Nelson Ugwuagbo

The Senate has issued a plea to the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in response to the escalating crisis of drugs and narcotics abuse within Nigeria.

Furthermore, the Red Chamber has instructed its National Agency for Administration Control, Drugs and Narcotics committee to collaborate with pertinent federal agencies in convening a National Summit addressing the issue of drugs and narcotics abuse in the nation.

These decisions were reached during the Senate’s deliberation on a motion titled: “Immediate Intervention Required to Combat Drug Abuse in Nigeria” during its plenary session. The motion was introduced by Senator Babangida Uba Hussaini of the APC representing Jigawa Northwest.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasised the critical nature of the drug abuse crisis in the country. He expressed alarm at the extent to which some young individuals have resorted to drilling holes in soakaway pits to inhale vapours for a high. He urged parents to regularly inspect their soakaways to ensure they are intact.

Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau underscored the significance of youth to a country’s future, noting that when the youth are adversely affected, it jeopardises the nation’s prospects.

He highlighted that drug abuse permeates various segments of society, including celebrities and politicians. While commending the efforts of the NDLEA, Barau called for heightened vigilance from all parties responsible for addressing this issue.

He said, “The future of every country lies in its youth and when you have something that is destroying your youth, it shows that your future is in jeopardy.

“This scourge is everywhere, even celebrities who are supposed to be role models, be exemplary and show the way for others to follow are also into it. Politicians alike and indeed, all spheres of our life.”

He added, “The NDLEA is doing very well but the motion is a wake-up call for all those that have the responsibility for making sure that we deal with this matter to wake up and make sure that they do the needful in getting this matter dealt with properly.

“We must include this phenomenon in our school curriculum to begin to teach our children from the primary school level, the negative effects of drug abuse. Elsewhere, like in the United States, there are courses even in the universities that deal with abuse. We need to put that on the front burner in our higher institutions so that people will be aware of the harmful effects of drug abuse.

“It is a sad commentary on the way things are done in this country. Human capital is what drives a good economy and we have an abundance of population but we are allowing it to get destroyed through the intake of illicit drugs.”

“We must all join hands and work together to make sure we deal with the menace of drug abuse,” Barau stated.

Senator Hussaini, in his lead argument, highlighted the unprecedented surge in drug abuse in Nigeria.

He pointed out that what was once a transit route in the 1990s has now transformed into a nation grappling with drug abuse and trafficking. He drew attention to the substantial expenditure on psychotropic drugs and alcoholic beverages, emphasising the urgency of the situation.

Hussaini cited a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union, revealing that approximately 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 are engaged in drug abuse. He provided a breakdown of drug usage across various geopolitical zones, painting a stark picture of the extent of the problem.

He said, “Nigeria is currently facing a rise in drug abuse which has reached an unprecedented level transforming from a mere transit route in the 1990s, into a country filled with drug abusers and drug traffickers all over its land space, while a population of 30 to 35 million spends approximately $15,000 and $30,000annually on psychotropic drugs and alcoholic beverages, respectively.

The lawmaker added, “Also note that according to a report by the United Nation’s Office on Drugs and Crime and the European Union on drug use in Nigeria, about 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64, are drug abusers;

“The report stated that 10.6 million addicts were cannabis users, 4.6 addicts used pharmaceutical opioids and 238,000 drug abusers used amphetamines;

“The report further revealed that the prevalence of drug use per geopolitical zone as far back as 2017 shows that the North-West zone accounted for 12% (3,000,000), North-East zone 13.6% (2,090,000), North-Central zone 10.0% (1,500,000), South-West zone 22.4% (4,382,000), South-South zone 16.6% (2,124,000), and the South-East zone 13.8% (1,550,000).”

He lamented that the main drugs abused in Nigeria are mood-altering or psychoactive drugs, performance-enhancing drugs, dependency drugs, as well as prescription drugs, “whose side effects include addiction, trauma, mental illness and often times resulting in ill health, violence and involvement in criminal activities.”

He said the Senate is disturbed that a significant number of deaths from accidents and violent crimes have been traced to the activities of persons under the influence of drugs “especially the discovery of more dangerous substances called ‘Kurkura’ in the North and ‘Umkpromiri’ in the South.”

