Crime
NDLEA destroys 40 tons of cannabis plants in Ekiti; intercepts over 4,000kgs of illicit drugs in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Kaduna, Sokoto, Edo raids
NDLEA destroys 40 tons of cannabis plants in Ekiti; intercepts over 4,000kgs of illicit drugs in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Kaduna, Sokoto, Edo raids
By: Michael Mike
Over four tons of illicit and controlled drugs including consignments of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas, skunk, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and tramadol have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during interdiction operations in the last one week in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Jigawa, Kaduna, Sokoto and Edo states.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi also said no fewer than 1,194 cylinders of laughing gas with a total weight of 2,547.2 kilogrammes loaded in two Toyota Sienna buses were last Friday intercepted by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway.
He said two suspects: Onyebuchi Ikpozu and Kenneth Igwe who were taking the consignments to the nation’s capital, Abuja for distribution have been arrested and taken into custody.
Babafemi said while one of the Toyota Sienna buses marked KTU 582 HV was conveying 99 cartons containing 594 cylinders weighing 1,267.2 kilogrammes, the second bus with registration number FKJ 329 YA was conveying 100 cartons of the substance with 600 cylinders weighing 1,280 kilogrammes.
He also said a 48-year-old woman, Mrs. Ugo Eluba was also arrested in Abuja in a follow up operation after 2,400 ampules of pentazocine injection and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 intercepted in Kogi state were traced to her.
In the FCT, operatives intercepted 977 kilogrammes of skunk last Wednesday in a trailer marked LSR 343 XW, bearing cartons of maggi. The spokesman said the skunk consignment was loaded into the truck at Ipele junction in Ondo state. While 959 kilogrammes of the substance were meant for distribution in Sokoto state, the rest was to be dropped off at Gwagwalada. Two suspects: Auwal Mohammed and Abdullahi Abubakar have been arrested in connection with the seizure, while two other suspects: Mutari Abdulazeez, 31, and Ayuba Madaki, 28, were also arrested last Saturday at Zuba area of the FCT with different quantities of
methamphetamine, cannabis and 13,930 pills of tramadol.
Babafemi also revealed that Shuaibu Yusif, 27, and Abubakar Hussaini, 20, were last Saturday nabbed with 89.1 kilogrammes of skunk along Kano -Hadejia road, Jigawa state during a stop and search patrol by NDLEA operatives.
He disclosed that no fewer than 6,000 ampules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a suspect, Usman Sidi, 35, last Monday along Abuja – Forest road, Kaduna while on his way to Bauchi state.
He said a follow up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the actual owner of the consignment, Dominic Chukwuma, 35, last Tuesday with at least 2.58 kilogrammes of diazepam and 36.55 kilogrammes of pentazocine injection recovered from his home.
Two other suspects: Inuwa Nuhu and Isiyaku Sani were also arrested same Tuesday in connection with the seizure of 49 blocks of cannabis sativa concealed in a black sack weighing 26 kilogrammes in a commercial vehicle coming from Ogere, Ogun state to Kano.
Babafemi said a total of 183kgs of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, were recovered from body compartments of a J5 bus intercepted in Lagos last Wednesday, operatives in Sokoto, last Tuesday arrested one Charles Okeke, 44, with 473 bottles of codeine syrup at Unguwar Kosai area of Sokoto.
In Edo state, 365 blocks of compressed cannabis sativa weighing 258 kilogrammes were recovered from a Toyota Camry car marked KTU 886 EZ at Igarra, Akoko Edo local government area.
He said in a massive operation between Monday 11th and Wednesday 13th September, NDLEA operatives stormed thick forests in Ijesha Isu-Ekiti, Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti state, where they destroyed 40 tons (40,000 kilogrammes) of cannabis plants covering 16 hectares of farmland.
