General
NDLEA Grabs Sokoto Village Head Over Illicit Drugs
By Adedapo Adesanya
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested the village head of Gidan Abba in the Bodinga local government area of Sokoto State, Mr Abubakar Ibrahim, for his alleged role in drug trafficking.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi.
The agency revealed that Mr Ibrahim was among 11 suspects arrested in interdiction operations in which 991,320 pills of pharmaceutical opioids and 1,251kgs of cannabis and khat, as well as 46.637 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, were recovered by operatives across seven states.
The village head, 38, was arrested in Bodinga town the same day with 3kgs of cannabis Sativa and 4,000 tablets of exol-5.
Operatives seized 146,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg in a buy and bust operation in the Oshodi area of Lagos state on Tuesday, October 25.
It was disclosed that at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO import shed on Wednesday, October 26, intercepted 15 cartons containing 802,000 pills of Tramadol imported from Dubai, UAE, and Karachi, Pakistan.
Also, 10 cartons of Tramadol 225mg came in from Dubai on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, four cartons of 100mg and a carton of 225mg Tramadol came from Karachi, Pakistan, on another Ethiopian Airlines flight.
On the same day, operatives at the SAHCO export shed intercepted cans of tomato paste going to the United Kingdom. A thorough search of the consignment revealed that the tomato cans were used to conceal 36 pellets of cannabis with a gross weight of 21.30 kilograms, while a cargo agent, Mr Sodehinde Akinwale, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
In the same vein, a 27-year-old Madu Chukwuemeka Miracle was arrested by operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu, on arrival from Nairobi, Kenya, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, October 26. A search of his three bags revealed 76 foreign bathing soaps made with cocaine in one of the bags, while another had two plastic bottles containing cream-like liquid, which tested positive for cocaine. The cocaine bars weighed 10.650 kilograms, while the liquid cocaine weighed 2.496 kilograms, bringing the total weight to 13.146 kilograms.
Two days after, on Friday, October 28, operatives attached to the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport seized five cartons of dried khat leaves weighing 107.70kgs that came in from Bangkok, Thailand, through Dubai on an Emirates Airline flight.
A follow-up operation on the seizure of 11.90kgs Meth concealed in the heads of dried fish going to Dubai, UAE, on August 5 has led to the arrest of a 30-year-old bricklayer, Mr Babatunde Quadri Mamowora, on Thursday, October 27, in Sango Ota area of Ogun State in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in the area.
In Kogi state, NDLEA operatives on a stop and search operation along Okene-Abuja highway on Thursday, October 27, intercepted a Chisco branded bus coming from Lagos to Abuja with a consignment of 32.9kgs Meth packaged as tubers of yam; 376 grams of cocaine and 215 grams of heroin. While the bus driver, Chief Pascal Chigozie Nmaram, was promptly arrested, a follow-up operation in Abuja the same day led to the arrest of the recipient of the illicit cargo, Mr Ikenna Jude Akunne who confessed he was detailed to travel with the consignment to Spain the following day, Friday, October 28 through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.
Meanwhile, operatives of the state command of the Agency have destroyed five hectares of cannabis farms at Agbonkete, Iyaya Camp, Igalamela/Odolu LGA, where a suspect, Mr Augustine Agbenyo, 34, was arrested with three sacks of both fresh and dried leaves and stems of the illicit substance.
In the FCT, operatives on patrol along the Kwali-Abuja highway on Monday 24th Oct intercepted a truck with 915.8kilograms of cannabis and arrested three suspects: Kabiru Ibrahim, 40; Muhammad Muawiyya, 30, and Adamu Adamu, 24.
In Adamawa state, operatives arrested two trans-border traffickers, Abdullahi Mamuda (aka Mama) and Aliyu Abdullahi (aka Garga), at Skylight Hotel in Jambutu, Yola North. A search of their vehicle, an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla car with registration number JMT 146 TE (Adamawa), revealed 39, 320 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in different compartments of the doors of the car.
Preliminary investigation shows the trans-border traffickers took off from Onitsha in Anambra State and travelled to Jimeta, Adamawa State, where they lodged in the hotel before heading to Belel, a town along the Nigerian – Cameroon border where they would repackage the drugs as ordinary consumables and ferry across the river to Garoa in Cameroon. Operatives in Ondo state on Friday, October 28, stormed a 2-bedroom building in Uso town, where they arrested one Okon Etim, 45, with 12 bags of cannabis Sativa weighing 207kgs.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
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