Nigerian Newspapers
Nemesis catches up with merchants of death
The parade yesterday of men who allegedly specialise in making fake drugs, alcoholic drinks and other consumables, once again, brings to the fore the unending antics of merchants of death, report Seun Akioye and Wale Adepoju
House 21, Ashogbon Street, Idumota, Lagos Island looks ordinary. It is hard to believe any criminal act could go on there. So does 5, Arochukwu Street, Ejigbo, Lagos mainland. Both addresses share this innocent mien with 7, Afolabi Close, Ojo, on the outskirt of Lagos.
But within their walls were men whose survival depended on making fake products that not only do damage to the health of people who innocently patronise them, but also move them closer to their graves.
Maduabuchi Abuzu was the kingpin on 21, Ashogbon Street, Idumota, Lagos Island. His pre-occupation was to allegedly make fake drugs. At the time he was arrested, fake drugs worth N19,522,500.00 were found in his house.
While Abuzu called the shot in the illegal world that House 21, Ashogbon Street, Idumota has now become, Nne Ikenna was the don on 5, Arochukwu Street, Ejigbo, Lagos. He too was illegally manufacturing fake drugs. Five large cartons of fake Zentel tablets, thousands of packs of Zentel tablets and a large quantity of printed packets for packaging Postinor tablets were recovered from the fake factory.
The estimate of the fake products recovered from him is N31,277,000.00. Dry-ink coding machine, which he was using for blister packing and printing of labels and codes on the counterfeited medicines, was also seized from him.
Ikenna was actually arrested on March 21 by the police. The 58-year-old said he learnt the skill in India.
When Ikenna was earlier paraded by the image maker of the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, he denied manufacturing the drugs, saying he only packaged them.
He said: “The drugs are not fake. They are effective. I use them myself and they work for me. I even administered them on my children.
“I repair machines for pharmaceutical companies and I’ve even worked in a company in India. I, however, do not produce the drugs. The machines are owned by one Uche who brought them for repairs but he left them in my workshop and told me to assist him in packaging the drugs.
“For each drum of drugs I package, he pays me N20,000 and N35,000 for using my place every month. I don’t market the drugs neither do I produce, I only package them.”
He said the drugs were imported from India and China, adding that he seized the last goods Uche brought, following his refusal to pay him for previous job done.
The Divisional Police Officer, Oliver Inoma-Abbey, a Chief Superintendent of Police, who led a team of operatives to cordon and search the premises, gave details of the items recovered from the fake factory. They are: two packing machines, one blistering machine, five big cartoons of counterfeit Albendazole (Zentel)tablets in 10 big bags; large quantity of printed packets for packaging Albendazole tablets and Levonorgestrel (postinor 2) tablets and 37 cartoons of leaflets for packing Zeltel tablets.
Also paraded yesterday were two crime mates, Kingsley Okoro and Fred Nwafor, of 7, Afolabi Close, Ojo, on the outskirt of Lagos, who were into illegal manufacturing of fake Red Label Whiskey and Carlo Rossi wine. Five packets of Jonny Walker, five cartons of Carlo Rossi Wine and 46 Red Label Whiskey were recovered from the house.
The counterfeiters also have not left out food products. A 20-feet container of food products imported through Apapa Port were also recently intercepted. It was laden with Mama Stars De Tomato paste, imported by Divine Chris Link Communication.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday said it caused the arrest of these merchants of death.
A smuggler of four trailers of suspected fake McDowell Reserved Whiskey, Tochukwu Eze, said the NAFDAC Director-General, Dr Paul Orhii, has also been apprehended. He said the trucks carrying the suspected fake regulated products were plying the Lagos Badagry Expressway before they were intercepted.
Orhii, who briefed reporters, said the goods had made their way into the country through the land border.
The NAFDAC boss said a superintendent pharmacist with Uchest Pharmaceutical Limited, Mrs Mary Awoyinka, used a forged Pharmacists Council licence to import a one-by-20 feet container of pharmaceuticals. She has been arrested.
“The agency also arrested one Mr Maduabuchi Abuzu of 21, Ashogbon Stree, Idumota, Lagos. Some fake drugs were found in his house. They were estimated at N19,522,500.00,” he said
Orhii said Kingsley Okoro and Mr Fred Nwafor of 7, Afolabi Close, Ojo, Lagos, had confessed to illegal manufacturing of fake Red Lebal Whiskey and Carlo Rossi wine. “Five packets of Jonny Walker, five cartons of Carlo Rossi Wine and 46 Red Label Whiskey had been recovered from the house. One Ileazor Okoro was arrested in connection with the case and he is being interrogated,” he said.
The DG said the agency intercepted three by 20 feet containers of food products imported through Apapa Port. “The containers, which contain Mama Stars De Tomato paste, are owned by a company by the name Divine Chris Link Communication,” he said.
