princess evicted as BBNaija All-Stars features Bisola, Dorathy, Mike as first jurists

Itoro ETUKUDO
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Princess evicted as BBNaija All-Stars features Bisola, Dorathy, Mike as first jurists

BISOLA Aiyeola, Dorothy Bachor and Mike Edwards are the first set of ex-housemates to feature as the eviction jurists for the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) season 8 All-stars show.

Bisola participated in Season 2 (See Gobe) of the show, Dorathy was part of Season 5 (Lockdown), and Mike joined in Season 4 (Pepper Dem).

During the live show on Sunday, July 30, the organisers of the BBNaija introduced a new twist to the eviction process, involving ex-BBNaija housemates from different seasons as judges. This announcement was made by the host, Ebuka.

As per his statement, the ex-housemates turned judges will collaborate to rescue one of the housemates with the lowest votes.

“Starting next week, Biggie will introduce a Jury, made up of ex-housemates who will decide on the housemate that will be evicted. This will take place after the judges have been presented with the All Stars housemates with the least vote. They are called the Eviction Jury, and they’ll be in charge of evicting the BBNaija  All Stars housemates.” Ebuka said.

Princess Onyejekwe, who previously appeared in the Season 3 (Double Wahala) edition, was the first housemate evicted from the All-Stars edition.

Princess, first evicted BBN All stars housemate. Credit: Instagram
Princess, first evicted BBN All stars housemate. Credit: Instagram

 

The BBNaija Season 8 All Stars premiered on Sunday, July 23, with 20 ex-housemates vying for a grand prize of N120 million, along with other prizes, as reported by The ICIR.

With 19 housemates still in the running, the show continues as they compete for the grand prize.

Second Niger Bridge: Police begin 24-hour surveillance over vandalism

Ijeoma OPARA
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Second Niger Bridge: Police begin 24-hour surveillance over vandalism

ANAMBRA State Police Command has begun a 24-hour surveillance on the 2nd Niger Bridge over issues of vandalism recorded recently.

Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state Aderemi Adeoye disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, August 6.

“We have commenced round-the-clock intensive surveillance on the second Niger bridge, which is a national asset. We are working in collaboration with Delta State Command, which also shares the asset, to achieve comprehensive coverage.

“We are happy that the vandalised parts have been replaced with more fortification, but we want to warn anybody who would wish to attempt another attack on the facility to desist because such a person will be caught. Our surveillance is 24 hours and it will be more intense at night,” the CP said.

Adeoye also mentioned that the monitoring would be carried out by mobile and static surveillance teams.

Construction of the Second Niger Bridge connecting Delta and Anambra states began in 2018.

The 1.6 kilometres bridge was briefly open to vehicular movement on December 15, 2022, to ease traffic during the period, and was commissioned in May 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari before he left office.

However, shortly after it was commissioned, some road fittings were removed and carted away by vandals.

Following the vandalisation, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Mahmuda Mamman urged security agencies to intensify surveillance on the bridge, as it could be rendered unmotorable if the thefts were left unchecked.

“This is a massive investment put up by the Federal Government to ease movement of goods and services in Nigeria. To me, free movement is a basic human right, and all of us must take collective responsibility to safeguard it.” Mamman said.

Though the fittings have been replaced, there are yet to be any arrests in connection to the thefts. However, Adeoye said on Sunday, August 6, that investigations were ongoing to uncover the identity of those involved in the vandalism.

NDLEA bursts drug dealers nets, arrests fake couple, others

Mustapha USMAN
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NDLEA bursts drug dealers nets, arrests fake couple, others

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a fake couple and other drugs dealers in some parts of the country in the past seven days.

The couple, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum, who were purportedly going for medical treatment in India, ingested 184 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.322 kilograms with another 100grams of the drug also concealed in the woman’s private part.

A statement by the Agency’s spokesperson Femi Babafemi on Sunday, August 6, confirmed that the two suspects were intercepted at the Screening Point 1, Terminal 1 of the international wing of the Lagos airport on Tuesday 1st August 2023 while attempting to board an Ethiopian airline flight to India. 