Meanwhile, across the country, 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 week. Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture at Madarasatu Tarbiyyatil Aulad Islamiyyah Izala Mosque, Sabon Gari Wudil, Wudil local government area of Kano State; WADA sensitisation town hall meeting with principals of secondary schools in Kaduna north and south local government areas organized by the Zone J command of the agency; WADA advocacy visit to the palace of Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu, traditional ruler of Ibagwa Nike, Enugu state and WADA sensitisation lecture for students of the Oyo State College of Science and Health Technology, Ibadan, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the Lagos, FCT, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Sokoto and Edo 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 destroys 40 tons of cannabis plants in Ekiti; intercepts over 4,000kgs of illicit drugs in Lagos, Kogi, FCT, Kaduna, Sokoto, Edo raids
Troops rescue kidnapped woman in Taraba
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sub-Sector 3B, Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have rescued a kidnapped woman during a search-and-rescue operation in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the troops, deployed at Kufai Amadu in Takum LGA, received information at about 1:13 p.m. on Friday about a kidnapping incident at Torikegha village, Chanchanji Ward.
The source said the troops immediately moved to the village, where they were informed that the victim, Mrs Iloda Ayinba, a resident of Torikegha, had been abducted while on her way to her farm by suspected herdsmen relocating from the area.
According to the source, the troops pursued the suspects along their withdrawal route and conducted an extensive combing of the general area up to the power line corridor between Benue and Taraba states.
“Following the aggressive and robust search-and-rescue operation, the kidnappers abandoned the victim in the bush and fled,” the source said.
The troops subsequently rescued the woman, while no contact was made with the suspects during the exploitation of the area, the source added.
Troops rescue kidnapped woman in Taraba
Four children killed in Barkin Ladi reprisal attack as Plateau tensions escalate
By: Zagazola Makama
Four children were killed on Thursday in a reprisal attack allegedly carried out by armed Fulani herdsmen in Dorong village, Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, amid rising tensions following recent attacks on herders and cattle rustling in the area.
The victims were identified as Precious Joshuah, 17; Isa’ac Joshuah, 9; Mary Joshuah, 7; and Eve Sambo, 3.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred less than 48 hours after coordinated assaults on pastoral communities in Barkin Ladi, Jos East and Riyom LGAs, during which no fewer than 168 cattle were rustled and several others poisoned.
Zagazola reports that on Wednesday evening, Militia from plateau rustled 137 cattle around Nding community in Fan District of Barkin Ladi LGA, while another 34 cattle were driven away from Kukukah community in Jos East LGA, with only three later returning.
Less than 24 hours later, nine cows reportedly died after grazing on poisoned substances around Kwi village in Riyom LGA, further heightening tension across the affected areas.
A community leader in Foron District, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Dorong attack was carried out in the early hours of Thursday.
“The atmosphere has been tense since the cattle rustling incidents. People have been living in fear, warning that reprisals were imminent if nothing was done. Sadly, those fears have now materialised,” the source said.
Security sources confirmed the incident, adding that troops and other security operatives had been deployed to the area to prevent further escalation and restore calm.
We therefore renewed calls on the Plateau State Government and concerned security agencies to urgently intervene, arrest perpetrators on all sides, and address the underlying causes of the recurring violence.
Zagazola warned that without decisive action, including accountability for cattle rustling, livestock poisoning and retaliatory attacks, Plateau State risks sinking deeper into another cycle of reprisals that continues to claim innocent lives, particularly women and children.
As of the time of filing this report, authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the Dorong incident.
Four children killed in Barkin Ladi reprisal attack as Plateau tensions escalate
Troops neutralise three suspected kidnappers in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace have neutralised three suspected kidnappers during a raid on their hideout in Bakin Kogi, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Zagazola gathered the operation, carried out on 11 December, was part of intensified efforts to clear criminal elements from the Joint Operations Area ahead of the yuletide celebrations.
The troops came under fire as they approached the hideout, but responded with superior firepower, overwhelming the armed gang.
Sources said the troops later conducted a sweep of the area and discovered the corpses of three suspected kidnappers neutralised during the exchange.
According to the source, the suspects were identified as members of a notorious syndicate responsible for multiple abductions and attacks on commuters along the Dangoma–Godogodo axis of Jema’a LGA.
He added that troops had launched follow-up operations to track down fleeing members of the group and dismantle their remaining networks.
The operation, he said, reflected the military’s sustained push to enhance security within Kaduna State and neighbouring areas.
Troops neutralise three suspected kidnappers in Kaduna
Troops neutralise kidnapper, arrest informants in Plateau
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