In the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, gunmen kidnapped a policeman.
Ezra John, a member of the Lade Division, reportedly passed away on Thursday morning.
Also read: Officer and Four People Killed in Gunfight at Kwara Police Station
When the incident occurred, he was reportedly returning from his official duties at Patigi General Hospital to his Lade base.
Residents have been expressing concern over the incident, which occurred along the Patigi–Lade road, a notorious site for frequent criminal attacks.
The victim’s motorcycle was discovered on the side of the road, according to SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command.
However, Ejire-Adeyemi claimed that the police had launched a manhunt for the officer’s captors.
“We’ve activated tactical teams to search for him,” he said. She said, “We are not letting any stone fall, to make sure he is safely rescued and the perpetrators are punished.”
Ejire-Adeyemi urged people to report suspicious activity to security agencies, as well as to support the search.
Residents are advised to be watchful and report any strange activity or individual to security forces.
Stakeholders calling for a stronger security presence to protect lives and property, she continued, adding that the abduction has “more raised concerns about growing insecurity in Patigi and its adjacent communities.”
Gov’s assurance
AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the governor of Kwara State, announced that “nowhere” in the state would be safe for criminal elements, including kidnappers.
The security forces have promised to “smoke out” and get rid of criminals from their hideouts, I said. Every resource we have available will help us combat insecurity.
The governor said at a security council meeting on Tuesday night that “Kwara will not be a hiding place for criminals,” according to a statement released by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Wednesday.
In some of the poorest nations in the world, drug trafficking is causing more addiction and putting strain on public resources, which are used to transport contraband to Europe.
READ MORE: NDLEA Arrests Three Suspects and Seizes $5. 3 billion worth of Cocaine Hidden In Lace Fabrics.
The Sahel, a semi-arid region below the Sahara where poverty and armed groups are prevalent, was the subject of a UN report last year, which warned of a rise in large-scale cocaine seizures.
However, according to government officials, doctors, and researchers, trafficking in low-income nations, where treatment options are limited, in addition to providing money to criminal organizations.
Some will find themselves within the nation once it enters the system, according to Alexander Twum Barimah, deputy director general of the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission.
A 2024 report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted that West Africa has long been “a natural stopover” for drugs , mostly cocaine from Latin America, that travel to North Africa and Europe, mostly via maritime routes but increasingly overland.
According to the UN, heroin and meth from Asia travel through the area on their way from east to southern Africa to Europe.
Read more about the French Navy’s seizure of nearly 10 tons of cocaine off West Africa.
While drug sales are higher in Europe, some contraband is diverted, especially when low-level traffickers receive in-kind payment, according to experts.
As routes from South America are under pressure from law enforcement and the demand for drugs in Europe rises, up to 30% of the country’s cocaine may be transiting through West Africa, according to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC).
West Africa’s problem of drug abuse is not new; some local drug producers, including meth and cannabis, are.
However, the countries in the area are unable to handle the trafficking influx.
In the past year, 14.4% of Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 used drugs, more than twice the global average of 5.6%, according to 2019 UN data.
Due to trafficking, the proliferation of conflict, and a booming youth population facing a lack of economic opportunities, Akanidomo Ibanga, the UNODC’s country project officer for Nigeria, said that figure is expected to continue rising.
Rehab facilities are “lackluster.”
According to a 2022 count, nine states in Nigeria do not have a single drug treatment facility, while nine do.
Ibanga claimed that the country’s total, which is made up of more than 200 million people, has only 2,500 beds, which would leave about 10,000 of the estimated three million Nigerians who require assistance in a year.
In an effort to give those staying in a quiet street on the edge of Abuja, Vanguard Against Drug Abuse’s offices are located behind an unmarked gate that is unrecognizable from the nearby homes.
There are meeting rooms for group therapy, ping pong tables, and chess tables inside. Although founder Abraham Hope Omeiza claims that his 600, 000 naira ($400) per month rate for in-patient therapy is heavily discounted, it is still nearly nine times the minimum wage.
The 500 or so people Vanguard treats annually in both in-patient and outpatient therapy “is not enough,” Omeiza told AFP.
shifting local markets
According to researchers, moving drugs through West Africa also strengthens regional corruption.
Investigative journalists have connected the local political elite, including the president’s family, to Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, who is on Europol’s most wanted list for cocaine trafficking.
The nation, which only has one psychiatric hospital, is currently experiencing an epidemic of people using both crack and cocaine, both of which are made from synthetic marijuana.
Sierra Leone is “promising to become a trafficking corridor,” according to Ibrahim Kargbo, a senior director at the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency.
In the greater Accra region, a survey conducted in Ghana found that cocaine was the most frequently abused drug, followed by heroin and crack.
Additionally, there is a rise in the use of tramadol, an imported opioid that has been bolstered in part by the success of heroin dealers.
Ghanaian authorities have launched education campaigns in recent months to combat “red,” a high-strength variant of tramadol.
According to Maria-Goretti Ane Loglo, who has studied drug use in Ghana, “if you are in that space where you can’t afford heroin, you rely on red.”
Farmers Nana Twum and the Western Region of Ghana, who both work for the government, shared their strength with AFP earlier this year.
He said, “But I’ve realized it’s having an impact on me because I get weak when the drug stops,” adding that he hoped to wean himself off.
He was receiving care at the Nkwanta Regional Hospital a few weeks later.
Agun Gbenga, the governor of the state capital, was found slumped at an event in Benin City, killing the commander of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
Gbenga allegedly collapsed after giving his good-will address at a Bishop Kelly Pastoral Centre event organized by the International Association of World Peace Advocates.
