News
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
By: Michael Mike
Two young social media influencers living with HIV with the support of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) are on their way to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Summit of the Future in New York to urge world leaders to partner with them in the response to HIV.
The two, Ibanomonde Ngema from South Africa and Jerop Lima from Kenya, according to a statement on Thursday by UNAIDS, will call on leaders to invest in youth-friendly health systems, provide holistic services for young people living with HIV, and to partner with young people and communities, allowing them to lead in the response to HIV.
Executive Director of UNAIDS. Winnie Byanyima said: “Young people’s powerful and vibrant activism has driven so much of the progress made in the HIV response,” adding that: “They know what works for them. It is essential for leaders to listen to them to understand the specific challenges that young people face and how those challenges can be overcome. Leaders can only successfully plan how to end AIDS and sustain the advances made by partnering with young people living with HIV.”
The young Kenyan HIV activist. Jerop Limo, said: “I am representing not only the voices of 1.5 million Kenyans living with HIV but all people living with HIV,” adding that: “I want leaders to leave New York knowing that we are not beneficiaries, we are equal rights holders. We have a voice, we have skills and expertise and we need an equal playing field where our data is valued, where our input is valued and where our voices are heard. We want meaningful and ethical engagement of adolescents and young people in all spaces of the AIDS response.”
According to the statement, young people, especially adolescent girls and young women, are disproportionately affected by HIV. Globally, 44% of all new HIV infections were among women and girls (all ages) in 2023 and every week 4000 young women and girls around the world are infected with HIV—3100 are in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2023, some 3.1 million adolescents and young people (15-24 yrs) were living with HIV—1.9 million were adolescent girls and young women.
Ibanomonde Ngema, a young South African AIDS activist, said: “Governments meeting here in New York cannot end AIDS alone. They need to involve us to find solutions. We have lived experiences of HIV, from treatment to mental health, because we navigate life with HIV every day. We need to be included in policymaking so that we can take full ownership of ending end AIDS as a public threat,”
He noted that: “The world can only benefit when young people are included in the global HIV response. No conversation about HIV should take place without us, from policy to practice in communities.”
The safety decried that too often young people report facing stigma and discrimination, including from doctors and healthcare workers, when they access sexual and reproductive health and HIV services. This discourages them from seeking support and crucial information about their health, putting them at risk of HIV infection or of defaulting on treatment for those who are living with HIV.
The statement added that young people living with HIV play a critical role in the fight against AIDS in communities. They offer support and share important information about HIV that schools or parents might not talk about. They also challenge stigma and discrimination through social media, helping to save lives and encourage young people to stay on treatment.
It also added that they drive innovation in communities, for example, a self-funded project by the Youth Empowerment Group uses e-bikes to deliver antiretroviral medicines, food and adherence support to young people who often cannot attend clinics because their schooling hours conflict with clinic opening times in Namibia.
However, their transformational work is being held back because it is not being sufficiently supported. Youth-led HIV responses often operate with little or no financial and political support. At the UNGA the two young people will call on world leaders to fully support and fund their work. They will also urge leaders to uphold the human rights of young people as key to ending AIDS as a public health threat—they will call on them to protect young people’s right to healthcare, education, freedom of speech, and to provide social support to young people living with HIV.
Jerop Lima said: “Providing treatment is not enough, young people living with HIV need an education and they need a job to survive,” adding that: “We need to be seen as equal contributors and partners, and we need investment to allow us drive change. We are the leaders of the future and we need to be included now to help shape a better future for us all.”
Two African Social Media Influencers Living with HIV to Address UNGA
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have recovered a cache of ammunition during a fighting patrol in Mallam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted at about 7:30 a.m. on April 18 by troops of 68 Battalion deployed in the area.
The patrol was carried out ahead of the troops’ defensive location toward a suspected withdrawal route used by insurgents following an earlier attack on March 18.
During the operation, troops recovered 166 rounds of PKT linked ammunition and one bandolier.
No contact was made with any terrorist elements during the patrol.
They added that the general security situation across the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, while troops continue to maintain high morale and operational effectiveness.
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
News
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking networks, intercepting cocaine ingeniously concealed in food flasks and cannabis hidden in snack packs, while arresting multiple suspects including a Lagos-based fashion designer.
