NESREA to partner Rwanda in Tackling Plastic Pollution

By: Michael Mike

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has initiated talks with the Rwandan High Commission in Nigeria for partnership in the area of environmental sustainability.

The Director General of NESREA, Dr. Innocent Barikor, who met with the Rwandan High Commission in Abuja on Monday, expressed the Agency’s interest in learning from Rwanda’s expertise and successes in combating plastic pollution.

He said NESREA specifically aims to exchange experiences and inculcate best practices in plastic waste management, leveraging on Rwanda’s notable progress, stressing that, “Nigeria is pushing for the Circular Economy growth and NESREA is at the forefront, likewise the ban on single-use plastics.”

Barikor expressed his admiration for Rwanda’s exemplary commitment to environmental sustainability and innovation, and thanked the Government of Rwanda for their support towards capacity building for staff through study visits, and noted the need for high level collaboration between the two countries on environmental protection and sustainability management.

The Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Christophe Bazivamo noted the daunting challenge of tackling plastic pollution and reiterated the willingness of the government of Rwanda to collaborate with Nigeria.

He said addressing environmental issues is very important for any government as sustainable development is impossible without sound environmental protection considerations.

NESREA to partner Rwanda in Tackling Plastic Pollution

VP SHETTIMA DEPARTS ABUJA FOR DAVOS TO ATTEND 2025 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM MEETING

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent Nigeria at the 2025 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) scheduled for Davos, Switzerland.

The Vice President will join world leaders, top business executives and representatives of development partners at the meeting to discuss the state of the world economy with the view to improving its conditions.

While in Davos, the Vice President will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders as well as participate in workshops and forums slated for the annual gathering.

Among events slated for the VP include, a workshop entitled, “Roadmap to Co-create Investment Opportunities for Africa’s Frontier Markets”, organised by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the World Economic Forum to boost the flow of capital into Africa’s frontier markets, to scale solutions that build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient continent. It is slated for the Congress Centre in Jakobshorn.

Top on the agenda will be an announcement of the Humanitarian and Resilience Investing (HRI) Roadmap for Africa, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), and foster partnerships between public and private sector leaders interested in mobilizing investment in Africa’s frontier markets, among others.

The Vice President will also attend a dinner for heads of state, government and international organizations, as well as Annual Meeting 2025 Crystal Awardees, the International Business Council and Strategic Partners slated for Kurpark Village, Eiger.

Senator Shettima will also co-chair a forum on “Turning Digital Trade into a Catalyst for Growth in Africa” slated for the Pischa Congress Centre.

The session will provide a dynamic platform for forward-thinking dialogue on digital trade and the crucial role of the private sector in advancing the implementation of the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol adopted by the AU heads of state/government in January 2024.

VP Shettima will attend, as a panelist, a Stakeholder Dialogue entitled, “Global Risks 2025”. The Global Risks Report highlights an increasingly volatile global landscape, marked by accelerating geopolitical, technological and environmental challenges. The event is slated for the Aspen 2 Congress Centre in Davos.

The VP who will be accompanied by top government functionaries including Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and Executive Secretary of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Aisha Rimi, will return to Abuja at the end of his engagements in Davos.

VP SHETTIMA DEPARTS ABUJA FOR DAVOS TO ATTEND 2025 WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM MEETING

NDLEA arrests India-bound nursing student over attempt to ingest 76 wraps of cocaine

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted an attempt by 26-year-old Esther Uzodinma, a 200-level student of nursing at the Noida International University, Uttar Pradesh, India, to transport 76 wraps of cocaine to the South Asian country.

Uzodinma had planned to swallow 76 wraps of cocaine hours before her return flight to India through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

The suspect, according to the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, was scheduled to return to Delhi, India from the Kano International Airport on Qatar Airways flight 1432 last Friday but was arrested in her room at 11:30pm on Thursday at Royal Park Hotel Sabon Garin Kano, while awaiting the cocaine consignment she was to ingest before her flight the following morning.

Babafemi said her lid was blown open when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state last Thursday intercepted 31-year-old Cosmas Okorie in a commuter bus coming from Lagos enroute Kano. Inside his black polythene bag was an audio speaker, which was used to conceal the 76 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.340 kilogrammes, which he was going to deliver to Uzodinma in Kano. A swift follow up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the female nursing university student later same day.

