NDLEA foils plot to smuggle drugs in compact discs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 2.4 kg of cocaine concealed in compact discs (CDs) by a drug suspect who wanted to smuggle the illicit substance to London, England.

The suspect, Ngozi Monye-Cole, 48, was apprehended at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The anti-narcotic agents have also arrested Nnadebe Henry Abuchi, 27, who allegedly swallowed 1.433 kg of cocaine while returning from Brazil.

NDLEA Airport Commander, Hamza Umar, who confirmed the seizure of 3.483 kg of cocaine, said the drug was discovered during routine check at the airport's baggage desk.

Monye-Cole was nabbed on January 30, 2010, for concealing 2.050 kg of substance that tested positive to cocaine inside CDs while Abuchi, who ingested 50 wraps of substance found to be cocaine weighing 1.433kg, was detected by the scanning machine.

Meanwhile, Osun State Command of the NDLEA has destroyed over 155 hectres of Indian hemp farms worth N5 billion at different locations in the state.

Also in a separate operation, the agency patrol, in collaboration with other security agents, have discovered a fresh cannabis farm where 600kgs of Indian hemp worth about N150m were recovered from one Steven Enenwe.

In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state Commander of the NDLEA, Mrs. Wosilat Audu, said 208 suspects were arrested last year in connection with cultivation and possession of cannabis, comprising 190 men and 18 women. Twenty of the suspects were youths.

Of the 208 suspects, 45 had been prosecuted and convicted while 33 cases are pending in court.

Also, the Kwara State Command of the NDLEA at the weekend disclosed that it arrested 84 suspected drug traffickers between January and December last year.

Besides, it seized 556.887 kilogrammes of hard drugs and destroyed 1.8 acre of Indian Hemp farm in Kawo Village, Edu Local Council, in the year under review.

The state Commander of the NDLEA, Mr. Nse Jack Inam, disclosed these at the weekend in Ilorin, the state capital.

Monye-Cole, a mother of four, who is a caterer, was arrested during screening of passengers on British Airways flight to London Heathrow Airport.

She was alleged to have cleverly arranged the discs in four sets, drilled a hole in the centre and inserted a pipe in each set which she filled up with cocaine using two undrilled discs at both ends as a cover to avoid detection.

Notwithstanding her creativity in packing the drugs, the NDLEA operatives found her out during routine search at the baggage check-in desk.

In her statement, Monye-Cole said that her sponsors gave her the discs containing the cocaine to deliver in London.

Her words: "It was my childhood friend that lured me into this mess. I met her at Asaba my hometown and she invited me to an eatery. She asked me to eat anything I like. In fact, I was carried away by her hospitality, particularly when she is a fellow woman.

"My friend told me that she does her business in Abuja where she is based. I demanded that she introduce me to her business but she said it was capital-intensive. That was how I told her of my husband's death and how I am struggling to take care of my four children.

"She convinced me to traffic drugs to raise capital for her kind of business with the promise of paying me 3,000 pounds. Unfortunately, I was caught at the airport by NDLEA. I was astonished when the officer detected the drugs weighing 2.050 kg because they told me it was only 500 grammes".

Abuchi, a trader was arrested during the inward screening of passengers on South Africa Airways flight from Brazil.

He was detected to have drugs with the aid of the scanner and was placed under observation to excrete the drugs, weighing 1.433 kg.

Abuchi, a Nigerian, is married to a South African woman and has dual citizenship of both countries.

He lives in South Africa with his wife and child but visits Nigeria regularly.

His words: "I swallowed 50 wraps of cocaine for a fee of $3,000. I agreed to do it because I needed money. It has happened and I believe I have learnt my lesson".

 The Guardian

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Sick Nigeria President Yar'Adua 'to hand over power'

Nigeria's ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua will write a letter handing power over to his vice-president, his adviser has told the BBC.

The letter, formally informing the Senate that Mr Yar'Adua is on "medical vacation", automatically means his deputy becomes acting president.

The president's allies have previously resisted calls for him to step aside.

He has been in a hospital in Saudi Arabia since November, prompting fears of a power vacuum and street protests.

The president is suffering from an inflammation of the lining around the heart and has long suffered from kidney problems.

Nigeria's powerful state governors have said they believe Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan should be acting president.

Cabinet split

The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says Nigeria's political struggle over the president's fitness to rule may be nearing an endgame.

The president's special adviser on legislative affairs, Abba Aji, did not say when Mr Yar'Adua would write the letter but he said there would be no "undue delay".

For weeks, Nigeria has been beset with rumours and hoaxes over whether the president is alive or dead, our correspondent says.

His failure to transfer powers to his deputy before he left created a power vacuum - in which fear and false reports flourished, she says.

Newspapers said the president was brain dead - or struck dumb.

There were apparently official statements claiming the president was discharged from hospital. They later turned out not to be true.

Political tensions have been high - government business has stalled and legislation been frozen and cracks have appeared in the uneasy peace in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Earlier this week, the first signs of a split emerged in Nigeria's cabinet, when Information Minister Dora Akunyili urged her colleagues to admit that the president was no longer fit to govern.

But she was shouted down in the cabinet meeting, government sources told the BBC.

