KAA Gent of Belgium defender, Jordan Torunarigha has expressed his delight following his maiden appearance for the Super Eagles.

Torunarigha made his debut for Jose Peseiro’s side in their 3-2 friendly win against the Mambas of Mozambique on Monday.

The 26-year-old started the game and was replaced by Calvin Bassey 15 minutes from time.

The centre-back took to his Instagram page to celebrate the debut.

“Really proud and happy about my debut for the Super Eagles!. Just the beginning!” He posted.

The player represented Germany at youth level before switching allegiance to Nigeria.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that the era of exporting raw gold, lithium and other minerals is gone for good.

The Nigerian leader said that many local companies have already adjusted their business plans to the new normal, urging others to do same.

The President said the creation of the policy of value addition to mineral resources before exportation by his administration was to halt the huge losses recorded through the exports of unprocessed mineral commodities.

He spoke in Abuja at the second day of the eighth edition of the Nigerian Mining Week which was organised by the Miners Association of NigeriaSolid Mineral Development Minister, Mr. Dele Alake, whose ministry hosted the event at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in conjunction with others, said an end is in sight for the exportation of raw materials.

The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume said: “This administration has hit the ground running with remodeling the former Ministry of Mines and Steel Development into the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Steel Development.

“The present administration has observed the huge losses recorded by the nation through the exports of crude mineral commodities and therefore has evolved a policy of value addition to its mineral resources before exportation; the policy will ensure that the teaming youths in the country will also be meaningfully absorbed in economic benches that will empower them while developing their skills.

“Through this policy, the era of export of crude minerals from Nigeria is gone. It is gratifying to note that many companies in Nigeria have already adjusted their business plans to this new normal and we hope others are encouraged to do same.

“We are determined to use every potential to industrialise this great country. There is no reason Nigeria and Africa should not be leading in any of the critical mineral value chains.

“The recent global trends in the energy transition initiatives have led to stunning discoveries which has opened Nigeria to geological exploration works that have grown the availability of huge lithium resources of high grade across many states in Nigeria.”

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on Tuesday vowed to jail anybody caught engaging in energy theft, vandalism, or illegal metering.

The managing director of IBEDC, Kinsley Achife, gave the warning at a stakeholder engagement meeting held in Ijebu Ode on Tuesday.

Mr Achife explained that the action became necessary following incessant cases of energy theft, vandalism, and illegal metre usage in the state.

The managing director, represented by the lead media officer of IBEDC, Busolami Tunwase, said energy theft remained a crime and was punishable under the law.

“The new Electricity Act signed by President Bola Tinubu recommended punishment for energy theft and assault of its officials,” he said.

Mr Achife added that the Electricity Act stated that whoever was caught using illegal power or assaulting IBEDC staff was liable to face the wrath of the law.

He lamented that energy theft, vandalism, and illicit metres had grown the customer’s debts to IBEDC in Ogun to over N67 billion.

He appealed to customers to desist from tampering with metres and vandalisation of electric installations, saying the offence attracted 21 years of imprisonment.

“We want to appeal to the people of Ijebu on energy theft; we are losing billions of naira to energy theft,” he said.

He advised customers interested in acquiring metres to follow the right channel stipulated by IBEDC, warning that any metre bought outside the recognised company could cause damages.

Mr Achife appealed to the customers to stop beating and maiming the IBEDC staff, saying they could always report such staff for appropriate disciplinary measures.

A chief magistrates’ court sitting in Akure, the Ondo state capital, has ordered a former deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, to appear in person over an alleged case of false pretence and stealing. Magistrate Taiwo Lebi gave the order on Tuesday at the resumed hearing of the case against Mr Ajayi by a complainant.

Mr Lebi granted the commissioner of police in the state, Abiodun Asabi, a warrant to compel Mr Ajayi to appear before the court over the allegation.

The complainant, a vehicle dealer, Segun Adetuwo, known as “Showboy”, had dragged Mr Ajayi to the court.The prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, alleged that the former deputy governor in 2018 instructed one of his aides, Samuel Ogunmusi, to collect a vehicle from Mr Adetuwo.

Mr Tanimowo said Mr Ogunmusi, in his written statement before the police, claimed he was called into the office by Mr Ajayi while still in office in 2018, where he met with one Akintoye Olatunji.

