The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled no fewer than six syndicates leading to the seizure of tons of assorted illicit drugs and the arrest of nine kingpins in a series of intelligence-led interdiction operations. A statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja said that NDLEA operatives had carried out a blistering crackdown on drug trafficking organisations across the country. Babafemi said that in one of such operations, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, Nov. 18 arrested two members of a drug trafficking organisation in Onitsha, Anambra. This, he said, was when…
Author: Honesty Victor
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered tons of illicit drugs in flight boarding cards and various pills of tramadol and skunk, a strong strain of cannabis sativa. This is contained in a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja. Giving a breakdown, Babafemi said that a suspected drug trafficker was arrested in connection with the seizure of 139 pouches of Canadian Loud in Lagos. He said that the drugs which were recovered at an apartment in Lekki were with a gross weight of 71kg. He added that a lady…
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), on Sunday, called for collective efforts from stakeholders, to end cases of human trafficking in Jigawa. NAPTIP’s commander in the state, Mr Abdulkadir Turajo, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse. He called on relevant stakeholders in Jigawa particularly the northwest zone, to collaborate with the agency in curbing the menace. “I wish to call on elected representatives and local government chairmen from the zone and other parts of the state, to join hands with NAPTIP to expand its just concluded…
Ms Theresa Effa, Country Director for Rise Up Together in Nigeria, said the organisation identifies passionate leaders focused on women’s empowerment, equipping them with targeted training and strategic support to strengthen gender-focused interventions. Effa spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the close of a six-day 2025 Nigeria Advocacy and Leadership Accelerator Workshop, which brought together selected leaders committed to driving meaningful social change across communities. She explained that the initiative received support from Cummins Inc., a global power solutions company prioritising equity and social impact through investments that strengthened gender justice, leadership capacity, and community-led policy advocacy efforts in multiple countries. According…
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged the G20 to fundamentally rethink global development parameters, proposing four new initiatives, including a mechanism to counter the drug-terror nexus and a global healthcare response team. Addressing the opening session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting, Modi said the grouping had shaped global finance and growth, but the dominant development models had deprived large sections of the world of resources while driving the over-exploitation of nature, pressures felt sharply across Africa. Invoking India’s civilisational philosophy, he said the principle of Integral Humanism offered a pathway to strike a balance between development and nature. Modi…
From foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to crop pests, the country has made it clear that African producers cannot carry the burden of disease outbreaks alone. For farmers, the outcomes of the G20 Leaders’ Summit will not solve their challenges overnight. However, they will shift the global playing field in ways that matter for day-to-day farming, export prospects, and future disease preparedness. Importantly, South Africa’s G20 presidency has positioned the continent as a global leader in pushing for stronger, better-funded, more coordinated biosecurity systems. Why biosecurity became the G20’s top agricultural priority South Africa has faced…
The UN special rapporteur has said that the decades-long US embargo on Cuba is now having a severe impact on the humanitarian situation in the island nation. The ongoing sanctions have caused immense hardships for the Cuban population, particularly impacting education, food security, and health care, she said. Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council, voiced her observations on Friday while on a visit to the Caribbean nation. She said there had been deterioration in all sectors in Cuba due to the trade and financial restrictions imposed by Washington since the Cold War era. “The embargos…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared Indonesia polio-free. The global health organisation announced on November 19 the end of the poliovirus type-2 outbreak in the country, marking a major milestone for Indonesia following years of low vaccination. The announcement was made after no children was detected of poliovirus were detected since 2024. According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, nearly 60 million additional doses of polio vaccine were administered nationwide as part of the emergency response, as per the WHO. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has given the credit for the same to the healthcare workers, the cooperation of parents,…
Eastern Cape MEC for Agriculture Nonceba Kontsiwe has officially launched a spring water project in Lower Tsitsana Village in Nqanqarhu (formerly Maclear) under the Ilima/Letsema Lokulima Programme, which aims to promote sustainable agriculture and improve livelihoods in rural communities. Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Kontsiwe explained that the water project provides clean water for domestic use and irrigation through 26 new water points serving 205 households. Production inputs were also provided to 120 beneficiaries to boost local vegetable production, food security, and the aggregation of produce for potential markets. Ntombizanele Sonkwenye, who farms in Sigoga in Lower Tsitsana Village, described the relief the…
Opening her remarks with the challenge: “Are we acting boldly enough and fast enough to confront Africa’s food challenge by 2030?”, Mallowah reminded delegates that the deadline is frighteningly close. “It is only four harvests away,” she said, emphasising that the continent must use these four growing seasons to strengthen systems capable of feeding an additional 200 million Africans by the end of the decade. If decisive action is not taken now, she warned, Africa faces increasing food price volatility, heightened dependence on imports, climate-driven production shocks, and worsening rural poverty. “[However], if we act with urgency, 2030 can be a turning point:…