The motion reads in part: “Worried that the prevalence of drug abuse in Nigeria is a public health challenge which seems to be on the increase despite intervention by international, regional, federal and state bodies through laws, policies, and technical supports;

“Also worried that the war against drug abuse carried out by the NDLEA and other relevant institutions of both state and federal governments are not providing the required result, hence the need to include special drug education as a compulsory subject in Nigerian basic education;

“Alarmed that the consequences of drug abuse will continue to endanger our national development, public safety and family system if urgent action is not taken to strengthen existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks to face the challenges with all sense of responsibility.”

Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo also supported the motion.

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court in Wuse Zone 2 has dismissed the no-case submission filed by Peter Nwachukwu, husband of Osinachi, the late gospel singer.

Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, while delivering a ruling on Tuesday, held that the prosecution has established a case against the defendant.

The Federal Government had filed a 23-count charge against Nwachukwu, over the death of Osinachi.

After pleading not guilty, the judge ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Kuje correctional facility, pending further hearing.

The prosecution had called 17 witnesses to testify during the trial, which commenced on June 20, 2022, and ended on March 10, 2023.

Osinachi Nwachukwu, who passed away on April 8, 2022, was initially thought to have died of cancer, but family and friends claimed her death was connected to assault by her husband, who was later arrested, and trial is ongoing.

Counsel for Nwachukwu, Aliyu, proceeded to file a no-case submission, following the autopsy report by the National Hospital in Abuja, which stated that there was no mark of violence on the deceased.

Aliyu said evidence presented by the medical practitioners, exonerated Nwachukwu from the allegations of culpable homicide and domestic violence, praying for the court to discharge and acquit his client of all allegations.

The report listed the causes of Osinachi’s death as “generalised organ pallor; bilateral leg swelling; fluid in the sac containing the heart; tumour deposits in and on the heart, lungs, and kidneys; a massively enlarged heart; and fluid around the lungs that restricts breathing”.

The court, however, dismissed the no-case submission and ordered the defendant to open his defence

ABUJA– A retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Mr. Moses Ambakina Jitoboh, has approached the National Industrial Court in Abuja, alleging that he was forced out of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF.

Jitoboh, in the process he filed before the court, said he was compulsorily retired by the Police Service Commission, PSC, even though he has not clocked the 60 years mandatory retirement age or reached 35 years in service.

How Obi Cubana brought me to Nigeria – Brightgrillzz, who sells fish in millions of naira

He told the court that the PSC compulsorily retired him and three others on the ground that it was upholding the police tradition of retiring senior officers when their junior is promoted over them, to avoid what it termed as “status reversal”.

The claimant maintained that his purported compulsory retirement was done in breach of Rule 020810 of the Public Service Rules as well as Section 18 (8) of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020.

He is, therefore, praying the court to not only declare his compulsory retirement as wrongful, but to also issue an order, directing the PSC to pay the sum of N500million as general damages for the abrupt termination of his employment, which he said portrayed him as a disloyal officer.

“An order of this Honorable Court (NIC) setting aside the purported
compulsory retirement of the claimant as Deputy Inspector-General of Police on the 25th day of August, 2023 by the
Defendant.”

As well as, “an order setting aside all the unlawful and embarrassing decisions taken by the defendant (PSC), including the retirement of the claimant
and the promotion of another to replace the claimant, same having been done unlawfully and illegally.”

He further prayed the court to compel the defendant to pay him the sum of N50m as the cost of prosecuting the action.

In his statement of claims, DIG Jitoboh maintained that he remains an officer of the NPF until June 10, 2029, when he would have attained 35 years in service.

He argued that he ought to be entitled to his salaries, emoluments and
all other paraphernalia of office due to him, pending his retirement from the force.

Besides, he applied for a declaration of the court that pursuant to Section 4 (3) of the Police Service Commission Act, 2001, the defendant (PSC), has no valid Board to take any decision whatsoever purporting to retire or promote any Police Officer, insisting that tenure of the PSC Board elapsed in July 2023.

The PSC Board, he added, enjoys a joint tenure, adding that there was and no legal basis for Mr. Solomon Arase to remain in office after the tenure of the Board had elapsed as he was appointed to complete the tenure of Mr. Musiliu Smith who resigned as the PSC Chairman in 2022.

More so, the claimant told the court that there were precedents that senior officers remained in office despite the elevation of their junior.

He cited the case of Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, whom he said served under two of his juniors without being compulsorily retired until he later became the IG of Police.

The claimant further told the court that Mr. Arase, who ordered his retirement, served under Suleiman Abbawho was his junior, without being compulsorily retired until he eventually rose to the position of IG of Police.