The NDLEA, said although travel documents show consistency in their names and depict them as a couple, preliminary investigation revealed that the intending passengers were not a couple but obtained the travel documents in the same surname to beat security checks at the airport.

A body scan by the agency operatives revealed they both ingested drugs as a result of which they were later placed on excretion observation at the Agency’s facility.

The statement also said the lady, Roseline, during her interview, confessed that she was recruited in her church in Aba, Abia state, where she lives, adding that she is a divorcee, and Kingsley with whom she was travelling was not her real husband.

According to her, Kingsley, the fake husband,  brought the pellets of cocaine to her to ingest in her room in the hotel where they were both lodged on Monday, July 31.

Part of the statement read: “After their arrest, a thorough search conducted on her led to the discovery of a big size wrap of cocaine that weighed 100 grams she inserted into her private part. She confessed that she was promised Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) upon successful delivery of the drug in India.”

“In his own statement, Kingsley who was into clothing business in Onitsha, Anambra state, claimed he was promised Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000) after a successful delivery of the drug in India. A further search of the Agency’s crime data base revealed that Kingsley also obtained his travel documents with fake identity for the trip. Indeed, it was established that he was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on 19th March 2022 for ingesting 100 wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243kgs upon his arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on board an Ethiopian airline flight. His travel documents then contained his real name: Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian.

“After his arrest at the Abuja airport on 19th March 2022 along with another suspect, Iro Elvis Uche who also ingested 65 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.376kgs, Uwaezuoke was subsequently arraigned before Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court Abuja with charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022. He was eventually granted bail by the court pending the conclusion of his trial. He is still on the court bail when he was arrested at the Lagos airport for a similar offence on Tuesday 1st August.”

According to the statement, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi excreted a total of 82 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.822kgs in five excretions, while Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum egested 101 wraps in four excretions. 

Also,  a bid size wrap of the substance recovered from her private part, all weighing 1.50kgs.

In the same vein, the NDLEA operatives attached to courier companies in Lagos intercepted various quantities of Dextromethorphan mixed with heroin; Methamphetamine, Dimethyl Sulfone and Cannabis concealed in different objects going to Europe.

“While 272 grams of dextromethorphan mixed with heroin going to Greece were recovered from white neck beads; 665 grams of cannabis being shipped to Hong Kong were hidden in bars of Dudu Osun black bathing soap; with 261 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone going to New Zealand hidden in reels of weaving threads and 1.5kgs of Methamphetamine also going to New Zealand neatly packed in an MP3 player after all the parts were removed and the substance stuffed as replacement.

“In Kano state, a woman and four men: Ladi Peter,47; Umar Salisu, 38; Ahmed Naheeb, 36; Ibrahim Umar, 42, and Musa Suleman, 43, were arrested in connection with the seizure of 977.7 kilograms of cannabis sativa from them by NDLEA operatives along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora on Friday 4th August and Monday 31st July. In the same vein, 2,445 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from the warehouse of a fleeing suspect, Usman Nar at Madinatu area of Jere LGA, Borno state on Saturday 5th August.”

Also, no fewer than 57,450 pills of tramadol, Rohypnol and exol-5 as well as 4,082 bottles of codeine-based syrup, were recovered from a suspect, Joseph Usman, in a commercial bus.

The suspect was eroute to Abuja along the Abaji-Abuja highway from Onitsha Anambra state on Friday, August 4.

The chairman/chief executive of the NDLEA, a Brigadier-General Mohamed, Buba Marwa, charged his officers in all state commands to remain vigilant and keep their focus on the corporate goal of the agency. 

On Saturday, July 15, The ICIR reported that the Republic of Seychelles confirmed a ban on Nigerian tourists due to criminal activities traced to some Nigerian tourists, including drug trafficking and fraud.

“We have seen a clear link between this with certain people from Nigeria. In the past two weeks, for example, 13 people coming from Nigeria have been arrested when entering Seychelles because they were carrying drugs into the country,” the country’s Vice President Ahmed Afif said.

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