Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has officially welcomed Pius Anyim, a former Senate President, into the All Progressives Congress (APC) fold.

Anyim recently defected to the ruling party in his ward in Ebonyi State. He was accompanied by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru to the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday, where he met with President Tinubu.

After the meeting, Anyim spoke to reporters, praising the Tinubu administration for its efforts to address the needs of citizens.

He emphasized the importance of unity among Nigerians, stressing that collective support is crucial for the country’s progress.

Anyim’s defection to the APC and his meeting with President Tinubu signal a significant development in Nigeria’s political landscape.

“This is a new dawn, and many people have agreed that the present administration is doing very well,” Anyim said.

“My determination is that Nigeria moves forward. There is a need that we all should put hands together to move the country forward.”

On Tuesday, Ezenwo Onyewuchi, senator representing Imo east, defected from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC.

Anyim, who has been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999, and Onyewuchi are two bigwigs the ruling party has gained in two weeks.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced on Wednesday that its operatives have successfully arrested the notorious leader of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, Sulaiman Jimoh, also known as Temo.

Temo, who had been evading arrest for a long time, was finally apprehended at his hideout after initially putting up resistance along with his accomplices.

This breakthrough comes on the heels of the arrest of another high-profile drug baron, Joachin Mbonu, who was caught in his Imo State mansion on July 12 after fleeing from South Africa.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Temo’s arrest marks a significant milestone in the agency’s efforts to dismantle the drug cartel and bring its leaders to justice.

He said, “After many years of wearing the toga of invincibility, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, 57-year-old Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh (alias Olowoidiogede, popularly known as Temo), has been arrested by operatives of the NDLEA, at his enclave after an initial resistance from him and his horde of hoodlums.”

Babafemi recalled that operatives of the NDLEA had seized drugs worth billions of naira from Temo.

He added that a few of the NDLEA operatives with Temo had resulted in fierce gun duels.

Babafemi said, “In the last two years, the NDLEA had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo but he has remained largely evasive while a few encounters with him and his armed gangs in his Mushin enclave had resulted in gunfight.

“Some of the recent seizures of his shipments include: 14, 524.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana in two trucks and a J5 bus intercepted at Ojuelegba area of Lagos in the early hours of Sunday 28th January 2024; two truck-loads of the same substance weighing 8,852kg intercepted at Eleko beach, Lekki Lagos on 4th May 2023 and 252kg of Loud seized from his enclave in Mushin on Wednesday 26th July 2023. Indeed, in the last two encounters, his men engaged NDLEA operatives in a gunfight.”

Narrating how Temo was arrested, Babafemi said the NDLEA ‘s surveillance team tracked him to Igbarere Street in Mushin and was pinned down on July 22.

He said the team immediately called for a reinforcement of 50 operatives when he tried to escape.

Babafemi said, “The drug kingpin was very notorious for always being on the move to evade arrest but with persistence and determination of the Agency aided by modern tools and intelligence, the concerted effort to get him paid off at 10 am on Monday, July 22, 2024 when NDLEA’s surveillance teams on his trail tracked and pinned him down at Igbarere street, Mushin. A reinforcement of about 50 operatives was immediately mobilized to the area while he was attempting to escape in a Mercedes Benz SUV GLE 350 marked 01G-300G.”

Babafemi stated that Temo attempted to mobilize hoodlums to engage and distract the operatives to facilitate his escape, but he was unsuccessful.

He said, “His attempt to escape by mobilizing hoodlums to engage and distract the operatives however failed after which he was overpowered and whisked away from the chaotic scene while his men surrendered to the superior firepower of the anti-narcotic agents who also succeeded in recovering the Mercedes Benz SUV the suspect was found in.”

Babafemi said the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command, Special Monitoring Task Force, and other formations for Temo’s arrest.

He said, “In his reaction to the arrest of Temo, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the officers and men of the Lagos State Command, Special Monitoring Task Force, and other formations tasked with the assignment of getting Temo arrested for their resilience, vigilance, and professionalism. He urged them to intensify the heat on all drug cartels wherever they are located.”

One of Nigeria’s fastest growing hospital groups and renowned fertility experts, St. Ives hospital has opened a new, ultra-modern branch at FESTAC, Lagos. The new hospital branch was declared open on Sunday, July 1, 2024 by the Group Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Babatunde Okewale. Also in attendant at the event were members of the hospital’s advisory board which included Mr. Adesegun Ajibola, SAN, Mrs. Bisi Adeyemi and Mr. Gbenga Badejo and medical directors and staff from its other branches.

The newly opened branch at FESTAC brings the number of the hospital to 5, with the other locations being Ikoyi, Ikeja, Akowonjo and Abeokuta. Facilities at the 45-bed hospital includes a children’s play area, which has become one of the signatures of all its branches, family convenience room, nursing stations, delivery suite, pharmacy, neonatal unit, theatre, X-Ray room, radio diagnostic, fertility unit, IVF/ ART unit, andrology laboratory, IVF theatre, and an emergency/ observation room.

In her welcome address at the event, the hospital’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Kiki Okewale disclosed that the hospital’s mission has always been to offer dedicated consultant-led, technology-driven healthcare services to women, children, family and fertility in a friendly environment. In her words, ‘over the years, we have built a reputation for being a trusted healthcare provider, and our new FESTAC branch is a testament to our commitment to expanding our reach and enhancing the quality of care we provide’.

Reputed as one of the hospitals championing reversal of medical tourism in Nigeria, due to the outstanding success rate in IVF, St. Ives with the new, state of the art, ultra-modern branch at FESTAC will further push the frontier of the medical profession through the use of advanced technology, in delivering qualitative healthcare services to their patients. St. Ives hospital adopts a success oriented-approach towards fertility, which has seen it become the go to hospital for families facing the challenges of conception.

St. Ives Hospital is a multi-specialist hospital that began operation in 1996. The hospital offers dedicated specialist services in all matters of women, children and family/fertility healthcare. The hospital is well managed by a dedicated team of specialists and consultants with years of experience in the medical profession. They provide a wide range of specialist services in OBGYN, Pediatrics, medicine and surgery.