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
Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers, Recover Cannabis and Other Illicit Substances in Borno
Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers, Recover Cannabis and Other Illicit Substances in Borno
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have arrested five suspected drug peddlers and recovered a large quantity of suspected illicit substances during separate operations in Gwoza Local Government Area.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the first operation was conducted at about 4:00 p.m. on July 2 by troops of 192 Battalion (Mechanised) at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Pulka.
During the operation, the troops arrested three suspected drug peddlers and recovered two sacks and 151 wraps of suspected cannabis, three bottles of a locally abused substance known as “Suck and Die,” one bottle of cough expectorant, three packs of tramadol, one pack of “Orisk,” 39 white tablets, two mobile phones, and the sum of ₦20,000 suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug sales.
In a related operation at about 9:45 p.m. on July 3, troops of 26 Task Force Brigade Garrison raided a suspected drug distribution point in Gwoza town, arresting two additional suspects.
Items recovered during the raid included 114 wraps of suspected cannabis, one bottle of syrup, one bottle of “Suck and Die,” one sack of “Captain Black,” one sack of cannabis seeds, 34 wraps of “Arizona,” 44 wraps of “Captain Black,” one MP3 player, one mobile phone, and the sum of ₦64,700.
The arrested suspects are currently in military custody and are expected to be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further investigation and prosecution.
Military sources said the operations form part of ongoing efforts by Operation HADIN KAI to disrupt the supply of illicit drugs, which are often linked to criminal and terrorist activities in the North-East.
Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers, Recover Cannabis and Other Illicit Substances in Borno
Crime
Troops Arrest Two Suspected Berom Militia Linked to NIPSS Attack as Security Sources Say Investigation Supports Earlier Leads
Troops Arrest Two Suspected Berom Militia Linked to NIPSS Attack as Security Sources Say Investigation Supports Earlier Leads
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) have arrested two suspected Berom militia allegedly linked to the recent attempted attack on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, in another significant breakthrough in the ongoing investigation.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects were apprehended at about 3:30 p.m. on July 4 during an intelligence-led operation by troops of Sector 6 at Trade Centre in Jos South.
According to the sources, one of the suspects was identified as Mr. Aboi, while the identity of the second suspect has yet to be officially released as investigations continue.
The sources said the two men were arrested in connection with the failed attack on the NIPSS facility and are currently undergoing interrogation to assist security agencies in identifying and apprehending other members of the alleged criminal militia network.
“The suspects are being exploited for further intelligence that could lead to the arrest of other members of the group involved in the attack,” one of the security sources said.
The latest arrests followed the July 2 attempted attack on the strategic national institution, during which troops engaged suspected Berom militia in a gun battle, killing one suspect while others escaped into nearby rocky terrain.
During that operation, troops recovered a service rifle bearing registration number CO-3175, which military authorities said had earlier been stolen from a soldier killed during an attack on troops at the Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Vom, on April 11.
The recovery of the weapon had already prompted security agencies to widen investigations into possible links between the recent attacks on security personnel operating within the Kuru-Vom axis.
Following the publication of Zagazola Makama’s report identifying the slain attacker as a suspected member of an armed Berom militia operating within the area, the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) issued a statement rejecting the report.
Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, the association’s president, denied that the Berom ethnic community operated any militia group and challenged the report’s conclusions, arguing that the ethnicity of the deceased had not been independently established.
He claimed that the association had conducted inquiries and spoken to people within the community, but that no one claimed to know the identity of the attacker. He challenged Zagazola Media Network to back its claims with evidence and urged security agencies and journalists to rely only on verified information in reporting security incidents.
Subsequently, Zagazola Makama published additional reporting stating that the deceased attacker had been identified by local residents and multiple security and community sources as Peter, a Berom resident of the Trade Centre area. The report was supported by a 17-second WhatsApp video clip in which an individual identified the attacker as someone from his area.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the arrest of the latest suspects in the same Trade Centre axis, where Peter was reportedly traced, has strengthened investigators’ efforts to establish the composition of the group responsible for the attacks.
The sources, however, stressed that investigations remain ongoing and that the suspects would be afforded due process while intelligence exploitation continues.
Military authorities have yet to issue an official statement naming the suspects or announcing any formal charges.
Meanwhile, security has been reinforced around the NIPSS complex, with troops maintaining aggressive patrols, surveillance and domination operations aimed at preventing further attacks on the institution and adjoining communities.
The arrests are expected to assist investigators in unraveling the network behind the repeated attacks on security personnel and strategic facilities within the Kuru-Vom corridor.
Troops Arrest Two Suspected Berom Militia Linked to NIPSS Attack as Security Sources Say Investigation Supports Earlier Leads
One killed, another injured in Fulani Bandits attack as troops arrest suspect in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 6 of Operation Enduring Peace have arrested a suspect following an attack by Fulani Bandits on Rinyan Community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau that left one person dead and another injured.
Security sources said the troops responded at about 4:00 p.m. on Saturday after receiving reports of an attack by suspected armed Fulani militia on the community.
According to the sources, on arrival at the scene, the troops found one person dead, while another victim had sustained gunshot wounds.
The injured victim was evacuated to the General Hospital in Riyom for medical treatment.
The sources said the troops immediately pursued the fleeing assailants but did not establish contact with them.
However, one suspect was arrested during the operation and is currently in custody undergoing interrogation as investigations continue.
The military has maintained intensified operations across Plateau to curb attacks and apprehend those responsible for violent crimes in the state.
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