NDLEA to go after supermarkets selling drug cookies – Newstrends
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NDLEA to go after supermarkets selling drug cookies

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The Chairman/Chief Executive, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), has warned owners/operators of supermarkets and confectionaries to rid their stores of drug cookies, biscuits and other products laced with illicit substances.

He gave the warning Friday in Abuja, while receiving further briefing on follow up operations from the Commander, FCT Command of the Agency, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, over the arrest of a 300-level university student, Rhoda Agboje and her boyfriend, Ifeanyi Nwankwo, both of who specialise in producing and selling drug cookies to schoolchildren, clubs and supermarkets in Abuja.

Marwa said, “As part of our preventive measures, we would henceforth go after supermarkets, clubs, confectioneries and other outlets and their owners, selling drug cookies, biscuits, cakes and other products laced with illicit substances under whatever guise.

“We would not shy away from hitting their production spots, supply and sales outlets before getting into the hands of innocent schoolchildren, unsuspecting members of the public and even our vulnerable young men and women. We won’t rest on this until we chase them out of this criminal business.

“This is why I want to warn owners and operators of supermarkets, clubs and other sales outlets to clean their stores of these illicit substances before we get to them.” The spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said that the Abuja drug cookies are packaged in designed paper wraps under the name “Function” with its motto as “function right with every bite.”

According to him, at the back of the package is a quote the suspects attribute to God to justify their illicit trade; “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seeds, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.”

He recalled that Narcotic agents with the FCT Command of the NDLEA had last weekend uncovered a syndicate involved in producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis; alcohol and rohypnol among other ingredients.

Their lid was blown open following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, 18th April, 2021.

She was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative estate, opposite Gaduwa estate in Abuja based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat.

After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies.

Under interrogation, the prime suspect, Rhoda confessed she prepares the cookies with a friend and sells each pack of three pieces at N1,500.

A follow up operation in her boyfriend’s house led to the recovery of over 200 pieces of the drug cookies.

The suspect also said she supplies some supermarkets and clubs in the FCT

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Court orders varsity to pay lecturer N40m compensation for wrongful dismissal

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2 mins ago

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November 15, 2024

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Court orders varsity to pay lecturer N40m compensation for wrongful dismissal

The National Industrial Court in Akure has ordered the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), in Ekiti state, to pay the sum of N40 million to Professor Niyi Akingbe, the former Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts, of the institution as compensation over wrongful dismissal.

According to the court documents made available to Vanguard Correspondent in Ilorin the judgement in suit no NICN/AK/58/2018 dated 29th October 2024 was given by the Presiding Judge, Hon Justice K.D Damulak in the case between the Claimant Dr Oniyide Ajisafe Akingbe and Federal University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State.

After about six years of litigation, the Industrial Court vire the Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice K.D Damulak gave a ruling among others that:

” it is hereby declared and ordered as follows; A declaration that an allegation of plagiarism against the claimant cannot be made against the claimant in the absence of the work/publication of a particular author or authors the claimant purportedly plagiarized, specifying what part of the work copied, printed, or passed off as the original works of the claim without the claimant having acknowledged such works.
“A declaration that the claimant’s dismissal vide letter dated 31st October 2018 without fair hearing is null and void.

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“The defendant is hereby ordered to pay the claimant general damages assessed at N40,000,000(Forty million Naira only)within Thirty days of this judgement or the sum shall attract 10% interest per annum. This is the judgement of the court and it is hereby entered.”

Vanguard reliably gathered that Professor Niyi Akingbe had been a vocal critic of the university’s administrative practices under former Vice Chancellor Kayode Soremekun, who dismissed him following a query related to plagiarism.

The court found that Akingbe’s termination of employment in 2018 was not only unjust but also based on unfounded allegations of plagiarism.

The documented court proceedings, also revealed that the university failed to adhere to proper procedures outlined in the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti Act of 2015 and the relevant regulations governing senior staff service conditions.
Counsel for Akingbe, Ademola Olowoyeye, during the trial, argued that the allegations of plagiarism were vague and lacked substantial evidence.

The court also addressed several other declarations, including the illegality of the letters accusing Akingbe of misconduct and the unlawful nature of the Staff Disciplinary Committee that investigated the plagiarism claims.

The Counsel emphasizes that Akingbe had met all requirements for promotion to the position of Professor in the Department of English, and the denial of this promotion based on unsubstantiated allegations was deemed unlawful.

 

Court orders varsity to pay lecturer N40m compensation for wrongful dismissal

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Worry over cash scarcity in banks as farmers mop up naira

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10 mins ago

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November 15, 2024

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Worry over cash scarcity in banks as farmers mop up naira

There is rising complaints by bank customers and Point of Sale (POS) operators in some states across the country over alleged cash squeeze just as citizens try to meet their increasing demands for notes especially as yuletide shopping begins.

The states where these concerns are being raised include Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Taraba, as well as some satellite towns of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The scarcity, which has lasted over a week in the reported states, is coming amidst data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), revealing that the total currency in circulation has reached N4.14 trillion, with N3.87 trillion of this amount currently outside the banking system.

The recent CBN data indicates that 93.34 per cent of the nation’s currency is in the hands of individuals and businesses, while only 6.66 per cent remains within the banking sector.

