Crime
NDLEA busts trans-border drug cartel, arrests 4 members in Onitsha, Keffi

NDLEA busts trans-border drug cartel, arrests 4 members in Onitsha, Keffi
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, arresting four members arresting four during which multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills were recovered.
According to the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, the operations which was intelligence-led led to the interception of drugs concealed in the bumper and false bottom of sienna buses heading to border towns.

Babafemi said following weeks of intelligence and surveillance operations by operatives of the Directorate of Intelligence in NDLEA, a Sienna bus marked ABJ 452 HG was intercepted at Nasarawa- Toto road, Keffi, Nasarawa state on Tuesday 27th January 2025 at 6a.m. Two suspects: Zahradeen Adamu, 27 and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested in the vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state enroute Yola, Adamawa state. Also a second Sienna bus driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also intercepted.
He said during a search of the two vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were discovered after the removal of the back bumper where a total of 190,960 pills of tramadol were concealed and, in the space, designed to house the spare tyre of the vehicles.
Babafemi said investigations revealed that an Onitsha, Anambra state-based dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri was the supplier of the seized tramadol consignment, adding that a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of Mbaeri at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on 29th January.

He said two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his house.
The spokesman said in another interdiction, operatives of the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State at Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja on 4th February, adding that a passenger in the bus, Chimezie Ojingwa, 32, carrying motor spare parts in a black bag was arrested. When his bag was searched, 404.47 grammes of methamphetamine; 506.49 grammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis and 262.32 grammes of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance for mixing meth, all of which were concealed in the motor parts were recovered.
In Cross River state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Ogoja -Abakaliki road, Yahe last Thursday intercepted 170,000 pills of tramadol in a truck driven by Paul Chukwudi, 31, while operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos last Tuesday recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container imported from India.
Babafemi disclosed that two suspects: Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru were nabbed at Bama road, Maiduguri, Borno state last Friday with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 72 kilogrammes while NDLEA operatives in Ekiti state last Tuesday raided a notorious drug joint at Iloda street, Ikole-Ekiti where they arrested three suspects: Bala Muhammed, 57; Yahaya Adamu, 55, and Abdullahi Shehu, 30. A total of 83 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from them.
In Lagos, 28-year-old Samiat Yussuf was on Saturday arrested by operatives during a raid of her Lekki home where 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas and 111 grammes of Loud were recovered. Not less than 132.84 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from two suspects: Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40, in Taraba. While Usman was nabbed with 88 kilogrammes of Arizona and Ghana Loud at Wukari, James was arrested with 44.84 kilogrammes of same substance at Takanaba, Sabongari, in Jalingo LGA.

Across the country, according to Femi Babafemi, NDLEA commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), while commending the officers and men of Directorate of Intelligence, Apapa, Cross River, Borno, Ekiti, Taraba, and Lagos commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.
NDLEA busts trans-border drug cartel, arrests 4 members in Onitsha, Keffi
Crime
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road

Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits attacked a Golf vehicle on the Bagaga-Anka road in Zamfara State on April 26, 2025, killing the driver and abducting five passengers.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred at about 11:40 a.m. when the bandits blocked the road, shot dead the driver, and abducted the five passengers traveling in the vehicle.
Upon receiving the distress report, joint security forces were swiftly mobilized and dispatched to the scene. The injured driver was taken to Bagega Primary Healthcare for treatment.
Efforts to rescue the abducted victims are ongoing, with security agencies intensifying their search for the perpetrators.
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
Crime
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State

Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Oyo State have rescued 68 victims of human trafficking and arrested 16 suspects, including 10 males and 6 females, following a raid on a hideout in Kajorepo community, Agabala Daniel Area.
Sources reliably informed Zagazola Makama that the operation, carried out on April 26, 2025, was based on credible intelligence from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the State Intelligence Division (SID).
The rescued victims include 47 males, 20 females, and one child. They were found locked in a building where they were reportedly being held with the intent to be trafficked.
The suspects were taken into custody for interrogation, while the victims were provided with care and assistance. The building was sealed off, and patrol teams have been deployed to prevent any attempts by an angry mob to destroy the property.
The sources added that further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network.
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
Crime
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states

Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
By: Zagazola Makama
The Taraba State Police Command, in collaboration with operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Force Headquarters Abuja, has arrested members of a notorious kidnap and banditry syndicate responsible for terrorising communities across Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.
Security sources told Zagazola
Makama that the breakthrough, according to the Command, was achieved following credible intelligence that was processed into actionable operations, leading to the arrest of key gang members on April 25.
The sources said that the operatives, working in conjunction with a local vigilante group, apprehended three suspects at about 10:00 a.m.
Those arrested were identified as Shehu Ibrahim, 27, of Larai Gada, Ilorin; Abdullahi Haruna, 28, of Angwan Karofi, Bauchi; and Yusuf Bello, 40, of Birama Village, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in multiple kidnapping operations across the affected states,” the spokesperson said.
Items recovered from them include one AK-47 rifle, two AK-49 rifles, six AK magazines, and 45 live rounds of ammunition.
The police sources noted that the recent arrests follow earlier operations that led to the capture of other members of the same criminal gang.
Those earlier apprehended include Suleiman Mohammed, 28, of Lariski, Gombe State; Tijjani Bello, 30, of Nasarawo, Jalingo; Muhammed Umar, 25, of Sabon Gari, Jalingo; Adamu Ibrahim, 22, of Mutum Daya, Karim Lamido; Solomon Nathaniel, 32, of Logo, Benue State; and Haruna Adamu, 25, of Lushi Village, Lau, Taraba State.
From these earlier arrests, the police recovered three AK-47 rifles, one AK-49 rifle, and four AK-47 magazines.
He said that three suspects have confessed to several heinous crimes, including kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery, and attacks on rural communities.
He added that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate and dismantle the network completely.
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
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