NDLEA Discovers 3 Drug Labs In Anambra, Arrests Drug Kingpin

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday said it had arrested a suspected drug baron who specialised in sponsoring drug couriers to China, Malaysia, Turkey, Italy and other foreign countries.
Addressing journalists at office of the agency at Ikoyi, Lagos, the NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, said the 37-year-old suspect, Sylvester Chukwunwendu, was also a producer of methamphetamine in Anambra State. Giade said that Chukwunwendu was arrested at Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State based on intelligence report received by the agency on April 23, 2014.
The suspect was said to be deeply involved in unlawful exportation of illicit drugs and running a methamphetamine production laboratory in his house at No. 2, St. James Close, Ajao Estate, Isolo, Lagos. Chukwunwendu, aka Blessed, was alleged to be the owner of the laboratory and leader of an international drug trafficking organisation which recruits and sponsors drug couriers to foreign countries. Giade said that sufficient evidence had been gathered to ease the prosecution of the suspect.

ASSEMBLY CONFIRMS JUDGE’S CALL FOR AREGBESOLA’S IMPEACHMENT

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, said on Wednesday that the assembly had received a petition from Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, calling for the impeachment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola because of alleged financial recklessness.
Oloyede is a serving judge in the Osun State judiciary.
The judge’s petition read in part, “Consequently, the admitted inability of Mr. Governor and his deputy to pay pensions, salaries and allowances for periods ranging from eight to 11 months now as a consequence of their own decision to accumulate debts beyond the capacity of the state’s internally generated revenue, whilst the very ‘actors’, Mr. Governor and his deputy, continue to enjoy their security allowances in hundreds of millions, is a violation of their oaths of office.
“Their action in this respect is as illegal as it is immoral and unconscionable. It is an evidence of their inability to discharge the functions of their office. There is therefore no legal or moral basis for their continued stay in office.

Senator Ndume Defeat Senator Lawan In Senate Leadership Mock Poll

EFFORTS to resolve the crisis over the choice of principal officers of All Progressives Congress, APC, ran into a stalemate yesterday night, even as Senator Ali Ndume defeated Senator Ahmad Lawan in a mock poll.
At the end of marathon meetings, party members from the North-East caucus of the party insisted on pushing forward their choice of Senator Ndume over the party’s preferred Senator Lawan as Senate Leader, which was zoned to the North-East.
The insistence of APC North-East senators was despite efforts, including an intervention by the immediate past President of the Senate, David Mark, to break the logjam in the ruling party, which had seen senators aligned to Senate President Bukola Saraki reject the party’s list of candidates for the four principal offices on offer to the party.
Vanguard gathered that a list of the names of four senators chosen by the party, which had been with the Senate President, would have been announced alongside that of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senators today, but for the last minute rejection of Lawan by APC North-East caucus.
Principal Offices

WHY BUHARI’S ADC ORDERS DSS OPERATIVES OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL VILLA

The inter agency rivalry between the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Army came to head, yesterday, as the Aide de Camp to the President, Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal ordered personnel of the DSS out of the villa.
The incidence which happened at the residence of the President at the Presidential Villa was extended to all other points that had been manned by the personnel of the DSS.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said what happened was a realignment of security around the President which entailed that members of the armed forces would man the inner perimeter of the President security while operatives of the DSS would man the outer perimeter.

Anambra State Government tasks hotels and hospitality industries on tax Compliance

The State Government has called on owners of Hotels and other hospitality industries in the state who are yet
to pay prescribed taxes or levies or who are yet to remit taxes of their employees to do so immediately.
A public service announcement endorsed by the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr (Mrs) Uju Nwogu, says that government would soon  commence prosecution of all tax and levies defaulters in the state.
It reminds the owners of such Hotels and hospitality industries that payment of taxes and levies is a civic responsibility and that deliberate evasion of tax payment or tax sheltering in any form is a crime punishable by law.

