General
NDLEA Intercepts Over One Million Drugs in Noodles, Others
By Adedapo Adesanya
At least 1,760,460 pills of Tramadol and other opioids have been intercepted hidden in Indomie noodles packs and others at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, as well as in Gombe State.
While over 600,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg coming from Karachi, Pakistan, in two separate shipments on Ethiopian Airlines flights, were intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on December 12 and 13; 5,960 pills of Rohypnol concealed in 60 packs of Indomie noodles going to Johannesburg, South Africa were also seized at the SAHCO export shed of the airport on Wednesday, December 14.
According to a Sunday communique by NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, a female freight agent, Ms Olaleye Adeola, has already been arrested in connection with the noodles consignment.
In another vein, an attempt by a drug dealer, Chucks Kalu, 29, to smuggle into Kano 26kgs of cannabis concealed inside packs of blenders was thwarted by operatives who intercepted the consignment along Abuja-Kaduna express road and later arrested him in a follow-up operation in Kano.
This is just as another suspect, Mr Rabilu Sa’ad Abubakar, 42, was also arrested in a follow-up operation in Kano following the seizure of his consignment of 1,980 bottles of cough syrup with codeine, concealed inside cartons, were seized along Abuja-Kaduna express road.
Similarly, in Bauchi State, operatives on Saturday, December 17, arrested Mr Muhammed Ahmed, 40, with 288 blocks of cannabis Sativa weighing 244.5Kg in the Darazo area of the state, while in Delta state, NDLEA officers stormed the home of a suspected drug kingpin, Mr Okrika Kingsley Ozioma, at Usiefurum town, Ughelli South LGA, where an underground drug bunk was uncovered in a three-bedroom bungalow building owned by the suspect who is now on the run. 17.6kgs of C/S were recovered from the bunk in addition to a 2003 Silver Golf car with registration number Lagos KJA 572 AZ used to distribute drugs within and outside Warri.
In Oyo state, a suspect, one Mr Yusuf Ayinde, 40, was arrested with 50.4kgs of Cannabis in his residence at Idi-Ose via Amuloko, Ona-Ara LGA, on Saturday, December 17.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has ordered Delta Marine Shipping Company to pay three crew and seamen the sum of N24.5 million in unpaid wages within seven days.
The benefiting seafarers are Mr Akegor Mudiaga Micheal, Mr Lambert Chimankpa Nsoha, and Mr John Silvanus Boham. The payment is for their unpaid wages from April 2019 to June 2021 within 7 days.
The trio instituted the action against Delta Marine Shipping Company seeking the payment of outstanding wages earned while serving as seafarers onboard the vessel, pursuant to their respective contracts of employment.
They submitted that they had faithfully discharged their duties onboard the vessel but were not paid their salaries covering the years April 2019 and June 2021 despite repeated demands.
The claimants averred that they wrote letters of complaint and reminders to the Managing Director of the company and the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) regarding the non-payment of their wages, all to no avail.
However, the defendant failed to enter an appearance nor file any defence. The company also failed to cross-examine the claimants’ sole witness, and the court consequently foreclosed its right to cross-examination and defence.
In a well-considered judgment, Justice Isaac Essien held that the evidence tendered by Mr Akegor and 2 others, including their contracts of employment, seamen’s records, certificates of discharge, letters of complaint and the schedule of outstanding salaries, remained unchallenged and uncontroverted.
The court found that the evidence established that Mr Akegor and 2 others were entitled to recover their outstanding wages from Delta Marine Shipping Company.
Justice Essien further held that the claimants had discharged the burden of proof placed on them and were entitled to judgment for the outstanding wages claimed for services rendered onboard MT. Favour from April 2019 to June 2021.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A leading gas and power company in sub-Saharan Africa, Axxela Limited, has expanded its natural gas pipeline network with new customers.
The new customers include Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, Jawa International Limited, Solem Agro, and Abimbola Agro, among others.
The company’s customer connections span the manufacturing, hospitality, pharmaceutical, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors.
The new clients were facilitated through Gaslink Nigeria Limited (Gaslink), one of Axxela’s subsidiary companies.
“These connections go beyond the expansion of our customer portfolio; they reflect our commitment to broadening energy access for businesses across critical sectors of the economy and supporting Nigeria’s drive towards increased domestic gas utilisation.
“By enabling these businesses to embrace cleaner and more affordable energy solutions, we are helping to improve their operational efficiency while also supporting their environmental sustainability goals,” the Executive Vice President for Axxela Gas Distribution, Mr Kehinde Alabi, said.
“We recognise that collaboration with key players across diverse sectors is essential to powering industries and shaping a more sustainable future for Nigeria and the region.
“These new connections underscore our commitment to expanding domestic gas use, reducing carbon footprints, and providing cost-effective energy alternatives in line with the Federal Government’s energy transition objectives,” he added.
Through its growing infrastructure investment footprint, Axxela continues to play a pivotal role in unlocking the economic potential of natural gas by advancing domestic gas utilisation, enabling industrialisation, and supporting a sustainable energy transition in line with the federal government’s vision of a gas-powered economy.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Banks operating in Nigeria have been charged to further deepen and prioritise financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth.
This call was made by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB).
They want financial institutions to deploy strategic mandates and frameworks aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
At a courtesy visit to congratulate Mr Dele Alabi on his investiture as the 24th head of CIBN on May 16, 2026, the president of ACAMB, Mr Jide Sipe, said his group was ready to work closely with CIBN to achieve these goals.
According to him, closing the imbalances in financial access helps economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
Mr Sipe also used the occasion to announce ACAMB’s 30th anniversary, marking three decades of excellence, industry collaboration, professional development, and impactful contributions to the Nigerian banking and financial services sector.
“The association is pleased to announce the celebration of its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of excellence, industry collaboration, professional development, and impactful contributions to the Nigerian banking and financial services sector,” he said.
The ACAMB leader also formally invited the CIBN president to chair the anniversary Gala Night slated for Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
“We are inviting industry leaders to this anniversary and recognising many people who have stood by ACAMB over the years,” he stated, soliciting the institute’s support through attendance and the invitation of bank managing directors.
In his remarks, Mr Alabi thanked ACAMB for the visit, promising that the institute will prioritise financial inclusion and women’s empowerment.
He said access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
At his investiture over two months ago, Mr Alabi unveiled his IMPACT Vision, themed Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Mr Alabi added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms, saying, “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do.”
“To this end, we intend to contribute our quota in supporting banks and financial institutions in driving gender-focused financial inclusion to close the 9 per cent gender gap in access to formal financial services,” he added.
