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NDLEA arrests Church General Overseer with 54 sticks of cannabis in Lagos

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NDLEA arrests Church General Overseer with 54 sticks of cannabis in Lagos

NDLEA arrests Church General Overseer with 54 sticks of cannabis in Lagos

By: Michael Mike

The General Overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, Rev. Ugochukwu Ekwem has been arrested with 54 sticks of drugs wrapped around his body by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos while on his way to a three-week crusade in Nairobi, Kenya.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the youthful and popular preacher who has his church headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka in Awka North local government area of Anambra state with two other branches in Lagos and Abuja, was arrested last Monday during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa.

According to Babafemi, when tested, the 54 sticks found on the clergyman proved positive to cannabis. He subsequently confessed during preliminary interrogation that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya.

The spokesman of the NDLEA also said on the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived the airport on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the Lagos Airport.

During a search of King’s luggage, 40 parcels of cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.7 kilogrammes were recovered from him.

Babafemi said three days later on Wednesday, another passenger on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Mr. Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2,090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam. The suspect who hails from Edo state but lives in Italy has claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.

On the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15 kilogrammes cannabis going to London. The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as “African Dishes” and packed in a bag.

In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was last Friday arrested with 350 grammes of cocaine and 150 grammes of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos. The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state.

Also a suspected drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow-up operation at Central Market, Kaduna. He admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at the tollgate. 

Also Read: Troops recovered over 6. 7 million litres of crude oil, AGO…

Babafemi said at the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle. He has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of the codeine syrup.

In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state have been arrested with 25 blocks of cannabis dative weighing 12 5 kilogrammes and 1,598 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 159.8 littes, while 85 kilogrammes of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital last Thursday. 

In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year-old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha last Friday  with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/ Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa Port, Kaduna, Yobe and Anambra Commands of the agency for the impressive seizures and arrests in the past week, charged them and their colleagues across the country to stay focussed and intensify efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs and substances

NDLEA arrests Church General Overseer with 54 sticks of cannabis in Lagos

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Troops Arrest Suspected Gunrunners in Plateau State

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Troops Arrest Suspected Gunrunners in Plateau State

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have arrested two suspected gunrunners during a sting operation in Bokkos Town, Plateau State.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects, identified as Mr. Kenneth Mayas, 31, and Mr. Bulus Yilfo, 60, were apprehended at a hideout in White House Hotel on Friday while attempting to procure an AK-47 rifle for N1.45 million.

Both suspects hail from Forop District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
During the operation, troops recovered the cash sum of N1.45 million from the suspects, who are believed to be part of a larger criminal syndicate.

The sources said the arrested suspects and the recovered money are currently in custody for interrogation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the syndicate.

Troops Arrest Suspected Gunrunners in Plateau State

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Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings

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Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings


. Deploy new skills, tools across airports operations, Marwa charges officers

By: Michael Mike

Selected Commanders and officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have undergone series of trainings in Advance Passenger Information System (API) and Passenger Targeting/ Intelligence Gathering as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen NDLEA’s operational efficiency at the country’s major airports.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, which facilitated the trainings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Abuja, the workshops were designed to enhance the capacity of the Agency’s Commands at Airports to target and intercept high-risk passengers, cargo and mail, to help combat illicit drug trafficking. They will also help to facilitate communication and coordination between countries of origin, transit and destination in order to destabilise illicit cross-border flows and criminal networks.

While the Commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Strategic Command of NDLEA, ACGN Usman Ali Wadar and his counterpart at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, CN Mohammed Ajiya participated in the six-day training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 13 other officers drawn from the MMIA and NAIA Commands took part in the five-day training that held in Abuja. They are all expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired during the sessions on their other colleagues.

The trainings were funded by the European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States under the AIRCOP Airport Communication Project, implemented by the UNODC.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the facilitators: Ms. Fabienne Russel of UNODC and Anderson Leme Siqueira of Brazilian Customs Administration for taking their time to be in Abuja for the training after the engagement in Abidjan.

He equally praised the two NDLEA Commanders and other officers who participated in the Abijan and Abuja training sessions for their interest and commitment. He charged them to immediately reflect the new skills and tools in their operations across the international airports in the country.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Friday 20th December 2024 Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings
. Deploy new skills, tools across airports operations, Marwa charges officers

Selected Commanders and officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have undergone series of trainings in Advance Passenger Information System (API) and Passenger Targeting/ Intelligence Gathering as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen NDLEA’s operational efficiency at the country’s major airports.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, which facilitated the trainings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and Abuja, the workshops were designed to enhance the capacity of the Agency’s Commands at Airports to target and intercept high-risk passengers, cargo and mail, to help combat illicit drug trafficking.

They will also help to facilitate communication and coordination between countries of origin, transit and destination in order to destabilise illicit cross-border flows and criminal networks.

While the Commander of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Strategic Command of NDLEA, ACGN Usman Ali Wadar and his counterpart at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, CN Mohammed Ajiya participated in the six-day training in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 13 other officers drawn from the MMIA and NAIA Commands took part in the five-day training that held in Abuja. They are all expected to impact the knowledge and skills acquired during the sessions on their other colleagues.

The trainings were funded by the European Union, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States under the AIRCOP Airport Communication Project, implemented by the UNODC.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the facilitators: Ms. Fabienne Russel of UNODC and Anderson Leme Siqueira of Brazilian Customs Administration for taking their time to be in Abuja for the training after the engagement in Abidjan.

He equally praised the two NDLEA Commanders and other officers who participated in the Abijan and Abuja training sessions for their interest and commitment. He charged them to immediately reflect the new skills and tools in their operations across the international airports in the country.

Illicit drugs: NDLEA strengthens airport operations as officers undergo advanced trainings

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15 Boko Haram Fighters Killed in Fierce Supremacy Battle with ISWAP in Tumbum Kare

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15 Boko Haram Fighters Killed in Fierce Supremacy Battle with ISWAP in Tumbum Kare

By: Zagazola Makama

A deadly clash of supremacy between rival terrorist factions has claimed the lives of 15 Boko Haram fighters, with five Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) members sustaining injuries.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the confrontation occurred when ISWAP launched a coordinated attack on Boko Haram fighters loyal to the Bakura Buduma faction.

The assault, aimed at asserting dominance, led to significant losses on the Boko Haram side, with ISWAP fighters seizing an undisclosed number of weapons during the confrontation.

The incident marks the latest in a series of violent infightings between the two groups, which have been engaged in a bitter rivalry over resources, territorial control, and influence in the Lake Chad region.

Sources said that the clashes have intensified in recent months as both groups seek to expand their foothold in the area with the Boko Haram faction already gaining upper hand against the ISWAP.

15 Boko Haram Fighters Killed in Fierce Supremacy Battle with ISWAP in Tumbum Kare

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