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NDLEA Makes Another Breakthrough, Busts Mkpuru Mmiri Labs in Lagos, Anambra,Nabs Barons, Chemist
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
Sponsored by: H&H
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has busted and dismantled two major clandestine laboratories in Lagos and Anambra states, where dangerous illicit drug, crystal methamphetamine, called Mkpuru Mmiri in local parlance, were produced for distribution across Nigeria and export.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), said this on Tuesday, 2nd August 2022, when he addressed the media on the development.
He said following the outbreak of crystal methamphetamine abuse in the last quarter of 2021, predominantly in the South East and the cry for help from many communities in the region because of the devastating effects the distribution and abuse of the dangerous stimulant drug were having on their youths and others, the Agency deployed all available assets to find the primary source of manufacturing of the drug in Nigeria and arrest the barons behind it.
A statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Femi Babafemi, said: “Marwa said while efforts in the past seven months against the cartel behind the Methamphetamine scourge, have led to the arrest of four kingpins and a cook; “now, we have added two barons and another cook.
“This, no doubt, is a loud statement to those involved in the criminal illicit drug trade that it’s time for them to quit or risk losing it all; that is losing their freedom, investment and assets acquired through proceeds from the illegal business.”
According to him, “I am pleased to inform the public that, after months of painstaking intelligence gathering, diligent tracking and coordinated offensive action, we recorded a breakthrough on Saturday, July 30, 2022, when officers and men of the Agency successfully busted two methamphetamine manufacturing facilities, called Meth Laboratories.
“The first one, located in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Estate of Lekki, Lagos, is owned by a baron, Chris Emeka Nzewi, while the second, in Nise Community of Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was owned by Paul Ozoemenam.
“The owners of these two illicit meth laboratories were successfully arrested alongside Sunday Ukah from Aba, Abia State, the cook or chemist that produced the drugs for them.
“The laboratory in Lagos was set up inside the Boys’ Quarter building of a four-bedroom duplex. From there, we recovered a total of 258.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and various precursor chemicals used for the production of the toxic drug.
“The complete paraphernalia of laboratory equipment, such as gas cylinders, giant gas burners, industrial face masks, industrial gloves, tubes and flat-bottomed conical flasks, among others were also found.”
He said he’s addressing the public about the weekend busts to raise people’s awareness of the danger that meth production constitutes to public health and the modus operandi of the barons involved in the unwholesome activity.
He said, “the owner of the laboratory in VGC, for instance, was producing this highly unstable and toxic drug in a house where he lived with his family.
This speaks volumes about his insensitivity to the consequences of exposing his family, which includes a three-month old baby, to the danger of hazardous chemicals. If that is the case, that is an indication that public health was of no concern to him.
“In this particular case, aside from the laboratory being close to the kitchen of the main house, the waste from the laboratory was channelled into the septic tank and soakaway in the compound, with a high risk of contamination of the water table of the entire neighbourhood.
“On average, the lab produced 50 kilos of methamphetamine every week with plans underway to increase the capacity of production to at least 100kg per week. Where do these drugs end?
“From our preliminary interrogation, we now know the drugs from this lab were both for export and local consumption. “We also know there is a supply chain of distributors and buyers for export and the domestic market.
“When you consider the fact that the price of this dangerous drug was going for as high as US500, 000 per kilo in the international market in recent time, you will understand why Nzewi cared less to put the lives of his own family at risk by producing this in the same house where they live. Hence, taking these two labs out of operation is a major feat in our continuing effort to curb the meth problem.”
The NDLEA boss said the lab busts also exposed the interconnectivity among syndicates involved in meth production, adding that the cook was hired by both producers to produce for the VGC lab, as well as the lab in Anambra.
He urged members of the public to be sensitive to their environment.
“As we step up the offensive against drug traffickers, we want the public to be more vigilant and be aware of the fact that producers of methamphetamine always choose unsuspecting environments with tight security, like the VGC estate, in this case. And the reason is not far-fetched: They choose secured estates to prevent law enforcement agents from monitoring their activities.
They also locate meth labs in remote unsuspecting communities where residents would not be aware of their activities.
“It is very important to note that the waste from methamphetamine production is dangerous to the ecosystem.
The chemicals are toxic and once they seep into the soil, they contaminate the water table from which surrounding wells and boreholes draw their water. And citizens who unwittingly consume the water from such sources are exposed to heart and kidney ailments and other organ diseases. Neighbours, too, who inhale gases from the lab, are also susceptible to the same risk.
What makes it worse is that the production usually takes place in the middle of the night, between 11 pm and 4 am, and therefore, unsuspecting neighbours could have been exposed to the hazards for months or even years.”
