The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced a free birth registration exercise for children between the ages of zero and five in Delta.

Blessyn Brume-Ataguba, NPC federal commissioner, said at a press briefing on Wednesday, that the birth registration exercise would enhance planning, governance and service delivery.

Mrs Brume-Ataguba said that the free birth registration was a collaborative effort between NPC, UNICEF and the office of Nigeria’s first lady.

She said that the exercise was to ensure proper registration of births and to pave the way for improved governance, planning and service delivery.

The commissioner said that the role of the Civic Registration and Vital Statistics System (CRVS) in effective governance could not be overemphasised.

She said that the NPC, as the custodian of vital records, was responsible for transforming the CRVS system into models of accuracy, accessibility, and inclusiveness.

“It is our mandate to ensure that every birth, death and significant life events are recorded accurately and promptly. They form the foundation upon which legal identity is established, ” she said.

She urged development partners and other stakeholders to support the commission in the actualisation of the free birth registration exercise.

“Parents and guardians are urged to cooperate with the commission’s personnel who are engaged to carry out the exercise.

“We have trained 1,198 ad-hoc staff to carry out the exercise in the 25 local government areas of the state.

”Unless a person is registered, they do not exist in the eyes of the state. Registration allows you to establish and protect identities, citizenship and property rights,” she said.

In his remarks, the state director of NPC, Patrick Lotobi, said the first attempt at birth registration in Nigeria was through the promulgation of Ordinance No 21, at the Lagos Colony in 1863.

“However, the first consensus to have a universal system of registration of births and deaths in Nigeria was in 1979.

“The federal government, in search of an alternative source of demographic data, promulgated the Birth and Death Compulsory Registration Decree, now Act 39 of 1979,” he said.

In her part, the state director, the National Orientation Agency, Tracy Ikolomi, said that the agency would carry out a robust campaign to sensitise the people to the importance of birth registration.

Majority of the filling stations in Warri and its environs in Delta State have been shut down following the hike in fuel price.

Some of the filling stations sell a litre of fuel for between N960 to N1000 respectively

Our Correspondent who has been monitoring the happenings in the town since Tuesday reports that despite the hike in petrol, not all the filling stations have products to sell, with long queues prominent at stations dispensing product.

The situation has forced commercial tricycle operators to increase the cost of transportation.

A cross section of some residents in reaction to the situation appealed to the federal government to intervene in the matter and save the citizens from the economic hardship,

A commercial tricycle operator simply identified as Oghenechovwe who spoke with Our Correspondent said he bought fuel worth ₦8000 today and hadn’t worked up four thousand naira nor gained his profit for the day.

Another commercial tricycle operator also identified as Ogaga said the issue of fuel is on one hand while the issue of government tout is another. According to him, the amount he spends a day buying tickets is also on the high side.

Gunmen have reportedly killed Labour Party (LP) ward chairman Mr Sunday Oche in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.

It was gathered that Mr Oche was ambushed and shot dead by unidentified gunmen when he went to his farm in the company of his friends.

An eyewitness said the bandits shot and killed Mr Oche while five others escaped with serious gunshot injuries.

A source close to the deceased, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told journalists that Oche went to the farm with five others on motorcycles.

The source further disclosed that the deceased and his friends went to assist a widow on her farm before he met his untimely death.

“Those who went to the farm with the chairman came home with serious injuries, saying that they were attacked by bandits who also took their two motorcycles.”

When contacted, the Spokesperson of the Benue State Command, SP Catherine Anene, said she was not aware of the incident.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Nigerian national was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution for participating in a computer hacking and business email compromise (BEC) scheme that caused over $5 million in losses to multiple victims in the United States and elsewhere. Franklin Ifeanyichukwu Okwonna, 34, pled guilty on May 20 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his role in the scheme.

Okwonna’s co-defendant, Nigerian national Ebuka Raphael Umeti, 35, was sentenced on Aug. 27 to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $5 million in restitution. Umeti was convicted by a federal jury on June 13 of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiracy to cause intentional damage to a protected computer, and intentional damage to a protected computer.

According to court documents and evidence presented at Umeti’s trial, between February 2016 and July 2021, Umeti, Okwonna, and their co-conspirators caused millions of dollars in unauthorized wire transfers by sending victim businesses phishing emails. These emails falsely appeared as though they originated from trusted sources, such as a bank or a vendor. After the victim opened an attachment, their computers would be infected with malicious software or “malware” that allowed the defendants and their co-conspirators to gain unauthorized access to the victim’s computer systems and email accounts.

