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Court dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal on unlawful arrest, detention

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Court dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal on unlawful arrest, detention

The Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed the appeal filed by Felix Okonkwo, one of the lawyers to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu over his unlawful arrest and detention by the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) .

Justice Okon Abang dismissed the appeal for want of merit.

Delivering judgment, Justice Abang held that the appellant failed to establish miscarriage of justice in the judgment of a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in the matter.

The appellants comprising of Felix Okonkwo, Ikenna Chibuike and Okafor Ugochukwu had dragged the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS before the high court for the enforcement of their client’s fundamental human rights.

The appellants specifically accused the two security agencies of violating their fundamental rights by their unlawful arrest and detention on September 27, 2021, during which they claimed that they were tortured, harassed and intimidated while in the custody of the Police.

Justice Samaila Bature had, in his judgment delivered on March 24, 2022 found the police liable for the unlawful arrest and detention of the the appellants and subsequently imposed a fine of N2 million against Police to be paid to the appellants.

Justice Bature however did not make any order against the DSS because the appellant, then plaintiffs did not disclose any cause of action against the state services.

Not satisfied with the findings and decisions of the high court, the three plaintiffs had approached the Court of Appeal praying for an order to hold that SSS was also culpable in their arrest and detention.

They claimed that the N2 million imposed on the police as fine, was paltry and ridiculously low and asked the appellate court to jerk up the fine as compensation for their unlawful arrest and detention.

In a unanimous judgment by a three-man panel of the appellate court, Justice Abang held that from the video footage tendered as exhibit by the appellants at the trial court, there was no where the operatives of the SSS were found at the scene of their arrest in the house of Ifeanyi Ejiofor in Anambra state.

He disagreed with the appellants in their claims that the N2 million compensatory damages was grossly insufficient.

According to Abang, the decision to award compensatory damages is at the discretion of a Judge and cannot be dictated by any plaintiff or appellant.

In the instant case, Justice Abang agreed with Justice Bature that perculiar facts and circumstances of the unlawful arrest and detention of the appellants were carefully considered at the trial court before arriving at the amount.

Besides, Justice Abang said that the appellants did not point out irrelevant facts in the judgement of the high court and did not also disclose their status in the society, they did not point out their monthly or yearly income and also did not point out what they lost in the course of their detention.

“In my opinion and going by the perculiar facts and circumstances of this case, the N2 million compensation to the appellants was properly awarded.

“I cannot fault the award because the appellant did not give any good reason for them to have been awarded a much higher amount.

“In the final analysis, the appeals lacks merit and it is accordingly dismissed, the decision of the trial court is hereby affirmed. There is order as to cost”, Justice Abang held.

Justices Joseph Oyewole and Abba Bello Mohammed endorsed the unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Abang.

Court dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s appeal on unlawful arrest, detention

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Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno

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Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have recovered a cache of ammunition during a fighting patrol in Mallam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.

Security sources said the operation was conducted at about 7:30 a.m. on April 18 by troops of 68 Battalion deployed in the area.

The patrol was carried out ahead of the troops’ defensive location toward a suspected withdrawal route used by insurgents following an earlier attack on March 18.

During the operation, troops recovered 166 rounds of PKT linked ammunition and one bandolier.

No contact was made with any terrorist elements during the patrol.

They added that the general security situation across the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, while troops continue to maintain high morale and operational effectiveness.

Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno

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NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others

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NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking networks, intercepting cocaine ingeniously concealed in food flasks and cannabis hidden in snack packs, while arresting multiple suspects including a Lagos-based fashion designer.

The agency in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.8 kilogrammes were uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

Babafemi said the illicit consignment, bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight, was discovered in the false bottoms of food flasks on April 9.

He disclosed that two cargo agents—Ama Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Akorede, 39—were arrested at the point of interception, with subsequent investigations leading to the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Moninuola.

In a related operation a day earlier, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s import shed intercepted 2.9 kilogrammes of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight.

