Month: June 2026

NDLEA Intercepts Brazil-Based Businessman With Cocaine-Soaked Shirts, Towels; Seizes Over 2.5 Tonnes of Illicit Drugs Nationwide

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman, Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, for allegedly importing 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine concealed in shirts and towels from Brazil into Nigeria. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 41-year-old suspect was apprehended by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on June 11 after arriving from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Babafemi said a thorough search of…

Now, nowhere is safe (1), by Hassan Gimba

Emporium Reporters

The Arbiter This article was first published on the 4th of April, 2022. It is as relevant today as it was then. Only that it is now: No one is safe, not only nowhere. What with Generals being killed on the roads (read General Alkali), abducted from their fortified homes (read General Tsafe), or whisked on the highways (read General Rabe), and killed in the bushes, not in active service, or prisoner of war (POW), but as a shackled captive.   Will those in power today do something about the…

Corruption Is The Biggest Cause Of Insecurity and poverty in Nigeria! By Imam Murtadha Gusau

Emporium Reporters

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers. Dear brothers and sisters! Wallahi, the bitter truth we don’t want to hear is that, systemic corruption in Nigeria is the root cause of widespread poverty and escalating insecurity. By diverting public funds meant for education, healthcare, and infrastructure, corruption cripples economic development. This deprivation…

June 12: Broken bottles on our foreheads, bludgeon on the back; democracy, is this your face? By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

It was the year 2000 or 2001. We were seated almost in a circumference. The venue was the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja. We awaited the arrival of President OIusegun Obasanjo. The event was the monthly Presidential Media Chat. It was a forum where the president took questions from select editors. This evening, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was programmed to beam it live to the world.   Cameras were readied for action. Their minders jealously fiddled with their objects to be sure nothing programmed to go right ever…

How Dabiri, Umeh Paved the Way for Nigeria-Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Deal

Emporium Reporters

More than 100 Nigerian inmates serving prison terms in Ethiopia are set to return home following the signing of a landmark prisoner transfer agreement between Nigeria and Ethiopia, bringing to fruition years of diplomatic engagement and advocacy efforts. According to a report by TheCable, negotiations for the agreement gained momentum after a series of deaths and allegations of maltreatment involving Nigerian prisoners in Ethiopian correctional facilities. The push for a transfer arrangement intensified in 2019 following the death of Nigerian inmate Odemu Efe at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly…

Navy Foils Fresh Illegal Refining Operations in Rivers, Seizes 120,000 Litres of Stolen Petroleum Products

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The Nigerian Navy has thwarted attempts by crude oil thieves to revive illegal refining activities in Rivers State, uncovering two illicit refining sites and recovering about 120,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products. The operation was carried out by personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) PATHFINDER under the ongoing Operation DELTA SENTINEL, following credible intelligence on renewed illegal refining activities in the Oseokishikpa axis of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Naval…

Just In: 136 Ethiopia-Based Nigerian Inmates Hail Tinubu, Bianca Ojukwu Over Prisoner Transfer Agreement

Lukman Laleye Babalola

Ethiopia-based Nigerian inmates have hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu over the Nigeria–Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Agreement. The inmates, numbering 136, are listed as beneficiaries of the prisoner transfer programme under the agreement between both countries.   Full List of the 136 Inmates:   Anazoba Linus Okigbo Ejike Cyril Edeme Charles Ofor Damijo Nnaemeka Charles Maduagwu Chukwudalu Clinton Eze Paul Oluchi Kingsley Ebuka Udeigbo Okoyeagu Kosisochukwu Leonard Ozoemena Christian Chukwuemeka Ifeanyi Joseph Izuako Ephraim Chetachukwu Onyeanusi Segun Judge Hunkarin John Osahon Chinonso Sabastine Nwankwor Ani Christopher Sunday Kingsley Ikechukwu…

WHEN A GENERAL DIES IN CAPTIVITY: NIGERIA’S INSECURITY CRISIS AND THE URGENT CALL FOR ACTION By Mallam Ibrahim Agunbiade

Emporium Reporters

The tragic death of Retired Major General Rabe Abubakar while in bandits’ captivity is more than a painful incident; it is a disturbing reflection of the worsening insecurity confronting Nigeria. When a retired senior military officer, a man who dedicated decades to national service and contributed to counterinsurgency operations, could be abducted and eventually die in captivity, Nigerians are compelled to ask a serious question: if those with experience and military background are vulnerable, what hope remains for the ordinary citizen? The Katsina State Government described the incident as a…

Anani Unveils Compliance-Driven Agenda at Tincan Port, Seeks Stronger Trade, Security Partnerships

Lukman Laleye Babalola

The newly appointed Customs Area Controller of the Tincan Island Port Command, Comptroller Joseph Anani, has rolled out an ambitious agenda focused on compliance, trade facilitation, operational efficiency, and enhanced collaboration with stakeholders and security agencies. According to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Oscar Ivara, Comptroller Anani has commenced his stewardship with a series of strategic engagements, inspections, and courtesy visits aimed at strengthening operations at one of Nigeria’s busiest seaports and advancing the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). As…

Democracy Remains Bedrock of Nigeria’s SDGs Progress, says Orelope-Adefulire

Abubakar Yusuf

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, has said that Nigeria’s uninterrupted democratic journey since 1999 has provided the foundation for the country’s progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Orelope-Adefulire noted that democratic governance has created the enabling environment necessary for advancing key development priorities, including poverty reduction, quality education, healthcare delivery, gender equality, economic growth and infrastructure development. In a statement released on Friday by her Special Assistant on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communications, Desmond Utomwen as Nigerians marked…