The agency in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.8 kilogrammes were uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Babafemi said the illicit consignment, bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight, was discovered in the false bottoms of food flasks on April 9.
He disclosed that two cargo agents—Ama Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Akorede, 39—were arrested at the point of interception, with subsequent investigations leading to the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Moninuola.
In a related operation a day earlier, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s import shed intercepted 2.9 kilogrammes of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight.
He noted that initial arrests of cargo clearing agents Animashaun Adetunji and Mercy Oluwasegun paved the way for the apprehension of the consignee, Saheed Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, who was later tracked and arrested in Ogba, Lagos.
Beyond the airports, NDLEA operations extended across several states with significant seizures recorded. Along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer transporting 847 kilogrammes of skunk. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, was taken into custody.
In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers and security personnel led to the destruction of 15,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of farmland in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area. A suspect, Alice Udoh, 53, was arrested, while 119 kilogrammes of the substance was recovered.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives raided a cannabis camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying over 2,281 kilogrammes of the drug and arresting three suspects. Additional arrests were made in Delta State, where over 87 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis seeds were seized.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of 11,900 tramadol capsules and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injections along the Mile 2–Badagry expressway, with the consignment reportedly destined for Ghana. A separate raid on a two-storey building in Lagos Island yielded 95.8 kilogrammes of skunk.
Meanwhile, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, conducting sensitization programmes in schools, religious centres, and communities across states including Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, and Lagos.
Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the balance between aggressive enforcement and preventive education, urging officers to maintain the current momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
Honouring a Fallen Shield
Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah
A Tribute to Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah
Issued by the Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers of the Ashlee Momoh Foundation Abuja, Federal Capital Territory 
To the family of the late Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah
To the Government and People of Edo State, And to the gallant Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is with heavy hearts and profound sorrow that the Ashlee Momoh Foundation joins the nation in mourning the loss of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, who paid the ultimate price following the midnight attack on the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh. His passing, alongside the brave officers and soldiers who fell beside him, leaves a silence that words can scarcely fill.
A Life Defined by Service
General Braimah was more than a soldier. He was a shield for the vulnerable, a steady hand in moments of crisis, and a living testament to the courage that defines the Nigerian spirit. His leadership inspired those under his command, and his devotion to duty protected countless lives he would never meet. To lose a commander of such calibre, together with his courageous troops, is a grief that travels far beyond the frontlines — into the homes, hearts, and hopes of a grateful nation.
To His Family
We recognise that while the nation mourns a General, you mourn a husband, a father, a son, and the quiet pillar of your home. The cost of service is borne most heavily by those left behind, and no public tribute can ease that private weight. We acknowledge the enormity of your sacrifice. The absence of such a man creates a stillness that only time, faith, and love can gently soften. In this dark hour, please know that you do not grieve alone.
To Edo State and Nigeria
Our nation has lost a strategic mind and a fearless protector. His absence will echo in the ranks of the military and in the hearts of every citizen who has slept soundly because of men like him. His death is a solemn reminder of the ongoing cost of our peace — and of the urgent, continuing duty we all share to honour that price through action, unity, and care for those who stand on the frontlines in our name.
Our Commitment
The Ashlee Momoh Foundation was established on a simple, enduring principle: no hero’s sacrifice should result in the neglect of those they loved. Our mission places military families, widows, and vulnerable communities at the centre of our welfare, advocacy, and humanitarian work. We believe the legacy of men like General Braimah must be honoured not only in the words spoken today, but in tangible support sustained across years — in the education of their children, the dignity of their spouses, and the security of the communities for which they gave everything.We stand for a Nigeria where the blood of our heroes becomes the seed of a more secure and compassionate society. We remain firmly dedicated to strengthening the structures that care for our veterans, their dependents, and the families left in the wake of their service, so that the flame of their sacrifice is never allowed to dim.
A Final Word
May the soul of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, and the souls of the gallant soldiers who fell with him, rest in perfect peace. May the Almighty comfort his family, strengthen his comrades-in-arms, and grant our nation the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss — and the resolve to be worthy of his sacrifice.
With deepest sympathy and abiding respect,The Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers Ashlee Momoh Foundation Restoring Hope, Rebuilding Lives
Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah*
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
Again, another Monarch abducted in Kwara state by suspected bandits
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