“He claimed that his boss, the deputy governor, instructed him to take the first respondent (Akintoye) to the auto mart of Segun Adetuwo to collect a car.

“The second respondent therefore collected a black colour Toyota Camry XLE from the complainant, Segun Adetuwo and left without paying for the car.

“Having been unable to recover the money for the car from the two defendants, Segun Adetuwo, therefore, dragged the duo before the chief magisterial court sitting in Akure,” he told the court.

The prosecutor arraigned the two defendants, Messrs Akintoye and Ogunmusi, in court on a three-count charge.

The charge sheet with No: MA/C/2/26/C 2023 reads, “That you Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel, and others now at large sometime in the month of May 2018 at Automart Akure in the Akure magisterial district did conspire with yourselves to commit felony to wit: obtaining by false pretence and stealing and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 516 of the criminal code cap 37, vol 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.

“That you Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel and others now at large sometime in the month of May 2018 at Automart Akure in the Akure magisterial district did by false pretence and with intent to defraud obtains one brand new Black Toyota Camry XLE valued Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Thousand Naira (N5,400,000) only property of one Segun Adetuwo and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) (a)(c) and punishable under section 1(3) of the advance fee fraud and other fraud-related offences Act, laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2006.

“That you Akintoye Olatunji, Ogunmusi Samuel and others now at large on the same date and place in the aforementioned magisterial district did fraudulently convert one Toyota Camry XLE valued Five Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira(N5,400,000) property of one Segun Adetuwo to your own and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 383, and punishable under section 390(9) of the criminal code cap 37. Vol. 1laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.”

Omolegbon Odunsola, counsel to the first defendant, told the court how he tried to reach out to Mr Ajayi and the complainant, Mr Adetuwo, to see how the issue could be settled out of court.

But his argument was countered by the counsel to the complainant, Alex Olademehin, who said Mr Ajayi could not give his side of the incident by proxy.

He argued that Mr Ajayi should either go to the police and give his written statement or appear in court in person.

In his ruling, Magistrate Lebi said the former deputy governor must be produced in court in the next sitting, or his statement must be produced.

He later adjourned the hearing on the case to November 24, 2023.

Popular musician, Tiwa Savage has postponed all performances including her first ever headline arena show in London.

The ‘Somebody’s Son’ crooner said she has been battling a virus for the past few weeks and was instructed to be “on strict vocal rest for the next few months”.

She disclosed this in a statement released via her social media pages recently.

The statement read, “To my dear Savage Soldiers, I’ve been fighting off a virus for the past few weeks and was today firmly instructed to be on strict vocal rest for the next few months.

“I will unfortunately have to postpone all performances including my first ever headline arena show in London.

“I’m heartbroken and devastated but I have to do this to save what’s left of my voice.

“I’m so sorry. I love you all and promise to be back performing once I’m fully healed.”

Famous Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo, has disclosed that Omowunmi Aloba, the wife of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, aka Mohbad, has been interrogated by the Police.

Mohbad died on 12 September 2023 in controversial circumstances.

As part of investigations into Mohbad’s death, the Lagos State Police Command has arrested several suspects, including the auxiliary nurse that treated him before his death, Feyisoya Ogedengbe, Sam Larry, Naira Marley, and Primeboy, in connection with the case.

However, Nigerians continue to demand the interrogation of the singer’s wife, insisting that she might possess important information that could help in the investigations.

Reacting to the calls for Omowunmi’s interrogation, Iyabo Ojo, in an Instagram post on Tuesday noted that Mohbad’s wife has been interrogated three times.

“Mohbad’s wife has been interrogated three times to the best of my knowledge, 2 out of the 3 times was the day you all saw Mohbad’s dad televised by the police in which they addressed the public on Mohbad’s case.

“Later that same day Mohbad’s dad, mum and wife was sent to Panti for interrogation and to write their statement, another day Mohbad’s wife was interrogated was the 21st of September, which is reason why Tonto Dike and Senator Ishaku Abbo met her absences.”

Also, speaking about the CCTV mounted at Mohbad’s residence, she stated that the camera was at no time connected for usage.

“Please note that the CCTV camera in Mohbad’s house was never fixed or connected, it has no BVR nor Hard Disk.”

