NDLEA arrests Drug Baron behind N3bn Tramadol linked to Abba Kyari’s team

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April 25, 2022

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a suspected billionaire drug baron behind the N3bn Tramadol deal allegedly involving the embattled suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari-led Intelligence Response Team, Chief Afam Mallinson Emmanuel Ukatu.

The anti-narcotic agency said Ukatu’s arrest followed months of surveillance and evasion of arrest. Ukatu, who is Chairman of Mallinson Group of Companies, was arrested onboard a flight to Abuja at the MM2 Terminal of the Murtala Muhammadu Airport, Ikeja Lagos on Wednesday, April 13.

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, titled, ‘NDLEA arrests drug baron behind N3billion Tramadol linked to Abba Kyaris team’.

Babafemi said investigations revealed that the suspect is a major importer of large consignments of different brands and high dosages of Tramadol Hydrochloride.

According to him, the Tramadol ranging from 120mg, 200mg, 225mg and 250mg are illicit. He added that Ukatu owns pharmaceutical and plastic manufacturing companies, which he used as a cover to import illicit drugs into Nigeria.

The statement read, “This is in addition to operating 103 bank accounts, most of which are used to launder money.

“Ukatu came under watch last year after five cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized from his staff on 4th May 2021 when he sent them to sell to undercover police officers (unknown to Ukatu) from the then Kyari-led IRT of the Nigeria Police, Ikeja Lagos. The price of a carton of Tramadol was negotiated at N17million each as against the then black-market value that ranged between N18million and N20million a carton in Lagos.

“After the arrest of Ukatu’s staff: Pius Enidom and Sunday Ibekwete, Kyari’s men were then led by the suspects to Mallinson’s warehouse at Ojota in Lagos where 197 additional Cartons of Tramadol 225mg were seized by the IRT Team. The monetary value of the 202 cartons of Tramadol seized from Mallinson in one day was over N3billion.

“Three weeks after the seizure, the Kyari’s IRT team transferred only 12 Cartons of the Tramadol with one truck and a suspect to the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, leaving 190 cartons unaccounted for.

“After over eight months of following the lead, anti-narcotic officers of the Agency eventually arrested Ukatu at the Lagos airport on 13th April 2022. Kyari and four top members of his team are already facing trial for a different but similar offence at a Federal High Court in Abuja.”

Kogi To Contain Lassa Fever Outbreak In 9 Communities

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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April 25, 2022

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The Kogi State government in North-Central Nigeria has moved to curtail the spread of the Lassa fever disease, following the confirmation of the out break of Lassa fever in 9 local government areas of the State.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Mr. Alonge Daniel, which was made available to journalists in Lokoja on Thursday.

It also stated that nine local government areas namely: Idah, Ibaji, Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Ofu, Okene, Okehi, Kabba- and Adavi had reported at least one confirmed case during the period.

The statement explained that Kogi State is one of the 23 States in Nigeria that has recorded at least one positive case of Lassa fever.

“The State Ministry of Health has responded appropriately and timely to the epidemic as a result of the high political will demonstrated by the Executive Governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, by timely release of funds to curb the outbreak.

Alonge pointed that the State Ministry of Health has carried out community sensitization activities in local government areas affected by the outbreak, noting that this will enable him to adopt healthy lifestyle by keeping their environment clean, maintain high standard of personal hygiene and prevent rats from having access to their food stuff both at home and in market place.

Once Upon A Time – April 25 – 1990 – Hubble Space Telescope Is Placed Into Orbit By Space Shuttle Discovery

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Angel Gimalo

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April 25, 2022

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1660 English Convention Parliament meets and votes to restore Charles II

1792 Guillotine first used in France, executes highwayman Nicolas Pelletier

1846 Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War

1945 “Elbe Day” – US and Soviet forces meet at Torgau, Germany on the Elbe River during the invasion of Germany in WWII

1953 Francis Crick and James Watson’s discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA is published in “Nature” magazine

1954 Bell labs announces the 1st Solar Battery made from silicon. It has about 6% efficiency.

1990 Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by space shuttle Discovery

Historical Events Today

Today In Film & Tv

1964 11th National Film Awards (India): “Shehar Aur Sapna” wins the Golden Lotus

Today In Music

1926 Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Turandot” premieres in Milan

Today In Sport

1950 Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st African American to be drafted into the NBA (for Boston Celtics)

Do You Know This Fact About Today?

1507 German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is the first to use the name America on his world map “Universalis Cosmographia”

Would You Believe This Fact About Today?

1960 1st submerged circumnavigation of Earth completed by USS submarine Triton in 60 days, 21 hours

More Than 5,000 Parents Sue Welsh Government Over Plans To Teach Three Year Olds Sex And Gender Identity

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Precious Obazee

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April 25, 2022

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Parents are suing the Welsh Government over plans to force children as young as three to learn about sex and gender identity.

Four mothers – representing more than 5,000 parents and grandparents – have started legal action to overturn a proposal by the Labour-led administration to make Religious and Sex Education (RSE) lessons compulsory.

