In a nation long beleaguered by the scourge of drug trafficking and abuse, a new dawn is breaking. Under the resolute leadership of Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is rewriting Nigeria’s narrative in the global fight against narcotics. A paradigm shift in drug law enforcement Since assuming the helm of the NDLEA, Marwa has implemented a multifaceted strategy that combines aggressive interdiction with preventive education and rehabilitation. In 2024 alone, the agency seized over 2.6 million kilograms of illicit substances, arrested more than 18,500 offenders—including 10 high-profile drug barons—and secured over 3,250…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The smell of wet earth and loss lingers in the air. In Mokwa, Niger State, the flood didn’t just come with water—it came with sorrow. It came like a thief in the night, swallowing homes, silencing laughter, and leaving behind the haunting stillness of a town in mourning. At least 151 people have died. More than 3,000 are now homeless. But behind these numbers are real stories—mothers searching for their children, fathers trying to rebuild with bare hands, and children who wake up crying in strange shelters, asking when they can go home. But there is no home anymore. “I…
In Maiduguri, not long ago, the skies opened — not with hope, but with fury. Floodwaters swept through communities, killing and displacing thousands. It was a horror that should have sparked immediate national alarm. But before the shock could fully settle, tragedy struck again — this time in Mokwa, Niger State, where floods from rains have claimed 151 lives and displaced over 3,000 people so far. Each number hides a face, a story, a home washed away by what has become a grim annual ritual in Nigeria. Floods are no longer unforeseen disasters. They are expected visitors, arriving with the…
In a remarkable and unsettling leap into the future of warfare, China has unveiled a new class of bio-inspired drones that mimic real birds so convincingly that they can fly through populated skies virtually undetected. These ornithopter drones, capable of both silent surveillance and precise tactical strikes, signal a transformative moment in military stealth technology—one that blurs the line between machine and nature. Dubbed “sky phantoms” by some military analysts, these drones flap their wings like actual birds, gliding and maneuvering with organic grace. From the ground, and even to the untrained radar system, they are indistinguishable from the pigeons…
New research shows how 310 premature deaths and 230 new children’s asthma cases can be prevented every day over the next 15 years if governments act towards reducing vehicle pollution and accelerate the move to electric vehicles. By Chetan Bhattacharji Pollution from fossil-fuel vehicles is most lethal for two age groups, those above the age of 65 and those under five, a new study shows. Five countries, China, the United States, Indonesia, India, and Mexico, are estimated to have the most road transport-attributable cases for children and older people in 2023. For lower-income countries, transitioning to cleaner transport is difficult for most countries, particularly…
Every year, road traffic crashes claim the lives of approximately 1.19 million people globally, with an additional 20 to 50 million people suffering non-fatal injuries—many of which result in lifelong disabilities, according to the latest global road safety data by the World Health Organization (WHO). Who is most at risk? The toll of road traffic injuries falls disproportionately on certain groups. Men are nearly three times more likely to die in road crashes than women, pointing to behavioral and exposure differences in road use. More alarmingly, road traffic injuries remain the leading cause of death for children and young adults,…
Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) are becoming increasingly popular in the fight against sea crimes, including illegal fishing. Such vehicles, also known as USVs or maritime drones, can be used to detect suspicious activities without endangering personnel and can be equipped with artificial intelligence autonomy systems to gather, process and transmit information. Their enhanced communication systems enable seamless data sharing with command centers and improve situational awareness through persistent surveillance and reconnaissance missions. According to Engineering News, cutting-edge USVs include sensor suites with cameras, sonar, radar and acoustic systems to give operators a complete picture of the environment. They may include military-grade…
Rice field maintenance techniques are crucial for optimizing crop yields and reducing environmental impact. Here are some key techniques: Water management Irrigation scheduling: Proper timing and amount of water application. Drainage management: Effective removal of excess water to prevent waterlogging. Water recycling: Reusing water from flooded fields to reduce waste. Soil conservation Crop rotation: Rotating rice with other crops to improve soil fertility and structure. Mulching: Applying organic mulch to reduce soil erosion and retain moisture. Conservation tillage: Minimizing soil disturbance to reduce erosion and promote soil health. Weed and pest control Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Combining physical, cultural, biological,…
The world’s leading polio eradication programme faces a 40% budget cut next year as the paralysis-causing virus surges in its last strongholds of Afghanistan and Pakistan and war-torn regions, threatening to reverse decades of progress toward eradicating the disease. By Disha Shetty & Stefan Anderson “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is facing a 40% budget cut in 2026,” Dr Hanan Balkhy, regional director of the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, told the World Health Assembly on Friday — the same body that launched the global eradication effort 36 years ago. The convergence of funding cuts, conflict, and viral resurgence now threatens to…
A group of 47 Nigerian medical students who escaped the war in Sudan in 2023 are now facing a bureaucratic impasse that threatens to derail their careers. Despite completing their training and earning degrees, they remain unable to register for the mandatory Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) qualifying examination due to documentation requirements that most could not meet because of their emergency evacuation. The students, formerly enrolled at Sudan International University (SIU), were in their final year when violent conflict broke out in Sudan. As chaos engulfed Khartoum, the Nigerian government swiftly evacuated its citizens, many without exit…