News

How We Intercepted N6bn Insurgents’ Drugs in Lagos port – NDLEA Boss, Marwa

Published

4 years ago

September 8, 2021

Eric

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has given details of how loads of Captagon, a brand of Amphetamine meant for insurgents camps in Nigeria were intercepted by operatives of the Agency at the Apapa port in Lagos.

The agency’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, in a release, said Marwa made the disclosure while speaking at a media briefing to update the public on the recent seizure.

Marwa condemned the evil intent of those behind the importation of the illicit substance into the country at a very critical time when the nation is facing some security challenges. He vowed that the Agency would not rest untill everyone connected to the consignment is arrested and prosecuted.

According to him, Sometime in March 2021, we received intel from our international partners on the shipment of illicit narcotics to Nigeria from the Middle East through the Apapa port. The container passed through three countries and was transloaded in a North African country, but we kept track of it along with our partners.

“We made the first attempt to examine the container on Thursday, August 26, 2021, and what we found inside the container were three (3) pieces of marble polishing machines, otherwise called sanders.

Further scrutiny on Monday, August 31, with the NDLEA sniffer dogs turned up a positive indication on the rotor coil of one of the three machines. The next day, Wednesday, 1st September, 18,560 tablets of drug suspected to be Amphetamine (Captagon) weighing 3.2kg was found deeply concealed in one of the coils.

The following day, Thursday, September 2, the other two machines were dismantled, and in all, a total of 451, 807 tablets, weighing 74.119 kilograms, were discovered hidden inside their rotor coils.

Going by the street value of about $25 per tablet, the importer would have raised $11.3million, which is equivalent to N6 billion.

“Imagine the impact of this drug in the hands of criminal gangs or a fraction of the profit from its sale being used to fuel criminalities across the country, we can think of our worst-case scenarios and they will still be farther from the repercussions that could be unleashed on the country.

“It may interest you to know that, as far as we know, this is the first time this drug is being brought into any African country South of the Sahara. This tiny, highly addictive pill, widely available across the Middle East, produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing them to stay awake for days, making them fearless, predisposes them to reckless action that puts the lives of people around them in jeopardy.

“What should give any discerning Nigerian a nightmare concerning this drug is the fact that its production and sale is controlled by militias and large criminal groups in the Middle East. And beyond any doubt, Captagon has been linked to the escalation of the Syrian Civil War. A lot of seizures have been made since 2017, mostly in the Arabian Peninsula, and in Italy and Turkey, and the point of origination, almost all the time, were traced back to Syria and Lebanon. This gave rise to the theory that ISIS is behind the production and sale of Captagon as a means of generating funds for weapons and combatants, and for use as a stimulant to keep them fighting.

“Lest we forget, Captagon was the name of the drug found on the phone of the French-Tunisian terrorist who killed 84 civilians in France on Bastille Day in 2016. That is the drug we have on our hands now. If these facts are not grim enough, we should all remember a lesson from history, when in World War Two, Nazi Germany wreaked havoc across Europe with chemically-enhanced soldiers that the combined forces of Europe could not tame.

“This is the same condition we have presently with insurgents, bandits, cultists, robbers, kidnappers and herders spilling rampaging across the country.

Given the dark and dangerous background of Captagon, its not difficult to guess correctly that the destination for the seized drug is none other than the camps of insurgents and bandits all over the country.”

He assured Nigerians that the Agency would continue to work hard with support from local and international partners to block availability and access to all manners of illicit substances across the country.

“Given the Zero Tolerance of NDLEA for production, trafficking and abuse of any illicit substance, our approach to this discovery couldnt be casual. The first arrest has been made and well not rest on our oars until every person connected to this shipment is arrested, he added.

News

I Won’t Surrender Rivers N700bn IGR to Anyone, Fubara Vows

Published

4 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has resisted alleged pressure to hand over N700 billion, representing 35% of the State’s internally generated revenue (IGR), to anyone, sparking a heated power struggle with former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister.

The dispute has raised concerns about the welfare of Rivers State residents, with 4.4 million people living in multidimensional poverty.

The feud between Fubara and Wike, who unilaterally chose Fubara as his successor, has escalated into violent confrontations, defections, and legal battles.

Wike has threatened to make Rivers State “ungovernable” if Fubara fails comply, while his supporters have vowed to “deal with” Fubara.

In response, Fubara has warned that he cannot be intimidated, saying: “Rivers State is not a playground” and that he’s prepared to defend the state’s interest.

His supporters have also threatened to mobilise protests against Wike and his allies.

The crisis had paralysed governance, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month emergency rule in the State last year.

The situation remains tense, with both sides maintaining their respective stance.

The outcome will have significant implications for Rivers State and Nigerian politics.

The dispute highlights concerns about godfatherism in Nigerian politics and its impact on governance.

Wike has accused Fubara of ingratitude, while Fubara sees the former’s demands as an attempt to undermine his authority.

News

Rivers Assembly Begins Impeachment Proceedings Against Fubara

Published

4 days ago

January 8, 2026

Eric

The Rivers State House of Assembly has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The legislature kicked off the process at plenary on Thursday.

The lawmakers are accusing Fubara and his deputy of gross misconduct.

Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, is presiding over the session.

The day’s proceedings bear the imprimatur of renewed hostilities between Fubara and his predecessor Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On December 5, 2025, a horde of the Rivers assembly lawmakers led by the speaker, announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Days later, Fubara formalised his own switch from the PDP to the APC.

However, the sabre-rattling and thinly veiled remarks between Wike and Fubara, which culminated in the declaration of emergency rule in the state in March 2025, have persisted.

Most of the Rivers lawmakers have stayed loyal to Wike.

TheCable

Featured

US Imposes $15,000 Visa Bond on Visiting Nigerians

Published

5 days ago

January 7, 2026

Eric

The United States has introduced new travel restrictions that may require Nigerians applying for B1/B2 business and tourism visas to post financial bonds of up to $15,000, as Washington tightens entry conditions for nationals of countries it classifies as high risk.

Under the new policy announced by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, applicants from 38 countries, 24 of them in Africa, including Nigeria, may be required to provide visa bonds of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, depending on the assessment made during their visa interview. The measures will take effect on different dates, with Nigeria’s implementation scheduled to begin on January 21.

According to the State Department notice, “any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000.” Applicants will also be required to submit a Department of Homeland Security Form I-352 and agree to the bond terms through the U.S. Treasury Department’s Pay.gov platform, regardless of where the visa application is submitted.

The department stressed that payment of a bond does not guarantee the issuance of a visa, warning that fees paid without the direction of a consular officer will not be refunded.

Nigerians who post the required bonds and obtain visas will also be restricted to entering the United States through designated airports, including Boston Logan International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

Refunds of the bonds will only be made if the Department of Homeland Security confirms that the visa holder departed the United States on or before the authorised date of stay, if the applicant does not travel before the visa expires, or if the traveller applies for entry and is denied admission at a U.S. port of entry.

The development comes barely a week after partial U.S. travel restrictions on Nigeria took effect. On December 16, Nigeria was listed among 15 mostly African countries placed under partial travel suspensions, alongside Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, and The Gambia.

Explaining Nigeria’s inclusion, U.S. authorities cited the continued activity of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in parts of the country, which they said created “substantial screening and vetting difficulties.” The U.S. also referenced visa overstay rates of 5.56 percent for B1/B2 visas and 11.90 percent for F, M, and J visas.

As a result of the designation, the suspension covers both immigrant visas and several non-immigrant categories, including B1, B2, B1/B2, F, M, and J visas.