“Sweden and Belgium mourn the victims of yesterday’s attack together,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

He said he had invited his Swedish counterpart to the Belgian capital “to commemorate the victims and pay tribute to the police”.

“We wish the people of Sweden strength and courage to get through these difficult times.”Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson replied on X that he would attend.

The Scandinavian country is reeling in shock over the shooting, which killed two Swedish football fans and wounded a third just before the start of a Belgium-Sweden international football match in Brussels on Monday evening.

A taxi driver was also wounded.

The suspected attacker is a 45-year-old Tunisian living illegally in Belgium.

In a social media post after the killings, the gunman had boasted of being inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.

Kristersson said the suspect had also “spent time in Sweden” but provided no further details.

He was shot and killed by Belgian police early on Tuesday after an overnight manhunt.

Sweden’s foreign ministry on Tuesday said the victims were a man in his 70s from the Stockholm region and a man in his 60s living abroad.

The wounded Swede was a man in his 70s currently in hospital, it said.

Anthony Joshua’s long-anticipated fight against Deontay Wilder has been delayed once more, with the earliest potential date now set for March, as reported by Mirror UK.

Initially, Joshua had planned to face Wilder in the Middle East either in December or January, but due to the delay, he will participate in an interim bout before the possibility of facing the American boxer in the spring. His most recent fight was in August when he defeated Robert Helenius, only for it to be revealed later that the Finnish boxer had failed a pre-fight drug test.

Furthermore, Anthony Joshua is also being considered for a shot at the IBF world title if it becomes vacant following Tyson Fury’s anticipated undisputed match against Oleksandr Usyk, scheduled for December 23 in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, told iFL TV: “He wants to; he really wants to [fight]. We’ve been on calls with him all week. There’s a lot happening with the IBF situation. We’ll have to see. I think he’s going to fight in December or January.

“I think the Wilder fight, realistically, is not going to happen until March or April, at the latest. But he wants to fight. He wants to go back to camp and asked us to try and make him a fight for December; whether that spills into January, we’ll see.”

In the past three years, Anthony Joshua has participated in four fights, winning two and losing two. His back-to-back defeats came in world title contests against Usyk, but he bounced back by defeating Jermaine Franklin and securing a knockout victory over Helenius.

Regarding his most recent win, Joshua commented, “Any time’s a good time to fight. It’s only a fight. It doesn’t matter who it is. It could’ve been Wilder eight years ago or Wilder now. It is what it is at the end of the day.

“There’s no worry to me when it is. I’m just happy that we can get the fight going, and I think people appreciate that. I’m doing my best to keep heavyweight boxing on the map.”

Two Bus Rapid Transport, known as BRT, were involved in a head-on collision on Tuesday in the Dopemu area of Lagos.

Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, disclosed this in an online video on its official X handle, confirming several persons were injured.

According to the agency, the incident had led to traffic congestion along the axis.However, no person has been reported dead.

“Effect of this occurrence on traffic is minimal; however, our officers, as well as all other concerned authorities, including men of the Nigerian Police Force, are on the ground there doing the needful”, LASTMA stated.

When filing this report, LASTMA officials were seen at the accident venue transloading the content of one of the trailers.

India’s top court on Tuesday says it cannot legalise same-sex marriages, with the country’s chief justice saying making such a law is the domain of parliament.

A five-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, heard arguments on same-sex marriage in a case from April to May this year and pronounced its verdict on Tuesday.

As he began reading his order, Mr Chandrachud said there was a degree of “agreement and disagreement on how far we have to go” on same-sex marriages.

Two of the other four judges agreed with Mr Chandrachud on the court not legalizing same-sex marriages, making it a majority.

Two other judges have yet to speak.The court ruling came five years after a historic 2018 judgement when the Supreme Court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex.

Only Taiwan and Nepal allow same-sex unions in Asia, where largely conservative values still dominate politics and society.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had opposed the petitions, calling them “urban elitist views” and stating that parliament is the right platform to debate and legislate on the matter.

It had also said that such marriages are not “comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, a wife and children.”

Belgian police have gunned down the man responsible for the fatal shooting of two Swedish nationals in Brussels, says the country’s interior minister.

On Tuesday morning, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden announced on broadcaster VRT, shortly after federal prosecutors said that a suspect in the case had been shot.

