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NDLEA Intercepts iover N7billion worth of Opioids at Apapa, Onne seaports

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NDLEA Intercepts iover N7billion worth of Opioids at Apapa, Onne seaports
..Arrests 2 Businesswomen, Canada-based Nurse for Cocaine, Loud Trafficking at Lagos Airport

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos two businessmen: Ihejirika Okechukwu and Iwuagwu Ikedi as well as a Canada-based nurse Usman Olami for attempting to import and export cocaine pellets and parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis through the airport.

A statement by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday said Ihejirika who have been a frequent visitor to Thailand from where he claims to be importing fish into Nigeria was arrested last Tuesday while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Babafemi said when he was taken for body scan, the result showed he ingested illicit drug which proved to be cocaine, and as a result, he was placed under excretion observation during which he digested five big egg size wraps of cocaine weighing 400 grammes.

In his statement, Babafemi said the 51-year-old suspect confessed that he was to be paid upon successful delivery of the drug consignment in Thailand, adding that he took the job to raise money to boost his fish importation business.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport last Thursday intercepted a 26-year-old businessman Iwuagwu Ikedi coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight.

According to Babafemi, Iwuagwu body scan revealed ingestion of illicit drug which made him to be placed under observation, where he excreted a pellet of cocaine weighing 22 grammes.

He was said to have confessed that he ingested 30 wraps of the illicit drug in Brazil but excreted 29 pellets in Addis Ababa, where he handed them over to another person, he equally revealed that he was to be paid N2.5 million for trafficking the drug.

A Nigerian Canadian nurse Usman Olami was on 4th October arrested by NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Air France passengers from Toronto, Canada via Paris. During a search of her luggage, a total of 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 35.7 kilogrammes were recovered from her.

Babafemi said during her interrogation, she claimed she was in Nigeria to meet her boyfriend who instructed her to come with the large consignment of the highly sought-after synthetic cannabis.

At the seaports, Babafemi said a total of 162,351 bottles of codeine based syrup were intercepted from two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos by NDLEA operatives during a joint examination of two containers with men of the Customs Service and other security agencies last Tuesday while not less than N7.2 million pills of Royal 225mg Tapentadol and Carisoprodol worth N3.6 million in street value were seized from a watch-listed container from India at Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state last Tuesday.

In the same container, 780 cartons of chlorphenamine containing 15.6 million pills of the opioid, were also recovered. From two other watch-listed containers equally searched at the port in Onne, a total of 337,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth about N2.4 billion were recovered from them last Tuesday and Thursday, bringing the total value of the seized Tapentadol, Carisoprodol and Codeine consignments at the two seaports about N7.1 billion.

In Bauchi state, a suspect Sunday Ogenyi, 33, was arrested along Bauchi-Jos road with 76,600 pills of tramadol concealed in false compartments of his Toyota Sienna vehicle marked Enugu JRV 341 ZY, while NDLEA operatives in Ondo state last Tuesday arrested three suspects: Goddey Obizuo; Samuel Aniete; and Kuffrey Aniete at Afo village where 672 kilogrammes cannabis sativa was seized from them.

A raid at Illushi forest in Esan South East LGA, Edo state led to the destruction of 10,590.36 kilogrammes cannabis spread on 4.236144 hectares of farmland. Suspects arrested during the operation include: Benson Upuoni, 65; and Sunday Nwaeboyi, 35.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 15th October arrested Andrew Anoriode with 3 kilogrammes methamphetamine and 1.9 kilogrammes cannabis along Lagos – Ibadan expressway while 241 kilogrammes of same substance was recovered at Gbaji, Badagry area of the state. A suspected meth cook, Agbeiboh Oscar, was nabbed same Tuesday at Abule Osun with 265 grammes of methamphetamine and different quantities of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of methamphetamine and others.

Babafemi said with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, PHPC, Apapa, Lagos, Bauchi, Ondo, and Edo commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

NDLEA Intercepts iover N7billion worth of Opioids at Apapa, Onne seaports

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Troops arrest suspected intruder at Army school in Plateau

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Troops arrest suspected intruder at Army school in Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) under Sector 2 have arrested a suspected intruder at the Army Command Secondary School in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau state.

Security sources said the suspect was apprehended at about 12:30 p.m. on April 20 after he was found attempting to gain entry into the school premises by jumping over the fence.

The sources said the individual was immediately taken into custody by troops on duty at the location.

The apprehended suspect has since been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and necessary action.

Security authorities reiterated the importance of vigilance around critical infrastructure, adding that measures were in place to prevent any breach of security within the area.

Troops arrest suspected intruder at Army school in Plateau

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Troops neutralise 3 terrorists, recover rifles and motorcycles in Babbangida fighting patrol

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Troops neutralise 3 terrorists, recover rifles and motorcycles in Babbangida fighting patrol

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of 233 Battalion, operating in the Babbangida general area of Yobe state, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have neutralised three terrorists during a fighting patrol operation in Nanewa village.

