Metro
Nigeria marks World breastfeeding Week
Nigeria will join the rest of the world to observe this year’s World Breastfeeding Week from the 1st to 7th of August, 2023.
The World Breastfeeding Week is a yearly global campaign that aims to increase awareness on the health and wellbeing outcomes of breastfeeding on infants, young children, mothers, families and the society at large.
A statement by the National Food and Nutrition Median Team, NFNMT reveals that in Nigeria, only 29% of the infants under age 6 months were found to be exclusively breastfed, while only 42% were put to breast within the first hour of birth.
The team then urged all citizens to enable breastfeeding by making a difference for working parents.
The global theme for this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, is “Enable Breastfeeding, making a Difference for Working Parents”.
It focuses on breastfeeding and employment/work. According to the statement that, this year’s theme calls for more awareness on breastfeeding support in workspaces.
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To achieve a higher impact on malnutrition reduction such as stunting, it urged that the coverage of nutrition sensitive and nutrition specific interventions among the targeted population should be 80% and above.
The statement reads in part: “The known identified challenges that hinder breastfeeding of infants in the country among others include inadequate knowledge among mothers on the benefits of breastmilk, myths surrounding breastfeeding, early return to work after childbirth, lack of a conducive breastfeeding environment especially for working mothers, aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes, among others.
“Breastfeeding is the right of both the mother and the child. “However, for working mothers in Nigeria, balancing the demands of their careers with the desire to breastfeed can be challenging.”
“In addition to working outside the home, many Nigerian women have to perform time-consuming, often arduous domestic chores including cooking and laundry to maintain the household; and they also have to breastfeed their children.
“This year we are focusing on how we can adequately support these women to optimal breastfeeding for the good of our dear nation.”
The Federal Ministry of Health had recommended early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, continued breastfeeding up to two years of age or beyond, with the introduction of appropriate complementary food as from six months.
The Ministry also advocated that working places should be made conducive to encourage breastfeeding as this will enhance productivity for these mothers, while assuring their nurturing role.
Presently, women employed in the federal civil service are entitled to 16 weeks paid maternity leave and when they return to work, they have two hours off a day to breastfeed till 6 months.
Recently, the Civil Service has extended this to the men, with 14 days paternity leave.
Under the Labour Act, mothers employed outside of the public sector are entitled to 12 weeks maternity leave. They are entitled to half pay if they’ve worked for their employer for at least six months.
It is no doubt that breastfeeding is important both to the mother and the child, a practice that all fathers, family members and society should support without fail.
Breast milk is very nutritious and builds the immunity of the baby.
It also protects babies from common diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia.
Much more, the bonding between mother and baby during breastfeeding improves emotional and social development of the child.
“The general public, is being reminded that breast milk is the ideal food for infants, it is readily available, cheap, safe, clean and gives the first form of protection against many common childhood illnesses.
“Breast milk provides all the energy and nutrients that the child needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.
“Therefore, it’s important that everyone gets involved by supporting our women to breastfeed everywhere. Your support contributes to our nation’s health, economy and future workforce”, it said.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced the arrest of a music artist, Godspower George Osahenrumwen, popularly known as Steady Boy, for allegedly attempting to receive a consignment of smuggled illicit drugs from the United States of America for his manager in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
This is just as the agency said it discovered an illicit drug laboratory in the Ajao Estate area of Lagos State.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, Steady Boy was arrested following the seizure of a large consignment of Loud concealed inside three cartons of bathtubs and intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, from the US aboard a DHL flight on Tuesday.
“The 20-year-old music artiste was nabbed at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom Way, Lekki, Lagos, when he showed up as the consignee to take delivery of the 140 bags of Loud with a gross weight of 77.20kg on behalf of a syndicate, which includes his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (a.k.a. Zee Money), who is currently at large,” the statement added.
Babafemi noted that following months of intelligence gathering after a freshly cooked Colos was intercepted, a clandestine laboratory where Colorado was being produced in large quantities was uncovered, while the suspected owner of the laboratory was arrested.
Following the discovery, “freshly cooked Colos weighing 16.2 kilograms, 1.7kg of ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol, 4.5kg of Potassium Carbonate, and 91 litres of Dibromobutane” were recovered from the apartment.
