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Marwa Explains Why Assets of Barons, Traffickers Are Targeted in Ongoing Drug War

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Marwa Explains Why Assets of Barons, Traffickers Are Targeted in Ongoing Drug War

By: Michael Mike

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) has justified the decision of the anti-narcotics body to go after the assets of drug barons and traffickers as part of ongoing offensive action against illicit drugs.

Marwa, explained the reason the action to go after assets of drug barons was taken at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday to kick off a week-long activities to celebrate the 2024 International Day Against Drugs and Illicit Trafficking, which NDLEA organized in conjunction with other stakeholders like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Marwa said: “Permit me to share with you that our offensive action against drug cartels and traffickers, launched in January 2021, has to date continued to yield the desired result with the arrests and prosecutions of several barons. As you are all aware, two serial traffickers got life imprisonment in court in April. Our prosecution efforts have continued to achieve successes in courts given the painstaking investigations and diligence in the prosecution of cases. Our water tight case preparations are unassailable. This has been further strengthened with our forfeiture regime with the passage of Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA 2022).

“Apart from conviction, the assets of the convicts used as instrumentality of the crime or the proceeds derived from the crime would be forfeited to the federal government. Indeed, a civil action in rem could be maintained against assets reasonably suspected to be proceeds of crime in which case the burden of proving the licit origin of the asset would be on the defendant who claims ownership of the asset. This diligent and painstaking preparation of investigations and prosecutions explains the success of the high conviction rate.”

Marwa who was represented by the agency secretary, Mr. Shadrach Haruna on the drug demand reduction efforts of the NDLEA, said the flagship programme, war against drug abuse (WADA) built on ‘the whole of society approach’ to preventive action against drug abuse has been a tremendous success as an effective tool of advocacy for social action and an awareness-driven vehicle for public engagement and collaboration against illicit trafficking and abuse, which he said aligns with the theme for the 2024 world drug day, WDD.

He explained that the world drug day, observed on June 26 every year, “is an important day for the global community, and an occasion during which current efforts against illicit drug problems are given policy direction for the next 12 months.”

He added that the theme for this year: “The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention”, emphasises the importance of preventing people from falling into the danger of experimenting with illicit drugs and subsequently falling into the trap of dependence on psychoactive substances.

He noted that: “Prevention is an important aspect of the effort to curb the menace of abuse of illicit drugs in society. At NDLEA, prevention, as ably anchored in our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), social advocacy programme is a priority area for us. Within our modest means and with the support of the Federal Government and our various stakeholders, we have invested in prevention by various means over the past three years as part of the reforms being undertaken in the agency.”

He gave the breakdown of the weeklong activities to include: Juma’at Service at the National Mosque in Abuja on Friday, Walk Against Drugs in collaboration with MTN and other stakeholders on Saturday, Thanksgiving Church Service at the National Christian Centre on Sunday, among others.

He expressed gratitude to the federal and state governments for the support given to the agency in various ways in the onslaught against drug traffickers.

He said: “The UNODC has been a strong support for us as well as our foreign partners, including the US-Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the British Border Force, National Crime Agency (NCA) of United Kingdom, as well as our stakeholders like Nigerian Armed Forces, the Customs, Police, Immigration, NAFDAC, NFIU, NACA, FRSC and Civil Defence, among others. And importantly, our media friends. That you are here today is a testament to the support you have given to us these past three years. I cannot help but thank you and the media you represent.”

In his remarks, UNODC Country Deputy Representative, Mr. Danilo Campisi on his part, called on government at all levels and other stakeholders in Nigeria to invest in drug use preventive measures to avoid a 40% rise in the population of drug users in the country especially the youth population.
According to him, “projections show that by 2030, there will be a 40% increase in the use of drugs in Africa, based on the population of young people. This is extremely concerning, if we consider that 2030 is only six years away.

He said: “We are all familiar with the saying: “prevention is better than cure” and considering the data and projections, it has become even more critical for Nigeria to invest heavily in drug use preventive measures. I do not think it would be an exaggeration to describe this as a national emergency. If the country is to take on the challenge of this projected increase in drug use, it is imperative that it adopts scientific evidence-based approaches that prioritise prevention and treatment.”

He said UNODC has worked with the “Government of Nigeria to adapt and implement evidence-based prevention measures which include the highly successful UNPLUGGED, a school-based Drug Prevention Programme implemented together with the Federal Ministry of Education, in 110 Unity Schools and in a few states in the country, notably Kebbi, Bayelsa and recently, Kaduna, on the initiative of the State Governments in these States.”

