AFR Business Media

AFR Business Media

Ad example

AFR Business

NDLEA arests blind man, intercepts drugs shipped from Brazil and China

by

Desperate efforts to bring into Nigeria 126.95 kilograms of cocaine and skunk concealed in herbal tea packs and imported vehicles by drug cartels from Brazil and Canada have again been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu and the Tincan seaport in Lagos.

At the Enugu airport, an Ethiopian Airline male passenger, Eze Christian Ikenna, 42, coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was intercepted on arrival at the airport at about 12:30pm on Friday 20th January. A search of his two bags revealed 19 big sachets which he claimed to contain herbal tea but were later found to be cocaine weighing 16.20 kilograms.

In the same vein, a joint examination carried out on a container marked TCLU 7799237 from Montreal, Canada at Sifax Okota Bonded Terminal by NDLEA operatives attached to Tincan Command of the Agency on Wednesday 18th January led to the discovery of 110.75kgs of cannabis Indica concealed in two of the four vehicles in the container: a 2011 Toyota Sienna and a 2011 Honda Pilot SUV.

Deliberate efforts to cut access to illicit opioids by the Agency again paid off on Tuesday when a consignment of Tramadol NDLEA operatives have been tracking for some months was eventually traced to a warehouse at Greenfield estate, Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos. When the store was opened, a total of One Million Six Hundred and Forty Five Thousand Five Hundred and Sixty (1,645,560) pills of Tramadol 100mg, 200mg and 225mg were recovered.

Another 60,000 pills of Tramadol 250mg were equally recovered from a wanted drug dealer, Diugwu Alphonsus in Bariga area of the state same day while raids carried out in Akala area of Mushin on Wednesday 18th and Friday 20th January led to the recovery of 781.7kgs of cannabis.

In Osun state, NDLEA officers on Friday 20th Jan. took into custody a blind 67-year-old grandpa, Aliyu Adebiyi, in whose house they found 234 kilograms of cannabis at Sokoto village, Owena Ijesa, Atakumosa East LGA. In his statement, he said a drug dealer kept the consignment with him for a fee of N6,000 per month and paid for three months upfront.

Similarly, a leper notorious for drug dealing, Haruna Abdullahi, 45, was arrested at Garko town, Kano on Thursday 19th Jan. while 2.2kgs of cannabis and various quantities of Diazepam and Exol were recovered from him.

No less than 370kgs of cannabis were recovered from a sawmill at Ilale, Owo in Ondo State when operatives stormed the industrial plant following credible intelligence. In Edo state, 261 kilograms of the illicit substance were seized from a suspect, Uche Monday at Uneme-Osu, Ososo Road in Akoko Edo area of the state with another 74kgs evacuated from a bush at Okpela fertiliser community in Etsako East LGA.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Monday 16th January raided Lugbe area of the FCT based on credible intelligence that a dealer was operating in a batcher on the outskirt of the town. A search of the batcher led to the recovery of 42.9kgs cannabis, 15grams cocaine, 137grams Methamphetamine, and a cash of Two Million One Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (N2,148,500) only, believed to be proceeds of the criminal trade.

While reacting to the seizures and arrests by the Lagos, AIIA, Tincan, Osun, Kano, Ondo, Edo and FCT Commands in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) CON, OFR, DSS commended all the officers involved in the operations and charged them and their compatriots across the country to remain steadfast and focused on winning the war against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s governors raise committee to implement CBN new naira note policy

by

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has set up a six-member committee to engage the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to address anomalies in the country’s monetary management and financial system.

The forum disclosed this in a communique issued on Saturday at the end of its virtual meeting held with the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, on Thursday night.

The committee, according to the communique signed by the NGF Chairman, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, is chaired by the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, with governors of Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Borno, Plateau and Jigawa states as members.

The governors said that while they were not opposed to the objectives of the naira redesign policy, the apex bank should consider the peculiarities of households and states, especially pertaining to financial inclusion and under-served locations.

“We, the members of the NGF, received a briefing from the Governor of the CBN, Emefiele, on the Naira redesign, its economic and security implications including the new withdrawal policy.

“Governors are not opposed to the objectives of the Naira redesign policy.

“However, we observe that there are huge challenges that remain problematic to the Nigerian populace.

“In the circumstances, governors expressed the need for the CBN to consider the peculiarities of states especially as they pertained to financial inclusion and under-served locations,” the governors said.

The governors resolved to work closely with the CBN to ameliorate areas that required policy variation, particularly poor households, the vulnerable and several others that were excluded.

The governors also resolved to collaborate with the CBN and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in advancing objectives within the confines of the laws.

However, they maintained that the recent advisory and guidelines by the NFIU on cash transactions were outside the NFIU’s legal remit and mandate.

(NAN)

CBN vows to punish banks still dispensing old naira notes

by

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has vowed to sanction commercial banks dispensing old naira notes ahead of the January 31 deadline.

Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor, stated this on Thursday during a sensitisation campaign on the redesigned Naira notes at Alamis Market in Lafia, Nasarawa.

Represented by Atiku Mohammed-Nasir, CBN’s director of security service, Mr Emefiele urged the traders and residents of the state to embrace the redesigned notes for their transactions.

He reminded them that the old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes would cease to be legal tender on January 31.

“Henceforth, When you go to any commercial bank, and you are issued the old N200, N500 and N1,000 do not collect (them) because they would become useless from January 31,” the CBN boss stated. “We will henceforth sanction any bank found guilty of dispensing the old naira notes at ATMs or over the counters to customers.”

He added, “The CBN has supplied adequate new Naira notes to the various commercial banks. If any bank issues you old naira notes, report such bank to the CBN for appropriate action.”

The CBN governor insisted that there would be no extension of the January 31 deadline for the termination of the old notes despite appeals for an extension by the traders.

Therefore, he urged traders to make haste and change their monies before the deadline.

Mr Emefiele encouraged traders and other residents to embrace e-banking for their transactions, saying the policy would go a long way to address insecurity and improve the nation’s economy.

Also speaking, Shehu Yakubu, CBN’s Lafia branch controller, advised the traders and other stakeholders to take the redesigned naira notes policy seriously by changing their old notes before the deadline.

Mr Yakubu noted that failure to adhere to the instruction, the old notes starched in homes and other places outside the banks would no longer be acceptable and become like toilet tissue paper.

The CBN team also visited some commercial banks in Lafia to ascertain compliance with its directive on dispensing new naira notes through the automated teller machines (ATM).

(NAN)

Pathak named Dangote Cement’s chief executive as Puchercos retires

by

Dangote Cement PLC has announced that its chief executive Michel Puchercos retire from the cement producer on February 28, 2023.

The company, in a statement, said Mr Arvind Pathak will take over the helm following the approval by the board of the cement manufacturing firm.

Mr Puchercos stunned the cement industry three years ago when he resigned from a rival organisation, Lafarge Africa Plc, to take charge of Dangote Cement.

In a statement issued to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Thursday, the company thanked Mr Puchercos “for his commitment and contributions to the board and [wished] him well in his future endeavours.”

Dangote Cement described Mr Pathak as “an experienced business leader who worked as MD and CEO of Birla Corporation Ltd before this appointment.”

He was the Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement Plc until 2021.

With over 30 years of experience in the cement industry, he has worked most of his tenure in turning around businesses, operations and maintenance of plants, as well as leading important greenfield projects.

The cement group noted that the appointment of Mr Pathak would be included in the agenda at the next Annual General Meeting for ratification by the shareholders in accordance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

While welcoming Mr Pathak back to the company the board said it wished him “success in his new role.”

EFCC Arraigns Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello’s Nephew In Abuja over N10 billion Fraud

by

Aliyu Bello, a nephew to the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been remanded in prison by Justice James Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, pending the fulfillment of his bail conditions.

Mr Bello and one Dauda Sulaiman alongside one Abdulsalami Hudu, Cashier of Kogi State House Administration (now at large) were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned on a 10-count charge of misappropriation and money laundering amounting to the sum of N10.2 billion.

Both men were accused of fraudulently withdrawing a sum of N10, 270,556,800 from the Kogi State treasury, which they delivered to a Bureau de Change operator, Rabiu Tafada in Abuja to keep or change to foreign currencies for personal gains.

One of the charges reads: “That you, ALI BELLO, DAUDA SULEIMAN AND ABDULSALAMI HUDU (NOW AT LARGE) between January and December, 2021, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court procured RABIU USMAN TAFADA to take possession of the total sum of N5,865,756,800 (Five Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty Five Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Six Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: criminal misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (c), 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

Another count reads: “That you, ALI BELLO, DAUDA SULEIMAN AND ABDULSALAMI HUDU (NOW AT LARGE) between January and December 2021, in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court aided RABIU USMAN TAFADA to retain the total sum of N2,509,650,000.00 (Two Billion Five Hundred and Nine Million, Six Hundred and Fifty Thousand), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity to wit: Criminal Misappropriation from the treasury of Kogi State Government and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18 (a) 15 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under section 15 (3) of the same Act.”

Both men pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the EFCC.

The EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.

Counsel to the second and third defendants, Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), informed the court of his application for the bail of the defendants.

Justice Omotosho admitted the defendants to bail in the sum One Billion Naira each and two sureties who are to provide a bond of N2 billion each and have a landed property valued at N500 million. The title of the properties shall be registered with the chief registrar of the Court.

Each of the sureties and the defendants shall submit their bank statements and international passports to the chief registrar of the Court.

The sureties must also produce an affidavit of means and evidence of tax clearance for at least 3 years.

Mr Omotosho sent the defendants to Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja pending the fulfillment of their bail conditions and adjourned the matter till February 6, 2023 for hearing.