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ECOWAS Parliament Pushes Stronger Public Engagement, Private Sector Role

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ECOWAS Parliament Pushes Stronger Public Engagement, Private Sector Role

By: Michael Mike

The ECOWAS Parliament has called for deeper public engagement, stronger youth participation and greater private sector involvement in regional affairs as part of efforts to strengthen trade and democratic integration across West Africa.

The call came as the regional legislature unveiled a series of year-long initiatives to commemorate its 25th anniversary, with officials stressing that the success of regional integration under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) depends largely on how effectively citizens, entrepreneurs and young people are involved in shaping the bloc’s future.

Speaking during a press conference in Abuja announcing the activities, officials said the silver jubilee celebrations will be driven largely by private sector-led programmes aimed at promoting trade opportunities, entrepreneurship and broader citizen engagement across the region.

According to them, the initiatives are designed to highlight the parliament’s contributions to peacebuilding, democratic governance and economic integration since its establishment while also opening new spaces for dialogue between policymakers, businesses and the public.

They noted that while governments have traditionally driven regional policies, the next phase of West Africa’s integration must actively involve the private sector and civil society to unlock trade opportunities and accelerate development.

The anniversary activities will therefore feature a range of engagements including business forums, youth-focused initiatives, public policy dialogues and media collaborations intended to broaden awareness about ECOWAS programmes and encourage citizens to take greater ownership of the regional project.

Officials emphasised that young people, who form the majority of West Africa’s population, must be placed at the centre of regional economic strategies, particularly in areas such as innovation, digital trade and entrepreneurship.

Delivering a vote of thanks at the event, the Chief Communications Officer of the ECOWAS Parliament, Uchenna Duru-Nwaotule, commended journalists for their role in strengthening democratic accountability and public awareness across the region.

She said the presence of the media at the event underscored their critical role in promoting transparency and fostering citizen participation in regional governance.

“As we mark twenty-five years of the ECOWAS Parliament’s contribution to regional integration and peacebuilding through parliamentary diplomacy, the partnership of the media remains indispensable in ensuring that citizens across West Africa are informed and actively engaged in this milestone celebration,” she said.

Duru-Nwaotule noted that the commemorative initiatives reflect a growing recognition that regional integration cannot be driven solely by governments and institutions.

Rather, she stressed, it requires the active participation of businesses, organised civil society groups and the media working together to advance the shared vision of a prosperous and united West Africa.

She urged journalists to continue amplifying initiatives that promote youth engagement, economic development and inclusive dialogue across the ECOWAS region, adding that the anniversary offers a platform for citizens, entrepreneurs and innovators to contribute meaningfully to the bloc’s integration agenda.

The ECOWAS Parliament, established in 2000, serves as the legislative arm of the regional body and plays a key role in promoting democratic governance, conflict resolution and policy harmonisation among member states.

Officials said the 25th anniversary celebration will not only highlight the institution’s achievements over the past quarter century but will also set the stage for renewed collaboration aimed at advancing the goals of regional prosperity and unity under the ECOWAS long-term development framework.

ECOWAS Parliament Pushes Stronger Public Engagement, Private Sector Role

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Suspected Fulani bandits Kill Vigilante Member in Plateau, Flee as Troops Arrive

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Suspected Fulani bandits Kill Vigilante Member in Plateau, Flee as Troops Arrive

By Zagazola Makama

Suspected kidnappers have killed a 28-year-old member of a vigilante group, identified as Goyok Jamok, at Magi Mbar village in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 10, when troops of Sector 5, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), deployed at Mbar, responded to a report of an attack on the vigilante member.

On arrival at the scene, the troops discovered that Jamok had been shot dead by the suspected kidnappers.

The sources said the assailants abandoned their mission and fled upon sighting the approaching troops.

The victim’s relatives subsequently evacuated his remains for burial.
The sources added that efforts were ongoing to track down and apprehend the fleeing suspects.