Read more about One Killed As Police and the NSCDC Officers Clash in the Ebonyi Community.
He looked fine when he arrived at the event on Thursday, which was said to have shocked many attendees.
Efosa Ogbebor, the state’s liaison for public relations, released a statement on Friday confirming the incident.
Gbenga was taken to the Military Hospital, where he was later declared dead, according to the statement.
Commandant Agun Gbenga worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the citizens as an astute operations officer.
He was admired and praised for his humility, friendliness, and intelligence. He will be greatly missed for his devotion to duty and pursuit of excellence.
More than 1, 000 cows ruffled in the Salka community in the Niger State’s Magama Local Government Area, where several residents were killed and others were hurt on Tuesday.
A Salka survivor shared a terrifying encounter with the assailants, revealing how the gunmen fought before opening fire on him.
One of the bandits told his coworker not to shoot while they were confronting me, but he proceeded and pulled the trigger, according to the victim. I attempted to hold him before they finally shot me, but they outlasted me. Later, they abandoned me.
Also read: Bandits Kill Three, Steal 1, 000 Cows In New Niger Attacks
Another resident was shot in the attack, and she has since been treated there at Yawuri General Hospital in Kebbi State.
Locals who managed to hide during the raid claimed to have secretly recorded video footage of the gunmen eludeing the community while riding motorcycles, firing occasionally, and fleeing with the stolen cattle.
In connection with the state’s illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, cattle rustling, and kidnapping, the Plateau State Police Command has made 15 arrests.
During a press conference held at the Command Headquarters in Jos on Thursday, Emmanuel Olugbemiga Adesina, the police commissioner, confirmed the rescue of a kidnap victim and the recovery of locally produced weapons.
We have detained members of kidnapping syndicates, rescued victims, and recovered firearms during various operations carried out during the period under review, according to Adesina, as part of our ongoing efforts to stop Plateau State from carrying out criminal activities.
Auwal Mohammed, a 20-year-old suspect, was detained in Jos North with items allegedly possessed by kidnapping victims, according to the CP. Four suspects were apprehended in Jos after police intercepted a car carrying an Ebuka kidnap victim. Three others tied to a kidnapping syndicate were apprehended in Bassa Local Government Area. The gang recovered a locally produced pistol.
After pursuing them to Nasarawa State, the police boss also revealed that suspects in the Qua’an Pan and Shendam LGAs were questioned after being tracked down. In separate incidents, suspects were apprehended for possessing locally manufactured weapons and live ammunition.
The police commissioner also provided safety advice to Plateau State residents.
Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has flagged off the Kaduna State Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (KADSEMSAS), describing it as a landmark in his administration’s commitment to saving lives and ensuring no citizen is denied access to emergency healthcare.
Speaking at the official launch on Thursday, the governor said the initiative was not just about unveiling ambulances, but about guaranteeing the right to timely medical intervention for every resident of the state.
“Today marks a transformative moment in the history of Kaduna State”, Sani declared. “Our vision is simple but profound: no citizen of Kaduna State should be denied timely medical intervention because of distance, delay, or lack of access”.
The new system features a fleet of ambulances fitted with life-saving equipment, a central dispatch center staffed with trained personnel, and emergency medical technicians and paramedics who will stabilize patients en route to hospitals. It will function across all 23 Local Government Areas, covering both urban centers and rural villages.
“In times of crisis — whether a maternal complication, a road traffic accident, or a cardiac emergency—minutes can mean the difference between life and death”, the governor explained. “This deliberate step underscores our resolve to leave no one behind — urban or rural, rich or poor—in our quest to save lives”.
Under the arrangement, citizens will be able to call a dedicated emergency line, after which the nearest ambulance will be dispatched. The state hopes the initiative will significantly reduce response times, particularly in maternal and neonatal emergencies where delays often prove fatal.
READ ALSO: Over 35% Of Nigerian Children Face Malnutrition – NARD
Governor Sani stressed that the program reflects his administration’s “people-first philosophy”, noting that healthcare reforms since he assumed office have been anchored on the principle of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
“We have consistently declared that access to healthcare is a right, not a privilege”, he said. “We have strengthened the Kaduna State Contributory Health Management Authority (KADCHMA), revitalized our primary health centres, prioritized maternal and child health, and recently approved the 2024 CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures to motivate our healthcare workers”.
He highlighted that the system was designed to be equitable and inclusive. “This initiative is not for the privileged few. It is for the farmer in Ikara, the trader in Kachia, the student in Giwa, and the child in Kagarko. No one will be left behind”, he assured.
Kaduna’s Commissioner for Health, Umma K. Ahmed, described the flag-off as “a giant leap forward” for the state’s healthcare delivery, emphasizing that the integration of the Rural Emergency Medical and Maternal Transport Services (RESMAT) into KADSEMSAS would extend access to hard-to-reach areas.
“Emergencies often come without warning, but what makes the difference between life and death is the speed and quality of response”, Ahmed said. “With KADSEMSAS, Kaduna State is making a decisive step toward making sure no citizen is left without hope in their most dire situation.”
For the first 48 hours, the program will offer free emergency care, particularly for pregnant women, children, and accident victims, she added.
Governor Sani stressed sustainability, claiming that the government was investing in enhancing health facilities, training health workers, and engaging communities to maintain system effectiveness after launch.
He declared, “This system belongs to you, citizens of our country.” We urge you to report misuse, use it responsibly, and leave feedback. The pursuit of excellence is a continuous process, not a destination.
The Federal Ministry of Health approved the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) in 2024, and Kaduna was accepted at the flag-off. According to officials, Kaduna’s example might serve as a benchmark for other Nigerian states.