Two Swedish citizens were shot dead and a third person injured earlier on Monday in what Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo called a terrorist attack.

The shooting occurred after thousands of Swedes arrived in Brussels for a football match. The Euro 2024 qualifying tie was abandoned at half-time, and spectators were evacuated.

In a press conference early on Tuesday, Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the attacker was identified as a man of Tunisian origin living in the country illegally after his asylum claim was rejected.

The attack prompted the city to raise its threat level, including increased security measures in several sensitive locations, especially places connected to the Swedish community.

Carmaker Toyota on Tuesday said it has partially suspended production in Japan because of an explosion at a supplier’s plant.

Toyota said that 10 production lines at six factories were halted after an explosion the previous day at one of the factories of supplier Chuo Spring in Aichi Prefecture.

The carmaker said it would check whether the affected production lines could be restarted on Wednesday.

Toyota has 14 assembly plants across Japan, producing cars for the domestic and overseas markets.

Recently, the carmaker had to halt domestic production for a day because of a server problem.

Production was restarted the following day.

The Kano State Police Command on Monday announced the arrest of 30 hoodlums for attempting to disrupt the state-sponsored mass wedding conducted on Friday for indigent residents.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Kano State government had organised a wedding Fatiha for about 3,600 young girls and boys, widows and divorcees on Friday.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Usaini Gumel, told NAN in a telephone interview on Monday that the hoodlums were arrested during the event.

According to him, most of the suspects came from neighbouring states with the aim of wreaking havoc and disrupting the mass wedding.

He said, “I assure you that Kano is safe and it will continue to be safe. During the mass wedding over the weekend, some people wanted to disrupt the event, but we did not allow that to happen. Thirty suspects who came with the intention to disrupt the event were arrested. On interrogation, we discovered that most of them came from neighbouring states.

“Some of them came with master keys with the intention to steal vehicles, but their plans were aborted.

“You saw how we were able to secure lives and property during the big event. Nobody complained; that is to show you that we are on track.”

Gumel urged residents and visitors to go on with their businesses without fear.

“Kano is a peaceful state. People should feel free to visit Kano,” he added.

A group, under the auspices of the Veteran Activists, has called on the Lagos State Government to enforce a ban on street trading in the state.

The spokesperson of the group, Declan Ihekaire, while addressing journalists in Ikeja, Lagos, on Sunday said the move is crucial in maintaining law and order in the state.

He said that the appeal comes in response to the government’s decision on September 29, 2023, to impose a total prohibition on street trading/hawking and to shut down certain markets.

Ihekaire added that the move aims to protect the lives and properties of citizens, citing incidents of criminals posing as hawkers causing harm and disruption, including robberies and traffic congestion.

“It is expedient and imperative to set the record straight and clarify issues on the statement of a group of people who tried in vain to condemn the decision of the Lagos State Government to clean up markets and ban street trading.

“Some markets have been closed for poor sanitation, indiscriminate waste disposal, and poor management of wastes. The group, which claimed to be acting in support and defense of the traders and market men/women, has criticized the government’s action. This is not right,” Ihekaire added.

He said that in an ideal society, laws are made to regulate people’s actions.

“Total compliance with such laws is the best way to promote good governance and foster good relations between the government and the governed,” he explained.

Ihekaire revealed the government has provided alternative avenues for those affected, pointing out the 19 vocational centers in Lagos where hawkers can learn trades of their choice at no cost.

Furthermore, he expressed concern about the gradual return of commercial motorbikes (Okada) to restricted routes.

According to him, “This brings us to the gradual return of commercial motorbikes to the routes on which they have been restricted. Our finding is that the unholy alliance of the riders/the transportation unions and some law enforcement agencies has fueled the return of this menace.

“If this is not quickly checked with the enforcement of the law, we will be heading for a state of lawlessness. This cannot be right. The Government should wake up to arrest this unhealthy march to chaos,” he said.

Abia State Government, ABSG says, it has converted the cattle market at Lokpanta in Umunneochi LGA to a daily non-residential market to stem the tide of insecurity along the Lokpanta-Umunneochi-Uturu axis of the state.

