Crime
NDLEA Opens 24/7 Call Centre to Assist People with Drug Related Issues
NDLEA Opens 24/7 Call Centre to Assist People with Drug Related Issues
By: Michael Mike
Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has commissioned a modern 24/7 call centre set up to attend to Nigerians from all parts of the country with needs on drug related issues.
Speaking at the commissioning, Marwa said that drug users and addicts no longer have excuse not to seek treatment with the commissioning of the modern 24/7 call centre set up to attend to Nigerians from all parts of the country.
The NDLEA call centre with toll free helpline is manned by professionals and experts in counselling, psychotherapy, psychology and psychiatry among others.
According to Marwa, “the provision of this toll-free helpline is a milestone in our resolve to broaden access to quality health care for drug users in the country. This has become a necessity and a strategic intervention in our determined effort to bring under control the increasing cases of drug use disorder and related health concerns.”
He said though the country has treatment centres, while NDLEA has 26 treatment facilities across its commands, they are nevertheless grossly inadequate in the face of statistics of drug users and those suffering from drug use disorder
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He said: “NDLEA recognised the importance of providing a safety bubble for users who ordinarily cannot access the conventional treatment services at established rehabilitation centres due to poverty, social stigma and the resultant discrimination attached to being an identified drug user in society, among other factors. Therefore, the inevitability and the utility of a toll-free helpline that guarantees anonymity, confidentiality and safety, as a motivation for those in need of health help to freely seek such.”
He noted that: “The NDLEA Call Centre is manned by a team of licensed and credible clinical psychologists, counsellors, support workers and mental health professionals who would provide the needed support in aiding recovery, managing social and emotional problems, improving quality of life and enhancing performance and productivity of the users of the service. With its state-of-the-art equipment and its team of highly trained professionals in substance abuse disorder, this centre offers a teletherapy service according to global best practices.”
He disclosed that: “The benefit of the Call Centre is manifolds. Aside from helping us in providing telephone-based psychosocial support and addiction services in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), it will at the same time provide us with information that will deepen our understanding of the country’s dynamics of drug use and potentially put us ahead of the game.”
He said: “To those in need of help, we open a new chapter today, whereby help is just a phone call away. We have simplified the helpline service by making it language-sensitive whereby callers have the choice of language including English, Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. And very importantly, the helpline is open 24/7. A call to the helpline, 0800 1020 3040, elicits a prompt response from professionals, regardless of the time or geographic location.
“The calls open the door to engagements with counsellors, followed by service orientation that leads to case management, at which point the engagement moves from telephone assessment to follow-up therapy sessions and referral. This seamless process ends in Resolution and Aftercare Follow-Up. Given the simplicity of the process, there is no valid excuse for not accessing treatment by drug users and their concerned families. We expect those concerned to take advantage of this opportunity.”
In their remarks at the event, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the federation, Muhammed Abubakar; UNODC country representative, Oliver Stolpe and European Union delegation representative, Eleni Zerzerlidou commended the NDLEA for the initiative, while calling for its expansion and sustenance.
The Chief Executive of the company managing the centre, Primly Services Ltd, Dr. Vincent Udenze commended Marwa for providing the leadership that made the initiative a reality.
NDLEA Opens 24/7 Call Centre to Assist People with Drug Related Issues
Crime
EFCC Condemns False Narratives on Loss of Officer
EFCC Condemns False Narratives on Loss of Officer
By: Dele Oyewale
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, expresses grief on the loss of one of its officers, Assistant Superintendent of the EFCC, ASE II Aminu Sahabi Salisu who was killed in cold blood while on a legitimate duty on January 17, 2025 by a suspected internet fraudster, Joshua Chukwubueze Ikechukwu.
Additionally, the Commission views with great concern the irresponsible, callous, inhuman and outrageous narratives being circulated on social media on the whys and wherefores of the fatal accident. It is heinous to reduce the death of a gallant officer who was carrying out patriotic and official duties to social media razzmatazz.
More worrisome is the fact that some faceless commentators are pitching their tents with an alleged criminal who unleashed terror on officers of the EFCC in their line of duty. There is no justification whatsoever to rationalise a murderous act. The milk of human kindness demands that a grieving family, Commission and nation should be spared the shenanigans of false narratives and conjectures on the death of the slain officer.
