Crime

NDLEA arrests drug lord while giving mule 93 cocaine wraps to swallow in Lagos hotel

Published

2 years ago

July 23, 2023

NDLEA arrests drug lord while giving mule 93 cocaine wraps to swallow in Lagos hotel

. Recovers 12.4million pills of opioids, 6,921.5kg skunk; destroys 33 hectares of cannabis farms in Ondo, Edo; intercepts another Colorado shipment from Canada

By: Michael Mike

It was a rude shock to a notorious drug kingpin who specializes in sponsoring young Nigerians to traffick Class A drugs to Europe especially Italy, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, stormed his hotel room in Okota area of Lagos late on Friday 21st July when he was preparing a recruited courier to swallow 93 pellets of cocaine meant for distribution in Italy.
The 48-year-old drug kingpin, Charles Uwagbale, had recruited Uju Dominic, 35, from his base in Italy with a deal to come to Nigeria, ingest 100 pellets of cocaine on Friday 21st July and return to Italy on Saturday 22nd July. True to plan, upon the arrival in Nigeria, the mule was lodged in Golden Heaven Hotel located at Enoma street off Ago-Palace way, Okota, Isolo, Lagos where Uwagbale brought 93 wraps of the Class A drug for him to swallow at about 23:45pm Friday night.
They were in the process when NDLEA operatives who have been on their trail following credible intelligence stormed their hotel room, arrested both and recovered the drug exhibits with a total weight of 1.427 kilograms. Operatives of the Lagos state Command of the Agency who made the arrest and seizure had on Thursday 20th July raided Akala in Mushin area of the state where they recovered 37.5kg cannabis from the home of a fleeing suspect.
Meanwhile, attempts to smuggle 98 cartons containing Five Million One Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand Nine Hundred (5, 122, 900) pills of Tramadol 225mg with an estimated street value of about Three Billion Seven Hundred Million Naira (N3.7billion) only into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, have been thwarted through the robust synergy between men of the Nigeria Customs Service and NDLEA officers at the airport as well as those at the DHL cargo warehouse. Preliminary findings revealed that the consignments were imported from India and Pakistan, while some of the seized consignments had Freetown, Sierra Leone as final destination.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Bauchi state have recovered a total of Six Million Two Hundred and Sixty-Five and Eighty (6,265,080) pills of opioids from three suspects: Emmanuel Onyebuchi, 32; Uche Iyida, 33; and Chinedu Ezeanyim, 32 following their arrest alongside a truck driver and his assistant at Shopping Complex, Maiduguri Bye-Pass, Bauchi town on Wednesday 19th July and the subsequent follow up search of the residence of Iyida on Friday 21st July.
No fewer than Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Five Hundred (999,500) tablets of Exol-5 were also recovered by operatives from a shop close to the market at Hong Road, Gombi, Adamawa state on Friday 21st July, while 46,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Paul Ajaegbu, 36, along Owerri – Aba road, Imo state on Monday 17th July. Same suspect had earlier been arrested, precisely on 9th February 2023, for the same offence.
In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives in their numbers stormed the Ofosu forest where they destroyed 29 hectares of cannabis farms on Thursday 20th July. The quartet of Osamezu George Chukwuemeka, 51, who owns the farm; his wife Kate Osamezu, 43; Agboola Wasiu, 37 and Mustapha Sanni, were arrested during the operation, while 118.5kg processed cannabis was recovered from the farm. In another raid of the warehouse of a suspect at Elegbeka, Ose LGA, not less than 107 jumbo bags of the same illicit substance weighing 1,132.5kg were recovered on Monday 17th July.
While operatives in Sokoto state arrested a suspect, Charles Nwankwo, 50, with 610kg of cannabis in Tamaje area of Sokoto on Friday 21st July, their counterparts in Yobe also same day nabbed a fleeing suspect Shaibu Musa, 29, in Dawasa while he was offering them a bribe of N500,000 following the seizure of 36kg skunk in his house on Wednesday 19th July.
In Edo state, operatives on Monday 17th July raided the Utese forest Ovia North East LGA where they arrested Victor Asukwo Jack, with 59 bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 640kg. His two cannabis farms measuring 1.489895 hectares and 2.445295 hectares were destroyed. Also, Endurance Chukwuma, 50, was arrested with seven bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 68kg, while his cannabis farm measuring 0.254324 hectares was destroyed.
A total of 273kg cannabis was earlier intercepted in a Toyota Sienna Vehicle marked RBC 451 CM on Wednesday 19th July at Ogida, Benin City, and a suspect, Lucky Oriakhi, 41, arrested while operatives also seized 48,380 pills of tramadol in a commercial bus marked KAK 66 XA along Ewohimi road, heading to Kabba, Kogi state and arrested the driver, Ibrahim John. In Nasarawa, two suspects: Abubakar Suleiman, 30 and Shehu Garba (aka Shagari), 29 were arrested along Keffi – Akwanga road on Tuesday 18th July in a Peugeot J5 vehicle loaded with 1,608.4 kilograms of cannabis sativa. The consignment was loaded in Edo state and meant for distribution in Bauchi state.
While a total of 1,556.1kg of cannabis was recovered from two suspects: Jonathan Nuhu, 54 and Mohammed Abubakar, 18, following their arrest at Wudil area of Kano State on Thursday 20th July, 76kg of same substance was seized from Yakubu Muhammad, 32, on Monday 17th July along Okene/Lokoja highway in a trailer coming from Port Harcourt to Kano. In the same vein, operatives in Ogun state on Wednesday 19th July, recovered 810 parcels of cannabis weighing 604kg from the house of one Adetunji Abiodun.
Fresh bid to smuggle into Nigeria, another consignment of Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis, through the Tincan port in Apapa Lagos was again on Friday 21st July frustrated by NDLEA officers who discovered a total of 323 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 161.5kg concealed in one of the four used vehicles in a container marked MEDU 7519460 coming from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination of the shipment.
At least, three suspects are currently in NDLEA custody over the shipment while a bribe of N20 million converted to $22,900 offered operatives by the importer’s agents has also been recovered and documented as evidence.
Impressed by the volume of arrests and seizures made by officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Bauchi, Adamawa, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe, Edo, Imo, Kano, Kogi, Ogun, Nasarawa and Tincan Commands in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended them for jobs well done while he urged them and their counterparts across the country to continue the synergy with other security agencies and stakeholders in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA National Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 23rd July 2023