Briefing newsmen in Umuahia Monday evening, the Security Adviser to the state governor, Navy Commander MacDonald Uba, disclosed that the state government also destroyed a total of 160 brothel rooms in the market suspected to harbour kidnappers and other criminals in the area.

Uba spoke on the heels of allegations that the state government had asked the traders, many of whom are not from the southeast, to leave the state, stating, “There is no truth in asking the community in Lokpanta to leave”.

According to him, “Unfortunately, we see rumour mills making the rounds that Abia State Government has asked the Hausa community to leave Lokpanta. This is untrue.

“Lokpanta-Umunnochi-Uturu axis has been under siege for over a year, even before this administration came in. Government has taken steps to contain the spate of kidnapping in that area”.

Recalling that the state governor had earlier launched ‘Operation Crush’ to stem the tide of kidnapping in the state, he said;

“All Intel points to the cattle market at Lokpanta”, recalling also that the market started from the Garki area in Umuahia to Ubakala, and later to Okigwe before a former governor of Abia State provided Lokpanta about more than 15 years ago.

Kidnappers, he said, have been operating from that place, stating, “Unfortunately market dealers did not carry themselves very well and they allowed kidnappers to use the area as where ransom is paid.”

According to him, the traders extended the market into the median lane of the Okigwe-Enugu expressway “as tactics of monitoring (commercial) buses.”

“They use one of their buses to block the road, cause traffic grid, and allow the passage of a lone bus, and they will send information to others to rob the bus. We dismantled the supposed market in the (expressway) median”.

Three weeks ago, he said, “We carried out a deliberate, measured action there, and brothels numbering over 160 rooms were brought down, arrests were made and millions of naira were recovered.”

The state government, he said, “Has the intention of penciling the market into a daily market because they (cattle dealers) allowed that level of criminality to be out of their hands.

“Cattle dealers will henceforth have that place as a daily market as obtained elsewhere in the country and will be non-residential”, disclosing that the state governor, Alex Otti gave an instruction that within seven days, all residents should move out.

Uba further explained, “We went there on the 8th, and on the 10th, they (cattle dealers) came pleading that the time limit was short. Surprisingly and embarrassingly, they turned around to say they were driven out and sent packing.

“The state government is aware that most cattle dealers are 2nd and 3rd generation Igbos, and are Hausas born here. So, where are we sending them to? Governor Otti doesn’t believe in the state of origin. Where is he sending them to?”

The position of the state government, he said “Is that the market will no longer be residential because our key performance indicator shows that for the past six weeks, and since we took all the measures we have taken, there has not been any kidnapping in that axis.

“Governor Otti wants to ensure that the state is safe and make Abia the number one state. You cannot have any investment and development where insecurity thrives.”

In the past, the high insecurity level in the area has been traced to the Lokpanta cattle market from where road users have been kidnapped and taken to for ransom payment.

The cattle traders had complained and instead of waiting for the state government to give them time, allegedly threatened to petition President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the state government is asking them to leave the state.

By this action, the state government now wants the market to operate from 6 am to 5 pm. daily.

The Euro qualifier game between Belgium and Sweden has been called off after reports of a shooting in the city left two Swedish people dead, BBC reports Monday.

The shooting occurred in Brussels before the game while the gunman was said to have fled the scene and is still at large.

Swedish fans have been told to stay inside the King Baudouin Stadium “for their own safety after the game was stopped” at half-time.

In its reaction, UEFA stated in a tweet late Monday night,

“Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the Uefa Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course.

The Swedish players told UEFA of their unwillingness to continue the match which was also agreed by the Belgian team, according to Swedish broadcaster TV6.

It is not yet known whether the victims were in Brussels to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier

The Lagos government on Monday ordered the reopening of Mile 12 market after it was sealed on Friday.

The commissioner for the environment and water resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the market was reopened after a thorough assessment, covering various aspects of environmental compliance, waste management practices, and general cleanliness within the market.

He noted that issues critical to the environment, public health and safety were not negotiable, as the government would not watch helplessly as those values were compromised and eroded by the conduct of a few people.

“We cannot continue to be nonchalant about our environment. Our negative attitude towards the environment must stop. The way we treat the environment is the way the environment treats us. We cannot fold our arms and allow the nonchalance of a few to affect the generality of the people.