Salisu, alongside other investigators of the EFCC, were at Dr. J.O. Ukwutinife Close, Ifite, Awka, Anambra State, to arrest some suspected internet fraudsters in the early hours of January 17. The operation was duly documented at the Anambra State Command Headquarters and Area Command of the Nigeria Police in line with operational protocols.
The operation was initially smooth sailing with 37 suspected internet fraudsters already arrested at a two-storey building housing Ikechukwu and other occupants of the house.
However, Ikechukwu, who sighted the investigators through a CCTV Camera mounted at his doorpost and who also confessed sighting them, declined to open his door for the investigators who politely demanded entrance to his apartment. Defying all the introduction and physical sighting of the investigators, he resorted to firing shots at them and killed Salisu in the process and wounded another officer detailed to conduct a search in his apartment.
Preliminary investigations showed that Ikechukwu was involved in coding and online medical supplies of doubtful legitimacy. Two laptops, ipads, several recording devices were recovered from his apartment and his involvement in internet fraud is already established. Though currently in police custody owing to the murderous dimension of his case, the Commission will surely bring him to trial.
The EFCC also wishes to alert the public that the activities of internet fraudsters are becoming patently hazardous to public safety and security. Intelligence has shown that these criminals are carrying arms, involved in kidnapping, banditry, ritual killings and other deadly acts. The public should not fold its arms or allow itself to be deceived that they are mere “Yahoo boys and girls”.
As for the EFCC, every subsequent attack on any of its officers will be met with the force of the law. The Commission will not fold its arms and allow any of its officers to be killed again in cold blood. As a law enforcement agency of repute, the EFCC is unrelenting in riding the nation of internet fraud and other acts of corruption.
While mourning the loss of its officer who paid the supreme price in the service of the nation, the Commission appreciates the invaluable support, condolences and prompt response of sister agencies and well-meaning individuals standing shoulder to shoulder with it at this trying time.
EFCC Condemns False Narratives on Loss of Officer
Crime
Soldier Arrested at Borno Express Terminal with Ammunition
Soldier Arrested at Borno Express Terminal with Ammunition
By: Zagazola Makama
A soldier identified as Nathaniel Jeremiah, has been arrested by personnel of the 7 Division at the Borno Express Terminal Park in Maiduguri for illegal possession of ammunition.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that Jeremiah, who was on welfare pass and en route to Adamawa State, was apprehended while attempting to board a vehicle at the terminal.
During the routine search, security operatives discovered 89 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in his personal bag.
The soldier was immediately taken into custody for interrogation, and the recovered ammunition has been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation.
Soldier Arrested at Borno Express Terminal with Ammunition
Crime
Two Notorious Bandits Kachalla Idi Mai Randa and Ya’u Killed rival clashes in Zamfara
Two Notorious Bandits Kachalla Idi Mai Randa and Ya’u Killed rival clashes in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
In another blow to banditry in Zamfara State, two notorious bandits, Kachalla Idi Mai Randa and Ya’u, have been killed in separate encounters with rival bandit faction of Dogo Geide.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Malama that Kachalla Idi Mai Randa, a known bandit leader responsible for multiple attacks in the region, was killed in an ambush laid by rival bandit Dogo Geide on Sunday evening.
The attack occurred following a series of violent confrontations between the two factions. Idi Mai Randa had previously led an attack that resulted in the killing of Gide’s boy, prompting him to vow revenge.
Idi Mai Randa’s death comes days after the killing of Ya’u, another notorious bandit who had been previously captured in Tsafe Local Government Area.
Ya’u, a close ally of Idi Mai Randa, had been implicated in numerous attacks and was believed to be in possession of significant weaponry. Although Idi Mai Randa denied any involvement with Ya’u’s weaponry, it is now confirmed that both he and Ya’u have met their Waterloo, with the story of their deaths reported from their emclave early today.
The troops of Operation Fansan Yanma in collaboration with it Air Component as well as federal security forces, continue to make significant strides in dismantling bandit in their hideouts in the region.
The joint effort has already resulted in the deaths of several high profile bandit leaders and the capture of important assets.
Two Notorious Bandits Kachalla Idi Mai Randa and Ya’u Killed rival clashes in Zamfara
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