He noted that initial arrests of cargo clearing agents Animashaun Adetunji and Mercy Oluwasegun paved the way for the apprehension of the consignee, Saheed Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, who was later tracked and arrested in Ogba, Lagos.

Beyond the airports, NDLEA operations extended across several states with significant seizures recorded. Along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer transporting 847 kilogrammes of skunk. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, was taken into custody.

In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers and security personnel led to the destruction of 15,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of farmland in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area. A suspect, Alice Udoh, 53, was arrested, while 119 kilogrammes of the substance was recovered.

Similarly, in Edo State, operatives raided a cannabis camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying over 2,281 kilogrammes of the drug and arresting three suspects. Additional arrests were made in Delta State, where over 87 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis seeds were seized.

In Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of 11,900 tramadol capsules and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injections along the Mile 2–Badagry expressway, with the consignment reportedly destined for Ghana. A separate raid on a two-storey building in Lagos Island yielded 95.8 kilogrammes of skunk.

Meanwhile, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, conducting sensitization programmes in schools, religious centres, and communities across states including Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, and Lagos.

Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the balance between aggressive enforcement and preventive education, urging officers to maintain the current momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.

NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others

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Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah

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Honouring a Fallen Shield

Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah

A Tribute to Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah

Issued by the Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers of the Ashlee Momoh Foundation Abuja, Federal Capital Territory

To the family of the late Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah

To the Government and People of Edo State, And to the gallant Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

It is with heavy hearts and profound sorrow that the Ashlee Momoh Foundation joins the nation in mourning the loss of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, who paid the ultimate price following the midnight attack on the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh. His passing, alongside the brave officers and soldiers who fell beside him, leaves a silence that words can scarcely fill.

A Life Defined by Service

General Braimah was more than a soldier. He was a shield for the vulnerable, a steady hand in moments of crisis, and a living testament to the courage that defines the Nigerian spirit. His leadership inspired those under his command, and his devotion to duty protected countless lives he would never meet. To lose a commander of such calibre, together with his courageous troops, is a grief that travels far beyond the frontlines — into the homes, hearts, and hopes of a grateful nation.

To His Family 

We recognise that while the nation mourns a General, you mourn a husband, a father, a son, and the quiet pillar of your home. The cost of service is borne most heavily by those left behind, and no public tribute can ease that private weight. We acknowledge the enormity of your sacrifice. The absence of such a man creates a stillness that only time, faith, and love can gently soften. In this dark hour, please know that you do not grieve alone.

To Edo State and Nigeria

Our nation has lost a strategic mind and a fearless protector. His absence will echo in the ranks of the military and in the hearts of every citizen who has slept soundly because of men like him. His death is a solemn reminder of the ongoing cost of our peace — and of the urgent, continuing duty we all share to honour that price through action, unity, and care for those who stand on the frontlines in our name.

Our Commitment

The Ashlee Momoh Foundation was established on a simple, enduring principle: no hero’s sacrifice should result in the neglect of those they loved. Our mission places military families, widows, and vulnerable communities at the centre of our welfare, advocacy, and humanitarian work. We believe the legacy of men like General Braimah must be honoured not only in the words spoken today, but in tangible support sustained across years — in the education of their children, the dignity of their spouses, and the security of the communities for which they gave everything.We stand for a Nigeria where the blood of our heroes becomes the seed of a more secure and compassionate society. We remain firmly dedicated to strengthening the structures that care for our veterans, their dependents, and the families left in the wake of their service, so that the flame of their sacrifice is never allowed to dim.

A Final Word

May the soul of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, and the souls of the gallant soldiers who fell with him, rest in perfect peace. May the Almighty comfort his family, strengthen his comrades-in-arms, and grant our nation the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss — and the resolve to be worthy of his sacrifice.

With deepest sympathy and abiding respect,The Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers Ashlee Momoh Foundation Restoring Hope, Rebuilding Lives

Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah*

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