Serving police officer, others arrested with firearm, hard drugs in Nassarawa

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a serving police constable and two other suspects for alleged possession of a firearm and hard drugs during a raid on black spots in Keffi.

According to a police sources, the arrest was made at about 7:00 p.m. on June 18, during a coordinated operation by the Surveillance Patrol Team targeting criminal hideouts in the area.

“The team intercepted three men riding a TVS motorcycle without registration number. Upon conducting a search, one locally made pistol, two live cartridges, and substances suspected to be hard drugs, specifically ice, were recovered,” said the sources.

He identified the suspects as John Emmanuel, attached to 21 Police Mobile Force (PMF) Nyanya, FCT; Jonathan Ezekiel, of Anguwan Zakara, Keffi; and Mohammed Adamu.

Sources said preliminary investigations suggest a possible case of criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of a firearm.

The sources added that the suspects would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Serving police officer, others arrested with firearm, hard drugs in Nassarawa

UK Reaffirms Commitment to Nigeria with 99% Duty-Free Access Under DCTS

By: Michael Mike

The United Kingdom (UK) has confirmed that Nigeria will continue to enjoy duty-free access on 99% of total goods exported to the UK market under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

The DCTS is part of the UK’s strategy to support growing economies like Nigeria by reducing tariffs on thousands of goods, simplifying export rules for Nigerian businesses and making it easier to qualify for trade benefits. The scheme lowers import cost for UK businesses and offers consumers a wider range of affordable products.

Since its launch in June 2023, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme allows Nigeria and 36 other African countries to export over 3,000 products duty-free or at reduced tariffs to the UK, supporting Nigerian businesses to grow and become more competitive on the global stage.

Through the DCTS, Nigerian exporters can sell key goods like cocoa, yam, tomatoes, plantain, shrimp, and other agricultural products to the UK at reduced tariffs. The scheme also supports processed and value-added products like cocoa paste and cocoa butter, sesame and Palm oil, cashew nuts, cotton clothing, and cocoa paste, helping Nigeria move beyond raw materials exports.

Commenting on the DCTS, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, said: “As one of the UK’s most important partners in Africa, Nigeria stands at the heart of the UK’s global trade ambitions, and we want to strengthen the trade ties between our two great nations and unlock the power of sustainable and transformative growth in Nigeria and across emerging economies.

“A major advantage of the UK’s developing countries trading scheme is the reduction or complete elimination of duty-tariffs on everyday goods such as cashew nuts, cocoa, cotton, plantain, tomatoes, prawns, and sesame. This isn’t just about improved access into the UK market, it’s about building a fairer, freer global trading system that supports economic growth and job creation, both in developing countries and in the UK.”

Speaking further, Dr Montgomery added: “Through the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) we are continuing to work alongside the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) to tackle export challenges and ensure the DCTS is fully leveraged by Nigerian businesses to improve trade growth between our two countries.”
This trade framework is part of a wider UK effort to build strong economic ties across the world, with recent trade agreements also signed with major economies like India and the United States.

UK Reaffirms Commitment to Nigeria with 99% Duty-Free Access Under DCTS

Benue Killings: NSCDC Boss Directs Upscale of Intelligence Gathering

By: Michael Mike

The Commandant General (CG), of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi has condemned the gruesome massacre of unarmed civilians and charged his operatives on the need to upscale and expand their Intelligence gathering network to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

The CG made this statement during a scheduled visit to Benue state for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation alongside other security chiefs.

He commiserated with the Governor and people of Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area who lost their loved ones in the attack and assured that the Corps is working closely with other security agencies to put a stop to this barbaric act.

He decried the mindless killing of armless women and children in the unfortunate incident that erupted recently, noting that there was no justification whatsoever for the gruesome murder of innocent citizens.

The NSCDC boss, therefore gave a marching order to the Zonal Commander and the State Commandant to effectively deploy covert operatives, special forces and all tactical units to every nooks and crannies of the state while at the same time collaborating with other stakeholders to enhance a well coordinated operations for a renewed onslaught against the evil perpetrators.

“These killings must stop, and we must be very strategic, decisive, and resilient in our approach to restoration of peace and order in the State.

“All hands must be on deck. There must be maximum deployment of all special forces, counter terrorism unit, and intelligence operatives for
for both covert and overt operations.

“Just as Mr. President has directed, the perpetrators of this heinous crime must be brought to book, and we need to be on top of our game to make this happen,” the CG stated.

Dr Audi further assured that the High Command of the NSCDC would deploy more tactical operatives and logistics to support the Benue Command in boosting their operation for a more effective security coverage and promised to work closely with the Military, DSS, the Nigeria Police, the Indigenous Security apparatus and the critical stakeholders within the Communities to gather credible information that would lead to the arrests of those who carried out this dastardly act.

Audi thanked the Executive Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Dr Hyacinth Lornem Alia for the support to the State Command and reaffirmed his commitment to the restoration of peace, order and the safeguarding of all Critical National Assets and Infrastructure as well as the good people of the state.

Benue Killings: NSCDC Boss Directs Upscale of Intelligence Gathering