By Aisha Cole

The Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has sought collaboration with the marine police and narcotics officials to combat smuggling of ammunition and drugs through waterways.

The Customs Area Controller, Patrick Ntadi, made the plea when his team visited the Marine Police and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) commands in Lagos on Wednesday.

From L-R DCP Obassi Okechukwu DC Admin, the AIC Maritime Police, Musa Garba and the Customs Area Controller Western Marine command, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi during courtesy visit by the Western Marine Command Customs to Police Office in Lagos for collaboration.

Ntadi said his visit was to build more synergy to enable them have robust relationship in achieving more success in their core assignments of maritime security in the country.

He advocated for collaboration through intelligence sharing among the security agencies.

“In customs operations, the first person to ask for backup is police. It is only when we assist each other that we achieve more success.

“We need to resolve the issue of rivalry between lower level officers of customs and police. The officer sees operations as competition. I believe as time goes on we will resolve that.

“The level of unwanted substances that could come through the waterways are much compared to the land that is why we need to collaborate to assist our incoming generation to benefit from our untapped resources.

“There is a lot of insecurity in the system which is affecting our economy,” Ntadi said.

Also speaking, the AIG Maritime Police Command, Musa Garba, said that no organisation could succeed without synergy.

He frowned at the issue of rivalry adding that he had been an advocate in ensuring issue of rivalry was resolved.

Garba advised officers to always talk to their colleagues to shun rivalry and adopt collaboration for the betterment of the country.

“No organisation has the monopoly to do it alone.

“I want to assure you, I, as the AIG Maritime Command in charge of Western and Eastern parts of the country please feel free to call on me for any support you want police to do in the course of your duties,” Garba said.

During his visit to the (NDLEA), Marine Command in Lagos, Ntadi called for seamless operations between customs and the agency.

He acknowledged that no agency was superior to another, adding that officers of both agencies should collaborate to stop illicit drugs into the country.

Ntadi said before now Nigeria was import independent but due to exportation, which expanded customs operations, they seek collaboration to stop smuggling of unwanted substances into the country.

From six left, the Customs Area Controller, Western Marine command, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi, the NDLEA Marine Commander, Mr Emmanuel Udoh, during the customs visit to the command for collaboration in Lagos on Wednesday.

“In achieving our mandate, we must interface and if we collaborate, the success story will be more.

“Officers should shun rivalry as it affects our operations. Please let me know if there are issues you notice from customs officers so that we can come in and address it on time,” Ntadi said.

In his response, the NDLEA Marine Commander, Mr Emmanuel Udoh, commended Customs for the robust collaboration with the NDLEA.

He said he had received three seizures of cannabis sativa with suspects from customs since he assumed office.

Udoh acknowledged customs support for providing them with logistics whenever they come to receive intercepted cannabis from the command. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

By Usman Aliyu

The new Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Edo Command, Mitchell Ofoyeju, has vowed to take hard stance against drug barons and cannabis cultivators operating in the state.

Ofoyeju, who was redeployed from the Tincan Island Port Command, replaced Mr Allumona Callys.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after assuming office, he warned drug trafficking cartels to either abandon their criminal enterprise or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.

“This is a direct message to cannabis cultivators and drug traffickers.

“Edo will not be a safe haven for you under my watch.

“The mandate of Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa-led administration is clear – zero tolerance for drug production, trafficking, and abuse.

“We are here to enforce that with all the intensity it demands,” he said.

The state NDLEA chief said the agency under his watch would prioritise intelligence-led operations aimed at dismantling drug syndicates, intercepting narcotics shipments, and destroying illicit cultivation sites.

“We will not sit idly by while criminal elements exploit our communities and endanger the future of our youths.

“This war is total and uncompromising,” Ofoyeju said.

He also urged the public to support NDLEA’s anti-drug campaign by providing credible information and fostering community resistance against drug abuse and trafficking.

“Our success hinges not just on enforcement but on collaboration.

“We urge all stakeholders, including traditional leaders, religious bodies, parents, and youth groups to join hands with us in saving lives and protecting our future,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Sam Oditah

By Ibironke Ariyo/Kennedy Sheyin

The Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) on Monday trained officers of the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) on Non-Custodial Measures to address the persistent issue of prison congestion across the country.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day training organised in collaboration with the NCOS in Abuja, the PRAWA Executive Director, Dr Uju Agomoh, said the training aimed at enhancing justice sector efficiency through non-custodial sentencing options.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the project is implemented by PRAWA with support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) Programme and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

The training was organised under the Advancing the Implementation of Non-Custodial Solutions (AI-NCS) project.

Agomoh said that the workshop forms part of strategic efforts to strengthen the correctional system and promote alternatives to imprisonment such as probation, parole, community service, and suspended sentences.

According to her, the training is one of several key activities under the AI-NCS project, which also includes advocacy, institutional strengthening, and rehabilitation support.

