Crime
NDLEA arrests Saudi-bound trafficker with cocaine in sandals

NDLEA arrests Saudi-bound trafficker with cocaine in sandals
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a member of Lagos major drug syndicate, a 56-year-old, Lawal Oyenuga who was on a mission to deliver 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in a pair of palm sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Orenuga’s arrest led to a swift follow up arrest of a wanted notorious kingpin, Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, who is notorious for the recruitment of mules for the cartel.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said operatives of the anti-narcotics agency attached to the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos had on Thursday 24th November intercepted Oyenuga with a pair of black palm sandals packed in the luggage he was going with to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
Babafemi disclosed that a thorough examination of the sandals revealed they were used to conceal two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grammes, noting that this was barely a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Sidika was arrested at the airport over her attempt to traffic 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia on board a Qatar Airways flight.
The spokesman said Oyenuga in his statement claimed he was recruited to traffic the drug by Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, adding that he was first given some pellets of cocaine to swallow but when he couldn’t do that, he was given the ones concealed in the palm sandals.
He confessed to have resorted to the criminal trade to raise money to pay an examination fee for his daughter who is in Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3.
Babafemi said the agency’s database revealed that Wasiu Sanni (Teacher) has been linked to some previous attempts to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Dubai, UAE, and had been fingered as the one who recruited a BRT driver, Bolajoko Babalola for Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed) to traffic drugs to Dubai.
Bolajoko was arrested on 27th June while taking 900 grammes of cocaine to Dubai while Ademola Kazeem was nabbed on Thursday 10th November, barely 10 days after he was declared wanted by NDLEA.
Babafemi said a follow up operation in the early hours of last Friday led to the arrest of the kingpin, Teacher, who specialises in recruiting mules for drug barons in Lagos and its environs at his residence located in Ikorodu area of Lagos. The 64-year-old Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan is a housing and property agent, with seven children and four wives, one of whom is now late.
He also revealed that in another follow up operation to the seizure of 1.1 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in bottles of body cream going to Dubai on 9th September, the actual owner of the consignment, Wordu Chukwuemeka who runs a boutique business in Port Harcourt, Rivers state was arrested in the Garden City last Thursday.
In the same vein, operatives attached to NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on last Tuesday intercepted a consolidated cargo from Johannesburg, South Africa via an Airpeace Airline flight.
The cargo contained different items, including cloths, cereals, baby toys, drinks, and a set of two big black speakers, which were used to conceal 25 parcels of Loud variant of cannabis, with a gross weight of 5.5 kilogrammes.
Similarly, operatives attached to the SAHCO export shed of the airport same Tuesday intercepted a carton of food items used to conceal 500 grams of cannabis going to Dubai, UAE while the owner, Uzoma Kingsley was promptly arrested.
Babafemi said in a related development, attempt by an Organised Criminal Group to traffic 131 kilogrammes of Ephedrine, a dominant precursor chemical for the production of Methamphetamine to Congo Kinshasa through the SAHCO export shed of the airport was foiled on Monday 21st November by NDLEA operatives in conjunction with Aviation Security (AVSEC) officers of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He said the two freight agents: Nwazuru Georgewill and Saheed Muritala linked to the bid were promptly arrested.
He said an attempt by a drug trafficker, Udogwu Johnson, facing multiple charges of drug offences to flee the country after he jumped bail has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport where he was arrested last Friday.
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He said the 51-year-old suspect was already facing trial at a Federal High Court in Lagos before he was arrested again on Saturday 9th April in Port Harcourt for importing 5.48kg cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. He was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday 23rd November over his latest offence while the Lagos court had issued a warrant of arrest against him for jumping bail over his case in Lagos.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the move by a Brazilian returnee, Iroegbute Francis, 46, to smuggle 4 kilogrammes cocaine soaked in towels stuffed in his hand luggage into the country was foiled on Thursday 24th Nov by NDLEA officers who arrested him, upon his arrival on a Qatar Airline flight from Brazil -Doha-Abuja.
According to Babafemi, no fewer than 5,851.3 kilogrammes (5.8 tons) of cannabis sativa were seized from dealers across five states in the past week, including a notorious cripple, Ibrahim Yusuf, 45, who was arrested on Monday 21st November at Gasline, Ifo, Ogun state with 4 kilogrammes of the psychotropic substance, while a total of 36 bags weighing 570 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered in another raid at a forest in Ogunmakin town, Obafemi Owode local government area.
In Edo, operatives last Tuesday evacuated 141 bags of cannabis sativa with a gross weight of 1,884 kilogrammes (about 1.9 tons) stored in a warehouse in Okpe forest, Akoko Edo local government area, while last Thursday, NDLEA officers arrested Ismaila Abubakar, 50, at Okada junction, Ovia South West local government area with 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 216.5 kilogrammes, and a day after, operatives also seized 112 bags of cannabis sativa stored in Obi Camp forest, Ovia South West local government area weighing 1,512 kilogrammes.
He said this was also followed by another seizure of 45 bags that weighed 529.5 kilogrammes while officers equally intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus with Reg. No. BDG 598 FZ (Lagos) loaded with 566.5 kilogrammes cannabis going to Onitsha, Anambra State, and a suspect, Sunday Mathias, 30, arrested with the seizure.
In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives stormed Oke-Ogun forest last Friday where Onyebuchi Chime was arrested with 88 kilogrammes cannabis, a gun and some ammunition while they also recovered 149.5 kilogrammes of the substance at Ipele forest. Not less than 12.42 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed and 195 kilogrammes processed weeds of the substance recovered at Efon Alaye, Ekiti state where two dealers: Richard Ebong and Nze Abraham were arrested on Saturday.
In Oyo state, operatives arrested a 27-year-old Mrs. Adebayo Rahmat last Thursday at Sabo-Ilupeju, Atiba local government area, with 136.3 kilogrammes cannabis, while no fewer than 84,000 pills of tramadol tablets were recovered from a suspect, Muhsin Abdullahi in Bodinga area of Sokoto state same day. Also 16,000 pills of Exol-5 and D5 concealed in palm oil were seized from Lawal Rabe, 24, last Friday at Kokami village, Danta local government area, Katsina while a total of 54,500 tablets of tramadol and Exol-5 were seized from the duo of Basiru Muhammadu and Saidu Yusuf in the same area on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, NAIA, PHIA, Edo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Katsina and Oyo Commands of the agency for their professionalism in the discharge of their duties and the remarkable results that followed.
He however enjoined them and their compatriots across the country not to let down their guards as the nation approaches the festive season.
NDLEA arrests Saudi-bound trafficker with cocaine in sandals
Crime
Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack

Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected bandits on Sunday attacked Hybrid Force camp in Oke Ode, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara, killing 12 people.
Zagazola learnt that the attack occurred at about 8:50 a.m. when the gunmen stormed the community.
Troops from a patrol base in Babanla were immediately mobilised to the scene, but the attackers fled before their arrival.
A search of the area by the troops led to the discovery of 12 lifeless bodies comprising nine vigilantes and three civilians killed during the attack.
The corpses of the deceased were evacuated to Oke Ode Police Station while troops restored calm in the area.
The source said the general security situation in the area remained calm but unpredictable.
Bandits kill 12 in Kwara community attack
Crime
Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation

Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Boko Haram Insurgents have again attacked Kirawa a border community in Borno state killing a civilian joint task force (CJTF) member and wounding several others in the process.
The Boko Haram insurgents ambushed the commuters driving into Kirawa a community in Bama council area and killed the CJTF in the process.
To punish some of the commuters further for fleeing away from the scene of the ambush, the insurgents burned down some of their vehicles before returning into the bush unchallenged.
After the attack died down, some motorists and passengers who sustained different degrees of injuries were treated in nearby clinics.
Sources revealed that trouble started when six vehicles loaded with food items and other luggages were ambushed and set ablaze by the insurgents along the Pulka-Kirawa road on Friday last week.
Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ndume reacting to the incident called on the military authorities to deploy more troops to safeguard the entire communities around Gwoza council area and Cameroun.
There is only one forward military base (FOB) in Kirawa and it is dominated by the Multi national joint task force MNJTF of mostly Camerounian troops mandated to pin down kirawa on both sides of the divides of the two countries.
A lot of the Intel policing of the community is done by CJTF even as families are still awaiting the rescue of a schoolgirl, Aisha Muhammad that was kidnapped by the insurgents a month ago when this very base was overrun leaving sorrow tears and blood in the community.
Again suspected Boko Haram insurgents return to Kirawa with damnation
Crime
Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta

Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta
By: Zagazola Makama
The Police Command in Delta has commenced investigation into the gruesome murder of Pastor Oputeh Monday, aged 59, who was killed by unknown assailants in Umuebu community, Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state.
Sources said that the case was reported by the deceased’s son, Oputeh Joshua, aged 26, who told police that his father had left home early for his farm along Amai/Umuebu farm road and instructed them to meet him later with a motorcycle.
“On their way, they heard gunshots and rushed into the bush where they discovered the lifeless body of their father lying on the ground with his head chopped off.
“Detectives from Obiaruku Division visited the scene of the crime and evacuated the corpse to Medisar Mortuary, Obiaruku, for preservation and autopsy,” the sources said.
The sources that preliminary investigation had commenced, while confidence-building patrols were ongoing in the affected area.
Police investigate killing of pastor in Delta
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