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Eight NDLEA officers get special promotion for seizing 2,400kg of cannabis in Lagos

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Eight operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have been promoted for “intercepting illicit drugs being trafficked from Ghana to Nigeria”.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that the eight marine officers were decorated with their new ranks and handed commendation letters at a brief ceremony held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

“Every time we have a breakthrough, it tells the world a story about the new NDLEA we are working hard to build,” Babafemi quoted Buba Marwa, chairman of NDLEA, as saying.

“It also reinforces our conviction as an organisation that we are on the right track. So, an occasion such as this is a source of pride for me.

“In this case, we have officers who exhibited bravery and an unwavering sense of duty in the face of adversity on the waterways to thwart an attempt by a criminal gang to smuggle 60 jumbo bags of illicit drugs from a neighbouring country.

“Despite obvious attempts to thwart our interdiction bid, our officers were resilient and prevailed over the situation.

“It is in recognition of their gallantry that they are given special promotion, and we are holding this ceremony to decorate them. This is keeping with our culture of rewarding hard work, results, and sacrifice.”

Marwa added that the reward scheme forms part of “the sweeping reforms he has implemented over the past three years to boost officers’ performance levels”.

“Under this scheme, we have instituted the bi-annual command awards and commendation as well as special promotion for deserving officers, among other measures,” the NDLEA chairman added.

“I must say that the eight officers I will be decorating shortly showed bravery and dedication to duty and are deserving of a reward.

“On the 23rd of August 2024, the special marine squad received actionable intelligence at 3 a.m.

“They immediately swung into action and intercepted a boat along Alfa Beach, in Lekki, Lagos. Another boat was equally sighted.

“They, however, faced some unfavourable encounters in the process of intercepting the second boat, but in the face of violent provocation, our officers did not lose focus, as they went ahead to recover the exhibits.

“The operation led to the seizure of 60 bags of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 2,400 kilograms.

“The officers also arrested a suspect, Hambo Tete, 30, a Ghanaian national, and impounded the exhibit boat powered by three outboard engines.

“First, it is an affirmation that we have been successful at making the normal trafficking routes through the airport and land borders impenetrable. Hence, traffickers seeking alternative routes are trying to turn to the waterways.

“The second significance is that such traffickers will meet their Waterloo on waterways because of the presence of our marine command.

“Those who have followed the development in NDLEA are aware that we now have a full-fledged marine command with well-trained divers.

“In recent months, we have been reinforcing the command with equipment and training, for which we are grateful to the UK Home Office International Operations.

“What this crop of officers did is a loud statement to trafficking organisations that NDLEA will continue to work with other security agencies and stakeholders to ensure that our waterways are not safe routes for drug traffickers, just as the airports, seaports, and land borders.”

Marwa urged the promoted officers “to sustain the momentum of our trajectory and also protect the integrity of the job”.

“That entails that we should be mindful of our actions and activities in the line of duty or off duty,” he added.

“I expect them and every officer not to rest on their oars. There is so much work to do out there, and there are dangers involved.

“As long as we conduct our operations in line with established SOPs, as these officers did, and as long as we don’t compromise our mandate, we shall always prevail, without casualty and without erring in our action.”

The officers promoted include Dick Aaron Dick, Alabi Mayowa, Gabriel Ubokikwan, Aso Daniel John, Abdul Emmanuel Sule, Nabolo Victor Sonpano, Jonah Emmanuel Sule, and Membe Timipa Gabriel.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Aaron Dick, the team leader, expressed gratitude to Marwa for his transformative leadership at the agency.

He stated that the special promotion and commendation would not only motivate him and his colleagues to achieve more but also inspire other agency personnel to excel in their duties.

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Police probe video of officer in altercation with elderly woman in Lagos

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The Lagos police command says it has launched an investigation into a viral video of an officer involved in an altercation with an elderly woman.

POLICE COMMENCE INVESTIGATION INTO VIDEO OF POLICE OFFICER IN ALTERCATION WITH ELDERLY WOMAN

On Sunday, a video showing a police officer manhandling an elderly woman in her car began circulating on social media.

The officer was said to have demanded N250,000 from the woman which she refused to pay, before the altercation began.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the police spokesperson in Lagos, in a statement on Wednesday, condemned the action of the officer, noting that the inspector and his supervising deputy superintendent have been brought in for questioning.

