NDLEA Nabs Two Drug Kingpins, Intercepts About 13.000 Tramadol Pills In Kogi State
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA on patrol along Kabba-Obajana highway in Kogi state have intercepted a consignment of 12,800 pills of Tramadol 250mg going to Shuwarin in Jigawa state,
In a statement by NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi says officers also arrested a suspect, Salisu Basiru,
Similarly, no fewer than 65 parcels of Colorado, a strong synthetic strain of cannabis with a total weight of 1.600kg also heading to Jigawa state, were recovered from another suspect, Rufai Hassan, at the same check point same day.
The statement also that attempts by two drug kingpins to smuggle into Nigeria consignments of heroin through the Port Harcourt International Airport and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, have been foiled by NDLEA operatives.
One of the kingpins who uses dual identities to aid his cross border movements, has a Nigerian passport with his original name: Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, and that of Sierra Leone with a different name: Kargbo Mohamed Foday.
He was intercepted by NDLEA officers with his Sierra Leonean passport at the Port Harcourt airport, Rivers state during the inward clearance of passengers through Abuja to Port Harcourt.
According to the statement, ”One of the kingpins who uses dual identities to aid his cross border movements, has a Nigerian passport with his original name: Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus, 30, and that of Sierra Leone with a different name: Kargbo Mohamed Foday. He was intercepted by NDLEA officers with his Sierra Leonean passport on Sunday 2nd February 2025 at the Port Harcourt airport, Rivers state during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight from Doha through Abuja to Port Harcourt.
He was subsequently taken for body scan which confirmed he ingested illicit drugs and thereafter placed under excretion observation during which he expelled a total of 62 wraps of heroin in five excretions, weighing 1.348 kilograms.
Investigation reveals Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus (alias Kargbo Mohamed Foday) alternates his two identities for different drug trafficking missions between Thailand, Pakistan, Iran and West African countries.
He claimed to have gone full time into the illicit drug trade in 2017 when his clothing and shoe business went down.
The second kingpin, James Herbert Chinoso, 48, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport on Saturday 1st February upon his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. After a body scan confirmed illicit drug in his system, he was placed under excretion observation during which he egested 63 wraps of heroin with a total weight of 909 grams.
Chinoso had left Lagos to Madagascar on 26th January 2025 and returned via Addis Ababa after spending a week. He claimed to have gone into the criminal trade after his phone accessories business in Liberia collapsed.
Two parcels of 2.82 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United States with Lagos as destination were equally intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, at a courier firm in Lagos on Thursday 6th February. In another interdiction operation same day but in a different logistics company in Lagos, anti-narcotics officers intercepted 80 ampoules of pentazocine injection 225grams concealed in cartons heading to Canada.
PR
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is meeting with the staff of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) in Abuja in an effort to resolve the ongoing industrial strike action that has disrupted flight operations across the country.
The closed-door meeting seeks to address grievances raised by NiMET workers, including the non-implementation of the national minimum wage, exclusion of certain employees from past allowances, and the neglect of critical training programmes.
Present at the meeting were the Director General of NiMET, representatives from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the National Union of Transport Employees, and other key stakeholders.
Also in attendance are members of several unions, including the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees.
The strike, now in its second day, has significantly affected flight schedules at several airports, including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, leaving passengers stranded.
In a statement, Air Peace cited safety concerns as the reason for its decision to suspend flights amid the disruption
In a bid to improve access to affordable housing across Nigeria, the Nigeria Government is set to introduce tax incentives aimed to reduce the burden on real estate developers and building material suppliers,
Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, made this known at a Building and Construction Industry Forum in Abuja.
Mr. Oyedele noted that the recently signed tax reform bills include provisions that would lower the cost of building materials and stimulate investment in the construction sector.
According to him,“It will reduce the tax burden—whether you’re buying, building, or selling real estate,”
“That’s the essence of these reforms: to make life better for everyone and to boost economic activities in the building and construction sector, and by extension, the entire economy.”
He emphasized that the government’s commitment to creating more accessible mortgage options for Nigerians across all income levels and called for greater collaboration among industry stakeholders to address persistent issues such as multiple taxation.
Also speaking at the forum, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa—represented by Director of Public Building, Mr. Temitope Gbemi—highlighted the potential of the tax reforms to integrate the informal economy into the formal construction sector.
He encouraged builders and developers to incorporate capital gains into project planning for better cost documentation and tax planning.
Dr. Samson Opaluwa, Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), expressed optimism that the reforms would enhance revenue generation within the sector.
He underscored the need for inclusive discussions given the industry’s composition.
“This industry is largely driven by SMEs, which produce about 60 to 70 percent of the country’s housing stock,” he noted.
On his part, the Executive Director of the Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN), Mr. Festus Adebayo, stressed the need for the government to provide incentives to developers interested in social housing. He criticized the high costs, multiple charges, and bureaucratic hurdles that make affordable housing a distant reality.
The Federal Government has commenced a three-day Induction Programme for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Accountant-General of the Federation.
The programme is designed to strengthen strategic leadership and policy execution at the topmost level of the federal bureaucracy.
Declaring the programme open, in Abuja, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, congratulated the appointees and described their roles as critical to effective governance and national development.
The Head of Service who noted that Permanent Secretaries serve as the engine room of government, responsible for driving policy implementation, institutional performance, and service-wide reform urged the inductees to uphold the highest standards of integrity, diligence, and teamwork,
She stressed that the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25) depends significantly on their leadership.
“This final lap of FCSSIP 25 calls for urgency, accountability, and strategic focus. You must translate vision into measurable results,” she said.
In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Mrs. Fatima Mahmood, described the programme as a strategic investment in leadership capacity and institutional effectiveness.
The Sessions featured expert-led discussions, simulations, and strategic briefings facilitated by Engr. Suleiman Adamu, former Minister of Water Resources; Dr. Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination; Mrs. Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Federal Minister of Justice; Alh. Yusuf Addy, retired Federal Director; Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Amb. Mustapha Lawal Suleiman, Mr. Adesola Olusade, and Dr. Ifeoma Anagbogu, all retired Permanent Secretaries.
Participants include Dr. Obi Emeka Vitalis, Mrs. Fatima Sugra Tabi’a Mahmood, Mr. Danjuma Mohammed Sanusi, Mr. Olusanya Olubunmi, Dr. Keshinro Maryam Ismaila, Dr. Akujobi Chinyere Ijeoma, Dr. Umobong Emanso Okop, Dr. Isokpunwu Christopher Osaruwanmwen, Mrs. Oyekunle N. Patience, Dr. Kalba U. Danjuma, Mr. Nadungu Gagare, Mr. Onwusoro I. Maduka, Dr. Usman Salihu Aminu, Mr. Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam, Mr. Ndiomu Ebiogeh Philip, Dr. Anuma N. Ogbonnaya, Mr. Adeladan Rafiu Olaninre, and Mr. Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, as well as the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi.
Head of Service
Arteta Congratulates Liverpool On EPL Win
Cholera: Nigeria Records 1,307 Cases, 34 Deaths