Suspected Fulani bandits Kill Vigilante Member in Plateau, Flee as Troops Arrive

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Suspected herders Destroy Large Portion of Cabbage Farm in Plateau

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Suspected herders Destroy Large Portion of Cabbage Farm in Plateau

By Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) have confirmed the destruction of a large portion of a cabbage farm by persons suspected to be herders at Rakum village, Ropp District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident was reported at about 9:45 a.m. on Oct. 10, prompting troops of Sector 4, OPEP, to respond to the scene.

On arrival, the troops confirmed that the perpetrators had used a cutlass to cut down a large portion of the cabbage farm before fleeing the area.

The suspects had escaped before the arrival of the troops.

Efforts are ongoing to track down and apprehend the perpetrators for appropriate action.

The incident adds to concerns over the destruction of agricultural produce and the impact of criminal activities on farmers’ livelihoods in the affected area.

Suspected herders Destroy Large Portion of Cabbage Farm in Plateau

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NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

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NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

…South African Woman Arrested with 32.74kg Cannabis at PH Airport

By: Michael Mike

An 83-year-old woman previously convicted for drug trafficking has been arrested again with methamphetamine and Colorado, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) records major drug seizures across several states, including the arrest of a South African woman with 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis at Port Harcourt airport.

The octogenarian, Uloma Uchechi Sunday, was arrested last Wednesday at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.

The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the octogenarian arrest followed intelligence indicating that she operated a drug joint allegedly patronised by criminal elements terrorising the community.

Sunday had previously been arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence. The agency said they were found with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.

Both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fines and were released.

According to the NDLEA, the older woman subsequently returned to the drug trade and allegedly established a drug joint at her residence.

In a separate operation, operatives of the agency, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, with 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis strain weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.

The suspect, who arrived from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight, allegedly concealed the drugs in two travelling bags. The agency said she admitted to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries and attempting to expand her route to Port Harcourt.

The arrests formed part of a series of interdiction operations in which the NDLEA recovered large consignments of illicit drugs at airports, along highways and in residential locations across Lagos, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau states.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, each reportedly dosed at 250mg, weighing 307.2 kilogrammes.

The shipment, comprising nine cartons from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight, had been placed under surveillance after arriving on September 29. A joint examination last Tuesday uncovered the consignment.

In another operation at the airport, officers recovered 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.9 kilogrammes from six Ghana-Must-Go bags in a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.

The agency said a clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30. Other suspects subsequently arrested were Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver; Adetunji Adebayo; and Kazeem Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader.

Ajibola allegedly disclosed that the drugs had been sent by a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, while Dosunmu reportedly identified another UK-based individual, Yusuf, as the source of his consignment.

In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on October 4, arresting Adama Inuwa, 46, and recovering 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes, alongside 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.

In Edo State, officers intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area last Monday. The vehicle was allegedly conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes.

Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.

Another suspect, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

In Ondo State, operatives traced 21-year-old Happy Endurance to a hideout in the Shasha area of Akure last Monday, recovering 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.

On the same day, another raid at an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, led to the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.

In Taraba State, two suspects, Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, were arrested at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area last Friday, with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each reportedly dosed at 225mg and weighing 107 kilogrammes.

A separate stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road in Kano State on the same day led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32, with 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, operatives patrolling the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.

At Orile, Lagos, another suspect, Musbau Balogun Adekunle, was arrested last Tuesday with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of its seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.

Meanwhile, a raid on the residence of Christian Uju, 45, at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, last Thursday resulted in the recovery of methamphetamine, firearms and ammunition.

The agency said officers seized 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.

Beyond the seizures, the NDLEA said its commands and formations sustained public enlightenment campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative, targeting students, worshippers, workers and communities across the country.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands for what he described as professional and intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with preventive education and public sensitisation.

NDLEA Rearrests 83-Year-Old Woman for Drug Trafficking, Seizes 2.8 Tonnes of Cannabis

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