“Following full compliance with environmental standards and safety measures earlier listed as a precondition for reopening shut markets, the Lagos state government has ordered immediate reopening of Mile 12 International Market.

“In spite of several advocacies and public enlightenment, the government was left with no choice but to enforce. The enforcement exercise will be a continuous one, as no government takes delight in shutting down markets,” Mr Wahab said.

He urged the traders to play by the rules of acceptable standards, putting a premium on hygiene for their health and that of the public, stressing that the government will not shy away from shutting down any market that returns to old filthy ways.

Also speaking on the reopening, the managing director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said LAWMA was committed to environmental sustainability and public safety, especially around market facilities in Lagos.

“The temporary closure of Mile 12 Market was essential to address observed environmental issues. Our aim is to ensure that all markets in Lagos, including Mile 12, operate in line with environmental regulations, creating a safer and healthier trading environment for everyone involved.

“We worked closely with Mile 12 Market traders and associations to implement corrective actions, including placement of dino bins, proper waste collection, disposal, employment of waste policing, bin keepers and payment for waste services, among others,” Mr Gbadegesin stated.

The LAWMA boss charged traders at the market to show total commitment to the state’s environmental laws to pave the way for a cleaner and healthier environment for the traders and their customers.

The market was sealed along with the Owode Onirin market for sundry environmental infractions.

The Actors Guild of Nigeria announced its withdrawal from the Federation of Registered Nollywood Guilds and Associations (FRENGAN), emphasising its commitment to members’ growth, development, and welfare as the primary rationale.

Emeka Rollas, AGN president, stated this in a letter he addressed to the leadership of FREGAN on Monday.

“After careful consideration of suggestions and opinions expressed by our members and stakeholders on AGN’s membership in FRENGAN, the National Executive Council has regrettably resolved to withdraw AGN’s membership from the body.

“This is to enable the Executive Council to focus on the growth, development, and welfare of members as we presently operate as service contractors, meaning that we fall short of labour protection with no access to social security,” said the letter.

It added, “However since filmmaking is a collaborative effort, we shall continue to support and promote sound and articulate industrial relationships among all the guilds and associations. We shall continue to uphold fair contractual practices and a regulatory environment to improve the livelihoods of our members while making the future of our industry more sustainable.”

The AGN, however, assured that the guild would continue to support and promote sound and articulate industrial relationships among all the guilds and associations in the Nigerian film industry.

FRENGAN is the umbrella body of all registered guilds in Nigeria’s film industry, with the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) and the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) as some of its members.

Other guilds and associations under the coalition include the Movie Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPAN), the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners of Nigeria (TAMPAN), and others.

The Kaduna Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives seized 398,192kg of illicit drugs and arrested 69 suspects in Kaduna.

The NDLEA commander in Kaduna, Ibrahim Braji, told journalists on Monday that the seizures and arrests were all made in September.

Mr Braji disclosed that within the same month, 14 illicit drug joints in the state were dismantled.

The commander explained that the 398,192kg of drugs seized included Indian Hemp, cocaine, methamphetamine, tramadol, and psychotropic substances.

He disclosed that crude oil wrapped in polythene bags and arranged in three sacks, one locally made pistol and 14 rounds of blank ammunition, with 7.62mm live bullets, were also seized within the same period.

Mr Braji said the 14 illicit drug joints dismantled were in Rigasa, Gwantu, Yankifi, Nasarawa, Television, and Romi.

Others were in Kanti Agah, Kabala Doki, Tudun Wada, Agwa, Tirkaniya, Kakuri, Unguwar Mu’azu, and Gabari Zaria City.

The commander also appealed to state residents for timely and useful information to assist the agency in curbing illicit drug use.

Israel has denied reports of a planned ceasefire with the Palestinian extremist organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“There is no ceasefire,’’ the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday morning.

Earlier, there had been reports a ceasefire with Hamas would be implemented for several hours to allow foreign nationals to leave the Gaza Strip for Egypt.

As well as the entry of aid via the Rafah border crossing.

The Israeli military has been bombarding targets in Gaza since the unprecedented attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas fighters on October 7.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the densely populated coastal enclave ruled by Hamas have been completely sealed off following the attacks over a week ago.

They are seeking shelter in the south of Gaza to avoid an expected Israeli ground invasion. (NAN)