The gap between currency outside banks and the total currency in circulation suggests that Nigerians, especially those living in the northern part of the country, still heavily rely on cash for daily transactions, despite the rise of digital banking services.

Also, the CBN data revealed that currency in circulation in Nigeria has added N1.48 trillion or 55.8 per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) to N4.14 trillion as of August 2024, from N2.66 trillion in August 2023.

Cash squeeze pronounced in the North

Daily Trust findings revealed that the northern states are mostly affected by the current scarcity largely due to the onset of harvest and the fewer numbers of financial institutions in the rural areas of the North.

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Findings by our reporters in Borno State indicate that some businessmen buying up grains on a large scale were said to be mopping up cash.

A POS operator, Hamza Abdullahi, said operators no longer get the required cash in banks, therefore, depend on traders and petrol stations.

Hamza attributed the scarcity to the harvest and yuletide period that is fast approaching.

He said: “Traders are busy buying the new harvests and to do this, they need cash because farmers in our rural areas do not use electronic payment channels. Some do not even have bank accounts”.

He said many people are also buying goats and other animals that are transported to the South ahead of Christmas, adding that these are largely cash transactions contributing to the scarcity.

He said for N50,000, POS operators now charge N1, 000 as against N500 previously.

Kano

Abubakar Sadiq Danzaria, said POS operators are milking customers, raising charges because of the scarcity.

Another POS operator in Rijiyar Zaki Motor park, Adamu Salisu, who said he visited Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) in Murtala Mohammed road said, “Banks give only N50,000 a day and that is not enough to cater to the needs of our customers. Therefore, we source the cash from traders or filling stations.”

On his part, the chairman of Singer Market Development Association (SIMDA), Alhaji Junaidu Muhammad Zakaria, agreed with the POS operators that cash scarcity exists.

Speaking, a businessman, Muntari Aliyu said: “if you go to the rural markets, you can withdraw N3 million from the POS operator. They have the cash.

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“People there don’t do business with our modern means of transactions; they don’t trust it that’s why they are not taking the money to the bank. It’s not in circulation the way it should”, he said.

Abdullahi Haruna, a grain merchant said it was tough for him to get N10 million that he needed to visit the grains market in Sumaila, on Wednesday.

“I had to use traders at the ‘Yankura and other markets in the Kano metropolis. This took me more than one week,” he said.

Zainab Almu, an entrepreneur, said the cash scarcity is as a result of the harvest season, and not necessarily a policy matter.

“Farmers who are bringing the grains from the villages are still sceptical about bank transfer. They want to collect their money in cash and go back home.

“There is the need for more sensitisation in this part of the country. Again, some of them have been duped in the past, especially during the cash crunch ahead of the 2023 elections.

“Many of them lost their fortunes because they received fake credit alerts from some dubious Nigerians. A lot of sensitisation must be done to convince such people to trust the system again,” he said.

She said she has accounts in Access, Zenith and GT banks. “All the banks are facing some challenges of notes. When you go to withdraw, there is limit to what they will give you,” she said.

Worry over cash scarcity in banks as farmers mop up naira

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We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

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36 mins ago

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November 15, 2024

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Governor Ahmed Aliyu and Hamdiyya Sidi

We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

The Sokoto Police Command has refuted claims circulated by an online platform alleging that Hamdiyya Sidi was arrested and detained for criticizing Governor Ahmed Aliyu.

Labeling the reports as baseless, police officials clarified that Sidi was detained following a complaint lodged against her for allegedly inciting public unrest.

In a statement issued by the Sokoto State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufai, the police detailed that Sidi allegedly admitted to inciting residents to violence during questioning.

According to the statement, Sidi allegedly presented herself as a humanitarian seeking to assist local residents with donations, but later used the platform to incite them, prompting law enforcement action.

The statement read: “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force, Sokoto Command, has been drawn to the ongoing falsehood and misinformation circulated by social media handles on the purported story that the Nigeria Police, Sokoto Command, secretly arrested and arraigned a woman who lamented on the recent rise in killings in Sokoto for embarrassing Governor Aliyu Ahmed Sokoto. This is false and misleading.”

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The statement continued to clarify the situation, explaining: “On the 3rd of November 2024 at 1700hrs, Marafa Yakubu, the village head of Sabon Birnin Daji village in Wurno Local Government Area, reported to the police that a woman, later identified as Hamdiyya Sidi from Munki village in the same local government, had visited the area, claiming to represent a charity aimed at assisting women and youth. She reportedly requested to address women in the community, intending to distribute aid to those in need.

“However, instead of distributing relief items as promised, she began encouraging the women to forcibly seize government properties in Wammako Local Government Area, claiming ownership rights over them.”

Yakubu observed the rising tension among community members and alerted local guards, who detained Sidi and subsequently handed her over to the police. “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offence and was charged to court within 24 hours for the offence of inciting disturbance,” the statement added.

The Sokoto Police emphasized, “One of our constitutional responsibilities is to investigate crimes, both minor and major, and the case of Hamdiyya is no exception.”

The Commissioner of Police advised residents to carefully consider the information they share publicly, warning against the spread of misinformation that could disrupt the state’s peace.

“Sokoto State Police Command remains committed to protecting fundamental human rights while carrying out its duties,” the statement concluded.

We didn’t arrest Hamdiyya Sidi for criticising Sokoto governor – Police

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