MEET JOSEPHINE OKEME POPULAR TRAFFIC WARDEN AT HERBERT MACAULAY WAY JIBOWU, LAGOS

Anyone who plies Herbert Macaulay, Jibowu, Yaba. Lagos definitely knows this woman named Josephine Okeme. She's a police officer, traffic warden extremely diligent and dedicated to her work. Her attitude is always pleasant, inspiring and she's definitely a worthy ambassador of the Nigerian Police Force.

NLNG pays $1.6bn dividend to Buhari government

Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG), a joint venture between the government and foreign oil majors, has paid a handsome $1.6billion dividend to the new Muhammadu Buhari government. the company’s Chief executive, Babs Omotowa disclosed weekend.
Omotowa said since 1999, NLNG had generated some 85 billion dollars from exports since its inception 15 years ago.
He said the company, which was set up to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources and produce liquefied natural gas for export, has also paid billions of dollars to the state in tax.
“Just a few days ago, we paid 1.6 billion dollars to the government as tax and this will go a long way to assist the new government in solving some of its problems,” he said.
The new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who became the first Nigerian to oust a sitting president in democratic elections in March, is facing a severe economic crunch.
About 20 of the country’s 36 states are unable to pay workers salaries.

One Fear Dead To Stray Bullet In Nanka

RESIDENTS of Nanka Orumba North Local government Area of Anambra State were recently,
dismayed as attempts by men of the National Drug law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to uncover the mystery behind the death of a man from Enugu-Nanka who was recently found beheaded in his house resulted to another death.
  it was gathered that the NDLEA officials had same day, apprehended one Mr Sunday and other youths at a place in the village for questioning, over the death of the beheaded man.
  According to our source, some youths of the area staged a fight against the law enforcement agents who were said to have started shooting sporadically in the air in order to scare the youths away.
  In the process, Mr Sunday was hit in the abdomen by a stray bullet and he died on the way to a nearby hospital.

BUHARI CONSIDERS FASHOLA, ORONSAYE, OTHERS FOR VILLA POSITIONS

As the jostling for cabinet posts in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration intensifies, there are indications that the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Babatude Fashola; former Head of Service, Mr. Steve Oronsaye; a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Abdulrahman Dambazzau; a former Managing Director of New Nigerian Newspapers, Adamu Adamu, and a former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Col. Hammed Ali, may have been shortlisted for positions in the administration.

Specifically, Dambazzau is being considered for the post of National Security Adviser (NSA) while Fashola, Oronsaye and Ali are being considered for the position of Chief of Staff to the president.

Adamu, on the other hand, may be made the Principal Secretary to the president. Adamu is also being considered for the post of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but has expressed reservations about heading the anti-corruption agency.

A frontline contender for the post of Chief of Staff is Fashola, whom Buhari personally likes and has a lot of confidence in. The president has already shown his confidence in Fashola by asking him to chair a committee he empanelled to review the 800-page report submitted by the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee.

Why FG Lifted Ban On Importation on Textile, Furniture Products

THE Federal Government has lifted the embargo on the importation of textile materials into the country. Confirming this in Lagos yesterday, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko said that Nigerians can now import textile materials subject to payment of right duty.
Speaking at the official launching of the implementation of Economic Community of West Africa States, (ECOWAS), Common External Tariff, (CET), Dikko said that the items were removed from the prohibition list in line with the laws guiding the CET regime. “Textile, furniture and others have become dutiable as both commodities have been removed from the Import Prohibition Lists and it is going to be implemented” said Abdullahi Dikko.
The Customs boss, who was represented by Victor Gbemudu, Assistant Comptroller General, Zone ‘A’, said that importers of these goods are now expected to pay 35 percent duty as agreed by ECOWAS member countries as well as the levy as contained in the Import Adjustment Tax (IAT).
“CET also comes with some adjustments for member countries. There are 97 chapters with the 5,899 tariff headings but every member country is entitled to 3 percent adjustment. “This 3 percent adjustment translates into 177 tariff headings to enable member countries to protect their local industries.”