The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have seized over 44,948.1kg of illicit drugs across Lagos, Edo and Ondo states. Also arrested during the operations were eight suspects, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday. In a statement, the anti-narcotics agency revealed that it also seized 11 vehicles owned by the drug cartels. Five suspects including 67-year-old Sunday Otulugbu; Agbayeogor Joshua, 39; Kelvin Ofuasia,45; Williams Peter, 37; and Kamaru Onimisi, 44, were arrested. According to the NDLEA spokesman, 7, 687.8kg of cannabis was destroyed in a warehouse in Ala forest, Akure, Ondo State with another 670kg evacuated, on Saturday, March 23. “In another operation in Uzebba/Avbiosi forest on Thursday, March 21, over 6,500kg cannabis was destroyed on 2.6 hectares of farms where three suspects: Kabiru Idris, 36; Alaba Jimoh, 40; and Lekan Asobere, 35, were arrested. In the same vein, 5,000kg of same substance was razed in a warehouse in Okpuje forest, Owan West LGA by NDLEA operatives with support from the military on Friday 22nd March. “No less than 14,310.8625 kg of psychoactive substance was razed on 5.7 hectares of farms in Ohosu/Ugbogui forest, Ovia South West Local Government Area, Edo State on Tuesday, March 19,” the statement read. In a well-coordinated operation on Wednesday, March 20, in Lagos State, the NDLEA noted that its operatives seized “10,534 kg (10.534 tonnes) of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis in Ajah area of the state where 11 vehicles were seized from the drug cartel. “The recovered vehicles include: Iveco truck marked KRD 522 YE; Toyota sienna marked AAA 338 GL; Toyota sienna marked AAA 308 EP; Toyota Sienna marked FKJ 381 JC; Nissan bus marked EKY 846 YG; Mercedes bus marked EPE 743 XT; an unmarked Iveco J5 bus; Toyota sienna marked LSD 744 GP; Toyota highlander SUV marked KTU 280 FN; Toyota sienna marked AAA 333 GH and Toyota sienna marked FKJ 208 HV.”

  A rights group on Sunday called on President Bola Tinubu to stop the payment of pensions to former governors and their deputies. The organisation – Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in 2017 filed a suit seeking the repeal of pensions for former governors and their deputies across all states of the Federation. In 2019, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo of a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos State, ordered the Federal Government to recover pensions collected by former governors serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly. According to a statement, SERAP’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the court ruling was “blatantly” turned down by the administration of former President Muhammadu Bahari The group wants President Tinubu to follow the footsteps of Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, who on March 21 signed the Abia State of Nigeria Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Repeal Law of 2024, which prohibited former governors and deputies in the state from receiving pension payments. SERAP urged Tinubu “to emulate the good example of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State by immediately obeying the judgment ordering the Federal Government to recover pensions collected by former governors, and to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting those involved to collect such outrageous pensions.” “We urge you to emulate the good example of Governor Otti by urgently obeying the judgment, something which former President Muhammadu Buhari blatantly failed to do,” the statement read. “The judgment, dated 26 November 2019 was delivered by Honourable Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo following a suit by SERAP. “Unless the judgment is immediately obeyed, former governors and their deputies including those now serving as ministers in your administration and members of the National Assembly who receive pensions would continue to evade justice for their actions.” It stated that “immediately obeying the judgment would show the sovereignty of the rule of law in Nigeria and go a long way in protecting the integrity of the country’s legal system. “Obeying the judgment would also show you as a defender of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended), the rule of law, and public interest within government. “Nigeria’s democracy needs courts so that public officials and private actors including former governors and their deputies collecting life pensions, exotic cars and other allowances from their states can be held accountable for any infraction of Nigerian laws.”

