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Report Shows That Lagos Residents Consume Over 100 Bags Of Indian Hemp Daily

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Drug use and trafficking have surely gained prominence among some young Nigerians, many of whom are entangled in the web of their harmful repercussions.

Drug-related cases in Nigerian courts demonstrate how profoundly drug misuse and trafficking have corrupted society’s tissues.

Drug trafficking is defined by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as an illegal trade that involves the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of controlled substances.

The use of illegal drugs or prescription or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for purposes other than those for which they were prescribed, or in excessive doses, is referred to as drug abuse.

Drug misuse, according to medical professionals, can lead to social, physical, emotional, and occupational issues.

In Nigeria, the National Drug Control Agency (NDLEA), established by Decree 48 of 1989, is charged with eliminating the cultivation, processing, manufacture, sale, export, and trafficking of hard drugs. According to the NDLEA, any drug with psychotropic effects is listed as restricted. Some of the prohibited substances on the NDLEA List are cannabis Sativa, heroin, cocaine, codeine, tramadol, methamphetamine, Rohypnol, extol 5, diazepam, and ephedrine.

These drugs are considered to have high psychotropic effects and their use is restricted. Unfortunately, many more young people seem to have found comfort in using hard drugs for personal and business gain. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use indicated that 14.3 million Nigerians, representing 14.4% of the country’s population, used psychoactive substances in addition to alcohol. The effects of hard drug use include an increase in criminal activity, including cyber fraud. Drug abuse and trafficking are of concern to governments, community leaders, parents, schools, and other stakeholders.

According to the attorney for NDLEA, Lagos State Command Jeremiah Aernan, the rate of abuse of hard drugs by young people has become alarming. Aernan calls for collective efforts to deal with the threat. He blames the ugly trend in part on the influence of social media, adding that “Currently, social media has improved the distribution of hard drugs, as there are now drug dealers online. So you find out that once these young people need drugs, they just order online the same way you order online shopping items.” Research reveals that these hard drugs are sold under code names.

“They can say I want to buy a pencil and the delivery man knows what he means; then it is seen that social networks have facilitated, in no small measure, the trafficking of these drugs,” he says. Mr. Aernan also blames the tendency for peer group influence which, according to him, pushes some young people into cult activities with the resulting effect of illicit drug use. According to him, while some young people engage in drug use in order to have an “experience,” out of curiosity, others become drug lords for financial gain. “Unemployment is another cause of drug trafficking.

Many people have taken drug trafficking as a business; so it now goes beyond its use to derived commercial benefits. If you check the volume of hemp consumed daily in Lagos alone, you find that it is more than 100 bags. “So if someone who sells hemp can make a profit of N3,000 or more per day, do you think that person will want to stop?” he asks.

Aernan says that while there is a control on the importation of ephedrine, its abuse is also rampant. “Codeine was originally used to make cough syrups, but rampant abuse of the drug led to its immediate ban. Some of these young people go ahead and buy cartons of codeine and drink straight just to ‘feel,’” he says. According to him, some hard drugs now have variants that are also used by young people in an attempt to have new experiences.

“For example, there is a variant of cocaine called crack, which is a combination of cocaine, heroin, methenamine, and other narcotics that our young people use. The drug recently intercepted in Lagos came from the high seas and exceeded two tons in volume. “Now there is a great need for guidance from young people on the dangers of drug trafficking.

It also requires parents to verify their wards’ schedules and to keep a close eye on their commitments,” he advises. Also speaking, Osariemen Amadasun, attributes the high rate of a drug crime to uncontrolled use of the internet, adding that many young people use the internet for the wrong reasons. She believes that drug abuse goes hand in hand with the cybercrime known as ‘yahoo yahoo’, of which she is convinced that young people are at the center.

“Some of these young men and even women stay up at night watching their laptops for the next gullible individual to fall victim to their scams. They will ingest substances to keep the mind and body awake. In their jargon, it is to be awake like a fish waiting for the next mugu. “More concerning is the fact that these young people even cook their meals with some of these hard drugs, ingest and inject them just to get a deeper feeling. It becomes a complicated case to try to rehabilitate these drug victims, as some of them see and feel that their body systems are shutting down.

“The danger of using drugs is that once it starts, it is almost impossible to stop; parents must be aware of their responsibilities,” he urges. A nurse who worked at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State, Ifeyinwa Nwachukwu says: “Many psychiatric cases that we find in hospitals are caused by drug abuse. As a psychiatric nurse, I have been left with drug victims; By how they behave, one can easily tell that they have been on hard drugs.

“Although with medications, some of these drug users become relatively stable, it is better that young people are properly oriented so as not to deepen in the ingestion of any form of an illicit substance. Its negative effects are long-lasting,” she warns. She suggests routine seminars and other enlightenment campaigns on the negative impacts of hard drugs as a strategy to stem the wave of drug-related crime.