The statement continued, “In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, November 1, raided the enclave of a 28-year-old drug dealer, Afeez Salisu (alias Malu), in Mushin, where 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, as well as designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4kg were recovered from him.
“In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja–Jos highway on Sunday intercepted a consignment of 84,710 capsules of tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, and heading to Bauchi. A follow-up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the recipient, Musa Abdulkarim, 27.
“Two days later, on Tuesday, operatives at the tollgate along the Abuja-Kaduna highway arrested Hamza Musa, 47, conveying 32,946 bottles of Akuskura, a new psychoactive substance, from Lagos, while Saidu Nafiu, 30, was nabbed with 131.5kg of skunk at Kamfanin Zangon Aya, Igabi LGA, Kaduna.
“Three suspects, Seun Olaniyi, 24; Rauf Asogba, 28; and Ayinla Adeniyi, 50, were on Saturday, November 1, arrested at Abeokuta, Ogun State, after a team of NDLEA officers tracked their movement from Benin Republic and eventually intercepted their bus along Abiola Way, Abeokuta, with a total of 1,779kg of skunk recovered from them.”
Babafemi added that one Jamilu Mustapha was arrested in Nasaru town, Ningi LGA of Bauchi State, while 532,600 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered from the trio of Halilu Amiru, Rabiu Maikudi, and Ibrahim Mati in a truck marked KTG-791 ZZ at Oko-Olowo, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday.
He continued, “In Edo State, the NDLEA officers on patrol along Okhokho–Isi community in Uhunmwode LGA on Wednesday intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses marked EPE 545 EV and ABC 142 CD, conveying a total of 1,455kg of skunk following credible intelligence.
“In like manner, operatives in Ondo State on Tuesday, October 28, recovered a total of 2,829kg of skunk linked to a 32-year-old female suspect, Mrs Ige Olarewaju, from two locations at Ayede, Ogbese, while another suspect, Samuel Adebayo, was nabbed with 737kg of the same psychoactive substance at Adegbola Junction, Akure.”
The agency said it recovered 76.5 litres of skuchies from a suspect, Ige Oluwale, at Ibereko, Badagry, Lagos, on Friday, October 31.
Babafemi noted that a total of 30,370 pills of tramadol and 177 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from the duo of Musbahu Abdullahi and Saleiman Ahmed at Wukari, Taraba State, on Thursday, while they were conveying the drugs from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
“While commending the officers across the country for their resilience, professionalism, and balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the country, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, vowed that the agency will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria,” the statement concluded.
The NDLEA has continued to clamp down on illicit drug peddlers and syndicates, which has led to a series of arrests and convictions.
PUNCH Metro reported on Thursday that the NDLEA secured the conviction of 9,263 drug offenders out of the 45,853 suspects arrested across the country within the last 30 months.
The agency also said it seized over 8.5 million kilograms of various illicit drugs in multiple operations carried out by its personnel within the same period.
PUNCH
A pastor, whose identity has not yet been revealed, has vacated a property in an upscale estate after failing to pay rent for seven years.
The situation has gained attention online, with various details surfacing about the circumstances surrounding the eviction.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the pastor’s belongings being packed up and removed from the premises, sparking conversations about the implications of such a prolonged period without payment.
As the story unfolds, many are left wondering about the reasons behind this unusual situation and the pastor’s next steps.
Details of the incident were shared by @Kingleviconsult on the popular video-sharing platform, TikTok.
According to @Kingleviconsult, he was handed over the house to manage.
However, upon reviewing records, it was discovered that the tenant hadn’t paid rent for 7 years.
Sharing details about the incident, @Kingleviconsult revealed the landlady, based outside Nigeria, doesn’t keep thorough records of rent payments.
He further revealed that the tenant doesn’t respond to the landlady’s calls or messages.
In an update on the incident, the landlady is currently in Nigeria with her elder brother, who resides in China, while the tenant has vacated the premises.
According to him, he tried to avoid going to court and instead had a meeting with the tenant, who promised to pay the rent by August 2025.
”We had a meeting together and he said that by August this year 2025, he’s going to pay the outstanding rent and he’s going to settle the matter and he will pack out,” he stated in the now-viral TikTok video.