  The Senegalese go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president in an unpredictable race after three years of turmoil and political crisis. Some 7.3 million voters are registered in the West African nation where two favourites have emerged: the ruling coalition’s former prime minister Amadou Ba and anti-establishment candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye. They were both once tax inspectors but now appear to have little in common. Ba, aged 62, is offering continuity, while the 43-year-old Faye promises profound change and left-wing pan-Africanism. Both say they will claim a first-round victory — but a second round looks probable with 15 other candidates in the field, including a sole woman, at a date yet to be decided. Former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall, 68, is considered to have an outside chance. The eventual winner will be tasked with steering traditionally stable Senegal out of its recent troubles and managing revenues from oil and gas reserves that are short to start production. Voting will end at 1800 GMT and provisional results could be known overnight. The first official results are expected during the coming week. Senegal has traditionally been considered a beacon of democracy and stability in the coup-hit region, where Russia is strengthening its influence. – Raucous campaign – Hundreds of observers will be out representing civil society, the African Union, the ECOWAS regional group and the European Union. A raucous campaign, lasting just two weeks after being shortened, followed a dramatic last-minute delay to the election date, originally scheduled for February 25. President Macky Sall’s intervention to delay the presidential vote sparked unrest that left four people dead. Sall, who won praise abroad last year by renouncing a possible third-term bid, said he called off the vote over fears it would not go smoothly. After weeks of political crisis, the country’s top constitutional body stepped in and forced him to reset the date to March 24, despite clashing with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Sall’s hand-picked would-be successor Amadou Ba has positioned himself as a last bastion against “bandits”, and urged people to vote “for experience and competence instead of entrusting the reins of the country to adventurers”. “We don’t need officials who need two years of apprenticeship,” Ba said at his final campaign rally on Friday. “We need to consolidate what we have. We need to go even faster and further.” He has vowed to create one million jobs in five years — but he will also face the darker side of Sall’s legacy which includes mass arrests, persistent poverty, with 20 per cent unemployment and thousands setting off on the perilous voyage to Europe each year. The recent unrest in Senegal was the latest chapter in episodes of violence since 2021, triggered partly by the stand-off between the firebrand opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko and the state. Economic and social tensions, as well as concerns that Sall would run for a third term, also fuelled the unrest that left dozens killed and hundreds arrested. The election has also been fired up by a rapidly passed amnesty law that led to the March 14 release from prison of opposition leaders Faye and the charismatic Sonko. Although Faye is Sonko’s deputy, he is only on the ballot because Sonko has been barred from standing and in voters’ eyes, they are a package deal. The duo have attacked Ba as “the greatest danger facing Senegal today”. They have also questioned where his wealth came from, branding him a “billionaire civil servant” who “will be the president of foreign countries”. Faye pledged Friday to bring “radical reform” to Senegal, to renegotiate mining, oil and gas and defence contracts, while at the same time offering assurances to foreign investors. “Henceforth we will be a sovereign State, independent, which will work with everyone, but in win-win partnerships”, he said. The pair are hoping to harness Sonko’s charisma and popular appeal in a country where half of the population is under 20. Sonko has drawn a passionate following with Senegal’s youth through his rhetoric on sovereignty, as well as attacks on elites, multinationals and colonial ruler France. Experts have warned of the potential for tensions to flare on Sunday and after — particularly if Ba wins in the first round, or Faye fails to reach the second.

  The Defence Headquarters has said it will place the banner containing the names and pictures of the people it just declared wanted in strategic locations across the country. The DHQ had earlier declared wanted no fewer than 97 persons, including terrorists and insurgents, among others, for allegedly being behind violent crimes in the country. Among those declared wanted is the Finland-based Simon Ekpa, who is the factional leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and also the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile. The IPOB factional leader has consistently called for a sit-at-home in the South-East and often makes statements considered as inciting against the government and military personnel. So This Happened (239) | Punch0.00 / 0.00 The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, while appearing before the House of Representatives in November 2023 had described Ekpa as a menace to Nigeria. Musa had said, “In the South-East, Simon Ekpa has become a menace to this country. The country must act on it diplomatically. Simon is having a freeway