Benin National Guard, OPAA II Conduct Joint Confidence-Building Patrol

By Zagazola Makama

Troops of the Benin National Guard and Operation OPAA II have conducted a joint night confidence-building patrol across key locations in southern Benin as part of ongoing efforts to enhance public security and reassure residents.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the patrol commenced at about 11:05 p.m. on June 26 and ended at about 2:34 a.m. on June 27.

The joint patrol covered several strategic locations, including Centre Ville, Fidjrossè, Place de l’Amazone, Dantokpa, Atakpa, Bohicon, Jericho, Étoile Rouge and Ouidah, before returning to the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) Camp at Togbin.

The operation was aimed at strengthening security presence, fostering public confidence and improving coordination between the participating security forces.

Sources said the patrol was completed without any incident, with no security breaches or untoward occurrences recorded throughout the exercise.

Benin National Guard, OPAA II Conduct Joint Confidence-Building Patrol

Correspondent Chapel donates cash to 40 Patients in Yobe

By: Yahaya Wakili

In its efforts to complement government efforts in healthcare service delivery across the state. The correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Yobe State Council has distributed cash assistance to 40 vulnerable patients receiving treatment at the Family Support Hospital and the State Specialist Hospital, Damaturu.

Speaking to journalists during the 1 of the funds, the chairman of the correspondents chapel, Comrade Nabilu Balarabe, said twenty patients from each of the two health facilities benefited from the intervention, which was funded through contributions and savings made by members of the chapel.

“The initiative was part of the chapel’s commitment to supporting vulnerable members of society beyond its traditional role of reporting events and holding government accountable,” Comrade Nabilu said.

According to him, the project was conceived by the current leadership of the chapel as a community development intervention aimed at bringing relief to patients facing difficult circumstances.

He further maintained that “this is a community development project initiated by the current administration of the chapel” and noted that “we decided from day one that we would not only concentrate on our primary responsibility of publicizing government activities and holding government accountable.

“We also want to participate in intervention and support programs that directly impact people’s lives,” he said.

Balarabe revealed that the cash assistance was drawn from the chapel’s savings and targeted at vulnerable patients identified by the two hospitals to help them settle medical bills and meet other essential needs, including funding.

He said journalists and other professional groups should not limit themselves to their statutory responsibilities alone but should also contribute to addressing social challenges within their communities.

Comrade Balarabe called on philanthropists, organizations, and well-meaning individuals to emulate the gesture by supporting patients and other vulnerable groups.

Correspondent Chapel donates cash to 40 Patients in Yobe

NDLEA Busts N12.3bn Drug Haul, Arrests China-Bound Businesswoman with 7.5kg Cocaine

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking, intercepting a businesswoman allegedly attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine to China, seizing a massive ₦12.3 billion consignment of imported cannabis at Lagos ports, and dismantling a syndicate accused of planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting interstate passengers.

The sweeping operations, carried out across Lagos, Abuja and Anambra, also led to the arrest of three suspected transnational traffickers found with 558,900 pills of Tramadol concealed in a specially fabricated compartment of a truck.

The China-bound suspect, identified as 38-year-old Iwebema Ogechi Peace, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives searched her checked luggage and uncovered four large parcels of cocaine weighing a combined 7.5 kilogrammes, carefully concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom of her suitcase.

According to the agency, the suspect claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.

In what ranks among the agency’s biggest cannabis seizures this year, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 4,959 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed inside a 40-foot container at the Apapa Port Complex in Lagos.

The shipment, estimated to have a street value of about N12.4 billion, was recovered during a joint examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies after weeks of surveillance.

Investigators disclosed that the container, which also carried Ford and Nissan vehicles, had been under NDLEA monitoring since it departed Toronto, Canada, on April 25. It subsequently moved through Montreal, Morocco and Lagos before arriving at Apapa Port, where it was finally intercepted.

In another breakthrough, NDLEA operatives in Abuja, working alongside their counterparts in Anambra State, exposed a criminal network that allegedly plants narcotics in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.

The syndicate was uncovered after operatives intercepted a Sienna bus travelling from Nnewi to Abuja and recovered a package containing 467.7 grammes of suspected methamphetamine hidden inside a passenger’s bag.

The intended recipient, Gloria Peter, denied ownership of the package, prompting investigators to trace the operation back to the loading point in Nnewi. Further investigations allegedly revealed that a bus loader had secretly inserted the drug package into the woman’s luggage on the instruction of the driver, Abdurrazak Isah, who subsequently identified one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Okoye, as the owner of the illicit consignment.

Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park while attempting to transport 209.5 kilogrammes of Scottish Loud to Enugu.

The agency also arrested two nationals of the Benin Republic—Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19—alongside Nigerian suspect Jackson ThankGod after intercepting a truck on Mile 2 Bridge. A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg hidden inside a fabricated compartment beneath the truck.

On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, operatives apprehended Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo while transporting 118 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos Island to Onitsha.

In another raid in the Amukoko area of Lagos, officers arrested Helen Idiji and Rashidat Sa’adullah, recovering 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk. Investigations indicated that Helen allegedly used Rashidat’s residence as a storage point before distributing the drugs to customers.

Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes held in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states as part of efforts to reduce drug demand.

Commending officers involved in the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the agency’s commands for combining aggressive drug supply reduction with sustained public enlightenment campaigns, urging them to maintain the momentum in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

NDLEA Busts N12.3bn Drug Haul, Arrests China-Bound Businesswoman with 7.5kg Cocaine