Meanwhile, details of the estate weren’t disclosed, with netizens sharing their thoughts and opinions.
Watch Video Below:
@kingleviconsult So I was handed a house to manage, and when I checked the records, I found out the tenant hadn’t paid rent for seven years… but wait till you hear how he left! #S#StorytimeR#RealEstateTikTokP#PropertyManagerLifeL#LandlordProblemsT#TenantDramaU#UnbelievableStoriesH#HouseStoryC#CrazyTenantsP#PropertyTokTrueStory
Gistreel
A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Musa Dahiru, has ordered the remand of one Idris Kurma for allegedly killing his wife, Aisha Idris, following a disagreement over her refusal to grind groundnuts to make kuli-kuli.
Kuli-kuli is a popular delicacy made from roasted groundnuts that are spiced and then deep-fried into a flat, crunchy snack and enjoyed across Northern Nigeria.
The tragic incident reportedly occurred in Goda village, located in the Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State.
According to court proceedings, the suspect was arraigned on a one-count charge of culpable homicide, contrary to Section 221 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution counsel, Barrister Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, read the charge to the defendant during the hearing, but the defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegation.
Subsequently, Barrister Soron Dinki requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution to present its witnesses in the case.
Justice Dahiru granted the application and ordered the remand of the defendant in a correctional facility pending further hearing.
While the case was adjourned to December 12, 2025, for continuation.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured a five-year conviction of a former Managing Director of Bonghe Micro Finance Bank, Grace Karka, for her role in a N32m fraud, with an option of fine.
According to PUNCH Metro, in a statement by the EFCC on Thursday that the agency received a petition from the bank alleging that the defendant transferred N32m while she was the bank’s MD to an unknown account.
The statement noted that the petitioner said the fraudulent act was discovered during an audit of the bank’s account domiciled with a commercial bank.
She was subsequently arraigned before Justice Benjamin Lawan Manji of the Adamawa State High Court on counts of criminal conspiracy and cheating.
One of the charges read: “That you, Grace Andreas Karka and Prince Moses Batalu, between August 2020 and March 2021 in Yola, Adamawa State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did agree amongst yourselves to do an illegal act, to wit theft of N66,792,960.00 from Bonghe Micro Finance Bank Nigeria Limited (account number 2013668857 domiciled with First Bank Nigeria Limited) by dishonestly moving the said sum without necessary approval, contrary to Section 61(2) of the Adamawa State Penal Code Law 2018.”
According to the statement, the defendant was arraigned in November 2024, but she pleaded not guilty, which led to a full trial.
The EFCC said during the trial, the prosecutor presented witnesses and tendered several documents, while the defendant presented three witnesses.
Following the trial, the judge found the defendant guilty and sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment.
“Justice Manji, on October 17, 2025, while delivering judgment, said the prosecution proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted the defendant accordingly on counts one and two.
“The judge also sentenced Karka to five years’ imprisonment with an option of N3m each on counts one and two. The sentence is to run concurrently.
“In addition, the court ordered the convict to restitute the balance of N29,877,040 to the petitioner,” the statement added.
This is not the first time a former bank MD has been jailed for fraud.
In 2024, PUNCH Metro reported that a five-member panel of the Supreme Court upheld the conviction and six-year jail term slammed on a former MD of the now defunct Bank PHB, Francis Atuche, by the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division.
Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of a four-bedroom duplex with two sitting rooms and boys’ quarters in Lekki to the Federal Government after finding that it was used for illegal drug activities.
The judge, on Tuesday, ordered that the property located at Block 11, House 2, Mobolaji Johnson Estate, Lekki Phase 1, be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government following an application filed by counsel for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Buhari Abdulahi.
Abdulahi told the court that the property belonged to a suspected drug baron currently resides in Canada, and was used as an operational base for trafficking Canadian Loud — a high-grade strain of cannabis sativa — into Nigeria.
“The property served as the operational base for Adebanjo’s illicit drug activities,” the NDLEA counsel said. “He purchased the house and used it to coordinate the storage, distribution, and sale of hard drugs smuggled into Nigeria from Canada.”
