The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in collaboration with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), on Thursday raided two illegal agrochemicals factories involved in adulteration and sale of the commodity within and outside Gombe State.

The illegal factories are located in Kagarawal community in Gombe State.
During the exercise, three suspects in connection with a syndicate specialised in the crime were detained.

Briefing journalists during the exercise, the Gombe State Commandant, NSCDC, Muhammad Mu’azu described the perpetrators of the crime as unpatriotic in view of the damage being done to the food security effort of government.

Mu’azu said that the main suspects had gone out to supply their products and would be arrested as soon as possible.
He said that further investigation would be carried out and upon conclusion, the suspects would be taken to court for prosecution.

He assured that all those in connection with the crime would not be spared as their activities were costing unsuspecting farmers who patronise them their hard-earned money.

Explaining further, Mr Mohammed Alhaji-Bukar, the Director, SON, Gombe State office said that the raid was as a result of intelligence report after carrying out rural markets surveillance.

Alhaji-Bukar said that his agency in collaboration with NSCDC had intensified efforts to rid the state of adulterated agrochemicals to enable farmers get value for their money.

He said that the chemicals found at the illegal factory were used to adulterated pesticides and herbicides before selling to farmers mostly in rural areas.

He said that the suspects buy the real agrochemicals, get their packaging materials, mix them with other chemicals and repackage them for sale.

He said that the suspects take their finished products to various parts of the country, “the main suspect and owner of this factory has gone to Taraba State to supply his products.”

“The products here are of different brands and are all faked; having original containers and labels but fake contents.

“They buy the actual material, active ingredients and then buy the original and packaging materials of the products they use to sell.

“And then mix another chemical and put in those chemicals and sell it out in the name of the product of the real company.

“So you see your product in the market but it was produced here, some of the containers show that the products were made in South Africa, yet the factory is here,” he said.

Alhaji-Bukar warned the his agency in collaboration with NSCDC would sustain their effort to ensure that sub-standard materials do not find their way to the markets.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported a significant 38% decrease in circulating variant polio virus type 2 (cVPV2) cases in Nigeria between 2023 and 2024.

Speaking at a news conference following a roadshow to mark World Polio Day in Maiduguri, Dr. Walter Mulombo, WHO’s Country Representative, highlighted the achievement as a result of concerted efforts by the Nigerian government and its partners to curb the outbreak.

Mulombo, represented by Dr. Aisha Kadi, emphasized the importance of vaccinating the remaining unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children, noting that the virus continues to spread due to gaps in immunization coverage.

“The global spread of cVPV2 underscores the need for continued vigilance, as no country is safe from polio until it is eradicated worldwide,” Mulombo said.

He praised the collective efforts that have protected millions of children from polio, adding that five of the six WHO regions, including Africa, are now free from wild poliovirus. However, challenges such as violence, vaccine refusals, and climate emergencies persist in reaching all children with vaccines.

Mulombo urged renewed support for global eradication efforts, stressing that the polio vaccine remains safe and effective in protecting children from paralysis caused by the virus.

A helicopter crash in Rivers State has left eight people, including six oil workers and two crew members, feared dead after the aircraft plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday morning.

The helicopter, owned by Eastwind Aviation, was en route to the OML 123 oil field when it crashed around 11:40 a.m. near the Mimbo platform and Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel.

Eyewitnesses reported that the helicopter unexpectedly ditched and nosedived into the ocean. So far, three bodies have been recovered, with rescue efforts ongoing. Authorities have yet to confirm the total number of casualties, though concerns grow that all eight individuals onboard may have died.

This tragic incident has raised alarm over helicopter safety in Nigeria’s offshore oil sector. Aviation safety agencies are expected to investigate the cause of the crash, as calls for improved safety measures intensify following the growing number of similar accidents in the region.