The defendants and their co-conspirators then exploited that access to obtain sensitive information, which they used to deceive individuals at the victim companies into executing wire transfers to accounts specified by the co-conspirators.

As a result of this scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators caused or attempted to cause over $5 million in losses to the victim companies.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura D. Withers for the Eastern District of Virginia and Senior Counsel Thomas S. Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) prosecuted the case. CCIPS Senior Counsel Aarash Haghighat assisted in the investigation and indictment of the case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Nairobi, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Directorate of Criminal Investigation to secure the extradition of Umeti and Okwonna.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-123.

The Nigeria Police has linked popular investigative journalist, David Hundeyin to PIDOMNigeria, in a cybercrime case.

The popular social media handle @PIDOMNigeria is accused of leaking classified government documents, fraud, sedition, and tax evasion.

Police Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi made this known on Tuesday during a briefing in Abuja.

Hundeyin was accused by the Nigeria police of conspiring to undermine the country’s peace and security.

According to the police, this group worked together to leak sensitive government information, fund terrorism, launder money, finance protests against the government and attempt to destroy evidence.

Adejobi confirmed that efforts were ongoing to trace Hundeyin and Alade.

“I’m sure the Force are working assiduously to see how they can get them. Perhaps they must have sent an invitation letter to them.

“Or they must have contacted them one way or the other. I don’t know the plan the team has,” he said.

Reacting to the allegation on his X handle, Hundeyin accompanied the police report with “Apparently, @DavidHundeyin is now a wanted criminal suspect in Nigeria.

“What crime did this dangerous criminal commit? Journalism. It was journalism. He did journalism.”

The Nigeria Police have called on the British national declared wanted, Andrew Wynne, to come out of his hiding and surrender himself to the authorities.

The police also debunked the claim by Wynne that no invitation was extended to him before declaring him wanted.

Recall that the police had on Monday declared Wynne and his Nigerian collaborator, Lucky Obiyan wanted for allegedly plotting to oust President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

The police also placed a N20m bounty on the duo, saying that their offences range from terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cybercrime and subversion to criminal conspiracy.

However, Wynne denied the allegations, saying he was unaware he had been labelled a fugitive.

The force spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the Briton was contacted many times and refused to show up even after his workshop was invaded.

Adejobi said, “He (Wynne) has been contacted several times. He has been so faceless. We went to invade that bookshop. Has he asked questions? Has he come out? Up till now, he has not shown up. Why is he hiding and speaking from hiding that he has no case to answer?”

The force spokesman dared Wynne to come out of hiding and face the wrath of the law like his accomplices, who he said had been arraigned in court.

Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has welcomed the birth of a Prince with his queen, Ashley Folashade.

The information was made available on the X platform of the Osun monarch on Tuesday.

Sharing the news, Oba Ogunwusi wrote, “To God be the glory great things he has done. Hearty congratulations to the entire House of Oduduwa and Olori Folashade.

“Who today birthed a Prince from the mother side of Ooni Adagba Royal Compound of Lafogido Ruling House and father side of Ooni Agbedegbede Royal Compound of Giesi Ruling house combined to the Royal throne of Oduduwa.

“Mother and child are doing well to the glory of God Almighty and in line with the spirits of our ancestors.”

Ooni’s queen, Olori Naomi gave birth to a son named Prince Tadenikawo before they were separated.

Also, the Ooni’s other wives gave birth to children with Olori Tobi Philips giving birth to twins in March 16, 2024.

Oyo State Police Command on Tuesday arraigned a 39-year-old man, Ganiyu Abiola, over alleged defamation of the character of a police officer through Facebook and WhatsApp.

Abiola, whose address was not provided, is facing a two-count charge of defamation and breach of peace before an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, Insp Sikiru Opaleye, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on May 12 at 6.00 p.m. at the Egbeda area of Ibadan.

Opaleye said that the defendant, through his Facebook and WhatsApp accounts, alleged that Insp Folasade Adeoye aided someone to commit fraud.

He said that the defendant knew that the information was false.

Opaleye said that the defendant conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by spreading false information about Adeoye.

The prosecutor said that the alleged offences contravened Section 249 (d) and 375 of the Criminal Law of Oyo State, 2000.

Section 249 (d) of the law provides for one-year jail term for defamation of character, while Section 375 provides for a month in prison for breach of peace.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Ogunkanmi directed that one of the sureties must belong to a human rights association.

She ordered that the other surety must provide evidence of three years’ tax payment.

She adjourned the case until November 19 for mention.

Five children including three aged 12 have been arrested in the United Kingdom on suspicion of killing an 80-year-old man following a “serious” assault at a park.

