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Strengthening UK-Nigeria Relations: UKVI Global Director’s Official Visit to Nigeria

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Strengthening UK-Nigeria Relations: UKVI Global Director’s Official Visit to Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The Director of United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI), Mr. Marc Owen was in Nigeria this week for his first official visit to the country in this role.

A statement on Thursday by the Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British High Commission, Onyinye Madu said as one of UK’s largest visa markets, Nigeria remains pivotal to the UKVI’s global operations.

During his visit, Marc Owen engaged with key stakeholders in Abuja and Lagos and reiterated the UKVI’s dedication to fostering strong relationships and ensuring efficient, customer-focused visa services.

In Abuja, he met with Ambassador Asari E. Allotey, Director for Legal, Migration and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he highlighted important UK visa developments including the global eVisa rollout and how to maintain the integrity of the UK’s immigration system.

He also met the Vital Registration and Digitisation Lead at the National Population Commission (NPC), Mr. Makama Taala as well as Dr. Penelope Miremba, Migration Health Officer at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) where he emphasised the benefits to both UK and Nigeria of digitising records such as birth and death certificates and TB test certificates respectively, enhancing how records are stored, transmitted, and verified.

At the British Council office, the UKVI delegation toured the English language test centre, and engaged with a range of student councillors and UK university agents.

In Lagos, he met with stakeholders from the UK Joint Border Task Force (JBTF) and key business leaders. He also visited the newly inaugurated UK Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Ikeja, operated through the UK’s new commercial partner, VFS Global, to engage with teams on service delivery to ensure our services meet the highest standards of convenience and efficiency.

Throughout his time in Nigeria Marc also addressed the challenges posed by visa fraud and fake travel agents and cautioned visa applicants to be vigilant and reiterated the importance of using only official UKVI channels when applying for UK visas. This step is vital to safeguarding applicants and maintaining trust in the visa process. His visit marks a new chapter in UK-Nigeria collaboration, with promises of greater engagement and impactful outcomes.

Strengthening UK-Nigeria Relations: UKVI Global Director’s Official Visit to Nigeria

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Crime

NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

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NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the cocaine consignment consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grammes and buried in the pages of the religious books was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos last Tuesday when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were searching through export cargos going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm.

Babafemi said at another courier company same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America.

In Kano, a 22-year-old alleged supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi – Kano road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with Sellotape.

He was intercepted on Sunday 13th April, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30 kilogrammes.

He said not less than 557.2 kilogrammes of skunk, 5.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 29.8 grammes of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises last Wednesday

Babafemi said the four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46, while a total of 1,100 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from a delivery van with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi arrested in Surulere area of Lagos last Thursday.

In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives last Friday raided the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, where no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam were recovered, and in Kebbi, along Bagudo road on the same day a vehicle loaded with bags of charcoal coming from Malabil, Benin Republic was intercepted, when the vehicle was search, 97 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in the sacks of charcoal was recovered.

. Three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

A 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was nabbed with 11.5 kilogrammes skunk at Abatete, Anambra state while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun state last Tuesday arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of black currant, cannabis and opioids recovered from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital.

Babafemi said two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo state were raided by NDLEA operatives who destroyed 3,717.8625 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5 kilogrammes of processed cannabis.

At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect Basorun Kayode, 40, who has been at large for two years was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107 kilogrammes Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community was arrested by a team of operatives last Monday.

The spokesman said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tin-can commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books

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Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

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Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

A devastating fire broke out at the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 19, 2025, destroying approximately one hundred thatch and makeshift houses.

Eye witnesses said that the fire started at around 1040hrs and rapidly spread across the settlement, burning household items, foodstuffs, and other valuable properties to ashes.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and the value of the property destroyed is still being assessed.

Humanitarian officials were immediately deployed to the scene to maintain crowd control and prevent looting, while firefighters, alongside camp residents, worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames.
Fortunately, no casualties or loss of life were reported.

Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno

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Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

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Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed assailants suspected to be members of ISWAP/Boko Haram attacked and snatched a vehicle in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 18, 2025, at about 1400hrs.

Saleh Haun, a resident of the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, reported that while he was at the Gumnari Bush Area in Monguno, four armed gunmen, riding on two motorcycles, accosted him.

The assailants, at gunpoint, seized his white Toyota Land Cruiser, before fleeing with the vehicle to an unknown location.

A Military Forward Operating Base (FOB) has been alerted, and efforts are underway to to track the assailant and recover the stolen vehicle.

Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno

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