News
NDLEA Relocates to New Headquarters in Abuja
NDLEA Relocates to New Headquarters in Abuja
By: Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has relocated its headquarters to its new facility, which is being developed in phases in Jahi area of Abuja.
A statement by the spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi said the facility, which is the first phase of the national headquarters project expected to be completed with the 2025 budgetary provisions, was officially unveiled during an interdenominational service within the complex on Wednesday.
Speaking during the brief ceremony, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) said the development represents a phase in the transformation and recalibration of NDLEA into a modern and result-oriented anti-narcotic agency, a process that began in January 2021.
He said: “I’m glad we have finally moved in to occupy this facility after initial budgetary constraints. Even though this is the first phase of the new headquarters project, we are hopeful that we will be able to complete the process with next year budget. This is not 100% completed but it is sufficiently functional for us to move in because I was determined to move in before the end of 2024 because with the expansion of the Agency the headquarters also expanded, and in our old location we could not accommodate everyone. I have had to post out scores of officers due to lack of space for them to work.
“It was for this reason that the management took a unanimous decision that since it is not 100% ready and we need it, we should make it a low-key inauguration ceremony. This will enable us relocate some of our directorates still operating outside Abuja into one facility to consolidate our operations for efficiency, effectiveness and seamless coordination”, Marwa stated.
He disclosed that the old head office in Gimbiya, Garki area of the FCT will continue to serve as the headquarters annex, the NDLEA boss expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support and encouragement to the Agency to be in a position to achieve its mandate of curbing substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country.
He said: “The support we are getting from our international partners and local stakeholders especially President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Judiciary and the citizenry, is not just to appreciate our efforts but to encourage us to do more and I believe this new work environment will motivate you to surpass past feats.”
He commended his predecessor for starting the process of getting a befitting headquarters for the agency.
In his welcome remark, Secretary to the agency, Shadrach Haruna, commended Marwa for providing inspiring leadership that has in three years transformed NDLEA into the same class with its counterparts across the world in terms of professionalism, capability and capacity.
He said: “The commissioning of our headquarters today is part of the incremental but well-laid agenda for the repositioning of the Agency by the chairman. We have witnessed some monumental achievements since 2021, including increasing the staff strength of the Agency from 5,000 to 15,000. Promotion of officers, opening up of vacancies, payment of accumulated allowances to staff and widows of our fallen officers, the recent amendment of the ange enabling law by the National Assembly, and many more.
Christian and Islamic prayers were offered for President Tinubu and Nigeria while a commemorative plaque was unveiled to mark the event.
NDLEA Relocates to New Headquarters in Abuja
11 kidnapped Benue Links passengers rescued in Okpokwu
By: Zagazola Makama
Eleven passengers abducted from a Benue Links commercial bus have been safely rescued in a forest near Ondo village in Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State.
Zagazola Makama recalls that the passengers were kidnapped on June 22 while travelling along the Otukpo–Enugu highway in a Benue Links Hummer bus.
Security sources reliably confirmed that the victims were freed on June 29 following sustained search operations by the security forced supported by local vigilance groups and the Benue State Civil Protection Guard.
Credible intelligence reportedly indicated that the kidnappers were moving the captives through a bush path around Ondo village in Ugbokolo. In response, the rescue teams swiftly mobilised and launched a coordinated search operation in the area.
After several hours of intense combing of the forest, the victims were found alive and safely evacuated to Ugbokolo town, where they were provided immediate care.
The rescued individuals were identified as Bam Joseph, Doom Terhile, Uju Mercy, Ashika Linda, Atule Ladi, Undia Iveren, Terfa Kwshdoo, Akume Hembadoon, Ikpeen Msendoo, Mlumun Hurt, and Philip Igbuan.
One of the victims, Philip Igbuan, suffered a deep machete wound to the head inflicted by the kidnappers and was immediately taken to the General Hospital in Ugbokolo for medical treatment.
The freed passengers have since been debriefed by the Police and Benue Links has arranged transportation to help them reach their original destinations and reunite with their families.
According to accounts from the victims, their abductors were heavily armed and are suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
11 kidnapped Benue Links passengers rescued in Okpokwu
Four police officers killed in ambush by suspected herdsmen in Benue
By: Zagazola Makama
Atleast four mobile police officers attached to the 12 Police Mobile Force (PMF) unit were killed following an ambush by suspected armed herdsmen in Udei village, Guma Local Government Area.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the officers were on special duty when they came under heavy fire on June 29 while responding to a distress call.
The sources said that the officers were alerted around 2:00 p.m. that a large group of armed men, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, were advancing toward Udei village with a herd of cattle.
“The attackers had approached the vicinity of the primary school in Udei, which serves as a base for the deployed PMF 12 personnel. As the officers moved to intercept them, they were ambushed and attacked with heavy gunfire,” the report stated.
Four officers tragically lost their lives in the attack, and their service weapons were reportedly carted away by the assailants. The deceased officers were identified as: Insp. Samuel Bisalla, Insp. Emmanuel Bitrus, Insp. John Sunday and Insp. Kenneth Gabriel
Two other personnel, ASP Jacob Elisha and Insp. Zakari Bangajiya sustained injuries and was rushed to Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, for medical attention. They are said to be responding to treatment after suffering from exhaustion and shock.
The corpses of the fallen officers have been deposited at the hospital morgue for preservation and medical examination.
In response to the attack, special tactical units and a reinforced team equipped with an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) have been deployed to Udei and the Daudu Divisional Headquarters to forestall further incidents and restore calm in the area.
Four police officers killed in ambush by suspected herdsmen in Benue
Breaking: Squatters Kill Famous KADVIS Local Commander in Kaduna
By Zagazola Makama
Squatters of a grazing forest by a large community of herders in Kaduna State on Sunday afternoon killed one of the Commanders of Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVIS).
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred in Yardoka Grazing Reserve in Kubau Local Government Area, located in Northern Kaduna Senatorial District.
The slain Commander, identified as Saleh Shuaibu, popularly known as Saleh Fiya-Fiya, who is the KADVIS Commander in Kubau Local Government, was killed when officials of the Kaduna State Government visited the area to carry out a government directive in a grazing reserve located at the said Yardoka forest.
The directive, according to a source in Anchau, the headquarters of the local council, was to allocate over 200 hectares of land to a certain company for investment purposes, a move the squatters are resisting due to lack of payment of compensation, while another source said the squatters have been paid but are still demanding more money.
Another source explained that the government officials arrived in the company of armed policemen along with personnel of the Department of State Services but were barricaded from accessing the reserve.
It was while the impasse was going on that the slain KADVIS alighted from a van and was intervening with the irate community members armed with cutlasses and sticks, while one of the protesters stabbed him with a knife and killed him on the spot. A claim Zagazola Makama is yet to confirm.
Breaking: Squatters Kill Famous KADVIS Local Commander in Kaduna
11 kidnapped Benue Links passengers rescued in Okpokwu
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Four police officers killed in ambush by suspected herdsmen in Benue
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