Ms. Nwachukwu reports that seminars can be held in schools, hospitals, health centers, and religious centers. A 22-year-old rehabilitated drug victim, Kings Uzoma, recounts that he became addicted to drugs in 2019 after establishing a small computer operating company. According to him, his work schedule made him have new friends.

“We lived around Agric in the Ojo de Lagos area. When I started having large customers, who stay in my store until the evening when it should be closing, I became interested in what they were doing. “Later, I left my parents’ house in Ojo and went to live with them on Victoria Island, where they introduced me to eat rice cooked with Codeine.

From there, we traveled to Ghana. In Ghana, I no longer understood what was happening to me. One day I woke up and found myself back in Nigeria with bruises on my body,” he said. According to him, a hospital prescribed medicine before he regained his senses. Another lawyer, Emmanuel Ozodi, calls for strict punishments for drug offenses.

According to him, judges hand down sentences as small as six months in prison or a fine for drug trafficking. He believes that such penalties have not served as a sufficient deterrent for drug offenses. The lawyer says that while Nigeria should not punish drug crimes with the death penalty, the country should show a strong will to confront the threat through strict punishments.

The NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa recently called for tougher penalties for drug trafficking by eliminating the fine option for drug offenders. At the annual dinner of the Institute for Change Management in Lagos in December 2021, Marwa said: “It is worrying that some of our officers lose their lives in the course of the fight against drug traffickers, but at the end of the day, some of these offenders when they are brought to trial, they are only fined and then return to the same business.”

According to Marwa, the hard drug problem in Nigeria is huge. “Basically, we have to close the pipeline. In other words, take the traffickers and their barons out of the picture. We have to embark on an aggressive drug supply reduction campaign. “It is to this end that we launched the War on Drug Abuse campaign that, in the long run, will help prevent the entrenched culture of drug abuse among the youth of society,” he said.

The analysts call on parents, guardians, caregivers, school administration, religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, and others to join forces with governments to control drug crimes to save young people, the leaders of tomorrow, of its bad consequences. They also urge changes in policies and legislation that will stem the wave of drug-related crime.

(NAN)

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JUST IN: Former President Buhari Dies In London Clinic

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Former Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari, passed away on Sunday.

His longtime media aide, Garba Shehu, confirmed the news in a brief statement issued on Sunday afternoon, stating that the former president died at a clinic in London.

Shehu’s message, distributed to the media, read:
“INNA LILLAHI WA INNA ILAIHIRRAJIUUN. The family of the former president has announced the passing on of the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, this afternoon in a clinic in London. May Allah accept him in Aljannatul Firdaus, Amin.”

The statement concluded with the date: July 13, 2025.

Although the cause of death was not disclosed, Buhari, who held office from 2015 to 2023, had frequently sought medical care in the United Kingdom during and after his time as president.

Buhari, a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army, first led Nigeria as a military head of state from 1983 to 1985. Decades later, he was elected president through a democratic process. He made history as the first opposition candidate to unseat a sitting president in Nigeria.

Funeral plans have not yet been made public.

 

More to come…

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No Effective Governance Without Full Local Government Autonomy — Femi Gbajabiamila

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The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has stated that governance at the local government level cannot be effective without complete autonomy.

He made the remark while addressing journalists after voting in the Lagos State local government elections in Surulere on Saturday.

When asked about the progress of implementing the LG autonomy ruling by the Supreme Court one year after it was delivered, Gbajabiamila described the process as ongoing and said it would be completed with time.

Gbajabiamila said, “The ruling was welcome by everybody. It’s the execution of that ruling and the implementation of that ruling that we are still trying to dot the Is and cross the Ts.

“I believe in a matter of time, we will realise full autonomy. There cannot be effective governance without full autonomy. That’s what we are working toward.”

In July 2024, the Supreme Court granted autonomy to all 774 local government areas across the country following a case filed by the federal government through the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation. However, the ruling is yet to be fully implemented.

Following the judgement, the Senate urged state and local governments to immediately adhere to the court’s directive, especially regarding local government accounts and direct fund disbursements.

The Senate also moved to amend relevant sections of the Constitution to ensure full local government autonomy nationwide.

The announcement was made by Deputy Senate President Senator Jibrin Barau, after lawmakers emerged from a closed-door session where they discussed alleged efforts by some state governments to bypass the Supreme Court’s ruling on July 11.

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DETAILED: Coroner Orders Prosecution Of Auxiliary Nurse Over Mohbad’s Death, Probe Into Police Inaction

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The Lagos State Coroner’s Court in Ikorodu has instructed the Director of Public Prosecutions to initiate legal action against Feyisayo Ogedengbe, the auxiliary nurse who gave the injection allegedly linked to the death of Nigerian artist Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

In her ruling delivered on Friday, Magistrate C.A. Shotobi stated that Ms Ogedengbe was not a registered nurse or licensed medical professional, and therefore acted outside the law by administering a tetanus injection that reportedly led to complications resulting in the singer’s death.

