By David Torough, Abuja

The ongoing expansion of the Nigerian Army will strengthen the military’s operational capacity and help create the secure environment needed for entrepreneurship, the creative economy and other sectors to thrive, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has said.

Shaibu made the statement on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, while delivering a lecture titled, “Safeguarding the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Nigerian Army,” to participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.

The COAS described the Orange Economy, which includes arts, culture, music, film and digital content, as an increasingly important contributor to employment, investment, cultural diplomacy and national development.

He said Nigeria’s creative talents had continued to project the country internationally while opening new avenues for wealth creation beyond traditional economic sectors.

According to him, creativity and entrepreneurship can only flourish in a peaceful and secure environment, as insecurity disrupts economic activities, limits mobility, discourages investment and reduces productivity.

Shaibu said the expansion of the Nigerian Army, including the establishment of additional formations and units, was aimed at extending its operational footprint, increasing its presence in vulnerable areas and improving its response to emerging security threats.

He added that the expanded force structure would strengthen the protection of communities, critical national infrastructure and economic activities, while restricting the freedom of action of terrorists and other criminal elements.

The Army chief stressed that the military’s contribution to national development extends beyond combating security threats, noting that sustained operations help create the stability required for businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and creative professionals to operate and prosper.

He also called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, government institutions, the private sector and stakeholders in the creative industry, stressing that maintaining security was a collective responsibility.

Shaibu reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to strengthening the security environment necessary to attract investment, promote entrepreneurship and support sustainable national development.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recovered over 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in raids and interdiction operations across Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano respectively.

The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Giving a breakdown, Babafemi said that two separate arrests at Ughelli and Asaba, Delta State yielded a haul of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam (hypnox) and MDMA (Molly).

He said that several of them were concealed in music speakers, while two suspects were arrested.

Also, in Kano, a raid at Sabon Gari led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect with a staggering 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.

Similarly, Babafemi said that a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria–Kano–Hadejia road netted 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread seized from another suspect.

He added that a 51-year-old man was also nabbed at Katako market, Jos, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.

He also added that the agency also sustained pressure on illicit cannabis cultivation with the destruction of 4,832.56 kilograms of skunk on cannabis farms.

The NDLEA spokesman said that the farms which were at Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest, in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West LGA, Edo state had a suspect arrested on Friday.

In another development, NDLEA operatives in Ondo, acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday, raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure.

Babafemi said that they recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV, from a 58-year-old suspect who was planning to move the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.

Additionally, in Kaduna, a female suspect was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis, while in Bayelsa, four suspects including a 70-year-old woman were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.

Babafemi quoted the NDLEA chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, commending the officers and men of Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano Commands for the various successful operations.

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

He charged them to continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis was cultivated.(NAN)

The Anambra Police Command said it has rescued three kidnap victims and arrested 57 suspects in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence, murder and other offences in the state.

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in the state, Nnanna Ama, disclosed this during the weekend, during an operational visit to the command Headquarters in Awka, by the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) zone 13, Ukpo, Miller Dantawye.

“The command has rescued three kidnapped victims and arrested 57 suspects in connection with kidnapping, armed robbery, cult-related violence, murder and other serious offences,” he said.

Ama, who presented the command’s scorecard over the past one month during the visit, also said that 18 assorted firearms and 43 rounds of ammunition were recovered.

He said within the period under review that the command destroyed a criminal camp which significantly disrupted criminal operations within the state.

The CP attributed the results to coordinated intelligence gathering, targeted tactical operations, strategic deployment and sustained pressure on identified criminal networks.

He said that the feat was achieved by the command’s tactical units, Area Commands and divisional formations, working with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders.

The CP promised that the command would not relent in its offensive against criminal elements across the state.

He noted that operational priorities would continue to centre on intelligence development, precision deployment, aggressive patrols, rapid response, disruption of criminal hideouts and sustained pressure on identified criminal networks.

Ama directed operational commanders and personnel to remain proactive, maintain heightened vigilance and continuously adapt deployment strategies in response to emerging crime patterns and intelligence.

He also reaffirmed the command’s determination to deny criminals freedom of action and to ensure that the state remained hostile to kidnapping, armed robbery, cult violence and other forms of organised crime.

Responding, Dantawye commended the command and described the operational results as encouraging.

He urged officers and men of the command to build on the gains through discipline, professionalism, courage, effective supervision and strict adherence to the rule of law.

The AIG placed particular emphasis on intelligence gathering and utilisation, directing personnel to deepen intelligence networks, strengthen community engagement and translate actionable information into timely operational interventions.

He further charged commanders to intensify operations against kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, drug-related offences and other violent crimes and to conduct every operation professionally, and lawfully with respect for human rights.

Dantawye also emphasised the importance of public confidence, urging personnel to maintain respectful and responsive engagement with members of the public.

He noted that credible intelligence and community cooperation remained critical force mobilisers in modern policing.(NAN)