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Ministry Disowns ‘Fund Raising Letter’ in Circulation for Covid-19

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

 The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning had described as fake letters presently circulating on Social media purported to soliciting funding on its behalf to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. 
A statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communication, Mr Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi in Abuja on Sunday described the authors of the said letter as ”fraudsters.


The statement reads:”The attention of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has been drawn to the activities of fraudsters impersonating the Ministry in an attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.
 
“Of particular concern to the Ministry is the recent purported letter circulating on Social Media and part of its content reads thus:“DONATIONS SO FAR FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID -19 IN NIGERIA” referenced: FMF/HMF/EFCC/S-EFFE-REC/2020/1, and dated 28th March, 2020”.
“The purported letter mentioned names of notable Nigerians including Aliko Dangote, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Tony Elemelu, Jim Ovia, Tuface Idibia, Atiku Abubakar, NNPC, Access Bank, among others.
“The letter concluded by appealing to Nigerians to: “Please give the little you have to aid the fight against Covid-19. Nothing is too small.”
“We wish to inform all members of the public, particularly members of the social media community, that by this statement, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Office of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning disassociate itself from the purported donations and letter. 
“It is fake, it is a SCAM.The Ministry has, therefore, called on all Nigerians and the general public to disregard the letter for what it is – a SCAM.The Ministry has neither put out a request for donations nor received any.
“The Ministry also wishes to warn the general public that it will not be liable for any financial transaction which may have transpired between people and scammers who have created emails or social media accounts in the name of the Ministry or principal officers of the Ministry.
“Accordingly, the Ministry wishes to advise all members of the public to desist from transacting business(es) with imposters as doing so would be at their own risk”.  

CRIME

Enugu Police Bust Armed Robbery Operation, Arrest Suspect, Recover Arms

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From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has sustained its onslaught against criminal activities during the Yuletide season with the arrest of a male armed robbery suspect and the recovery of an imitation firearm and ammunition.

The suspect, one Oshim Lambert Chimuanya (male, aged 28), was arrested on 13th December 2025 at about 11:30 p.

m.
while attempting to rob members of the public around Agric Bank Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu, following a prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the Command attached to the Independence Layout Police Division.

In a statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State command  Daniel Ndukwe stated that Upon arrival at the scene, the operatives apprehended the suspect in the act of robbing an unsuspecting young man and recovered from him one revolver imitation (toy) pistol loaded with eight toy bullets.

The suspect is currently in custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.

The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has charged operatives of the Command to sustain the momentum and continue to make Enugu State uninhabitable for unrepentant criminals during the festive season and beyond. He further enjoins citizens to continue to cooperate with the Police by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and detection.

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NDLEA Arrests Fleeing Bandits’ Drug Supplier in Niger

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area of Kuta, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.

Babafemi said that the suspect was nabbed three weeks after escaping arrest at his home.

He said that NDLEA operatives had on Nov.

20 raided his house at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, where they recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

“Though he escaped arrest during the raid and has since been in hiding, the manhunt for him eventually paid off on Thursday, Dec.

11.

“This was when NDLEA officers acting on processed intelligence traced and arrested him at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.

“Intelligence reports had indicated that the suspect is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro local government area,” he said.

Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Abia on Thursday, Dec. 11 raided a clandestine codeine syrup-manufacturing factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, in Osisioma LGA of the state.

Babafemi said that during the operation, operatives recovered a total of 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2kg.

Also, in Enugu state, operatives on Thursday, Dec. 11 arrested another suspect along Onitsha – Enugu Ezike road with 7.2kg skunk.

Babafemi said that another suspect was nabbed along Enugu-Ezike -Ette road with 94.6kg of the same psychoactive substance.

“A raid carried out by NDLEA operatives at a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido in Oyo state on Thursday, Dec. 11 led to the seizure of 3.4kg skunk.

“Others are 1.6kg Colorado, a synthetic cannabis and 400grams of methamphetamine. The owner of the drug joint identified currently at large while a suspect was nabbed at the joint.

“Another operation at Idi Oro, Elekuro, Ibadan on Friday, Dec. 12 led to the arrest of Olusanya Abosede, 35, and the seizure of 238.4kg skunk,” he said.

In the same vein, two suspects were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Gbaji checkpoint, Seme road Badagry, Lagos with 50,000 pills of tramadol 250mg.

Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested another two suspects with 73kg skunk at Iperu, adding that a suspect was nabbed with 25kg of the same substance at Oke Agbede, Imeko area of the state on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

“In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Monday, Dec. 8 raided a compound in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, where they arrested a 55-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son.

“The NDLEA operatives also recovered 1,187 kilograms of skunk and its seeds from them,” he said.

Similarly, a suspect was arrested during a raid operation at Uroe community, Owan East LGA of Edo state, where 461kg skunk and its seeds were recovered on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Babafemi said in Gombe state, a suspect was arrested with 40,000 capsules of tramadol at Tunfure area, adding that two other suspects were nabbed at Ashaka Jalingo, with 56kg skunk on Monday, Dec. 8.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline and bromazepam were intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives at two major courier companies in Lagos.

Babafemi said that the drugs were concealed in containers of local black soap, and designer wears, in six different consignments going to the US, Canada and Sweden.

He said that the drugs were seized between Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wed, Dec. 9 respectively.

Also, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday, Dec. 13 intercepted a consignment of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579kg during a joint examination of a container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.

In like manner, 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.

This, he said included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Community Senior Secondary School, Sheme, Katsina; Government College, Tudun Wada Dankade, Kano; and Methodist High School, Makurdi, Benue.

Babafemi said that the Enugu state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to HRM Igwe Ikechukwu Samuel Asadu, Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.

The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa has commended the officers and men of DOGI, Niger, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Seme, Ogun, Ondo, Gombe, Apapa and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity.

Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

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CRIME

Mortuary Attendant in Police Net over Alleged Organ Harvesting in Edo

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A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo has landed in police net after allegations of missing vital organs from a corpse kept at Akugbe Mortuary.

This incident triggered a violent reaction from relatives of the deceased.

The situation reportedly escalated when angry family members and friends accused a mortuary attendant of harvesting organs from the body.

Relatives of the deceased were said to have raised alarm when they arrived at the mortuary on Friday to collect the body for burial and allegedly discovered that some vital organs were missing.

An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tempers flared after family members accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.

“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.

He said the relatives threatened to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened to restore calm.

Confirming the incident on Sunday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, Public Relations Officer of the police command in Edo, said the command received a distress call that a mob was on the verge of attacking a suspect at the mortuary.

“The Command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs of a corpse,” Ikoedem said.

Ikoedem explained that the suspect was rescued from the crowd and subsequently to custody.

She added that he was currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), where investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegation.

Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted, urging residents to remain calm and allow due process to take its course.

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