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News_Naija

NDLEA Nabs Drug Lord Supplying Bandits

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Sunday said its operatives arrested no fewer than 10 suspects during various operations across the country recently. A statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, listed the suspects as including a suspected supplier of illicit substances to bandits identified as Muhammad Mohammed. He was arrested in Kano, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulaziz, was arrested with 68 blocks of skunk. He stated, “In Kano, a 22-year-old supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi-Kano Road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with Sellotape. “He was intercepted on Sunday, April 13, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed the same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano, with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30kg.” Babafemi added that “not less than 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine and 29.8 grammes of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises on Wednesday, April 16. “The four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46.” Babafemi said that a driver was arrested after its operatives recovered about 1,100kg of skunk from a delivery van in Lagos, while one Ike Ani was arrested in Kaduna at a hideout with 31,950 pills of Tramadol 225mg and Diazepam. The NDLEA spokesperson stated that three suspects, Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28; were arrested in connection with the seizure of 97kg of skunk concealed in sacks of charcoal in Kebbi. “A 48-year-old, Okafor Marcel, was nabbed with 11.5kg of skunk at Abatete, Anambra State, while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday, April 15, arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of blackcurrant, cannabis, and opioids, recovered from her room at Dada Estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital,” he said. Furthermore, he disclosed that two cannabis farms in Egbeta Forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo State were destroyed. The farms were found to contain 3,717.8625kg of psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares, and 136.5kg of processed cannabis was recovered. “At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect, Basorun Usman Kayode, 40, who had been at large for two years, was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107kg of Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community, was arrested by a team of operatives on Monday, April 14,” Babafemi added. Furthermore, NDLEA operatives intercepted 500 grammes of cocaine concealed in the pages of religious books and bound for Saudi Arabia. He said the illicit drug was intercepted on April 15, at a courier company located in Lagos State. He added that 2.8 kilogrammes of cannabis and a strain of Loud were intercepted at another courier firm in Lagos on the same day. Babafemi said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia. “The cocaine consignment, consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grammes and buried in the pages of the religious books, was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation were searching through export cargoes going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm. “At another courier company the same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes, hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America.”

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News_Naija

Man Dies During Wifes 60th Birthday In Lagos

A man identified as Akinyele tragically slumped and died on Saturday during his wife’s 60th birthday celebration at an event centre in the Egbeda area of Lagos State. A viral video seen by our correspondent on Sunday captured the heartbreaking moment. In the footage, Akinyele was speaking on stage when he suddenly collapsed. Moments before the incident, he called his wife over and whispered a request for water. When she didn’t respond immediately, he gestured again, signalling his need for water. Seconds later, he slumped. He was said to have been quickly rushed to a nearby hospital after attempts to revive him at the venue failed. He was reportedly pronounced dead upon arrival. Efforts to confirm the incident with the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, had yet to respond to messages sent to his mobile phone at the time of filing this report.

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Worldnews

UN Food Agency Cites Funding Gap As It Halts Aid To 650,000 In Ethiopia

Aid to 3.6 million Ethiopians overall is at risk unless new support is sourced, the World Food Programme warns. The World Food Programme (WFP) said it is suspending aid for 650,000 malnourished women and children in Ethiopia due to a lack of funding. The UN agency warned on Tuesday that 3.6 million people in Ethiopia overall are at risk of losing access to food aid in the coming weeks unless new financial support can urgently be sourced. “WFP is being forced to halt treatment for 650,000 malnourished women and children in May due to insufficient funding,” the UN agency said in a statement. The agency said it had planned to reach two million mothers and children with life-saving nutrition assistance in 2025 but will fall short due to a predicted funding shortfall of $222m between April and September. “Cash and in-kind food assistance for up to one million refugees will stop in June if additional funding is not received,” the agency warned. Like many aid agencies, the WFP is caught in the crosshairs of funding cuts instituted by the administration of United States President Donald Trump. Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump signed an executive order freezing all foreign aid. Conflict, instability and drought are key reasons why more than 10 million of Ethiopia’s 130 million people face the threat of hunger, the UN agency said. The East African country is recovering from two years of brutal civil war between federal forces and rebels in the northern region of Tigray, which ended in November 2022 and killed at least 600,000 people. Tensions are again mounting between longtime foes Ethiopia and Eritrea over Addis Ababa’s quest for maritime access, causing fears of yet another conflict in the Horn of Africa barely seven years after the two neighbours restored ties. Continued violence and instability in Ethiopia’s Amhara region are also obstructing humanitarian operations, the WFP said, adding that below-average rainfall forecast through May in southeastern Ethiopia could further exacerbate conditions. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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News_Naija

Mohbads Death: Rights Group Demands Phone Record Analysis

A rights group, The Critical Thinkers, has called on the coroner’s court to mandate a forensic analysis of the phone records of everyone around the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, 48 hours before his death. The group requested a statement by its spokesperson, Toby Bart, obtained by PUNCH Metro on Sunday, citing alleged inconsistencies in the ongoing inquest. Bart also called on the management of the first hospital Mohbad was admitted to appear before the ongoing coroner’s inquest into his death. He further cited alleged contradictions between the testimony of Dr Chigozie Iwuala from Perez Medicare Hospital at the coroner’s inquest and claims made by Mohbad’s partner, Wunmi Adebanjo during an interview. According to Bart, Dr. Iwuala revealed during the last sitting that Mohbad was brought in dead, with his body allegedly doused with water to reduce signs of death. He also quoted the doctor as stating that Mohbad had been dead for over three hours before arrival, contradicting Adebanjo’s claim that he died within 20 minutes of being taken to the hospital. The statement read, “At the most recent inquest sitting, the public expected both hospitals involved in the case to testify. However, only the doctor from Perez Medicare Hospital – Dr Chigozie Iwuala and the driver – Fiselis Esenbor – of the vehicle that transported Mohbad to his last show in Ikorodu were present. “This is a concerning development, considering that the second hospital (Perez) categorically stated that Mohbad was brought in dead. “According to the testimony of the attending doctor at Perez Medicare Hospital, Dr Chigozie Iwuala, there is CCTV footage showing how Mohbad was rushed in. The doctor further stated that Mohbad had been dead for over three hours before arrival. “This directly contradicts a recent claim by the late Mohbad’s partner, Wunmi Adebanjo, who stated during an interview on TVC’s Your View that Mohbad died within 20 minutes of being taken to the hospital. “The doctor also revealed that by the time Mohbad was brought in at about 4:30 pm September 12, 2023, his body had already been doused with water allegedly to reduce the coldness and signs of death. The hospital then issued a written document and advised those who brought him in to take the body to the morgue.” The group further stated that the driver who took Mohbad to the Ikorodu show testified that he received a call around noon on September 12, 2023, informing him that Mohbad had died. While describing the claims as inconsistent, the group said it raised critical questions about the actual time and cause of death. “The coroner’s court should mandate a forensic analysis of the phone records of everyone around Mohbad within the 48-hour window leading up to his death. “Most importantly, we now call on Curamed Hospital to step forward and testify at the next coroner’s inquest slated for 25th April 2025. The hospital’s account, including the exact time Mohbad was brought in and any medical advice given, is crucial.” While noting that the doctor who attended to Mohbad at the hospital was no longer in its employ, the group insisted that the medical facility still held the responsibility to present available records, reports, and relevant CCTV footage showing how and when Mohbad was brought in.