He noted that in 2016 when the PSC purportedly retired AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu on the same ground, the action was nullified by the court for being unlawful, embarrassing and unconstitutional.

President Bola Tinubu has launched the Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer initiative, targeting more than 61 million vulnerable Nigerians for post-fuel subsidy removal relief.

The launching ceremony of the initiative was programmed to coincide with this year’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer initiative, which will give monthly N25,000 cash support to 15 million households nationwide is expected to gulp nothing less than N1.125 trillion.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the initiative, which was held on Tuesday, October 17, at the State House Press Gallery, Abuja, President Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, described the launch as a statement of his administration’s commitment to poverty alleviation.  

According to the president, the theme of this year’s commemoration; “Decent Work and Social Protection: Putting Dignity in Practice for All” is no doubt in perfect alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said: “Today is a significant day for us in Nigeria and for my administration for it brings with it an opportunity for me to restate my administration’s commitment to poverty alleviation as expressed in my 8 point Agenda.

“My government will lead from the front in seeking to ensure that all Nigerians have opportunities decent for dignified work and sustained social protection.

“It is only via a sustained collaborative approach that we can win this war against poverty in Nigeria and the world at large. Hope is here. I ask the Nigerian people to please ensure that they key into all the available programmes because they are here to help.

“Our objective is to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty. Yet, this will only be possible with the cooperation of the people we seek to help. Let us continue to work together to achieve our collective goal of eradicating poverty in Nigeria”, he said.

Earlier in her address, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, warned that ignoring poverty alleviation in the country will amount to sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

She observed that the N75,000 already announced by the President for disbursement to vulnerable households in the country is enough to successfully run small-scale businesses.

Edu noted: “Beyond this, the government will be providing low-cost shelter for the poor and internally displaced persons as a form of providing that cover for them. Several other interventions, including the rural vocational skills Intervention will be carried out at mass scale. All of these are targeted at the various dimensions of poverty in the country.

“As a nation, we must come together to fight poverty. Poverty is that scourge, poverty is that hydra-headed cobra in the room that if not tackled, would consume everyone.

“Sitting and ignoring poverty at any level, will only seem or equate to sitting on a keg of gunpowder and that’s why today, the president is taking it headlong.

“We want to encourage Nigerians, we want to encourage the private sector, we want to encourage our development partners that are here, it’s time to step up to the occasion.

“We have a clear-cut roadmap, an action plan for implementation of the eradication of poverty from Nigeria. Everyone must key in and be part of it.”

Edu assured that Tinubu will eradicate poverty in the country by the year 2030.

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Wale Edun, said the 63% statistics of Nigerians living in poverty, representing 84million of the population, is unacceptable to President Tinubu

He stated: “Clearly to Mr. President, it is totally unacceptable as it is to the rest of us. And that is why it is perhaps his number one priority, tackling poverty and he has a program to stabilize the economy and grow the economy in general.

Edun added that the cash transfer program will help reduce poverty in a significant way.

The World Bank country representative, Shubham Chaudhuri confirmed that cash transfers are a method widely acknowledged and universally accepted.

Chaudhuri stressed that the method has proven to be one of the most effective ways to provide assistance to citizens, particularly the impoverished and vulnerable who have been impacted by economic shocks or rising living costs.

He said: “This aid is crucial in helping them overcome the initial period during which they might otherwise be compelled to make decisions with long-term consequences. For instance, these decisions might include reducing daily meals to just one or withdrawing their children from school.

“The type of cash transfer referred to as ‘shock-responsive cash transfer’ that is currently being implemented is utilized by countries worldwide to offer temporary relief in such situations.”

The Beneficiaries present at the flag were, Larai Suleiman, Shuaibu Hassana, Sariki Bala Gamu,Okor Jonah and Hameed Kosemani Isiaka.

Nigerians have expressed their concerns on social media over the recruitment of 50 repentant thugs into Kano State Police Command. The repentant thugs were recruited

Nigerians have expressed their concerns on social media over the recruitment of 50 repentant thugs into Kano State Police Command.

The repentant thugs were recruited as police special constabularies in Kano, according to Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Usaini Gumel.

During the passing out parade, Command’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Haruna said, “Today is a happy day for the good people of Kano State and the Police Command because we passed out fifty (50) youths from the two hundred and twenty-two (222) repentant thugs who have since surrendered themselves.”

Reacting to the development, Nigerians took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their views, stressing that this might increase unruly abehaviour among the security agents.

