Crime
NDLEA Foiled Attempt to Smuggle 81 Pellets of Cocaine to Lebanon
NDLEA Foiled Attempt to Smuggle 81 Pellets of Cocaine to Lebanon
By: Michael Mike
A 59-year old businessman could have lost his life while trying to smuggle 81 pellets of cocaine, which he had ingested, to Beirut, Lebanon.
The man, Chijioke Igbokwe was saved by a surgery, exploratory laparotomy, which freed him of 57 out of 81 pellets of cocaine stuck in his stomach after seven days of ingesting the illicit substance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, Igbokwe was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight on Sunday 26th January 2025.
He said Igbokwe was promptly taken for body scan, which revealed illicit drugs in his system, and was soon after taken into NDLEA custody for excretion observation.
Babafemi said investigation revealed that Igbokwe who claims to be into cloth business at Arena, Oshodi area of Lagos, departed Lagos on 22nd January to Addis Ababa where he ingested the 81 wraps of cocaine the following day 23rd January and boarded a flight to Beirut, Lebanon to deliver the illicit consignment for a fee of $3,000.
Upon his arrival in Beirut, he said he was refused entry because he had less than $2,000, the amount required to grant him entry. He was then deported to Addis Ababa where he attempted excreting the illicit drugs but could not. He thereafter proceeded to Lagos on Saturday 25th January with the consignment in his bowel. He was however arrested upon his arrival at the Lagos airport by NDLEA officers on 26th January.
After five days under excretion observation, he could only expel 24 pellets following initial medical intervention at the agency’s medical facility and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja.
Babafemi said with the clock ticking for him and the complication of other underlining medical conditions, the suspect was eventually admitted at the tertiary facility where he had to undergo exploratory laparotomy to extract the remaining 57 wraps of cocaine stuck in his stomach after his wife and brother endorsed the necessary consent forms last Thursday.
In all, a total of 81 pellets of the Class A drug with a gross weight of 1.943 kilogrammes were alleged to have being recovered from his stomach.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Lagos last Wednesday intercepted a consignment of 2,000 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, at Lekki beach, where two suspects: Sunday Awoyede and Christopher Cletus attempted loading them into a truck. The suspects, the skunk shipment and the van were immediately taken into custody. Another suspect, Lawal Idris Olasunkanmi was also arrested same day with 55 kilogrammes skunk during a raid at his base in Mushin area of Lagos.
Babafemi said across the country, NDLEA commands and formations 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.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA Strategic Command for their vigilance and professionalism in handling Chijioke Igbokwe’s case, warned those involved in the illicit drug trade that they’re not only destroying the lives of others, but equally putting their own lives at great risk.
He equally applauded the Lagos State Strategic Command for blocking the huge consignment of skunk from coming into the country, and recognized the concerted efforts of their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities to create a balance in drug supply and demand reduction efforts of the agency.
NDLEA Foiled Attempt to Smuggle 81 Pellets of Cocaine to Lebanon
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have carried out a deadly raid in Ringa Village, located in the Ringa District of Rafi Local Government Area in Niger State, kidnapping four individuals and causing widespread damage, the state police command confirmed.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that on April 18, 2025, at approximately 1000hrs, a large group of armed bandits and insurgents, riding on motorcycles, invaded the village. During the attack, the assailants abducted four men Anas Shuaibu, Isah Kazuga, Mande Samari, and Bazama Kiwoji who were all residents of the village.
In addition to the kidnapping, the bandits set fire to the village’s electricity transformer, plunging the community into darkness. They also stole four unregistered Bajaj motorcycles that had been abandoned by their owners, who fled in fear for their lives.
Security forces are currently conducting intensive operations in a bid to rescue the kidnapped victims and apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
By: Zagazola Makama
Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group operating in the Sahel, has claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on two military positions in northern Benin Republic on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
In a statement released through its propaganda channels, the group said it killed 70 Beninese soldiers during the assaults. The attacks reportedly targeted military companies stationed near the country’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Niger – regions increasingly plagued by jihadist violence.
JNIM also published images of weapons and equipment it said were captured during the attacks. Among the items allegedly seized were:
American-made M2HB heavy machine guns, Five PP87 mortars of Chinese origin, Fifty-one rocket-assisted mortar shells, Three surveillance drones, Six motorcycles, Sixty-four grenades, Seventy-eight Kalashnikov rifles, Over 300 ammunition magazines, Type 80 and W-85 machine guns, Type 81-1 rifles Type 56-1 rocket launchers, and T69-1 anti-tank projectiles.
The Beninese government has yet to issue an official statement confirming the claims. However, security sources have confirmed that military operations are ongoing in the northern region, and reinforcements have been deployed to contain the situation.
JNIM, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has expanded its activities into coastal West African states in recent years, marking a shift in its operational footprint beyond Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
Two Suspects Arrested for Human Trafficking, Victims Rescued in Kubwa, Abuja
By: Zagazola Makama
Two men have been arrested in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for their involvement in human trafficking after police operatives foiled their attempt to transport three women to Senegal.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that on April 17, 2025, at around 1730hrs, operatives from the Kubwa Division, apprehended 28-year-old Thankgod Ike and 26-year-old Dennis Ike. The two suspects, both residents of Gbazango by the Assembly of God Church, were arrested following actionable intelligence.
The suspects were allegedly involved in the trafficking of three women Helen Simon (25), Blessing Iliya (25), and Anabel Iliya (22) whom they had deceived with promises of securing illicit jobs abroad. The victims were intended to be trafficked through Lagos and Guinea before ultimately being taken to Senegal.
The suspects were apprehended while executing their plan to transport the women, who have since been rescued and are currently in police custody.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects have been involved in similar activities in the past, including the trafficking of another woman, known as “Baby” (25), to Senegal in 2024.
Additionally, the suspects are believed to be connected to the trafficking of Alisa Conte, a Sierra Leonean national, whose case is currently under investigation by INTERPOL.
Police sources said efforts are ongoing to identify and contact the victims’ families, and further investigations are underway.
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