Marwa commended the professionalism of the intelligence-led special units assigned the task.
“Our forensic experts and the 200-man strike force team that we deployed who were the operational arm that executed the mission of dismantling the labs, seizing the crystal meth, precursors, paraphernalia and arresting the culprits.”
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Food Security: NITDA, USAID to Partner in Tackling Food Insecurity
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
With over 70 million arable land enough to feed not just Nigeria but Africa, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has said that the Agency is willing to partner with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and relevant stakeholders to tackle food insecurity in Nigeria.
The Director General made this known while receiving representatives from USAID led by Josh Woodard Senior Digital Advisor Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security, at the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja.
The purpose of the visit was to have a rapid landscape assessment of digital agriculture in Nigeria and partner with NITDA.
Inuwa said, “One of President Tinubu’s areas of focus is boosting agriculture to achieve food security, and at NITDA we were set up to develop the National IT Policy, and IT policy is not just about developing IT but developing IT to boost productivity across all critical sectors including agriculture.”
“That is why we do a lot of initiatives in trying to see how we can build an agriculture Strategy with IT in mind and make it a more attractive business to the younger generation,” he added.
Inuwa stated that NITDA has identified six emerging technologies, that will aid in achieving food security in Nigeria. He said “We have an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy co-creation workshop going on, which started on Monday, where we are working with the ecosystem to develop a strategy on how to use AI in agriculture, health, education, and so on.
“We are working on how to use the Internet of Things, (IoT) in agriculture for crop monitoring, soil monitoring, precision irrigation, climate monitoring livestock monitoring, and so on.”
“We are working using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, (UAVs) to facilitate pest detection, water control, yield assessment, and so on.”
We are working on using Blockchain for the traceability of farm produce from farm to store, record keeping, quality assurance, and so on.”
“We are working on using Robotics to enhance productivity in agriculture in terms of automation of physical farm processing like weeding, harvesting, tractors, and many more.”
“For additive manufacturing, we are working on using it to upscale our manufacturing industry in the Agricultural sector for the production of crop and soil monitoring devices, customised equipment, and many more.”
Speaking on NITDA’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria develops its digital offering in-country, Inuwa noted that the Nigeria Startup Portal was launched during the week with over 12,000 startups registered so far. He said they would be labelled after which they could have access to incentives.
Earlier Josh Woodard, USAID said that the meeting was to enable USAID to have first-hand information on what Nigeria is doing in digital farming to see how to enhance the integration of digital technology in agriculture.
He revealed that USAID recently launched the Global Food Security Strategy for Nigeria (2024 -2029) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He said, “We want to work with all stakeholders to ensure food security in Nigeria.”
The meeting discussed the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA) in relation to the success stories the initiative has recorded, the expansion strategy it is adopting and call on the USAID to be part of the initiatives.
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NITDA, NIMC TO PARTNER ON PKI, DPI
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
To further strengthen the Nigeria cyberspace and enhance the digital trust as enshrined in the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0, the Agency has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) on National Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) with the aim of enhancing digital identity, payment ecosystem and secure seamless exchange of data in the country.
The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa with the DG of National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote during a working visit to her Commission in Abuja
NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, made this known during a working visit to his counterpart, the NIMC Director General, Engr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote to discuss the various initiatives that centered around the building of DPI stacks for a secure and seamless data exchange and forming partnerships to transform the national identity system.
While emphasising that the collaboration will harness the potential of the technology innovation ecosystem, he maintained that the use of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) will also help to drive the Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
He used the opportunity to provide insights into NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan stating that NITDA is evolving and that has informed the decision of the Agency to keep re-imagining itself.
He noted that the Agency recently re-crafted its vision and mission to reflect the current realities in the industry.
Inuwa further explained that the NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2024-2027) 2.0 is anchored on eight pillars which include; Fostering Digital Literacy and Cultivating Talents, Building a Robust Technology Research Ecosystem, Strengthening Policy Implementation and Legal Frameworks, Promoting Inclusive Access to Digital Infrastructure and Services, Enhancing Cybersecurity and Digital Trust, Nurturing an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, Forging Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations, and Cultivating a Vibrant Organisational Culture with an Agile Workforce.
In her remarks, the NIMC’s Director General, expressed the enthusiasm of the Commission to collaborate with NITDA in advancing the digital economy sector stating that “no institutions can implement all its policies and programs in isolation, we need each other to achieve the set targets.”
Engr. Coker further informed the gathering that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed a circular on data integration and harmonisation of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and on PKI for growth and development of the country.
The highlight of the meeting was the inauguration of a 12-man committee that is saddled with the responsibility of kick-starting and harmonising the initiatives and the committee is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation report in the coming weeks.
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