NDLEA Destroys Illicit Drug Warehouses In Ondo, Ekiti Forests

NDLEA destroys illicit drug warehouses in Ondo, Ekiti forests. A total of 2,483 compressed blocks of skunk and 247 bags of the same substance, all weighing 5,442 kilogrammes, were recovered, and five suspects were arrested.

Operatives of a special operations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency stormed forests in Omuo-Ekiti, Ekiti, destroying 14,654 kilograms of skunk and arresting two suspects.

The agency disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. It said the operatives in another operation on December 2 stormed the forests in Asin-Ekiti, Ikole LGA, Ekiti, where they destroyed 54,300kg of skunk in two large warehouses that were razed.

It said that 28.3kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered for the purpose of prosecution.
NDLEA operatives raided the Igoba forest in Akure North LGA, Ondo, on December 2. A total of 2,483 compressed blocks of skunk and 247 bags of the same substance, all weighing 5,442 kilogrammes, were recovered, and five suspects were arrested.

According to the anti-narcotics agency, 500kg of the same substance was recovered from a Mercedes-Benz van marked MGU 614 XB by NDLEA officers on patrol along Mokwa-Jebba road in Niger, on December 4, with the driver arrested.

It disclosed that NDLEA operatives in the FCT Abuja on December 3 intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, weighing 22kg at Abaji expressway. A follow-up operation at the Jabi park in Abuja led to the arrest of a female receiver.
Also in the FCT, a suspect was arrested by operatives on Friday with 24kg of skunk and 573,500 pills of exol-5 along the Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives recovered 217 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 113kg from a suspect at Ladipo Market, Mushin.
A suspect was nabbed with 351kg of skunk at the Onipanu area of the state on December 5,  adding that another suspect was arrested with 104.1kg of the same psychoactive substance at the Trade Fair complex, Ojo, on December 2.

NDLEA Destroys Largest Seizure

A total of 447.5 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from two Honda Accord cars marked: ABC-678 KK and GGE-772 FB at Agho forest, Akoko Edo LGA, Edo.

A suspect was apprehended in connection with the seizure. A raid operation at a warehouse in the Isiefve community, Uhunwonde LGA, led to the seizure of 315.8kg of skunk and the arrest of a male suspect.

“With the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others, in the past week,” said the statement.

These include WADA sensitisation lectures to students and staff of St. Michael’s Academy, Sabon Gari, Kano; Harry Pass Secondary School, Masaje, Gboko LGA, Benue; and Community Junior Secondary School, Okuru-Ama, Obio/Akpor LGA, Rivers, among others.

Government Offers Health Insurance To 4,200 HIV-Positive Residents, 600 Orphans In Kano

Government offers health insurance to 4,200 HIV-positive residents, 600 orphans in Kano. Health commissioner Abubakar Labaran disclosed this at a media briefing on Monday to commemorate the 2025 World AIDS Day.

The Kano government says it has enrolled more than 600 orphans and vulnerable children and 4,200 people living with HIV into its health insurance scheme.

Health commissioner Abubakar Labaran disclosed this at a media briefing on Monday to commemorate the 2025 World AIDS Day.
Mr Labaran said the enrolment was implemented through the Kano State Health Trust Fund in collaboration with development partners. He described the commemoration as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with millions of people living with HIV globally.

“For Kano state, we currently have 37,825 people living with HIV, including 4,381 children, with 551 recorded deaths so far in 2025,” he said.

The commissioner said the theme underscored the need for increased domestic financing for HIV response, especially as donor organisations gradually withdraw support.
He said the government responded by expanding the budget line for the Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS from about N300 million to N2 billion for 2025 and beyond.

“We have released about N500 million this year alone to bridge gaps created by disruptions in external funding,” he said.
He added that Governor Abba Yusuf remained committed to equitable and non-discriminatory healthcare for all residents.
Mr Labaran listed priority areas for 2025, including reducing stigma, improving access to care, strengthening prevention, and protecting vulnerable groups.

He said the government had enacted an Anti-Stigma and Discrimination Law and expanded access to the Kano State Contributory Health Scheme for PLHIV.
According to him, other achievements recorded during the year include the provision of 24-hour solar power at the SACA office, the procurement of operational vehicles, the strengthening of data systems, and the launch of Nigeria’s first full-scale triple elimination programme for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis in six pilot facilities.

“This is the first initiative of its kind in the country, targeting pregnant women attending antenatal care,” he said.

He also announced the construction of a paediatric TB/HIV clinic at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, funded entirely by the state government. On service delivery, Labaran said the state conducted 607,720 HIV tests in 2025, identified 2,440 new cases and placed 2,388 people on treatment.
He said 37,825 people were currently receiving care in various health facilities.

The health commissioner also highlighted progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission, stating that 238,495 pregnant women were tested during their first antenatal visit, out of which only 34 tested positive. He said 31,277 children under 15 were tested, with 68 found positive and placed on treatment.

HIV

According to him, Kano conducted the highest number of early infant diagnosis tests in the country this year using the M-PIMA machine.
Mr Labaran reaffirmed the state’s commitment to achieving the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 and urged the residents to continue supporting people living with HIV and to help eliminate stigma.

The director-general of KSACA, Usman Bashir, said the event was organised to show solidarity with people living with HIV and remember those who had died.

“We are here to commemorate World AIDS Day and to show love to people living with HIV,” he said

UCH Resident Doctors Resume Work After Month-Long Nationwide Strike

UCH resident doctors resume work after month-long nationwide strike. Resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, have resumed work after a month-long nationwide strike.

Resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, have resumed work after a month-long nationwide strike.

The doctors had been on strike since November 1, following the directives of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors.
The NARD directed its members nationwide to embark on an indefinite strike, following the government’s failure to address their demands.
The association demands a 200 per cent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure and the full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022.

The doctors also demand immediate recruitment of clinical staff and the removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks that are delaying the replacement of exited doctors, among other demands.

The president of the UCH’s NARD, Gboyega Ajibola, said that the NARD National Executive Council met on November 29 to reappraise the situation. He noted that the government had met most of their immediate and short-term demands.

According to Mr Ajibola, a memorandum of understanding had been signed with the government, enumerating each of the association’s demands and the points of execution.
“Based on the satisfactory terms of the MoU, the NARD NEC decided to suspend the industrial action and give the government a period of four weeks to reappraise the efforts of the government as contained in the signed MoU.

Resident Doctors (NARD)

“Having suspended the strike on November 29, as in the tradition of NARD, each centre was mandated to hold a congress on December 1, for all centre presidents to brief their members on development.

“After the brief, the centre presidents will direct all members to resume at their duty posts. In compliance with this, a congress was held at 8:00 a.m. today (Monday), where members were updated and directed to resume work,” he said.
Mr Ajibola explained that all members resumed work on Monday.