In her statement, she claimed the drug cartel she was working for recruited her in India and paid for her trip to Nigeria to enjoy her Christmas and New Year holidays. To avoid her parents knowing she was in Nigeria, Esther did not travel to her home state, Imo but was lodged for two weeks in a hotel in Enugu, from where she was flown to Abuja and then Kano where she was lodged at Royal Park Hotel to swallow the 76 pellets of cocaine sent to her from Lagos before taking her Qatar Airways flight to India on Friday morning.

She said she was promised over $5,000 upon successful delivery of the illicit consignment in India.

In other operations along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, NDLEA officers arrested four suspects: Abdullahi Umar; Tijjani Samaila; Lucky Obotte and Abubakar Haruna, who were heading to Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, Kano, and Abuja in commuter vehicles with over 38,000 pills of tramadol 225mg, 250mg and 100mg concealed in audio speakers and cloths.

In Lagos, operatives of a special operations unit of the agency last Tuesday raided the hideout of a 59-year-old Nwokedi Jonas in Ojodu-Berger area of the state where they recovered 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 4.9 kilogrammes as well as different paper bags he uses in dispensing the psychoactive substance in retail quantities. Printed on them include street names and codes such as ‘Dead man’; ‘Gelato top shelf smoke’; ‘Topshelf’; and ‘Gelato cake’

In other operations in Lagos, operatives of the state command of the agency last Wednesday raided a house in Igando New Town area of Alimosho where they arrested three suspects: Isaac Vincent, 32; Ebube Ikechi, 25; and Christopher Usifoh, 43, from whom 1,610 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis and 6 kilogrammes pills of tramadol were recovered. Also recovered from the house were a delivery van and three other vehicles used for distributing the illicit drugs.

Babafemi said two suspects: Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim were arrested on Saturday when NDLEA officers raided their home at 5A Addison Palmer, Cadogan Estate, Castle Rock Avenue, Osapa, Lekki Lagos, where 28 kilogrammes of Cannadian Loud were recovered following credible intelligence.

Not less than 67 kilogrammes skunk was seized from Saheed Sulaiman last Thursday when NDLEA operatives raided his Edumare street, Lagos Island hideout, while various quantities of assorted illicit substances were recovered from Adamu Abdullahi last Tuesday when Jerry Irabi Estate, Lekki hideout was raided by NDLEA officers. They include 3.7 litres of codeine syrup; 10,000 pills of tramadol; 1,670 tablets of rohypnol; 6.5 kilogrammes cannabis; 3,100 tablets of diazepam; 10,090 tablets of Molly; 5,500 tabs of Exol-5; 1.2 kilogrammes crisps of wrapped methamphetamine and a monetary exhibit of ₦623,650.00.

In Kano, two suspects: Usama Adamu, 25, and Isah Ibrahim, 29, were last Friday
arrested at Dawanau, Dawakin in Tofa local government area where a total of 7.6 kilogrammes skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution and 356 bottles of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them. In another raid in Kano, Usman Isa, 29, was nabbed along Zaria road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8 kilogrammes.

Three suspects: Lawali Isiaka, Umoru Isiaka and Mohammed Kabiru were last Wednesday arrested by NDLEA operatives with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5 kilogrammes of cannabis at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, while Samuel Ogbu, 24, was nabbed with 25,000 pills of tramadol by operatives along Wukari- Zaki Ibiam road, Wukari local government area of Taraba state.

In series of raids in Abuja, a suspect, Rufa’i Hashimu, 27, was arrested at Gwarimpa village area of the FCT with 118 bottles of codeine-based syrup, while 13 others were nabbed in other locations such as: Area 1 IDP camp, Gishiri, Zuba, Dei -Dei, AYA, Lagos Street Garki, Karu, and Lugbe. Recovered from them include different quantities of tramadol, diazepam, and methamphetamine.

With the same vigour, 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 the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while urging his officers not to rest on their oars as they intensify their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

NDLEA arrests India-bound nursing student over attempt to ingest 76 wraps of cocaine