because they (Finland) encourage him to do what he is doing. “His utterances and actions are affecting what is happening in Nigeria. We should never allow that; our foreign service should step in.” The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, exclusively revealed the names and pictures of the people declared wanted to our correspondent on Friday. Our correspondent had last week exclusively reported that the military high command was planning to declare some terrorists wanted. Unlike in November 2022 when the military declared no fewer than 19 bandit leaders wanted with a bounty of N5m placed on each of them to encourage Nigerians to volunteer information that could lead to their arrest, this time no bounty was placed on the 97 persons declared wanted. The names and pictures were those of suspected terrorists in the North-East and North-West as well as insurgents in the South-East and the North-Central. Forty-three persons were declared wanted in the North-West, which is being ravaged by banditry, among whom are: Alhaji Shingi; Malindi Yakubu; Boka; Dogo Gide; Halilu Sububu; Ado Aliero; Bello Turji; Dan Bokkolo; Labi Yadi; Nagala; Saidu Idris; Kachalla Rugga and Sani Gurgu. In the North-East ravaged by Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province terrorists, 33 persons were declared wanted. Some of them are Abu Zaida; Modu Sulum; Baba Data; Ahmad; Sani Teacher; Baa Sadiq; Abdul Saad; Kaka Abi; Mohammad Khalifa; Umar Tella; Abu Mutahid; Mallam Mohammad; Mallam Tahiru Baga; Uzaiya and Ali Ngule. Twenty-one insurgents and violent criminals were declared wanted in the South-East and North-Central regions. They include Simon Ekpa; Chika Edoziem; Egede; Zuma; ThankGod; Gentle; Flavour; Matthew; David Ndubuisi; High Chief Williams Agbor; Ebuka Nwaka; Friday Ojimka; Obiemesi Chukwudi, aka Dan Chuk; David Ezekwem Chidiebube; and Amobi Chinonso Okafor, aka Temple. It was, however, observed that Hallilu Sububu from Sububu village in the Maradun Local Government Area of, Zamfara State; Bello Turji from Fakai village, Zamfara State; and Ado Aliero from Yankuzo village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara, were among those declared wanted in 2022. Turji is regarded as one of the most dangerous bandit kingpins and was allegedly involved in the killing of about 200 persons, including women and children, in January 2022. He was also said to be behind the attack on Garki village in Sokoto State, where over 80 people were murdered overnight in 2021. Turji was also alleged to be engaged in mass abduction after his father was arrested by security operatives. He escaped being killed by troops on many occasions. Both the military and the police have Aliero on their wanted lists. The Katsina State Police Command declared him wanted after he allegedly masterminded an attack on Kadisau village in the Faskari Local Government Area of the state, which led to the murder of over 52 persons in 2022. Sububu is believed to be the wealthiest bandit leader and narrowly escaped being killed by troops on several occasions, particularly an airstrike on October 24, 2022, where at least 30 terrorists were killed. In an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, Buba noted that the assistance of relevant agencies in the country would be sought to ensure that the wanted insurgents and terrorists were apprehended. He also noted that their names and pictures would be submitted to embassies and airports in the country. Buba said, “Yes, the DHQ will be working with other security agencies to arrest those declared wanted. “Also, this list will be submitted at airports and embassies to help in apprehending them.” While explaining why the banners would be placed at strategic locations, he said it was for easy recognition and arrest of the wanted suspects. Buba, however, urged the citizens to cooperate with the military. He said, “The banners will be deployed in strategic areas across the country. The deployment of the banners is for ease of recognition and arrest of the wanted persons. The public is urged to cooperate and report to security agencies whenever any of the wanted terrorists is sighted.” Sponsored Stories Experienced, Reliable, and Professional. Join a regulated broker with a stellar reputation Experienced, Reliable, and Professional. Join a regulated broker with a stellar reputation Trade with Confidence – FxPro, a Trusted Broker Since 2002 and winner 105 industry awards Sponsored | FxPro Ex-Generals, others react Reacting to the declaration, Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinbi (retd.), described the move as a welcome development. He said, “This will go a long way to help in arresting them (suspected terrorists), which will help restore security in the country. The insecurity we are experiencing in many parts of the country is not a good one. It has affected every part of our lives. Those people behind the heinous crimes need to be apprehended for peace to reign. “I will urge the citizens to cooperate with the military as they commence efforts to arrest them. Also, considering that the names of some of those financing terrorists in the country

  No fewer than four people have lost their lives in a stampede in Bauchi State during an almsgiving exercise. The stampede occurred at the Shafa Holdings Company Plc headquarters along Jos Road on Sunday at about 10 a.m. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakili, confirmed the incident to our correspondent via the telephone, adding that the situation has been stabilised. When asked for further details, he said he would revert as he was in a public place where he couldn’t discuss state security affairs. As of the time of filing this report, the company has yet to issue any statement on the matter. Details later…