Ministers insists the new curriculum, which will also see themes of religion, sex and gender embedded in day-to-day teaching, was ‘developmentally appropriate’ for children, but campaigners say the topics are ‘inappropriate’ for primary pupils.

Chairperson of the campaign group Public Child Protection Wales, Kim Isherwood, said: ‘It’s dangerous and it absolutely infuriates me. I’ve always fought for children’s rights, but they’re removing my right to protect.’

The mother-of-two from Port Talbot added: ‘This new curriculum is not like the stand-alone RSE lessons that pupils and parents are used to. The new mandatory element also means that every child, aged 3-16, must take part.

The guidance includes the notion that pupils explore ‘sexual attraction’ and not just the biology of having sex.

It says: ‘Learners can explore how relationships, sex, gender, romantic and sexual attraction and personal experiences may shape and inform a person’s identity and individuality … [and] how and why attitudes have changed and are changing including towards gender and sexuality diversity.’

But Lucia Thomas, 41, said: ‘The very first time I heard anything about sex education coming in for children as young as three, my heart skipped a beat and my stomach churned.

‘School is a place to learn about vital biology, learn how to develop relationships with both sexes and to develop respect. But, as parents, we believe what is happening here is the sexualisation of children, not their education.’

The parents have instructed international human rights lawyer Paul Diamond to represent them and legal papers have been filed at the High Court in Cardiff.

In England, the rollout of sex education in primary schools is also set to go ahead, but parents will be able to withdraw their children from sex education classes until the age of 15.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said groups including the NSPCC and the Welsh Children’s Commissioner’s Office supported the plans, adding: ‘It is completely untrue to suggest that we’re “sexualising” children.

‘As part of the new curriculum, all pupils in Wales will have full access to high-quality Relationships and Sexuality Education designed to safeguard them and in time, support them to navigate the complex area of relationships and sexuality.’

The Mail on Sunday revealed that almost one in every 15 pupils at a leading secondary school identifies as transgender or non-binary.

More than 60 youngsters at the school which has about 1,000 students on its roll have declared their gender to be different from their birth sex or do not identify as either male or female.

The majority have done so since most Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted last summer, raising concern about the impact of online trans ‘influencers’ on youngsters who were largely confined to their homes for months.

A teacher said the pupils involved were aged between 11 and 18, almost all were girls and most identified as non-binary.

Education Tax To Increase To 3 Percent – TETFUND

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Precious Obazee

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April 25, 2022

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The Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund , Arc Sonny Echono has expressed optimism that Education Tax would likely increase to 3 percent as the government grows it’s investment in the education sector.

Echono emphasised that this investment, would go into expanding the frontiers of education and the way education is structured in the country.

The TETFUND Boss said this in Abuja when the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong paid him a courtesy visit at the Fund’s Headquarters.

The Executive Secretary further called on Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria to produce entrepreneurs and not just graduates.

According to him, investments in creating entrepreneurs would go a long way to curbing the menace of unemployment and consequently tackle the socio-economic problems prevalent in the country.

Echono added that one of his primary goals is to make Tertiary Institutions a place to produce entrepreneurs noting that with the support of the federal government, TETFUND plans to reinforce the huge investments in the new Universities to fast track their rate of progress with a view to achieving the purpose of establishing them.

He restated that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has given full support to education adding that this is evident in the recent Presidential approval of upward review of Education Tax from 2 percent to 2.5 percent, which will enable TETFUND cope with increasing demands.

The Executive Secretary expressed appreciation at the show of support from Governor Lalong, while pledging continued commitment to the development of tertiary education in the state.

Earlier in his remark, Governor Simon Lalong lauded the fund for the numerous iconic projects dotting the tertiary institutions in plateau State, saying TETFUND has become a lifeline for the schools.

Assuring Echono of his support in discharging his duties, Governor Lalong said as the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum , he would make sure the Executive Secretary get the support of other northern governor’s.

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi Awaits Verdict In First Corruption Case

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Zoe Maven

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April 24, 2022

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Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces a possible 15 years in prison on Monday, when a court in the military-ruled country is scheduled to deliver a verdict in the first of multiple corruption cases against her.

Since being forced from power in a coup last year, Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has been charged with offences ranging from incitement and graft to violations of electoral and state secrets laws, which carry combined maximum sentences of more than 150 years.

She has been found guilty of two lesser offences so far and sentenced to six years, in a series of trials that could last years, leaving little chance for a political comeback for the figurehead of the country’s struggle against dictatorship.

According to a source familiar with the trial, the judge is set to decide on Monday on charges that Suu Kyi accepted bribes totalling $600,000 and 11.4 kg of gold from Phyo Min Thein, a former Yangon chief minister once seen as her future successor.

Phyo Min Thein, a protege of Suu Kyi, in October testified that he gave money and gold to her in exchange for her support. Suu Kyi has dismissed his allegations, which the junta aired separately on national television, as “absurd.”