“Non-custodial measures are not just alternatives to incarceration; they are lifelines for rehabilitation, community engagement, and human dignity. This initiative is crucial in establishing a more equitable, humane, and effective justice system in Nigeria.”

Agomoh, however, added that the project builds on previous gains recorded under the Effective Implementation of Non-Custodial Measures Project.

She said that the AI-NCS project seeks to deepen the capacity of justice service providers, correctional officers, judicial personnel, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders to ensure effective adoption of non-custodial practices.

Agomoh said that the ultimate goal was to reduce custodial sentences, empower offenders for successful reintegration, and improve access to justice.

She also explained that the project would support the development of sentencing guidelines, pilot interventions in courts, and reintegration initiatives such as providing tools and starter packs for offenders serving non-custodial sentences.

“Through these efforts, we hope to reduce prison overcrowding, cut recidivism, and empower individuals to lead meaningful lives after serving their sentences.

“The adoption of non-custodial measures is not only a justice reform issue but a pathway to rehabilitation and sustainable reintegration,” she said.

Agomoh encouraged participants to see their roles not just as custodians of justice but as facilitators of transformation and reintegration.

In his remarks, the National Chairman of the Parole Board, Justice Suleiman Galadima, called for renewed commitment and collaboration towards effective implementation of non-custodial measures in Nigeria’s justice system.

Galadima, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), commended PRAWA and their partners, ROLAC Programme and International IDEA, for their dedication to penal and justice reform.

He urged participants to take the training seriously and see their roles as crucial to restoring public confidence in the justice system.

Also speaking, Ms Vivian Emerenini, the representative of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC), called for sustained commitment to non-custodial justice reforms.

This, she said, would be a path toward a more humane, equitable and rehabilitative criminal justice system in Nigeria.

Emerenini said that the initiative was not just a capacity-building session but ‘a testament to our collective dedication to justice, rehabilitation, and the preservation of human dignity.

“Non-custodial measures such as parole, probation, suspended sentences, and community service are not just legal tools.

“They are transformative instruments that foster rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and restore balance and dignity to offenders,” she said.

Emerenini underscored the strategic role of correctional officers, describing them as the frontline implementers of non-custodial measures whose work ensures fairness, accountability, and public confidence in the justice system.

She also emphasised the need for public sensitisation to dispel misconceptions and build trust in non-custodial alternatives, calling for collective action by the judiciary, correctional service, civil society, and communities.

In his goodwill message, the FCT Controller of Corrections, Olatunbosun Ajibogun, commended PRAWA for its role in deepening the implementation of non-custodial justice solutions in Nigeria.

Ajibogun, who was represented by Deputy Controller of Corrections, Onyinyechi Okoro, expressed appreciation to PRAWA for serving as a strategic bridge between stakeholders in the justice sector and promoting reforms aimed at reducing incarceration.

Other stakeholders at the event urged the participants to approach the training with an open mind, collaborate across agencies and fully engage in the transition to non-custodial justice practices. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Yakubu Uba

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By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Nigerian Navy has announced the establishment of a Special Operations Command in Makurdi, to complement the efforts of sister services and other security agencies to improve security in the Middle Belt region.

The Chief of Policy and Plans (Navy), Rear Adm. Ibrahim Dewu, made this known during a news conference on the activities lined to commemorate 61st Anniversary Celebrations of the navy, on Monday in Abuja.

He said the decision was in line with navy’s Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy, which delineates its areas of operations from Back Waters through the Exclusive Economic Zone, up to the Out of Area and Land Based Operations.

According to him, the command will be situated on the North Bank of the River Benue.

He said the special operations command encompasses so many special operations personnel, like the Navy Marines, Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Blue Sea Operations.

“Now, what we need in the Nigerian Navy Marines is that the current situation has brought us to operate with our sister services on land.

“The Nigerian Navy, as it is, will need to have trained personnel that will operate side by side with the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force.

“That is why we needed to get special ratings of personnel, or the Navy Marines, which we intend to establish in Makurdi that will be operating not just at sea, but to operate in other terrains, which is the land,’’ he said.

Dewu said the navy had taken delivery of three new patrol vessels and three newly acquired helicopters in support of all its maritime security operations.

He said the new platforms would be inducted during the navy week.

According to him, the new patrol vessels are NNS SHERE, NNS FARO and NNS IKOGOSI. All 3 vessels are about 38 meters long with an endurance of five days.

“Two of the vessels were acquired from Singapore and one from South Korea and they all arrived in Nigeria in December 2024.

“These vessels will serve as Seaward Defence boats within Nigeria’s littorals up to the 24 nautical mile contiguous zone and when necessary, go beyond in hot pursuit as necessary.

“Essentially, they will improve our presence at sea.

“Additionally, three more Agusta Westland 109 Trekker helicopters will be commissioned, bringing the total number of helicopters in the Nigerian Navy inventory to 14, thus improving our air operations exponentially, he added. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza