Fleeing bandits’ drug supplier ‘Gamboli’ arrested in Niger

. As NDLEA Mother and Child over 1,187 kilogrammes skunk seizure in Ondo

By: Michael Mike

Three weeks after escaping arrest at his home in Anguwan Makera, Kuta, Shiroro local government area of Niger state, a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area, 33-year-old Mohammed Sani (alias Gamboli) has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at his hideout.

Spokesman of anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, in a press statement on Sunday said the arrest of Gamboli followed credible intelligence about his illicit drug activities. He said NDLEA operatives had on 20th November 2025 raided his house at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, where they recovered 471.8 kilogrammes of skunk, a strain of cannabis. Though he escaped arrest during the raid and has since been in hiding, the manhunt for him eventually paid off last Thursday when NDLEA officers acting on processed intelligence traced and arrested him at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.

Babafemi said intelligence reports had indicated that Gamboli is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro local government area.

The spokesman said NDLEA officers in Abia last Thursday raided a clandestine codeine syrup-manufacturing factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, in Osisioma local government area of the state. During the operation, operatives recovered a total of 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2 kilogrammes.

In Enugu state, operatives last Thursday arrested Ossai Emeka, 45, along Onitsha – Enugu Ezike road with 7.2 kilogrammes skunk, while Enoje Agada, 40, was nabbed along Enugu-Ezike -Ette road with 94.6 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance.

A raid carried out by NDLEA operatives at a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido in Oyo state last Thursday led to the seizure of 3.4 kilogrammes skunk, 1.6 kilogrammes Colorado, a synthetic cannabis and 400 grammes of methamphetamine. Babafemi said the owner of the drug joint identified as “Idowu the killer” is currently at large while a suspect Ajibade Faruk was nabbed at the joint.

Another operation at Idi Oro, Elekuro, Ibadan last Friday led to the arrest of Olusanya Abosede, 35, and the seizure of 238.4 kilogrammes skunk, while the duo of Bashiru Babalola, 43, and Ogunwale Ranti, 50, were arrested last Wednesday at Gbaji checkpoint, Seme road Badagry, Lagos with 50,000 pills of tramadol 250mg,

NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested two suspects: Akinwale Makanjuola and Joseph Owolabi with 73 kilogrammes skunk at Iperu just as another suspect Wasiu Lateef was nabbed with 25 kilogrammes of same substance at Oke Agbede, Imeko area of the state last Tuesday. In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence last Monday raided a compound in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, where they arrested a 55-year-old woman Veronica Obi and her 29-year-old son Bright Obi, and recovered 1,187 kilogrammes of skunk and its seeds from them.

A suspect Ohiomah Igbafe, 44, was arrested during a raid operation at Uroe community, Owan East local government area of Edo state, where 461 kilogrammes skunk and its seeds were recovered last Tuesday.

In Gombe state, a suspect Muhammed Sani (alias Sha-Mu-Sha), 50, was arrested with 40,000 capsules of tramadol at Tunfure area, Gombe, while two other suspects: Muhammad Abdullahi (a.k.a Sakalala), 52, and Muhammed Hamza (a.k.a Mamman), 32, were nabbed at Ashaka Jalingo, with 56 kilogrammes skunk last Monday.

Babafemi said no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline and bromazepam concealed in containers of local black soap, and designer wears, in six different consignments going to the US, Canada and Sweden were intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives at two major courier companies in Lagos between Tuesday and Wednesday, last week.

At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday intercepted a consignment of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579 kilogrammes during a joint examination of a container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.

He said in like manner, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Niger, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Seme, Ogun, Ondo, Gombe, Apapa and Edo commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency.

Fleeing bandits’ drug supplier ‘Gamboli’ arrested in Niger

NUJ Calls for Collaboration to Realize Affordable House for Journalists

By: Michael Mike

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Congress
has renewed its call for stronger collaboration with government and housing finance institutions to improve access to decent housing for journalists, as stakeholders gathered for the 2025 Housing Industry End-of-Year Dinner and the 17th Africa Housing Awards in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, the NUJ FCT Chairman, Grace Ike praised the organisers for sustaining a platform that brings together policy makers, financiers, housing professionals and the media to address Nigeria’s housing challenges.

Ike, while giving special commendation to the Chief Executive Officer of Housing TV Show, Barrister Festus Adebayo, for his consistent advocacy for affordable housing and his support for journalism through media-focused housing conversations, asked for collaborations to get affordable houses for journalists practicing in Abuja

Ike, who acknowledged the presence of key government officials, including the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Housing from Namibia, and the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria at the award ceremony, described the gathering as a rare convergence of decision-makers capable of translating policy into impact.

She noted that platforms such as Housing TV Show have amplified journalists’ voices on housing issues, while also helping to shape public understanding of affordable housing policies. She described journalists as partners in national development whose work helps strengthen transparency, accountability and social stability.

During the event, NUJ FCT Chairman announced the rebranding of the Union’s internal projects aimed at expanding housing advocacy, media empowerment and strategic partnerships. According to her, the rebranding is designed to position journalists for greater participation in housing initiatives and to attract collaboration from government agencies, financial institutions and private developers.

A major highlight of the address was a renewed appeal to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development to fulfil the promise of a Journalists’ Village, a proposed housing scheme aimed at providing journalists in the FCT with stable and affordable homes.

She said the project would not only improve journalists’ welfare but also strengthen ethical reporting and peace-building by giving media professionals greater personal security.

She expressed optimism that with the support of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, the proposed housing project could become a reality by 2026.

She appealed to journalists to unite behind the initiative and work closely with policy makers and financiers to turn commitments into completed housing units.

The evening ended on a note of optimism, with speakers stressing that collaboration between government, the private sector and the media remains critical to addressing Nigeria’s housing needs and building a more inclusive future.

NUJ Calls for Collaboration to Realize Affordable House for Journalists

UNODC Advocates Inclusion of PWDs in Crime Prevention and Security Strategies

By: Michael Mike

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called for stronger inclusion of persons with disabilities in Nigeria’s crime prevention and security strategies, warning that exclusion weakens national responses to transnational organised crime.

This call was made during a Stakeholder Dialogue on Crime Prevention and Transnational Threats, held at the UN House in Abuja as part of activities marking the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD).

In his opening remarks, the UNODC Deputy Representative, Danilo Campisi emphasized that disability inclusion must move beyond symbolic recognition to become a core component of policy design, data collection, and implementation.

He noted that inclusive governance is a human right and a prerequisite for sustainable development and effective security frameworks.

The dialogue brought together representatives from government ministries, disability-focused institutions, civil society organisations, international partners and the UN system. Participants included officials from the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, disability rights groups, and associations representing persons with hearing and visual impairments.

Campisi highlighted UNODC’s ongoing efforts to promote disability inclusion in Nigeria, including a disability inclusion workshop held in December 2024 for UN staff and national partners, as well as outreach engagements with disability organisations to improve awareness on drugs and crime-related issues.

Addressing the growing threat of transnational organised crime, the Deputy Representative noted that Nigeria continues to face risks from drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, arms smuggling and other illicit activities that undermine national security and social cohesion. However, the impact of these crimes, he said, is not evenly distributed.

Citing data from the UN Disability and Development Report 2024, the UNODC disclosed that about 87 per cent of persons with disabilities in Nigeria live in multidimensional poverty, making them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, recruitment and victimisation by organised criminal networks. Despite this vulnerability, their experiences are often missing from crime prevention policies and national security discussions.

The dialogue was described as a critical step toward closing this gap. Campisi explained that through UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention (GLOTOC), it supports countries in developing inclusive national strategies against organised crime in line with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).

He noted that UNODC has also developed a toolkit to help governments mainstream gender and human rights, including disability inclusion, into crime prevention strategies.

Participants were informed that insights from persons with disabilities and their representative organisations would directly inform Nigeria’s emerging national strategy against organised crime, including its objectives, implementation framework and monitoring mechanisms.

The UNODC Deputy Representative stressed that effective security strategies require listening to those most affected by crime. HE urged policymakers and institutions to ensure that the voices of persons with disabilities are embedded in national responses—not as a formality, but as a necessity for justice and effectiveness.

The UNODC reaffirmed its commitment to disability-inclusive justice and security systems, aligned with the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, Nigeria’s Disability Act of 2018, and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.

On his part, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Hon. Mohammed Abba Isa noted that: “This dialogue could not have come at a more appropriate time. It aligns with the commemoration of the 2025 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, with the theme: “Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” This theme reminds us that true social progress is impossible without deliberately protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring that no one is left behind.”

He charged that: “We must never forget that PWDs are disproportionately affected by organized crime. They already face multiple barriers- physical, attitudinal, cultural, and institutional. Many experience social exclusion, unemployment, and limited financial opportunities. These conditions create vulnerability, making them more likely to be targeted or manipulated by criminal networks.”

He noted that PWDs particularly women, girls and children with special needs are often the worst-affected victims of organized crime and transnational threats, lamenting that their vulnerabilities expose them to exploitation, manipulation, and violence in ways that are deeply troubling.

Stakeholders at the meeting expressed optimism that sustained engagement and inclusive policymaking would strengthen Nigeria’s response to organised crime while protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.

UNODC Advocates Inclusion of PWDs in Crime Prevention and Security Strategies