He informed the court that an interim forfeiture order had earlier been granted on March 20, 2024, and that, in compliance with the court’s directive, details of the property were published in the Daily Sun of May 20, 2024, and in the Vanguard of August 1, 2025, inviting any interested parties to contest the forfeiture.
“Despite the publications and adequate notice, no person or entity came forward to lay claim to the property or provide any explanation,” Abdulahi said, urging the court to grant a final forfeiture order.
He added that the application was brought under the NDLEA Act, which empowers the court to confiscate assets used in committing drug-related offences.
After reviewing the submissions and supporting documents, Justice Owoeye granted the final forfeiture order, describing the property and items within it as “instruments used in committing drug offences.”
“Having carefully examined the affidavit evidence and the unchallenged application by the NDLEA, this court hereby orders the final forfeiture of the property to the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the judge ruled.
According to an affidavit filed by Deputy Commander of Narcotics, Nasir Garba Bungudu, attached to the NDLEA’s Lagos Strategic Command, the agency had received intelligence in 2023 about a drug trafficking network smuggling Canadian Loud from Canada into Nigeria.
He said investigations traced the syndicate’s base to the Lekki property, which served as a warehouse and coordination centre for storage, financing, and distribution of the illicit drugs.
He said following weeks of surveillance, NDLEA operatives conducted a raid on February 5, 2023, during which they recovered 1.088 kilograms of Canadian Loud and arrested five suspects: Tijani Hakeem, Eric Makuo, Adaobi Fortune, Ahmed Jubril, and Ekwejunor Oritsematosan.
“Our investigation confirmed that the property was purchased and maintained with proceeds of drug trafficking,” Bungudu stated. “It was the central hub for the syndicate’s criminal operations.”
Four of the suspects were later convicted in Charge No. FHC/L/122C/2023 — FRN v. Tijani Oladapo Hakeem & 3 Ors after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.
The fifth suspect, Ekwejunor Oritsematosan, is still facing trial alongside Femaffix Global Services Limited in Charge No. FHC/L/501C/2023 for offences linked to the same cartel.
NDLEA investigators also established that Adebanjo, identified as the ringleader, purchased the Lekki property to house his associates and manage the syndicate’s operations, allegedly using a firm to launder proceeds from the illicit trade.
“Since the property was sealed, neither Adebanjo — who remains at large — nor any representative has come forward to claim ownership or offer any explanation,” Bungudu added.
Justice Owoeye consequently ruled that the property and all items within it be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government as assets derived from, or used in, the commission of drug offences.
“The court is satisfied that due process has been followed,” Justice Owoeye declared. “Accordingly, the property and its contents are hereby forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
The Enugu State Government has confirmed the arrest of one Ozioma Okonkwo for allegedly defiling his two biological daughters, aged two and five.
Okonkwo, who is a native of Imo State residing in Enugu, was arrested on the night of Saturday, October 25, 2025, after a concerned citizen alerted authorities about the disturbing incident.
This was contained in a statement issued by the state Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development on Sunday.
According to the statement, the suspect is in police custody and will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
The ministry also revealed that the two children have been admitted into a government-approved shelter, where they are receiving medical care and psychosocial support.
Their mother, described as deeply traumatised, will also undergo therapy under the supervision of the ministry’s social welfare and counselling team.
“The Enugu State Government commends the Nigeria Police Force for their swift and professional response, which led to the prompt arrest of the suspect,” the statement read.
Reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy on sexual and gender-based violence, the ministry warned that all offenders would face the full weight of the law.
The ministry also condemned the act, calling it “a heart-wrenching and unacceptable crime against innocence.”
The statement reads, “The Enugu State Government under the leadership of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, remains unwavering in its commitment to protect every child and ensure that perpetrators of such evil acts are brought to justice.
“No child should ever have to endure such trauma, especially from those meant to provide care and protection.”
The government also thanked citizens for their vigilance and cooperation, urging continued support in efforts to safeguard the rights and dignity of women and children across the state.
In 2022, a father, Michake Ogbar, was sentenced to triple life imprisonment for defiling and raping his three daughters of age 10, 20, and 24 years.
Ogbar faced three counts bordering on defilement and rape, offences which violate Sections 137 and 258(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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