Marwa Explains Why Assets of Barons, Traffickers Are Targeted in Ongoing Drug War

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Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

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Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

The Forum of House of Representatives Aspirants of Numan /Demsa/Lamurde Federal Constituency under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa has protested what it described as imposition of candidates in the just concluded primary elections in the state.

Speaking during the peaceful protest in Numan Local Government Area, Adamawa, Vrati Nzonzo, the spokesperson of the Forum said, the committee responsible for the conduct of the exercise and the party officials failed to abide by the rules of the game.

Nzonzo said the rules for electing candidates were through consensus or direct primaries but stressed that none of the rules were observed.

According to him, with what happened, their mandate was stolen and given to someone who did not deserve the candidacy.

“The election was supposed to be Consensus or Direct primaries but we opposed the consensus and there were no direct primaries across the Constituency”, he said.

PNzonzo called on the National Chairman APC and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to ensure justice and fairness for the victory of the party else they threatened that they won’t vote for the party at the general elections.

Justina Nkon another aspirant also condemned the conduct of the primary election across the constituency.

According to her, the electorate were at the venue of the primaries from 8:00a.m and no officials showed up until 2:00 p.m and later on they said they had conducted the election without seeing any election materials.

She urged Fintiri to live up to the promise he made at the time of his campaign that he would not betray the people in the state.

“It’s now under your watch as the leader of the party we are witnessing the undemocratic process of primary elections by enforcing candidates who have not been elected by the people in the Constituency”, she said.

According to her, the so-called primary elections are unconstitutional, hence the need to conduct a free, fair and credible primary elections.

Usoko ken-Supule, another aspirant, demanded justice and fairness for every aspirant and for the progress of the party in the constituency, state and the country at large.
“We want justice for the progress of the party and without fairness there is no progress, therefore we are respectful party loyalists.

“We are not happy in view of what happened and we are disappointed; we are calling on the party leadership and the state governor to consider the plight of the masses”, he said.

Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa

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Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

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Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has assured displaced communities affected by insecurity that the government is working closely with the Nigerian military hierarchy to provide immediate humanitarian and long-term support.

Governor Zulum gave the assurance when he visited displaced persons in Monguno town on Sunday, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to ensuring dignified resettlement back to their ancestral communities.

While at the IDP camp, the governor interacted directly with displaced families as women, children and elderly residents gathered around him while he listened to their concerns.

“We have examined the situation critically alongside the hierarchy of the Nigerian military, and it has been concluded that we shall provide immediate humanitarian support to these displaced communities, especially in the areas of water, shelter, and sanitation,” Zulum stated.

“Apart from this, we shall also ensure that medium and longer-term sustainable solutions are being adopted, which is acceptable to this community and their ancestral home,” he said.

“We will improve the living conditions of the displaced persons; we will not allow our citizens to endure such hardship without urgent government intervention.”

He also urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements and activities within their communities, noting that sustaining peace and security requires collective responsibility.

“Security is everybody’s business. Communities must continue to support security agencies with timely and useful information,” the governor stated.

Governor Zulum disclosed that there are over 50,000 returnees in Marte, stressing that plans were underway to facilitate the return of more displaced persons to the town as part of the medium and longer-term solution.

He immediately directed the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioner for Local Government, the Commissioner for Internal Security, and the Chairman of Marte Local Government Area to work out the modalities for implementing the recommendations adopted.

The governor sympathized with the people affected by the recent insecurity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting them.

As part of the visit, Governor Zulum also met with health workers at the Monguno Eye Hospital, commending them for continuing to provide medical services despite difficult working conditions and limited resources. He announced financial support to improve their welfare and encourage greater commitment to healthcare delivery in the area.

The governor also visited the Commanding Officer of Forward Operation Base (FOB) Mairari for a security brief.

Governor Zulum was accompanied by the Senator representing Borno North, Senator Mohanmed Tahir Monguno; Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, Member Representing Marte, Monguno, Nganzai, Hon. Bukar Talba, Secretary to the state government, Bukar Tijani, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon. Sugun Mai Mele, alongside other government officials.

Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno

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Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

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Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of 103 Battalion operating under the Joint Task Force South-South Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) have discovered an illegal refining site in the Orashi National Forest in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Military sources said the operation was conducted between 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on May 15, 2026, as part of ongoing anti-illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.

According to the sources, troops uncovered an illegal refining site containing one large drum oven, one reservoir, one large coolant, two receivers, two waste pits, and two galvanised pipes measuring about 50 metres each.

The site was suspected to have been used for the illegal processing of stolen crude oil and petroleum products.

The sources said the discovered items were handled in accordance with operational directives of Operation Delta Safe.

Security authorities reiterated their commitment to sustaining operations against crude oil theft, illegal refining activities and economic sabotage across the Niger Delta region.

Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest

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