By Onyeanya Ebere Immaculata

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the NAFDAC Act to empower the agency to regulate the production, sale, and use of herbal medicines in Nigeria.

Sponsored by Hon. Jesse Onuakalusi (Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency, Lagos), the bill aims to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of herbal products while integrating traditional medicine into the formal healthcare system.

Onuakalusi noted that many herbal products are produced under unhygienic conditions without dosage control or safety certification, posing serious health risks.

The amendment seeks to authorise NAFDAC to register and monitor all herbal products and establish a Traditional Medicine Advisory Committee and a Department for Herbal Medicine Regulation.

It also proposes penalties for producing or selling unsafe herbal products and a 12-month transition period for compliance.

The bill received unanimous support and was referred to the relevant committee for further legislative action.

By Our Correspondent 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has declared former Petroleum Minister and Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, wanted over an alleged $14,859,257 fraud.

Sylva is accused of conspiring to dishonestly convert funds provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), to Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for refinery construction.

On November 6, 2025, a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided over by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, issued a warrant for his arrest to ensure he appears before the Commission to answer the charges.

EFCC urged anyone with information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact its zonal offices, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.

By Adenike Lawal

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has arrested two elderly suspects in Edo and Bayelsa States and seized over 1.5 tonnes of cannabis.

In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said 73-year-old James Ugbedo was arrested inside a cannabis farm in the Igbeshi forest, Etsako East LGA of Edo State, where officers destroyed 1,459.75kg of skunk and recovered an additional 5.6kg ready for sale.

Similarly, 70-year-old Comfort Odudu was apprehended in Onopa, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with 5kg of cannabis.

The agency also intercepted 769kg of skunk along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, 175,000 opioid pills in Abuja, and 7.6kg of “Loud” on the Okene-Lokoja road.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the operatives for their efforts and warned drug cartels that the agency will sustain its crackdown on traffickers nationwide.