Crime
NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest
NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest
…3 Operatives Injured, One Undergoes Brain Surgery
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have engaged armed hoodlums in crossfire during a siege on forest warehouses in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state where drugs to be sold during the forthcoming Yuletide period were stored.
A statement on Thursday from the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the operatives repelled rain of bullets from armed hoodlums who blocked all roads in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state to prevent the anti-narcotic operatives from accessing the forest warehouses where tons of processed psychoactive substances have been stored for distribution nationwide ahead of the coming Christmas and New Year season.
He noted that this is coming barely 11 months after armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers who stormed the community to destroy massive warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilogrammes (317.4 metric tons) of cannabis sativa on Wednesday 18th January 2023.
He recalled that at least, three suspects: Omoruan Theophilus, 37; Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53, and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42, were arrested in connection with the drugs then.
Babafemi said Opuje community is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares. After harvest, they build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses at all time.
He said following credible intelligence that the drug cartels had again stocked their warehouses in the forest to start distribution of the psychoactive substance to various parts of the country ahead of the Yuletide season, teams of NDLEA officers were mobilized to enter the Edo forests and block the distribution of the illicit drug by destroying their warehouses. Some of the warehouses containing about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis were first taken down in Ujiogba forest in Esan West LGA last weekend.
He added that the NDLEA teams however came under gunfire attack in the early hours of Monday when they approached the Opuje forest after the armed hoodlums had blocked all access roads in the community. He said the NDLEA operatives were able to exit the area after over two hours of gun fight with the armed hoodlums.
Babafemi said unfortunately, three of the officers were injured in the attack with one of them shot in the head while some of the vehicles used for the operation were riddled with bullets. The affected officers were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the critically injured one had a major surgery on Wednesday to remove the bullets in his brain.
In his reaction to the attack, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) warned that those sponsoring attacks on the operatives would know no rest until they are all brought before the law to face the consequences of their action and their criminal trade terminated.
While commending the professional conduct of the officers involved in the operation, Marwa said the incident will not in any way deter the agency from continuing its ongoing offensive action against drug barons and cartels who are merchants of death bent on destroying the lives of innocent citizens especially the youths for their own comfort across the nooks and crannies of the country.
NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest
NDLEA Dismisses Allegations of Lopsided Appointments, Nepotism as Baseless
By: Michael Mike
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has described as baseless, allegations of nepotism and favouritism in the appointment of its Directors, Commanders and other top officials.
The agency in a statement on Thursday described as false, insinuations in some social media posts suggesting that appointments into high ranking positions are tilted in favour of Northern Muslims against Southern Christians.
The statement read that: “For the benefit of the reading public, the agency will like to state as follows:
“Out of the 20 Directors/ Commandant in NDLEA, 14 are Christians and 6 Muslims; of the 14 Zonal Commanders, 9 are Christians and 5 Muslims; out of 37 State Commanders, 19 are Christians and 18 Muslims; of the 14 Special Area Commanders, 10 are Christians and 4 Muslims; out of 12 Coordinators/Heads of Units, 9 are Christians and 3 Muslims; while out of 11 Heads of Operation, 7 are Christians and 4 are Muslims.
“In all, out of the 108 topmost appointments and positions in the agency, 68 of them are occupied by Christians and 40 Muslims, which represents a ratio of 63% – 37% as against the perception some mischief makers are trying to create against the leadership of the agency.
“The agency wishes to assure the public that its leadership remains focused and committed to the goal of curbing the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking while upholding the tenets of fairness, equity, and merit in its distribution of opportunities for its workforce.”
NDLEA Dismisses Allegations of Lopsided Appointments, Nepotism as Baseless
NSCDC Uncovered Illegal Refinery in Rivers’ Thick Forest
By: Michael Mike
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered another illegal bunkering site were stolen crude oil are channeled to a thick forest Umuedeokwara Community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. where they are refined.
A press statement on Tuesday by the National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale said the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’SIS) uncovered another illegal bunkering site where stolen crude oil was tapped, channelled to reservoirs and refined locally in a thick forest at Umuedeokwara Community, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the CG’s SIS Commander, Deputy Commandant Appolos Dandaura, hinted during a media briefing that the squad acted based on sustained intelligence, which revealed that a gang of criminal elements was operating an illegal refinery at the crime scene.
Dandaura said: “Like we always reiterate that our operations are intelligence-based and we value every piece of information and preserve the integrity of our informants; we swung into action, combed the entire forest and discovered where the suspects were refining crude oil locally after storage in large trampoline reservoirs and further packaged them in cellophane bags and sacks.
“These unscrupulous saboteurs connected fabricated and galvanized metallic pipes to the trunk lines of multinational oil pipeline installations with inserted valves; the suspects, however, took to their heels through the creeks due to the terrain upon sighting our men.
“The following exhibits were marked at the crime scene: about 20,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) stored in cellophane bags, large quantities of siphoned crude oil stored in tarpaulin reservoirs, different sizes of aluminium and plastic buckets, galvanized metallic Fabricated pipes, heavy-duty industrial hoses and items of clothing belonging to the suspects”.
Appolos said that the matching order of the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Audi on the need to smoke out illegal bunkers and effect massive arrests for possible prosecution, frustrate their continuous efforts to sabotage the economy and to increase oil production in the nation; would always be carried out by the squad, adding that “the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products is without compromise as the CG’SIS will not rest in combating the menace of crude oil theft across board .”
NSCDC Uncovered Illegal Refinery in Rivers’ Thick Forest
Nigerian troops nutrialised 4 Boko Haram insurgents in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
The troops of Sector 1, North East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, in conjunction with the Hybrid Force and CJTF, nutrialised four Boko Haram terrorists during a fighting Operation around Ngwom General Area in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The operation, which commenced at Sept 1, 2024, aimed to neutralize terrorist elements in the region.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that during the operation, troops made contact with terrorist elements around Boroso Village, resulting in the neutralization of four terrorists.
Three Dane guns were recovered from the scene. The operation is part of the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region, specifically under Operation Hadin Kai, Operation Desert Sanity III/Lake Sanity II, and Mountain Sanity II.
Nigerian troops nutrialised 4 Boko Haram insurgents in Borno
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