  Several people have been reportedly killed in a clash between rival youths in the Mikang Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that many people were also injured during the clash said to have started on Saturday night between Taroh and Motola youths in the locality and lasted till the early hours of Sunday . The state Commissioner for Information , Musa Ashoms, confirmed the development to The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday . The commissioner, who blamed the situation on disputed land in the area, said, “I have just called the Mikang Local Government chairman over the issue. He told me that it is something that could have been avoided and not allowed to escalate to the point that people lost their lives, and at the moment, there are persons receiving treatment at the hospital. “It started as a result of dispute over land. Related News Plateau committed to developing SMEs – Commissioner Suspected fake doctor nabbed in Plateau Reign of terror: 165 farmers killed March, farms deserted as bandits demand N3bn “According to the LG chairman, the land in question cannot even produce six bags of rice, and you know when people are attached to their land, they could go extra mile. “It is something they could have controlled their nerves, but somehow, it got to a point where others too joined them and houses were burnt down and people were maimed.” He advised the people to always explore alternative dispute resolution mechanism in resolving their differences and refrain from taking the law into their hands . When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Alabo Alfred, said security operatives had been deployed to the troubled area while investigation over the incident continues “The area is now calm. People are going about their normal businesses,” the PPRO added

  Sunday 24 March 2024 How aging parents of japa Nigerians battle loneliness, anxiety Moscow attack: Death toll rises to 133, Putin vows decisive action Again, six policemen on rescue mission killed in Delta, six missing Suspected Bandit Kingpin Linked With Killing Of Seminarian Arrested One Dead As Fire Guts Female Hostel In Yobe Varsity Edison Ehie Tackles Rivers Assembly For Overriding Fubara Two Officers Killed As Gunmen Lay Ambush For Police In Imo Troops Kill Five Terrorists, Rescue 78 Abductees In North-East DHQ Declares IPOB’s Simon Ekpa, 96 Others Wanted NDLEA Alerts Nigerians On Scammers Posing As Officers Customs Auctions 3,522 Cartons Of Matches Worth N17.6m In Katsina EDO: Impeachment noose tightens on Shaibu as CJ raises panel Shagari would have made Ekwueme President — Ganduje 17 kidnapped Sokoto children, woman freed Nigeria’s public debt hits N97.34trn in Q4 2023 – DMO Dollar crash: Pressure mounts on FX hoarders to sell off Minimum wage: Crisis brews in states over chapters’ demand for jumbo pay More trouble for Abure as Labour Party crisis worsens Bandits Gun Down Politician During Ramadan Prayers, Abduct Wife, Daughters Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Richard Taylor, campaigner and father of Damilola Taylor, who was killed 24 years ago in the United Kingdom (UK), is dead. A statement issued by his family said the activist died on Saturday after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer at the age of 75. “It is with a heavy heart that the family announce the death of our beloved father, grandfather and uncle, Mr Richard Adeyemi Taylor OBE, who sadly passed away in the early hours of Saturday, March 23 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich,” the statement reads. DAMILOLA TAYLOR: THE CASE THAT SHOCKED UK Damilola and his family moved from Nigeria to London in the summer of 2000 in search of a better life. Taylor stayed back in Nigeria working as a civil servant while the family settled in Peckham seeking to get medical treatment for Gbemi, Damilola’s sister, who had a severe form of epilepsy. The 10-year-old boy was said to have had medical ambitions to carry out research to help his sister. On November 27, 2000, he was stabbed in the leg with broken glass by two brothers, Danny and Ricky Preddie, who were persistent young offenders. According to CCTV footage, the boy was hopping and skipping on his way home from the library before the brothers apprehended him. Damilola bled to death on a concrete stairwell a few hundred metres before his house. His death sparked outrage in the UK. Prosecutors said aside from his age, there was something about the boy’s character and appearance that appealed to people. “He’s an engaging person, wearing school uniform. He’s smiling, has got an air of confidence about him and he looks positive about the future,” Nick Ephgrave, the detective who caught the Preddies, told the BBC. Another factor was the time it took – six years and three trials – to identify and convict his killers. Ephgrave said the conviction of the Preddies for manslaughter was one of the highlights of his 30-year policing career. Taylor and his late wife Gloria were motivated to set up a charity in their son’s memory after his death. He said he wanted his son to be remembered as a boy of hope. In 2012, Taylor was awarded an officer of the order of the British Empire (OBE) for his activism against violent crime. He dedicated it to the memory of the late Damilola.

  Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said the Friday concert attack is a barbaric act of terrorism, vowing to punish the perpetrators. He also accused Ukraine of preparing a “window” to help the suspects escape. Kyiv has staunchly denied any role in the attack. He made these known in a public address he delivered on Saturday in Moscow, Russia’s capital. Saturday PUNCH had reported how, on Friday, gunmen in camouflage clothing opened fire on people at a concert in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Several Russian media outlets reported that automatic weapons were used in what many have termed ‘one of the worst such attacks in Russia in years.’ At least five gunmen were shown in unverified videos firing repeatedly at screaming civilians cowering in the concert hall as Soviet-era rock group “Picnic” was about to perform, according to Reuters. Reacting, Putin, in a five-minute televised address, claimed that someone in Ukraine had tried to help the attackers escape across the border from Russia before they were apprehended by Russian security services. He did not definitively pin the attack on Ukraine, nor did he refer to the assessment by American officials that a branch of the Islamic State was behind it. However, he pledged to punish the perpetrators, “whoever they may be, whoever may have sent them.” He said, “They were trying to hide and were moving toward Ukraine,” Mr. Putin said, referring to the four men who carried out the attack and who the Kremlin said had been captured in western Russia. “Based on preliminary information, a window for crossing the border was prepared for them by the Ukrainian side.” Ukrainian officials have repeatedly denied having anything to do with the attack, and American officials have said there is no evidence of Ukrainian involvement. American officials voiced concern on Friday that Putin could seek to falsely blame Ukraine for the attack, and some analysts and Kremlin critics have said that he could use such an accusation to justify another escalation in Russia’s invasion. “We are counting here on cooperation with all countries that genuinely share our pain and are ready, in their deeds, to truly unite our efforts in the fight against the common enemy of international terrorism,” he added. He declared Monday a national day of mourning and said that security measures were being tightened across Russia. “The main thing now is to prevent those who were behind this bloody massacre from committing new crimes,” Putin added. Meanwhile, Russia has arrested 11 people, including all four gunmen suspected of carrying out the attack, the head of the country’s Federal Security Service stated in a statement. 133 killed At least 133 people are now known to have been killed as more bodies were found in the rubble, Russia’s Investigative Committee revealed on Saturday morning. The Russian Investigative Committee said more bodies were found as emergency responders cleared the rubble from the fiery attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall. The search operation at the venue is still underway. At least 107 people, including three children, are currently in Moscow hospitals with injuries, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Government, Tatyana Golikova. The latest death toll officially marks the attack as one of the worst terrorist acts in Russia’s modern history, surpassing the casualty number of the hostage crisis at Moscow’s theater in Dubrovka in 2002 where 130 people died. The death toll is expected to rise as many persons are said to be trapped under the rubble. Also, US embassy officials issued a warning earlier this month urging people to stay away from large gatherings. It has reinforced this warning as it confirmed that no US national was hurt in the attack. Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, released a statement Saturday condemning the deadly terrorist attack in Moscow. Also, Chinese President, Xi Jinping, sent condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday after a deadly shooting at a concert hall near Moscow, saying China opposes all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns terrorist attacks. Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, in a statement personally signed, conveyed Nigeria’s deepest sympathy and condolences to the Russian president. The statement read, “The government and people of Nigeria commiserate with the victims of this tragic attack and pray for the repose of their souls. We also pray for the quick recovery of those injured. “At this challenging time, we stand in brotherhood with the government and Russian Federation and send our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Russian president, His Excellency Vladimir Putin.”

  The schoolchildren abducted in the Kuriga community of Kaduna State have been released, according to a statement personally signed by Governor Uba Sani. Sani, the state governor, announced the development in the early hours of Sunday morning, saying the children were released unhurt. “In the name of Allah the Beneficient, the Most Merciful, I wish to announce that our Kuriga school children have been released,” the governor said. “Our special appreciation goes to our dear President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for prioritizing the safety and security of Nigerians and particularly ensuring that the abducted Kuriga school children are released unharmed. While the school children were in captivity, I spoke with Mr. President several times. He shared our pains, comforted us and worked round the clock with us to ensure the safe return of the children. Special mention must also be made of our dear brother, the National Security Adviser, Mal. Nuhu Ribadu for his exemplary leadership. I spent sleepless nights with Mal. Ribadu finetuning strategies and coordinating the operations of the security agencies, which eventually resulted in this successful outcome. “The Nigerian Army also deserves special commendation for showing that with courage, determination and commitment, criminal elements can be degraded and security restored in our communities. “We also thank all Nigerians who prayed fervently for the safe return of the school children. This is indeed a day of joy. We give Almighty Allah all the glory.” Some terrorists captured over 287 schoolchildren in the state on March 7 and ubsequently demanded a billion naira for their release. It is not known whether the state paid to secure the children’s release.