NDLEA arrests drug lord while giving mule 93 cocaine wraps to swallow in Lagos hotel

Crime

ISWAP ambush mobile police patrol team in Yobe

Published

5 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

ISWAP ambush mobile police patrol team in Yobe

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Wednesday ambushed a mobile police patrol team along the Bara–Gulani axis of Yobe State, inflicting injuries on two officers and carting away a rifle.

Zagazola learnt the ambush occurred at about 5:00 p.m. while the team, comprising operatives from 19 PMF on special duty in Bara and 79 PMF Buni Yadi, was responding to a distress call from Kojoli village in Gulani Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the officers had been alerted by residents after armed herders reportedly invaded local rice farms and destroyed crops. The patrol team, led by ASP Sunday Yunana, moved to the scene but came under heavy attack from the assailants.

The insurgents, believed to be operating under the ISWAP faction, opened fire using assault rifles and other weapons before retreating into the bush.

Two personnel, identified as Sgt. Abdullahi Aminu and Cpl. Aliyu Suleiman, sustained machete injuries during the exchange, while one of their rifles was initially seized by the attackers.

However, the team reportedly fought back, recovering the stolen weapon and dispersing the attackers after an intense gun battle. A large herd of cattle suspected to have been used by the assailants to cover their movement was also recovered.

The wounded officers were evacuated to the General Hospital in Bara for treatment, while security reinforcements were deployed to the area to forestall further attacks.

ISWAP ambush mobile police patrol team in Yobe

Crime

Notorious bandit kingpin Jankare killed by rival in Katsina

Published

5 hours ago

October 30, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

Notorious bandit kingpin Jankare killed by rival in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

A notorious bandit leader known as Jankare has been killed by a rival group during a violent dispute along the Dutsenma axis of Katsina State.

Zagazola report that the incident occurred after a disagreement erupted between Jankare and another bandit commander over recent criminal activities and control of territories in the area.

Jankare, who had long terrorised communities across parts of Dutsenma and neighbouring local government areas, was reportedly shot dead during the confrontation.

The slain bandit was notorious for leading several deadly attacks, kidnappings, and cattle rustling operations in the region. He was also known for maintaining an active presence on TikTok, where he often flaunted weapons and mocked security forces.

Sources disclosed that Jankare recently attended a meeting convened by bandit leaders to resolve disputes and coordinate operations before his fallout with rivals led to his death.

Security operatives are said to be monitoring the situation closely to prevent possible reprisal attacks among the rival groups.

Notorious bandit kingpin Jankare killed by rival in Katsina

Crime

One killed as rival groups clash over Donga Central Mosque in Taraba

Published

1 day ago

October 29, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

One killed as rival groups clash over Donga Central Mosque in Taraba

By: Zagazola Makama

A violent clash between two rival groups over ownership of the Donga Central Mosque in Taraba State has claimed the life of one person and left property destroyed.

Sources said that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening following reports that members of the Izala Jos sect and the Danburam family were planning to forcefully gain access into the disputed mosque in Donga town.

Upon receiving intelligence about the planned confrontation, police authorities immediately summoned both parties and warned them against any act capable of breaching public peace.

In collaboration with other security agencies, personnel were deployed to the mosque to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

However, despite the intervention, both groups reportedly mobilised in large numbers, armed with dane guns, cutlasses and stones, leading to a violent clash.

Security operatives dispersed the rioters using smoke grenades, but not before one person, identified as Biliya Zakari, aged 20, of Asibiti Ward, was killed.

A temporary structure close to the mosque was also destroyed during the unrest.

Authorities said the area is now calm, though additional reinforcements have been requested to maintain peace and order.

One killed as rival groups clash over Donga Central Mosque in Taraba