Military sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation was conducted at about 5:30 p.m. on April 19 when troops on patrol in the area made contact with an ambush laid by suspected terrorists lying in wait along the route.

The patrol team, however, successfully fought through the ambush and engaged the assailants in a gun duel, resulting in the neutralisation of three terrorists.

Following the encounter, troops recovered three AK-47 rifles and five motorcycles abandoned by the fleeing attackers.

The operation was completed without casualties to friendly forces, while the patrol team later returned safely to base at about 7:15 p.m.

Security sources described the general situation in the area as calm but unpredictable, noting that troops’ morale and operational efficiency remain high.

They added that sustained patrols and clearance operations were ongoing to deny terrorist elements freedom of movement within the theatre.

Troops neutralise 3 terrorists, recover rifles and motorcycles in Babbangida fighting patrol

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Angry youths, women attack soldiers, burn military checkpoint in Plateau over killing of villager

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Angry youths, women attack soldiers, burn military checkpoint in Plateau over killing of villager

By: Zagazola Makama

Tension rose in Kassa community of Kassa District, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, as angry youths and women on Sunday attacked soldiers and set ablaze a military checkpoint following the burial of a resident reportedly killed by Fulani armed attackers.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 11:40 p.m. on April 20 when a crowd stormed a checkpoint at Rapung Kassa and destroyed the facility, including makeshift structures and equipment used by troops deployed in the area.

The attack reportedly happened during the burial ceremony of one Gyang Nuhu Choji, who was said to have been killed on April 16 by unidentified armed men suspected to be Fulani bandits operating within the general area.

Witnesses said the protesters, made up of youths and women, accused security operatives of failing to prevent repeated attacks in the community, alleging that the presence of troops had not translated into adequate protection for residents.

The angry mob reportedly blocked access roads during the protest, temporarily disrupting movement in and out of the area before later reopening the route to motorists after intervention by local stakeholders and assurances from security representatives.

A community source said calm was eventually restored after engagements between community leaders and security authorities, during which assurances were given that the situation would be reviewed to prevent further escalation.

Security sources confirmed that no casualties were recorded during the incident, adding that monitoring and patrols had been intensified in the area to prevent further breakdown of law and order.

Zagazola report that the Plateau State security environment has remained volatile in recent months, with recurring incidents of violence prompting continued deployment of security forces and community-level engagements aimed at restoring lasting peace.

Security assessments have indicated a pattern of violence involving Fulani bandits and armed elements of the Berom where both groups had sustained their campaign of terror.

The recent pattern of attacks was traced to April 13 at about 0700 hrs, when troops under Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), conducted a search-and-rescue operation in Ariri and Kwasha villages of Bassa LGA following reports of a missing herder. During the operation, troops discovered the corpse of the herder and recovered 32 cattle alive, while three others were found dead. The remains and livestock were handed over to community leaders.

On the same day, troops also responded to intelligence on an illegal settlers’ camp in Ungwan Doki, Riyom LGA, where four suspected illegal migrants were arrested.

On April 12, at about 1440 hrs, troops restored calm after a clash between farmers and herders in Rakum village, Barkin Ladi LGA. Five locals, two herders, and a police officer sustained injuries after being attacked by Berom militia, while one suspect was arrested.

Earlier at about 1222 hrs in Rasa village, troops foiled another attack on a herder by suspected armed Berom elements and evacuated the injured victim to hospital. At about 2100 hrs, troops responded to sporadic gunfire along Hukke–Rewienko road in Bassa LGA, repelling attackers and rescuing an injured civilian.

In a related development, at about 1800 hrs, troops foiled an attempted cattle rustling incident in Kpashio village, recovering 92 cattle reportedly abandoned by fleeing suspects. The owner of the livestock was either killed and buried in a shallow grave or escaped the assault.

Within the same period, armed Berom militia engaged troops of Operation Enduring Peace in a heavy gun battle in Barkin Ladi. The troops gunned down five of the attackers. Later that same day, the corpses were hastily buried by the community to avoid scrutiny due to the identity of the attackers.

On April 18, 2026, troops intercepted and apprehended nine suspected Berom militia involved in targeted killing. Those arrested were identified as Mr. Gyang Dantoro, Mr. Samson Davou, Mr. Choji Yakubu, Mr. Vincent Adamu, Mr. Pam Dalyop, Mr. Femi Badung, Mr. Jacob Musa and Mr. Choji Chaga, all residents of Danwal and reportedly of Berom extraction.

Items recovered from them include three motorcycles, one pistol, one submachine gun, one locally made revolver rifle, 20 rounds of pistol ammunition, and one locally fabricated rifle, among other items.

On April 19, nine cattle were confirmed dead while three others are in critical condition following a suspected poisoning by Berom youths in Rakum village, Kassa District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Angry youths, women attack soldiers, burn military checkpoint in Plateau over killing of villager

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