Defending the move by Kano state, the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi said, “They are not policemen. I was told, and it’s been in the news that they are repentant individuals who have been mobilised into the constabulary scheme of Kano State. The Constabulary scheme is not police but a community-based initiative.”

Replying to Adejobi, @ifyforever pointed out, “From your explanation I can deduce that you know nothing about their supposed repentance until recently when you were “told”.

“Now who certify these guys ” Repentant”?

“Secondly, does the lion building hold a debrief of them, psychology evaluation and assessment or is the job of the state department.”

“Thirdly, do you rely on whatever you were told just because it came from your officers and do not carry out your own investigation to ascertain the clarity of pictures they paint for you.

“Many questions on my mind don’t even know which one to write.”

In the reactions that have trailed the recruitment, @greasedbygrace called on the Adejobi and Lagos Police Public Relations Officer Benjamin Hundeyin, saying, “@Princemoye1 @BenHundeyin Can u guys confidently authenticate this. I remember u saying we should recruit the best people to the police force

“Constable is not the police but they wear the same uniform,” @_weyimi reacted. “If they are out on the streets performing police duties and they are told it is wrong, what will the police do to them??? You do realize this is a problem or let’s all believe this is a skit.”

Speaking about an alleged notorious miscreant among the new recruits, @harrizone98 tweeted, “Frame 1: Nigeria Police Special Constabulary Officer in uniform. Frame 2: Chile Maidoki, repentant Kano criminal. FPPRO either doesn’t know this or he’s making up excuses for a criminal.”

“Nigeria is comedy central tbh, it’s only sad that these comic acts are played in real-life situations,” @AkinronbiDave said.

@ItisRitchie reacted, “Repentant criminal? Was he ever arrested or even taken to court? This is how they recruited criminals as SARS then.”

CP makes further clarification

Speaking further on the controversy, the Commissioner of Police said no criminal was recruited into the force.

Gumel said one Nasiru Abdullahi, whose enlistment into the constabularies, has generated serious attemtion, was among the 222 ‘repentant influential youths’ who denounced violence and chose to become “good ambassadors” of the state.

He said that Abdullahi, also known as ‘Chile Madobi’, was among the 222 youths who had been granted amnesty by the state government.

According to him, following instructions from the state government,  the youths were de-radicalized and properly profiled, during which about 50 of them volunteered to help police in the ongoing fight against criminal elements in the state.

He faulted reports alleging that the state command was training constabularies at a training school,  wondering when and where the state it had built a training school.

Gumel said,  “All the 222 influential youths, who surrendered themselves were properly profiled and the state government organised a training for them into various trades under its skills acquisition programmes.

“The State Governor, who already gave them amnesty directed us to profile them and find out where they can fit in for skills acquisition and human empowerment. Out of the 222 influential youths, 50 of them volunteered to help the police in fighting crimes and criminal activities in the state. Nasiru Abdullahi is one of them.”

The Labour Party Senatorial Candidate for Abia North in the 2023 election, Nnamdi Iro Oji has prayed the Appeal Court to disqualify Senator Orji Uzor Kalu having admitted before the Federal High Court that he was convicted of fraud.

In the appeal lodged by his lead counsel, Bert C. Iqwilo, SAN, from the chamber of Anaga Kalu Anaga & Associates against Orji Kalu, a copy of which was obtained by this paper, Nnamdi Iro Oji premised his appeal on three grounds, wherein he prayed the appellate court to resolve them in his favour.

He argued that Orji Uzor Kalu’s admission before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he should not be retried since he had been convicted of corruption was enough ground for his disqualification. He also added that the election was not conducted based on the Electoral Act 2022 and non-conduct of elections in some polling units.

In his pleading, he further argued that the Tribunal was wrong to have permitted Kalu to approbate and reprobate on the issue of his conviction and subsisting sentence.

The appellant stated that Section 66 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that; 66(1): No person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives if:… (b)… (c) …Within a period of less than ten years before the date of an election to a legislative house, Kalu having been convicted for an offence involving dishonesty “was found guilty of a contravention of the code of conduct.”

The appellants held that Kalu was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the election.

According to him, Kalu’s conviction by the Federal High Court “for the offence of fraud (which is an offence that involves dishonesty) on the 5th day of December, 2019, at the conclusion of the trial of the 1st Respondent in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/07, Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Orji Uzor Kalu & 2 ors” was “less than ten (10) years from the date of conviction.

“It was admitted on his behalf that he had earlier been convicted for the offence of fraud by the Federal High Court,” in that suit