Leicestershire Police on Tuesday said it had launched a murder investigation after the elderly man died in hospital from injuries sustained on Sunday evening.

Officers have arrested five people, a boy and a girl, aged 14, and one boy and two girls, aged 12, on suspicion of murder.

According to the police, the assault happened close to the park entrance, and a group of young people fled the scene before emergency services arrived.

Police wish to speak with anyone who was in the park or the surrounding area at the time of the attack.

A Senior Investigating Officer, Inspector Emma Matts, said, “Sadly, following the death of the victim last night, this has now become a murder investigation. Officers are continuing to work at speed to establish the details of the attack, and we have made a number of arrests as we continue to understand what has happened.

“A scene preservation will remain in place at the park while our investigation progresses. Local officers are also in the area carrying out re-assurance patrols and can speak with anyone in the local community who has concerns.”

Leicestershire Police had said in a statement that it would make a voluntary referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct because the force had prior contact with the victim.

No fewer than 129 were feared killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during an attempted prison break.

Congolese Interior Minister, Jacquemain Shabani, who made this known via his X handle on Tuesday, said authorities shot dead 24 inmates of the Makala prison in the capital Kinshasa, while dozens of others were suffocated or trampled to death.

Shabani said some female prisoners were raped during the chaos on Monday night, adding that at least 59 people were also injured.

According to him, the number of victims is preliminary, stressing that the police and army were able to bring the situation under control.

The minister added that the property damage was considerable. Administrative buildings, the infirmary, and the food depot had been completely burnt down.

Prison breaks are said to be a frequent occurrence in the conflict-torn Central African country, where hundreds of inmates often manage to escape together.

President Bola Tinubu and his Chinese counterpart, Prime Minister Xi Jinping are currently engaged in bilateral meeting in Beijing, China.

The meeting is part of the China-Africa Collaboration Summit expected to attract more foreign direct investment to Nigeria.

Among those attending the meeting are prominent officials of the Chinese government’s economic team, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum led by its Chairman, Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara State, and Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani.

Others in attendance are members of the economic team of President Tinubu’s administration and other cabinet members.

The Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, had last week informed journalists at the State House, Abuja, that one of the reasons for the official visit would be the interaction between both leaders on behalf of their countries.

He had stated, “Mr. President will also meet with his Chinese counterpart in the person of President Xi Jinping, where several MOUs will be signed.

“The MOUs will involve agreements in deepening cooperation, in green economy, in agriculture, in satellite technology development, in media enterprise development and promotion, as well as blue economic development and national planning cooperation.

“This is going to be part of a broader engagement where the two heads of state will discuss matters of mutual interest across, not just the economy, but also on issues of national, regional and international security.”

The meeting also comes amidst recent reports of seizure by a Chinese company of some aircrafts belonging to the Nigerian government.

Afrobeats singer, Fireboy DML has announced that he’s working on a joint extended play with his colleague, Lojay.

He made this known during an interview with The Beat 99.9 FM, Lagos.

“I’m working on a joint EP with Lojay. We have a very great relationship in the studio,” he said.

Fireboy, who recently released his eponymous fourth studio album, ‘Adedomala’, relished working with veteran singer Lagbaja on the song ‘Back N Forth’.

“Lagbaja is the most meticulous artiste I ever worked with. I wished he had taken his mask off but he wore it all through our time in the studio. I learnt a lot from him during the session,” he said.

Inter Miami striker, Luis Suarez, has announced his retirement from the Uruguay national team.

Suarez disclosed this in a news conference Monday, saying he will step away from international duty after his team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Paraguay on Friday.

The former Liverpool and Barcelona forward departs as Uruguay’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 142 games across 17 years.

“There is no better pride in oneself than knowing when the right moment to retire is, and luckily I am confident that I am retiring from the national team because I want to take a step aside.

“I am 37 years old and I know that it is very difficult to get to the next World Cup. It comforts me a lot that I can retire and not for my injuries to retire me, or to stop being called up,” an emotional Suarez said.

Suarez made his senior debut for Uruguay in February, 2007, in a 3-1 victory against Colombia.

Over 40 shops have been completely razed to the ground, at a popular market in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Though no life was lost, the incident which happened at the popular Oranyan market, herbal section, in the Ibadan North East Local Government Area of the state, on Saturday, destroyed multimillion naira property and herbs.

On Monday, the shop owners were seeing in a different group, gnashing their teeth over the unfortunate incident.

Nobody could speak on what led to the inferno.

Some of the victims, Fatimoh Adebimpe (the market youth leader); Kafaya Lucky and Kehinde Moronfade lamented that the cause of the fire incident was still unknown as no single food vendor was in the market.

