Nigeria Scales Up Malaria Vaccination as MSF Warns of Deadly Link with Child Malnutrition

By: Michael Mike

As Nigeria intensifies efforts to curb its malaria crisis, the Federal Government has expanded the rollout of malaria vaccines to more states, even as humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) raises concern over the growing toll of the disease among malnourished children.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, announced in Abuja that the malaria vaccination programme has been extended beyond its initial pilot phase in Bayelsa State and Kebbi State to include Bauchi State and Ondo State.

The expansion is part of a broader strategy to reduce infections and deaths in a country that continues to bear the heaviest global malaria burden. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) World Malaria Report 2025, Nigeria accounts for 24.3 per cent of malaria cases worldwide, 30.3 per cent of deaths, and more than half of all cases in West Africa.

While the government scales up preventive measures, MSF has said the reality on the ground remains dire—particularly for children battling both malaria and malnutrition.

Speaking in Katsina at the weekend to mark World Malaria Day 2026, MSF’s Acting Medical Team Leader, Dr. Alibaba Nuraddeen, revealed that malaria ranked among the top three diseases treated in the organisation’s Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centres (ITFCs) in 2025.

He disclosed that MSF managed about 26,000 children in its inpatient facilities in Katsina alone, with malaria featuring prominently alongside acute watery diarrhoea and sepsis as leading causes of illness.

Nuraddeen described malaria and malnutrition as a “dangerous cycle” that continues to endanger child health. According to him, malnutrition weakens the immune system, leaving children more susceptible to infection, while malaria further compounds the problem by reducing appetite and limiting food intake.

“Treating malnutrition without malaria testing risks delayed recovery,” he warned, stressing that undiagnosed or poorly treated malaria can persist for weeks or months, ultimately pushing affected children into severe malnutrition.

MSF said it has adopted a routine approach of screening every malnourished child for malaria in its facilities and providing immediate treatment for those who test positive.

Public health experts note that Nigeria’s fight against malaria will require a coordinated approach that combines vaccination, early diagnosis, effective treatment, and improved nutrition—especially for children who remain the most vulnerable.

With the vaccine rollout gaining momentum and frontline responders highlighting critical gaps, the country faces a pivotal moment in its battle against one of its deadliest and most persistent diseases.

Nigeria Scales Up Malaria Vaccination as MSF Warns of Deadly Link with Child Malnutrition

NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a fresh consignment of the notorious stimulant known as Captagon in Kwara State, as part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown that also led to multiple arrests, major drug seizures, and the recovery of explosive materials.

The agency, in a statement by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, disclosed that operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara intercepted a passenger, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, with 10,000 pills of Captagon—an amphetamine widely associated with militant groups in the Middle East. The seizure marks a renewed attempt by traffickers to reintroduce the drug into Nigeria nearly five years after its first recorded interception at Apapa seaport in Lagos.

Captagon, often referred to as a “terror drug,” is known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, heightened aggression, and reduced fear, making it a substance reportedly exploited by extremist groups, including Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to sustain combat operations.

Babafemi said the latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made last Tuesday when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara state intercepted a trailer conveying passengers. A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu led to the recovery of 10 packs of captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.

In a related operation at the same patrol point, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck concealing large quantities of controlled drugs, including tramadol capsules, injections, and other sedatives hidden in a specially constructed compartment.

He said in another interdiction operation at the Bode Saadu patrol point, NDLEA officers on Friday 24th April intercepted a trailer marked RMY-70XA. A search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of tramadol; 6,000 ampuoles of tramadol injection; 3,000 tablets of Co- Codamol and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam, concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer. A 24-year-old suspect Aminu Isah has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Oyo State, operatives uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking attempt involving ingestion. A 33-year-old businessman, Eze Emeka, was apprehended along the Ibadan-Oyo expressway after a body scan confirmed he had swallowed illicit substances. Under observation, he excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing over one kilogramme. Investigations revealed he intended to smuggle the drugs via trans-Saharan routes through Algeria into Europe.

Further operations across the country yielded significant results. In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck carrying over 1.1 million opioid pills bound for Onitsha, leading to the arrest of two suspects. In Lagos, a suspect was caught transporting 810 kilograms of a potent cannabis strain, while in Bauchi, another individual was arrested with over 150 kilograms of skunk.

In Ekiti, nearly 470 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a residential building, while a major raid in Cross River State led to the destruction of 20,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland.

In a development highlighting the intersection of drug trafficking and security threats, NDLEA operatives in Niger State seized 394 components used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a suspect. The materials have been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.

Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, described the Captagon seizure as a significant breakthrough and a warning sign of attempts by criminal networks to revive dormant trafficking routes.

“We are not just seizing drugs; we are dismantling the enablers of violence and insecurity,” Marwa said, assuring Nigerians that the agency remains vigilant in preventing the spread of dangerous substances.

He commended operatives across affected states for maintaining a balance between enforcement and public sensitization through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which continues to target schools, communities, and institutions nationwide.

The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that substances like Captagon do not gain a foothold in Nigeria, warning traffickers that enforcement efforts remain intensified across all borders and transit routes.

NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep

Troops Recover Three Motorcycles During Manhunt in Kaduna

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Sector 7, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), have recovered three motorcycles during a fighting patrol in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Security sources said the operation was carried out at about 1:40 a.m. on April 25 as part of an ongoing manhunt for fleeing criminal elements.

The troops conducted the patrol around the Dogo Fili Forest, a known hideout for suspected criminals in the area.

“During the operation, troops recovered three motorcycles believed to have been abandoned by the criminals on sighting the advancing forces,” the source said.

The recovered items are currently in the custody of the troops for further necessary action.

The development is part of sustained efforts by security agencies to deny criminal elements freedom of movement and dismantle their operational capabilities in Kaduna State.

Troops Recover Three Motorcycles During Manhunt in Kaduna