“This is not a case of foul play but one of medical negligence,” Magistrate Shotobi said. “While I cannot certify a definitive cause of death, I draw a link from the sudden reaction after the deceased was injected by the nurse.”

She further raised alarm about lapses in healthcare regulations, highlighting how unqualified individuals are allowed to operate as health practitioners.

In a related directive, the court ordered an inquiry into the failure of the Nigeria Police Force to act on a petition filed by the late singer before his death, asking relevant authorities to determine if negligence occurred.

Family members and their legal team—Wahab Shittu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, along with Kabir Akingbola and Abiola Kolawole from the African Women Lawyers Association—were in attendance when the ruling was delivered.

Testimonies and autopsy reports

According to the Coroner, 19 individuals, including relatives, doctors, and police personnel, provided testimony during the inquiry.

Based on the evidence of two independent pathologists who conducted separate autopsies, the court observed that the advanced state of decomposition of Mohbad’s body made it difficult to confirm an exact cause of death.

However, both experts agreed that a severe anaphylactic reaction to the tetanus shot was the most probable cause.

“The death is not linked to any evidence of foul play, but to medical negligence,” Magistrate Shotobi reaffirmed.

Criticisms of family and law enforcement

The court found no direct connection between Mohbad’s passing and the alleged harassment by his former label boss Azeez Fashola, known as Naira Marley, and associate Samson Eletu, also called Sam Larry, despite evidence of continued intimidation.

Nevertheless, the court condemned the manner of the singer’s burial, referring to it as “undignified.”

It criticised Joseph Aloba, the singer’s father, for not obtaining a death certificate or requesting an autopsy prior to the burial, despite receiving N2 million from fellow artist David Adeleke (Davido) to facilitate a proper funeral.

Omowunmi, Mohbad’s wife, was also faulted for failing to seek timely professional medical care for the singer over a 15-hour period and not adequately documenting the circumstances surrounding his death.

“She had a duty of care to her husband which was not sufficiently discharged,” the court said.

The court also condemned the police for ignoring the singer’s petition before his death, which included claims of assault and threats to life.

Describing the situation as “dereliction of duty,” the court ordered the immediate reopening of the case and instructed the police to question all individuals mentioned in the petition, including Naira Marley and Sam Larry.

Systemic breakdowns and court recommendations

Magistrate Shotobi noted that the circumstances surrounding Mohbad’s death exposed “systemic collapse” across multiple sectors such as family, healthcare, law enforcement, and the entertainment industry.

She called for the prosecution of Ms Ogedengbe on charges of gross medical negligence and urged that Mohbad be reburied in compliance with public health and legal standards.

She also demanded a formal investigation into police inaction regarding the deceased’s petition and advocated for legislative reforms to tackle bullying and abuse in the entertainment sector.

The court recommended a ban on intravenous medication by unlicensed individuals and emphasized that all sudden deaths involving young, seemingly healthy people must be investigated before burial.

Traditional funeral rites, the court warned, must not override statutory procedures in suspicious or abrupt death cases.

She also cautioned online content creators and influencers that disseminating falsehoods about court proceedings could be classified as obstruction of justice under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.

Public reaction

The legal team representing Mohbad’s family praised the decision as a significant ruling.

Speaking to journalists, Mr Shittu, counsel to the singer’s father, described the court’s findings as “unprecedented jurisprudence” and “a PhD thesis in justice.”

“The ruling analysed the testimony of 19 witnesses. It revealed patterns: Mohbad felt unsafe, was harassed, and lacked institutional protection,” he said.

He added that the rushed burial compromised a thorough forensic investigation. “While Islamic law encourages swift burial, public interest in this case should have prevailed.”

Mr Shittu also reiterated the court’s position that police should act immediately on the singer’s petition, stating, “This is not a flawed investigation—it was never properly conducted in the first place.”

Kabir Akingbola, who represented Mohbad’s wife, cited cultural and emotional limitations. “Yoruba customs limit a wife’s power to challenge a father-in-law. Even if she wanted to intervene, grief and tradition may have silenced her,” he explained.

Background

Mohbad passed away on 12 September 2023 at age 26 and was buried the next day, sparking public outrage and widespread demonstrations.

Following public pressure, the Lagos State Police Command launched a 13-member investigation team on 18 September. His body was exhumed on 21 September for autopsy.

In April 2024, a second autopsy was ordered after the initial toxicology results were deemed inconclusive. US-based NMS Labs, allegedly contracted for testing, later denied receiving any related sample.

Summons were issued to key individuals including Naira Marley, Sam Larry, the nurse, and Mohbad’s wife. In March 2025, calls were made for Magistrate Shotobi to step aside from the case over alleged bias, but she continued until the final ruling.

 

Credit: Premium Times

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