The youth leader, Adebimpe, who said she had been in the market since 1979 lamented, “We normally resume here around 7.00 am and close by 7.00 pm as well. Whenever they ring the bell or you hear the sound of the bell in the evening, you must take your leave. So, some of us were already at our different homes when those leaving close to the market started calling us around 10.0pm that the market was on fire.

What could have caused this? We are not connected to the national grid, because it’s a taboo. We are not using electricity. Nobody is selling food here. So, we are still in total confusion.

“I cannot say this is what I lost in that fire. I just bought some things like full tiger skin; and many other things that I may not want in the paper.

“Though, the local government officials who control this area were here this morning (Monday), and they promised to do something. We are hopeful.”

Another victim, Lucky, said, “I have a lot of money in the shop. The reason why we always keep money there is because of hunters who normally bring different animals for us.

“If you are unable to pay immediately, they may take it to another person. Forget whether he is your customer. So, you must always have money with you. That’s why we are keeping money in the shops.”

Moronfade said, “I just got a loan on Friday, and this disaster happened the next day. It’s so pathetic. No traces of burning or cooking in the market. Honestly, I’m devastated.”

Confirming the incident to the correspondent in Ibadan, the General Manager of the state Fire Services, Yemi Akinyinka, said the Fire Services Headquarters received a fire emergency call at exactly 23:25hrs on the incident.

He said, “The incident affected 20 prefabricated shops out of multiple adjourning rows of shops.

“The property worth millions of naira was affected, while property worth billions of naira was saved, but no life was lost. Our personnel returned back to the station at exactly 3:36hrs.”

A deal that was to return hostages after the discovery of the bodies of six hostages in the Gaza Strip.

The major strike led by Israel’s trade union umbrella organisation Histadrut began in protest against the government’s failure to end the conflict.

In many cities, kindergartens, banks and government offices remained closed.

Public transport was also affected, and there were disruptions and delays to air traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Many cities and communities joined the protest, while others refused to, as they were more closely aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government.

The government supporters slammed the protest movement, saying it played into the hands of Hamas and encouraged it to maintain a tough negotiating position.

Later, a labour court ordered an early end to the strike on the grounds that it was politically motivated.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that troops had recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in Gaza.

The four men and two women were kidnapped during the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, the IDF said.

The Israeli Health Ministry said the hostages were shot at close range some 48 to 72 hours before the autopsy of the bodies.

But a Hamas spokesman said the hostages had been killed by an Israeli bombardment.

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office called the murder of six other Hamas hostages almost unbearable after it emerged that one of them was a person with a German family.

When asked, the ministry said the person concerned was not a German citizen, but their family had a connection to Germany.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz vowed a harsh response following the hostage deaths.

“The terrorist organisation Hamas has brutally executed six hostages in order to sow fear and attempt to divide Israeli society.

“Israel will respond with full force to this shameful crime. Hamas is responsible and will pay the full price,’’ Mr Katz said in a post on X.

According to reports, airport operations disrupted air traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, which was disrupted and delayed. However, the airport authority had said operations would go according to plan.

Gunmen have reportedly killed Samson Omoarebokhae, a senior special assistant to the speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku.

Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, the speaker’s spokesperson, disclosed this on Monday in Benin.

Ms Adodo-Ebojele said Mr Omoarebokhae was killed on August 31 while on his way to Uhumora from Ozalla in Owan West LGA.

She said when the speaker got wind of the incident, he immediately dispatched a delegation on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.

Ms Adodo-Ebojele noted that the chief of staff to the speaker, Odion Iruobe, who led the delegation, described his death as a great loss.

She said the chief of staff urged the bereaved family to draw strength from God’s promises of not leaving those mourning comfortless.

According to her, the deceased was one of the speaker’s trusted aides.

“Though it is a painful situation, we pray to God in His infinite power to give the family a reason to smile again. We pray to God to repose the soul of the deceased and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” she said.

Responding on behalf of the family, Elijah Omoarebokhai, a brother to the deceased, expressed the family’s appreciation to the speaker for sending the delegation to share with them in their period of grief.

Russia unleashed a powerful wave of drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, targeting Kiev, Sumy and Kharkiv, officials said on Monday morning.

Two people were injured in the capital Kiev, and the attacks caused damage in several neighbourhoods, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Several fires broke out in western Kiev, damaging houses and vehicles. The windows in a metro station were broken, though the metro is still operating, Klitschko wrote.

Kiev’s military administration said the Russian army sent cruise missiles and drones to attack Kiev, firing the cruise missiles from Saratov, in the Russian Volga region.

The Ukrainian air defense said it shot down some 10 cruise missiles and drones over Kiev.

The military estimates that in all, nine ballistic missiles, 13 cruise missiles and 20 drones were shot down nationwide.

Sumy, on the border with Russia, suffered worse damage than Kiev, with officials saying 18 were injured in Russian missile attacks, including six children.

Five tower blocks and an educational establishment were destroyed, the police said.

Sumy is located opposite the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops had advanced during their counteroffensive at the beginning of August.

There were also reports of shelling in other regions in Ukraine, with Kharkiv, near the border, also suffering further attacks.

A woman was injured by a drone strike during the night, Governor Oleh Synegubov said.

Meanwhile the city’s industrial district came under fire in the early hours of the morning. A residential building and three other buildings in a garden area were burnt down, he said.

Nigerian artiste Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has donated N105 million to a Christ Embassy church in Benin, Edo state, that once helped his mother start a shop.

The donation is a gesture of gratitude from the artist, acknowledging the church’s support for his family during a challenging period when he lost his father at the age of eight.

The gesture was made by the singer at a service he attended on Sunday, September 1, and was captured in a video that has since gone viral online.

The “OZEBA” crooner pledged N40 million to the infrastructure of the church, N20 million to Rhapsody of Realities, N25 million to the infrastructure of the teen church, and N20 million to widows in the church.

He said, “I’m not here to give myself any accolades or glory. I’m here to give God the glory. I feel like it is important to give back because the church has embraced and prayed for me, and has kept me very consistent with my spirit.

“Firstly, I want to give a pledge of N40 million to the infrastructure of the church. I want to pledge N20 million to Rhapsody of Realities, and, since I came from the teen church, I also want to pledge N25 million to the infrastructure of the teen church.

“I’m pledging N20 million to widows in the church today.”

He added, “When I was eight years old, when I lost my dad, we felt very lost and abandoned. All that we had was taken from us, and we felt very alone. I remember at the time Pastor Joy and Pastor Thomas, the pastors of this church, opened a shop for my mum, and that was how she managed to take care of us.”

The Afrobeats sensation started his homecoming tour in Benin on Friday. He sold out the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium with amazing performances from Don Jazzy, Odumodu Blvck, Shallipopi, and several others.

He also paid homage to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, at his palace and received a royal plaque from him.

Operatives of the Jigawa State Police Command have rescued a suspected motorcycle thief from an irate mob in Kazaure Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesperson of the command, DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, September 1, 2024, said the suspect, Ibrahim Sadik, from Kano State, stole a motorcycle at the market while people were praying.

“On 30/08/2024 at about 2000hrs, information from a reliable source disclosed that a suspected motorcycle thief was apprehended at Sha’iskawa Quarters in Kazaure LGA. Unfortunately, an irate mob, reported to have broken the law, beating the suspect in the process,” the statement read.

“The Divisional Police Officer of Kazaure led the police team that responded quickly to the scene of crime after receiving the report, and they were able to save the suspect who had minor wounds. The victim was taken to the hospital immediately. Later, he was treated and discharged.

“On interrogation at Kazaure Division, the suspect identified himself as one Ibrahim Sadik ‘m’ age 25yrs of Dakata Quarters, Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

“He further revealed that, he arrived at Kazaure town on market day with the intention of stealing motorcycle.

“He was fortunate to have made the theft of one red motorcycle during the day while people were praying. As a result, he lost his luck and became trapped.

“All the suspects were charged to court for prosecution.”

The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a suspected drug dealer and recovered 15 bags of dry leaves believed to be Indian hemp.

The spokesperson of the command, DSP Ramhan Nansel, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, September 1, 2024, said that one operational vehicle was also recovered from the suspect, Saturday Gabriel.

The Nasarawa state Police command in its relentless drive to tame the excesses of criminals have on 31/8/2024 at about 1300hrs arrested one Saturday Gabriel ‘M’ 43yrs of Edo state while one other escaped; consequently, a Toyota Camry with registration number: Lagos KSF 843 FN and fifteen (15) bags of dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered from the suspect as an exhibit,” the statement read.

“The arrest was based on a tip-off that a Toyota Camry with two occupants was sighted heading to Nasarawa Toto axis and reasonably suspected to be carrying criminals.

“Acting based on the strength of the information, police personnel attached to Toto Division were strategically deployed to be on the lookout for the suspects.

“Consequently, the vehicle was intercepted at the Gadabuke area of Toto LGA, Nasarawa state where the suspect was arrested and the exhibits were recovered.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Shehu Nadada, has directed the Divisional Police officer to transfer the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia for onward handing over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution.”