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News_Naija

Court Jails 43-year-old For Illegal Cannabis Possession

A 43-year-old man, Oluwole Johnson, was on Tuesday sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos for illegal possession of two kilograms of a special strain of cannabis known as “Loud.” Justice Akintayo Aluko handed down the sentence after Johnson pleaded guilty to a one-count charge brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. The NDLEA prosecutor, J.E. Negedu, told the court that Johnson was arrested on February 8, 2025, at Lake View Estate, Phase 1, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, while trading in the banned substance. Negedu told the court that the offence committed by Johnson contravened Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which prohibits unlawful dealing in narcotic drugs. Upon his arraignment, on charge NO: FHC/L/314c/2025, Johnson admitted to committing the offence and pleaded guilty. The prosecutor, through one of the agency’s operatives, presented the facts of the case and tendered evidence, including the seized drugs, which the court accepted. Following the review of the case, the prosecutor urged the court to convict and sentence the convict, in line with his guilty plea and the law. However, Johnson’s lawyer, Sunday Okwo, pleaded for leniency. He informed the court that his client was a first-time offender with no prior criminal record and had shown remorse for his actions. In his judgment, Justice Aluko convicted Johnson and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment. The court, however, gave the convict an option to pay a fine of N500,000 in lieu of serving the jail term.

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Futbol

Barcelona's Olmo Cleared To Play For Rest Of Season

Dani Olmo and Pau Victor are eligible to play for Barcelona for the rest of the season, Spain's National Sports Council (CSD) has ruled. La Liga granted Barcelona temporary licences to register Olmo and Victor last summer, but later revoked their registrations after claiming the club had failed to prove they were complying with the league's financial rules by the deadline on 31 December. The CSD gave Barcelona permission to temporarily reinstate the pair following an appeal in January. On Wednesday, La Liga said that the club do not have the financial capacity to register the forwards. But the CSD annulled the agreement between the Spanish top flight and the country's football federation (RFEF). The CSD said the two players' registrations remain valid as the RFEF acknowledged that "there is no federation resolution that agreed to the cancellation of the licences" and that its decision not to grant a licence is "null and void". La Liga said it will appeal the decision. In a statement on Wednesday, La Liga said it had lowered Barcelona's wage cap after irregularities with their end-of-year accounting for the 2024-25 season. Barcelona announced a deal on 3 January to sell VIP boxes at the club's Nou Camp stadium, which is being rebuilt, to raise 100m euros (£83m) in order to meet La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules and extend the registrations of Olmo and Victor. But La Liga said the deal had not been recorded in accounts submitted by Barcelona to the league last week, and that the deal had been approved by a different, unnamed auditor. Olmo was part of Barcelona's academy before leaving to play for Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig. Barcelona paid £52m to reunite with the Spain international last summer and he has featured 28 times this season, including 13 since the CSD's ruling. Victor also came through Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and has played 22 times this term, with five of those appearances coming since the ruling.

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News_Naija

Dane Gun Discharge Killed 12-year-old In Kaduna Police

The Kaduna State Police Command has refuted reports of an explosion in the state on Tuesday, where two children were feared dead. Rather, the police said 12-year-old Abubakar Muhammed was killed by a discharge from a locally made firearm (Dane gun). Residents of Abakpa area of Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state, adjacent the old site of the Nigerian Defence Academy, had been sent into panic mode upon hearing what sounded like a blast. One of the residents recounted how he was gripped by fear upon hearing a loud sound. “I was taking my bath when I heard the explosion and ran out to see what had happened,” he said. “I saw one of the affected victims, Imam, and tried to take him to the hospital but he died before we got to the hospital,” he said. However, the police said preliminary investigations by the Officer in charge of the Police Anti-Bomb Squad indicated that the incident was caused by the discharge of a Dane gun, not an explosion. The police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, confirmed the incident killed one person and left seven others injured. The statement read, “On 22nd April 2025 at about 0830hrs, the Police received a distress call regarding a suspected blast in the Josawa Road area of Abakpa, Kaduna. “In response, a team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer, Kawo Division, was immediately dispatched to the scene. The incident claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy, identified as Abubakar Muhammed of Josawa Road. “Additionally, seven other individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries and are currently receiving medical attention. “Contrary to initial reports, experts confirmed that the incident was not an explosion. Preliminary investigations conducted by the Officer in charge of the Police Anti Bomb Squad indicate that a locally made firearm (Dane gun) was discharged, resulting in the unfortunate loss of life of the young boy.” The police further noted that it has launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances behind the incident. “The Commissioner of Police, Garrison Commander, State Director, Department of State Services (DSS) and the chairman, Kaduna North Local Government have all visited the scene and a thorough on-site assessment was carried out. “The police command assures the public that further developments will be promptly and transparently communicated. “The command extends its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” the statement added. However, residents of the area are still reeling in shock from the incident.

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News_Naija

Bayelsa Community Leader Cries For Help As Assailants Kill Four

The Paramount Ruler of Swali community, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Wilcox Job, has called on the state government to mount police posts at strategic locations to avert future killings in the community. Four persons were confirmed dead and several others were injured as suspected cultists invaded the Swali community on Easter Sunday. PUNCH Metro gathered that the masked assailants arrived in the community at about midnight in a Toyota Hilux van shooting indiscriminately. Speaking on the incident, the Swali community leader said the community has requested for the mounting of a police post to forestall such attacks. “I call on the state government to set up police posts at strategic points to avert future attacks and also establish a police station in the community to safeguard the lives of my subjects,” Job said. When contacted, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Musa Mohammed, who confirmed the attack, said security has been beefed up to restore normalcy in the community. He said the attack may not be related to a cult clash, but law enforcement measures were in place to prevent the recurrence of such attacks. “Normalcy has returned to the community and security measures have been put in place to ensure no further breakdown of law and order or destruction of lives and property,” Mohammed stated. Giving a narration of the incident, a resident, who did not want to be named, described the attack as terrible, saying the community has not witnessed such violence unleashed on innocent citizens in recent times. “It was terrible, I have never seen anything like this since I started living here over 10 years ago,” he told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday. Although calm has been restored following the attack, there remains uneasy calm in the community which has witnessed cult-related violence in the past. Swali Community, which hosts the Swali Ultra Modern Market, the largest market in the state, is close to several security formations in the state. The member representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon Ayibanegiyefa Egba, has condemned the attack that led to the loss of four lives. Egba visited the community on Tuesday, describing the attack as barbaric. Egba expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and the entire Swali community. Egba emphasised the need for unity and vigilance within the community to resist external forces. Egba further advised the youths to shun vices that could truncate their lives. Egba said: “This attack is brutal and I condole with the families of those who have lost loved ones. I call on all the residents to be united and vigilant in the face of this incident. “I equally call on the youths to shun external influences and also shun vices that can truncate their lives.”