Suu Kyi aged 76, is being held in an undisclosed location, without visitors. She denies all charges.

The military has restricted information about her trial and imposed a gag order on her lawyers. The international community calls the trial a farce.

The junta has said Suu Kyi is being given due process by an independent court.

New Ebola Case Confirmed In Northwestern Congo

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Zoe Maven

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April 24, 2022

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A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting health authorities to enforce urgent containment measures just four months after the previous outbreak came to an end.

The health ministry said in a statement that the case, a 31-year old male, was detected in the city of Mbandaka, capital of Congo’s Equateur province. Around 74 of his contacts are being tracked.

The patient began showing symptoms on April 5, but did not seek treatment for more than a week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement. He was admitted to an Ebola treatment centre on April 21 and died later that day.

Mbandaka, a trading hub on the banks of the Congo River, has contended with two previous outbreaks — in 2018 and in 2020. It is a city where people live in close proximity, with road, water and air links to the capital Kinshasa.

The WHO said that efforts to contain the disease are already underway in Mbandaka, and that a vaccination campaign will begin in the coming days.

Congo has seen 13 previous outbreaks of Ebola, including one in 2018-2020 in the east that killed nearly 2,300 people, the second highest toll recorded in the history of the hemorrhagic fever.

The last outbreak, also in the east, infected 11 people between October and December and killed six of them.

Six Killed In Restaurant Blast In Somali Capital

By

Zoe Maven

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April 24, 2022

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Six people have been killed in a blast at a beachside Mogadishu restaurant, which was hosting Somalia’s police chief and legislators when the explosion occurred.

Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of the Aamin Ambulance service, told reporters that six people died and seven others were wounded in the blast for which Al-shabab has claimed responsibility.

Government officials were reportedly unharmed in the blast, which sparked a fire inside the building, sending smoke into the sky as diners scrambled to safety.

The explosion came days after a mortar attack targeted Somalia’s parliament during a meeting by newly elected lawmakers.

No lawmakers were harmed in Monday’s assault, which was claimed by the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which has been waging an insurgency against the central government for more than a decade.

The Horn of Africa nation has seen a spate of attacks in recent weeks as it hobbles through a long-delayed election process to pick a new president.

Some parliamentary seats remain unfilled but sufficient lawmakers have been sworn in to move the election process forward, with both houses due to choose a speaker next week.

Somalia has not held a one-person, one-vote election in 50 years.

Instead, polls follow a complex indirect model, whereby state legislatures and clan delegates pick lawmakers for the national parliament, who in turn choose the president.

The election delays have worried Somalia’s international backers, who have warned that the chaos distracts from the fight against al-Shabab.

Slovenia’s Populist Prime Minister Loses National Election

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Zoe Maven

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April 24, 2022

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Slovenia’s populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa lost a national election on Sunday as the environmentalist Freedom Movement party won more votes than his SDS party, according to preliminary figures from election authorities.

Jansa, who had hoped to win a fourth term in office, conceded that he had been defeated in the vote, adding however that his SDS party had secured more votes than ever before.

The election had been expected to be tight but the official preliminary figures showed the Freedom Movement, a newcomer in the election, leading with 34.34% of the vote, far more than expected, while the SDS secured 23.83%, based on 98.20% of counted ballots.

This would give the Freedom Movement, which campaigned on a transition to green energy, an open society and the rule of law, 40 seats in the 90-seat parliament, and the SDS 28 seats.

The election commission said the turnout in the vote, in which some 1.7 million people were eligible to cast their ballots in the small Alpine country that is a member of the European Union and the NATO military alliance, was 68%,

Experts said that was well above the national average.

Freedom Movement, which was formed last year, is led by Robert Golob, a former executive of a state-owned energy company that launched green energy projects.

In order to form a government, it is expected to form a coalition with the left-leaning Social Democrats and Left parties, which are currently set to have together 12 seats in parliament.

Ukraine Says Russian Forces Are Trying To Storm Azovstal Plant

By

Zoe Maven

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April 24, 2022

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Ukrainian officials say Russian forces attempted to storm the Ukrainian-held Azovstal steel plant in the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol on Sunday.

Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine’s 36th Marine brigade forces in Mariupol, said in an interview with an opposition lawmaker that was shown on YouTube on Sunday that Russia was hitting the complex with air and artillery bombardments.

This comes despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments last week that the complex did not need to be taken.

Ukraine’s armed forces command wrote on Facebook that Russian forces were firing and performing “offensive operations” in the Azovstal area, as well as conducting air strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Konstantin Ivaschenko, the official who has been designated mayor of Mariupol by Russia but not recognised as such by Ukraine, denied that any fighting was taking place in the city in comments reported by Russian news outlet TASS on Sunday.

The Azovstal steel factory is the main remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, a city that has seen sustained bombardment since the start of the Russian invasion on Feb. 24.

Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych wrote on Facebook that “Russian troops are trying to finish off the defenders of Azovstal and more than 1,000 civilians who are hiding at the plant”.

Russia has denied targetting civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine.