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Stop calling cannabis Indian Hemp – India authorities tell Nigerians, NDLEA

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Many authorities in India have told the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Nigeria that they are no longer comfortable with the term “Indian Hemp,” a name that Nigerians nickname Cannabis Certi, a banned drug.

Cross River State Commander of NDLEA, Rachel Umebuali, disclosed this in an interview in Calabar when she reeled out names of local government areas in the state which have become notorious for illegal drug consumption and cultivation.

Although she did not disclose the name of the particular Indian authorities that cautioned them, she added that the Indian authorities felt the term connotes negativity, and they do not want to be seen as associated with it.

“This is the reason we prefer and encourage all Nigerians to call it Cannabis Certi—what, in street language, is called Kanja, we-we, Igbo, marijuana, etc.”

Umebuali listed Akamkpa, Ikom, Odukpani, Yakurr, and Calabar South LGAs as notorious for high consumption of assorted lethal and illegal drugs.

“There are several new substances that have been discovered. And Calabar South LGA is actually the hub where hard drugs and other substances are distributed and consumed in large quantities.

“In Akamkpa, Ikom, and Odukpani LGA, we discovered massive Cannabis farms. There are more than 100 hectares of these farms that we have so far destroyed.

“We noted that many of those cultivating these farms are not even from Cross River but connived with unscrupulous landowners to give out these vast lands at agreed fees, and employed locals to work there.”

She disclosed that the cultivation of Cannabis Certi has been shifted from states like Edo and Ondo to Cross River and other hinterlands.

The drug enforcement boss disclosed that in six months, they have arrested 208 drug peddlers and consumers.

“We arrested 208 drug users. Out of this number, 181 are male while 27 are female. We seized 3,475.65 kg, translating to 3.5 tons of hard drugs. Top of these is Cannabis Certi.”

She vowed that nobody, including traditional, religious, or political chieftains or drug farms, would be spared in their ongoing clampdown despite the humongous challenges confronting them.

“As you know, when you fight such criminal elements and destroy their source of livelihoods, they will fight back. But my mandate is to curb all drugs-related activities in the state.”

She explained that everyone has the right to arrest offenders but must hand such over immediately to appropriate enforcement agencies.

She commended traditional dignitaries and the state government who have been very supportive in the fight against drug activities.

She mentioned that there are two-pronged sensitization programmes, including drug demand reduction and drug demand consumption.

She said they seriously need rehabilitation centres to keep those affected so that they can be detached and reunited with families, adding that the high number of users is frightening.

“We appeal for public support to be able to penetrate hard-to-reach communities where drug abuse is prevalent to save innocent locals,” Umebuali pleaded.

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Mohbad’s father demands prosecution of daughter in law, auxiliary nurse, others

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Joseph Aloba, father of the late Nigerian singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has urged the Lagos State Government to prosecute his son’s widow, Omowunmi Aloba, alongside others indicted by the Coroner’s Inquest into the artist’s death.

The demand was contained in a petition addressed to the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, and signed by Aloba’s legal counsel, Wahab Shittu SAN.

In the letter, Aloba specifically called for the prosecution of Feyisayo Ogedengbe, the auxiliary nurse who administered an injection to the singer shortly before his death in September 2023.

He also requested that other individuals present in Mohbad’s apartment at the time, particularly those who invited the nurse or failed to seek immediate medical help, to be brought to justice.

The petition referenced the Coroner’s verdict delivered in July 2025 by Magistrate Taofikat Shotobi, who found the nurse’s actions both “unlawful and professionally negligent”, citing her administration of injection without a doctor’s prescription.

Magistrate Shotobi further faulted Mohbad’s wife for opting to treat her husband at home rather than taking him to a medical facility.

Despite these findings, Aloba’s lawyer, Shittu expressed concern that more than two months after the Coroner’s report, the Lagos State Government has yet to initiate criminal proceedings against the indicted parties.

“Our client, as a bereaved father who seeks justice, is deeply troubled by the fact that, despite the clear indictments contained in the Coroner’s verdict, no prosecutorial steps have been taken since July 11, 2025,” the letter read in part.

The lawyer urged the Attorney-General to commence prosecution within 14 days, given the high sensitivity as well as the public interest surrounding the case.

Shittu further requested that if the state declines to act, the Attorney-General should grant his legal team a formal authorization to prosecute the matter on behalf of the state under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State.

 

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Alleged killing of Christians: Onanuga warns Senator Cruz as US lawmakers move to sanction Nigerian politicians

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Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson to President Bola Tinubu, has issued a stern warning to Senator Ted Cruz representing the State of Texas in the United States Senate.

Onanuga warned the lawmaker against propagating malicious lies against Nigeria on the issue of Christians being targeted in the country.

The presidential aide was reacting to Senator Cruz’s post on X where he accused officials in Nigeria of ignoring and even facilitating the mass murder of Christians by Islamist jihadists.

The lawmaker said that his “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act would target these officials with powerful sanctions and other tools,” he wrote on X.

The lawmaker added, “It’s time to hold those responsible accountable.”

In a response, Onanuga wrote, “Senator, stop these malicious, contrived lies against my country. We do not have a religious war in my country.

“The degraded Boko Haram terrorists operating on the fringes of Nigeria’s North east target everyone. They attack farmers, our soldiers. The bandits in the North west kill worshippers in their mosques.

“Christians are not targeted. We have religious harmony in our country. Stop these malicious lies.”

 

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Police yet to receive court order on tinted-glass permits – FPRO

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The Nigeria Police Force has said it is yet to be served with the order of the Federal High Court stopping the enforcement of tinted-glass permits.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on Saturday while reacting to reports that the court had restrained the police from arresting or prosecuting motorists over tinted glasses.

PUNCH Online reports that a Federal High Court had on Friday granted an order in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector-General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, directing the police to suspend enforcement of the permits pending the determination of the substantive case. https://punchng.com/court-suspends-police-tinted-glass-permit-enforcement/

The order asked the police to maintain the status quo, halting any action against motorists until the matter is concluded.

But Hundeyin, on X, said the police had not been formally served.

“While we have not been officially served the court order you’re making reference to, let me, in the meantime, show point number eight (of the same order) since you left that part out and focused only on point number six. Nigerians deserve a complete picture, not a skewed one,” he wrote.

The clarification followed claims by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who had circulated a portion of the ruling restraining the police from enforcing the regulation.

The police had in April 2023 announced the resumption of the permit scheme under the Police Specialised Services Automation Project after suspending it in 2022.

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