Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Nigeria suspends permit of 3 private jet operators

Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has taken action against private jet operators flouting regulations by suspending the Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF) of three operators caught conducting commercial flights.

This crackdown follows warnings issued in March 2024.

Acting Director General Capt. Chris Najomo stated that increased surveillance at Nigerian airports led to the grounding of three operators found violating their PNCF terms. Specifically, they breached annexure provisions and Part 9114 of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations 2023.

In response, the NCAA announced a thorough re-evaluation of all PNCF holders to ensure compliance with regulations, to be completed by April 19th, 2024. PNCF holders have been instructed to submit necessary documents within 72 hours to expedite the process. Najomo emphasized these actions highlight the NCAA's commitment to enhancing safety in Nigerian airspace.

Furthermore, the NCAA warned the public against using charter operators without a valid Air Operators Certificate and urged legitimate industry players to report any suspicious activities promptly.

This crackdown comes after the NCAA's stern warning in March against PNCF holders engaging in commercial operations.

Africa News

Nigeria says no record of child deaths from recalled J&J cough syrup

Nigeria's drug regulator has no record of children dying or falling ill from exposure to a batch of cough syrup made by Johnson & Johnson in South Africa that was recalled last week, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced the recall after laboratory tests found an unacceptably high level of diethylene glycol, which is toxic to humans, prompting regulators in five other African countries to also issue recalls.

South Africa's drug regulator said on Tuesday that there was no record of adverse reactions in South Africa or anywhere in the world to the two batches of Benylin Paediatric Syrup it recalled.

It said it was conducting tests and investigations, as was manufacturer Kenvue, which now owns the brand after a spin-off from J&J last year.

"We hope to finalise these soon," the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority told Reuters.
Consuming diethylene glycol can result in acute kidney failure. The substance has been linked to deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world's worst waves of poisoning from oral medication.

Fraden Bitrus, NAFDAC's director of pharmacovigilance, told Reuters the regulator had been testing cough syrups in response to those deaths, not because of any specific report of harm to children in Nigeria.

"We sampled a number of products. Some failed and some passed. This particular product had been sampled earlier, but we were not thinking of diethylene glycol, and because of this, we decided to test the product again," he said.

The recalled batches of syrup were made by J&J in South Africa in May 2021. Asked whether J&J was working with Kenvue to investigate what had gone wrong, Joe Wolk, chief financial officer of J&J, told Reuters: "This is just with Kenvue at this point."

Kenvue has said it is working with health authorities to determine next steps.

In addition to Nigeria and South Africa, regulators in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have recalled the same batch of Benylin Paediatric Syrup.

By Ope Adetayo and Bhargav Acharya, Reuters 

Related story: Nigeria recalls J&J children's cough syrup over toxic substance

Government of Nigeria secures release of over 1,000 kidnapped people

The Nigerian Government has secured the release of over 1,000 people kidnapped recently in the northern part of the country, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has said.

Mr Ribadu stated this on Monday while receiving 23 persons rescued on Sunday after they were kidnapped last September at the Federal University Gusau in Zamfara State, North-west Nigeria.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how security sources said the kidnapped students and staff of the university were rescued by security agents near Kuncin Dutse, a village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara. The Coordinator of the National Counter-terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, a major general, reportedly coordinated the operation.

Receiving the rescued persons, Mr Ribadu said: “This is yet again a success story in our effort to free all those being unlawfully held in captivity. We have so far released over a thousand such victims without noise and with complete respect to their privacy and safety.”

The 23 persons released include 15 students and eight workers of the university. A woman abducted in Funtua in Katsina State was also rescued, a source earlier told PREMIUM TIMES.

Earlier last month, nine of the female students were released after 178 days in captivity.

While addressing the released victims, Mr Ribadu congratulated them and their families on their safe return home.

He said the released students were the last batch of victims of a recent mass abduction the government had successfully rescued.

He urged the release victims to consider their experience as a trial that will make them stronger, not weaken their efforts in the future.

“Consider this experience a trial that should not break you but make you stronger. I also wish to specifically thank the parents of the rescued victims for your patience and understanding during this period.

“On behalf of the President, I thank all those involved in the successful rescue of the victims without losing any of them or paying any ransom.

“This occasion marks a final juncture in a series of rescues we have undertaken in the last few months to free victims of recent cases of mass abductions.

“Going forward, we are strengthening law enforcement and security measures to prevent these abductions and strengthen physical security across vulnerable communities.

“I am grateful to all our security and enforcement agencies for their tireless work and sacrifices. Finally, I want to put on record and appreciate the leadership and encouragement of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who made all these possible, Mr Ribadu said while reuniting the victims with their loved ones in Abuja. 

By Abubakar Ahmadu Maishanu, Premium Times 

Related stories: 23 university students,staff released in Nigeria seven months after abduction

 Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities

Monday, April 15, 2024

Video - Crowds flock to Lafia town in Nigeria to celebrate culture and religion



Crowds gathered in Lafia town in central Nigeria to celebrate the Durbar Festival, a colorful religious and traditional fete that features performances from horse-riding men in robes and turbans. The event is one of the ways locals mark the Eid-al Fitr Islamic festivities celebrated after the end of Ramadan.

CGTN

Related story: Video - Eid celebrations in Nigeria: Centuries-old traditions mark festivities

 

Video - Abductions in Nigeria surge despite raft of measures by authorities



kidnappings in Northern Nigeria have grown into an industry worth millions of dollars.

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kidnappers say they will kill all 287 school if $622,000 ransom not paid