Orhii said investigation was ongoing on a company, VYN Trade Limited located at 102, Faulks Road, Aba, Abia State for importing fake saccharin with forged NAFDAC stamp.
Fake anti-malarial medication has been threatening efforts to control malaria in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2011, 64 per cent of Nigeria’s imported antimalarial drugs were fake. Nigeria is Africa’s largest drugs market, and over 70 per cent of its drugs are imported from India and China, considered the “biggest source of fakes.”
Lekan Asuni, President of the Association of Nigerian Representatives of Overseas Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (NIROPHARM), once described the situation as a global challenge requiring swift counter-measures.
The seriousness of the problem has forced NAFDAC to adopt a number of measures. It is working with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), whose Director-General, Dr. Mike Omeri, said shipment of counterfeit drugs into the country must end.
Omeri, who spoke during a visit to Orhii, added that both agencies need to partner with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to device effective ways of discouraging importation of fake and counterfeit drugs into the country.
He said: “NOA will utilise its numerous platforms including the community theatre, community radio, bulk SMS, e-polling and other on-line platforms to communicate the message against fake and substandard drugs to Nigerians in all the 774 local governments of the country.”
Dr. Orhii said he believes the campaign would help.
He said: “I believe the campaign by NOA on this project will go long way in sensitising people about the dangers of fake and counterfeit drugs.”
NAFDAC’s Director, Drugs, Research and Evaluation, Mrs. Hauwa Keri, in an interview with the News Agency for Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday, called for life jail for counterfeiters.
Keri said the punishment was necessary to serve as deterrent to counterfeiters of fake drugs in the country.
She said the proposal, if implemented, would make drug counterfeiting non-bailable.
Mrs. Keri said: “The agency is reviewing the current law, which stipulates a fine of N500, 000 or 15-year jail term upon conviction of offenders involved in the sale, distribution, importation and advertisement of counterfeit regulated products, to make the law serve as deterrent.
“The new law seeks life jail term and confiscation of assets upon conviction, compensation for victims if products is found to be the proximate cause of death or severe bodily injury and to make this a non-bailable offence.”
Keri said effective regulation was vital to improving access to quality essential drugs.
She said the agency had put in place measures to reduce the scourge of drug counterfeiting in the country.
Mrs. Keri said: “One of the major strategies is the use of cutting edge technologies to secure the supply chain. The use of these cutting edge technologies has impacted positively in the fight against counterfeit medicines.
“Our findings over the last one year with the deployment of Truscan, which is a hand held device, indicate that there is a major decrease in the level of counterfeiters in circulation in Nigeria.
“The deployment of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) using our telephone system, sending an SMS, is another means which we are using for end- patient regulated medication authentication.
“We put the power to detect the counterfeit at the hands of the consumer, so that they can buy, check immediately, if it is good, they take it, if it is bad, it will indicate it and immediately we follow and track the system for the location where the medicine has been purchased.”
The director said the agency was partnering with international agencies to create awareness on the dangers of drugs counterfeiting.
Mrs. Keri, who represented Dr. Orhii at a meeting with the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Pharmacopeia in Abuja while he was parading the counterfeiters in Lagos, said Nigeria’s population has made drug counterfeiting lucrative.
The meeting was to establish quality medicine management programme in malaria in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programme.
She said NAFDAC was still faced with the challenge of drug counterfeiting.
Mrs. Keri: “Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products, and may include products with the correct ingredients with the wrong ingredients without active ingredients or otherwise.
“Nigeria, with a large population, heavy disease burden, good market size, and low production capacity, vast and porous borders is a prime target for counterfeiters of medicine.
“These drugs are used in high volume for managing diseases of public health interest such as anti-malarial, antibiotics, anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic agents as well as life-style drugs.”
She said the agency had adopted a multifaceted and well coordinated strategy to ensure access to quality medicine.
“The Pharmaceutical Security Institute data estimates that drug counterfeiting is a 75 billion dollar-business, while the World Customs Service puts it at 200 billion dollars annually, “ she said.
She added that with the advent of globalisation, international collaboration and cooperation was necessary in fighting drug counterfeiting to a halt.
He said NAFDAC was working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry got World Health Organisation’s prequalification, for easy access to medicines that met unified standard of quality.
The Vice Chairman of the U. S. Pharmacopeial, Dr Patrick Lukulay, commended NAFDAC on its fight against drug counterfeiting.
He said the partnership was to ensure effective monitoring of quality of medicines in the country.
He said effective regulation was important to improving access to quality essential medicines, adding that as regulator agents, efforts must be geared toward balancing access and quality.
For now, the loopholes are still many and are being exploited by the merchants of death, who Dr. Orhii yesterday said must be crushed to save Nigerians from diseases and untimely death.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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