Hundeyin said the incident took place in the Alagbado area of Lagos in the first week of September.

He assured the public that the investigation would be “swift, thorough and conclusive”.

“The command condemns the unprofessional conduct of the Inspector as it does not represent the ethics and operational standards of the Nigeria Police Force,” the statement reads.

“The command equally assures Lagosians that the investigation will be swift, thorough and conclusive.

“We will ensure that the officers are disciplined as appropriate, and members of the public are updated accordingly.”

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EFCC besieged Kogi lodge to forcefully arrest Yahaya Bello, says his media office

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The media office of Yahaya Bello has alleged that on Wednesday night, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) laid siege to the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja, in a bid to forcefully arrest the former governor.

The claim comes hours after Bello’s media office said the ex-governor had honoured the anti-graft agency’s invitation.

The EFCC had immediately denied that Bello was in its custody, restating that the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain was still a wanted man.

However, Bello’s media office responded by saying the politician was not interrogated when he visited the EFCC office and was turned back.

“He was accompanied to the commission’s office by Gov Usman Ododo,” the media team had said.

‘THEY SHOT SPORADICALLY’

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Ohiare Michael, director of the Yahaya Bello Media Office, said the operatives shot sporadically during the raid.

“It has come to our notice that people suspected to be operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, are currently around the Kogi Government Lodge, Asokoro in an attempt to forcefully arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello,” the statement reads.

“They were shooting sporadically.

“It was reported earlier that the former Governor went to the EFCC Office voluntarily, but the commission told him to leave and come at a later date, only to mount an attack on the Kogi Government facility in Asokoro.

“We want to place it on record that the EFCC should be held accountable if anything untoward happens to him.

“Tonight’s attack was needless as the former Governor made himself available to the EFCC in their office for interrogation.

“The EFCC had no question to ask Alhaji Yahaya Bello in the morning, but suddenly, they are out to arrest him.

“This action is condemnable. They have displayed the very reason many Nigerians believe they are fighting political battles instead of the mandate to fight corruption.

“This action reflects much more than a fight against corruption. We will keep Nigerians posted.”

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Geological agency asks residents not to panic as earth tremors rock Abuja

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The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) says there is no need for residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) to panic over recent earth tremors.

Residents of Mpape and Katampe communities in the FCT recently expressed fears following earth tremors that reportedly began on Saturday.

An earth tremor is a relatively small or short-lived movement of the earth’s surface. It is caused by the same forces that produce earthquakes.

In a statement on Wednesday, Olusegun Ige, NGSA director-general, said the agency monitored the tremors and found them to be low.

He added that the tremors do not pose any threats.

“The Monitoring Station (NGSA-5) at Katampe has been capturing several significant ground motions with high moment magnitudes (Mw) in the past five days, beginning from September 13, 2024 till date,” the statement reads.

“Only one mild event was recorded on September 13th. Six of these events were captured on the 14th of September, while over 21 events were captured on the 15th with higher intensities.

“More than twenty events were recorded on the 16th of September. The intensity and frequency of the tremor appear to increase from the 13th to 16th September. There are a few weak events recorded today, 17th September.

“Preliminary analysis of the waveforms showed that the sources of the ground motions are less than 5 km away from the monitoring station.

“NGSA team also visited the affected areas for on-the-spot assessments of the events. From the accounts of the residents of the affected areas, the observations by the NGSA team, and findings from earlier interpretations of the airborne geophysical data over the area and adjoining areas, the following conclusions were made:

“The tremors are a result of accumulated stress along the identified faults and released seismic energy, which may have traveled through associated fractures to areas where the tremors were felt around the FCT.

“There are multiple epicenters associated with the recent tremor. Most of the epicenters are located northeast of the NGSA-5 Seismic Station around Mpape axis, while a few are located southwest of the Station around Katampe axis.

“The intensities of the tremors are weak to light, ranging from III – IV on the Modified Mercalli Scale, and pose a very low level threat.”

The agency added that it is closely monitoring the situation.

“The residents of Mpape, Katampe, Maitama, and other areas where the tremors were felt are advised not to panic as the tremors can be generally described as low,” the statement adds.

“The Agency is keeping a close monitoring of the situation and will provide updates as may become necessary.

“The general public should also be aware that the NGSA Seismic Stations are being monitored in real time to ensure prompt alerts on any major event.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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