The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Italian Government have launched an 18-month intervention to strengthen Nigeria’s border surveillance and control, with the deployment of 30 operational vehicles and 60 computers to immigration personnel across the country. The initiative, which was unveiled in Abuja, comes as Nigeria confronts increasingly complex challenges around its borders, including irregular migration, migrant smuggling, trafficking in persons and other forms of transnational organised crime. The project is being implemented by UNODC with financial support from the Italian Government through the Ministry of the Interior’s Department of…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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By Michael Olugbode West Africa is beginning to treat water as a matter of regional security, economic survival and political cooperation, rather than simply an issue of access to drinking water. That shift in thinking dominated the inaugural West Africa Regional Water Forum (FREAO) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where governments and regional institutions moved to establish a common framework for confronting the growing pressures on the region’s water resources. The forum, convened by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in partnership with the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control…
A 25-year-old newlywed businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, after he ingested 72 wraps of cocaine allegedly destined for Portugal. Chukwulobelu, was arrested at the airport’s departure hall last Thursday while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal through Addis Ababa. He was subsequently placed under excretion observation and eventually expelled all 72 wraps of the Class A drug. The arrest formed part of a series of major drug seizures and arrests recorded by the NDLEA across several states and international entry…
A cholera outbreak at the Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kano State has claimed two lives, forcing the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to intensify medical surveillance and emergency health measures at the facility. The Service, in a statement on Saturday, said the outbreak was confirmed through laboratory investigation on September 23, 2026, following the detection of suspected cases among inmates. One of the victims died at the custodial centre, while the second died at the Kano State Infectious Diseases Hospital, according to the press statement by the spokesperson of NCoS, Jane Osuji. The outbreak was first detected on September…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United Arab Emirates’ National Drug Enforcement Authority (NDEA) have moved to tighten the noose around international drug trafficking networks operating between Nigeria and the UAE, with both countries signing a new agreement to deepen intelligence-sharing and joint enforcement operations. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Saturday in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the ongoing 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, is expected to strengthen coordinated action against traffickers exploiting the extensive travel, trade and commercial links between the two countries. The pact comes as NDLEA…
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed that construction work on the over $7 billion Gateway Deep Sea Port and Ogun State Blue Marine Special Economic Zone in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area will commence in November this year. Abiodun made the disclosure while addressing All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Ijebu East and Ijebu North Local Government Areas, days after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DP World MEA FZE in Paris, France, in the presence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The governor said the groundbreaking ceremony for the project would take place in November, after which…
The Chairman of Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Jimoh Olawale Saliu, has urged multinational companies and other businesses operating in local communities to give back to their host communities through meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Saliu made the call while speaking at the commissioning of the renovated Sari Primary Health Centre, undertaken through a partnership between the Apapa-Iganmu LCDA and 7-UP Bottling Company. The council Chairman said businesses should see community development as an important part of their responsibilities, noting that their operations and profits are often sustained by the same communities where they operate. “They should…
By Segun Adewale in Bauchi Six governorship candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North-East have rejected the appointment of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir Lawal, as the party’s leader in the region. The governorship candidates, in a joint statement addressed to the national leadership of the party, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, released on Sunday, 27 September, said they would not recognise Lawal in the position, describing their decision as “collective, firm and final.” The candidates said the appointment was made without consultation with them or other key stakeholders who, according to…
By Segun Adewale in Bauchi The Chief Executive Officer of the World Energy Council Nigeria, Mr. Bala Wunti, has urged the Federal Government to ensure that Nigeria’s 44 critical minerals are developed at home into factories, jobs and industrial prosperity rather than exported raw, warning that the country must not repeat the costly mistake it made with crude oil. Wunti spoke in New York on Monday, 21 September, 2026 at the 2026 Concordia Annual Summit held at the Sheraton New York Times Square alongside the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders, investors and CEOs gathered to discuss shifting global…
By Segun Adewale in Gombe The Jigawa State Pilgrims Welfare Board has been recognised by Hajj Gazette as Nigeria’s top-performing state in accommodation management during the 2026 Hajj operation. The award, presented at the board’s headquarters in Dutse, honours the board for securing accommodation for its pilgrims in close proximity to the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. The presentation was made by Malam Awwal Ahmed Umar, representing the Hajj Gazette committee responsible for the assessment. According to the committee, the recognition followed a combination of statistical analysis, on-site verification and interviews with pilgrims who participated in the 2026 Hajj. The assessment…