The federal high court has ruled that there is no constitutional requirement for the president to hand over power when he is abroad receiving medical treatment.

But he now appears to have given in to all the pressure.

Nigeria's split between the mainly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south has complicated the issue, analysts say.

Northern power-brokers may be reluctant to see Mr Yar'Adua, a northerner, hand over power to Vice-President Jonathan, from the south, before the next scheduled presidential elections in 2011.

Since the return to civilian rule, power has usually rotated between the regions.

BBC

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Power outage to worsen as generation drops to 2,700MW

The current power outages being experienced in parts of the country may get worse due to inadequate gas supply to fire the turbine power stations. Consequently, power generation capacity has dropped to 2,700 Mw from 3,710Mw at the end of last year.

The Minister of Power, Dr. Rilwan Babalola, who made the disclosure yesterday at a power sector update and ministerial press briefing in Abuja, further revealed that more than N79 billion was spent towards the failed actualization of 6000Mw of electricity by December 2009.

Blames inadequate gas supply

Babalola was, however, quick to blame inadequate gas supply to the various thermal plants for the drastic short-fall experienced in power generation in the country.

He said there was need to improve on supply by diversifying power generation beyond gas, which is presently the dominant generation technology, and increase security and reliability of electricity services in the country.

According to him, "Providing access to affordable and reliable electricity to all citizens of Nigeria is a critical national goal of the Federal Government.

"This is in view of the fact that without adequate and reliable electricity supply, our socio-economic goals of alleviating poverty, creating jobs and wealth as envisaged in the -Point Agenda and Vision 2020 cannot be achieved."

He explained that the Federal Government set a target of 6000Mw to be achieved by December 2009 to meet demand projection for 2010, which is estimated at about 5100Mw. This target of generation capacity was assessed as being sufficient to meet the unsuppressed peak demand with some reserve margins.

The Managing Director of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Mr. Hussein Labo, who confirmed the situation, explained that it was as a result of a steady decline in gas supply from the Nigeria Gas Company, NGC to the various power stations in the country.

The power company said sequel to the non-availability of adequate gas to power the plants, power generation at the Egbin Power station has reduced from 800Mw to only 100Mw and a daily shortfall of 150Mw at the Geregu Power Station. Egbin has the capacity to generate 1,320Mw of electricity, while Geregu's generation capacity is 414Mw.

The inadequate gas supply to fire the available turbines has led to a loss of over 800Mw. This great loss has impacted negatively on power supply giving rise to load shedding nationwide.

Vanguard

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Dora Akunyili asks Yar'Adua to step down

There was confusion at the Federal Executive Meeting (FEC) yesterday, when the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, submitted a memo calling on the FEC to face up to the reality of President Umaru Yar'Adua's continued absence.

Akunyili in the 'step down memo' to the meeting urged her colleagues to advise the President to transmit a letter to the National Assembly to facilitate a smooth transition.

Daily Champion gathered that Akunyili in the memo which created a fiasco in the meeting had warned that FEC had taken Nigerians for granted for too long and should do the right thing by urging the President to step down. Predictably, the memo was shot down as it was not allowed to form part of the agenda.

A reliable source told Daily Champion that though most of his colleagues supported the memo, some powerful persons ensured that it was thrown into the dustbin. She was however congratulated by many of them for her courage and bravery in confronting the FEC.

Responding to inquiries from Daily Champion, Prof. Akunyili accepted writing the memo.

Meanwhile the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday foreclosed any handing over to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, when the party told him to wait for God's directives on the clamour for Acting President being canvassed by opposition parties and human rights groups.

The message was handed out to Jonathan when the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor visited him in the Presidential Villa on behalf of the party hierarchy.

Ogbulafor, while speaking to Jonathan quoted Psalm 62: 11 of the Holy Bible which says: "God has spoken once; twice I have heard this that power belongs to God."

The visit to the Vice-President was the first since the controversy to hand over power to Jonathan as Acting President started.

Arriving at the Villa on what was described as solidarity visit aimed at encouraging him on his resilience in discharging his duty in the absence of the President, Ogbulafor said: "Throughout this period, you have demonstrated patriotism and measure of loyalty and statesmanship. You have through exemplary selflessness held the government and the country together in spite of the mischief of a few.

"We are particularly delighted with the prompt manner you handled the crisis in Jos, Plateau State. We also wish to appreciate your prompt response on behalf of the government of Nigeria to the tragedy in Haiti.

"We wish to place on record our deepest satisfaction with the manner you have steadied the ship of state in the absence of his Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua.

"You have discharged your duties in the absence of Mr. President with distinction. We are proud that you have refused to be distracted by needless debates and controversies originating from some of our opponents.

"We maintain our earlier assertion that with you effectively on the saddle, there is no vacuum in the Presidency.

"Your Excellency, like all Nigerians from different spheres of life, we have been keenly following developments in the country since the departure of Mr. President for medical attention.

"We wish to once again commend you for doing everything possible to ensure the smooth functioning of the affairs of government.

"On behalf of the PDP, I pledge our unalloyed support to you as you continue to steer the ship of our nation. You can count on our support in this regard at all times. Furthermore, the word of the Holy Scripture in Psalm 62:11 is apt for this moment, that God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God."

Daily Champion

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