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
Troops neutralise eight terrorists in Kayamla, Sojiri villages in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have neutralised eight terrorists during a clearance operation in Kayamla and Sojiri villages in Borno State, military sources have confirmed.
Zagazola report that the operation, codenamed Desert Sanity V, involved coordinated patrols and clearance missions targeting insurgents of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS/ISWAP) who were reportedly hibernating in the axis.
The troops, working closely with Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) personnel, engaged the terrorists in a well-coordinated gun battle, resulting in the neutralisation of eight insurgents. Others reportedly fled, leaving behind guns and personal weapons, including AK-47 rifles.
The sources confirmed that there were no casualties or injuries among the troops, and operational equipment was not damaged during the engagement.
The patrol team continues to conduct operations in surrounding enclaves to prevent insurgent regrouping.
Troops neutralise eight terrorists in Kayamla, Sojiri villages in Borno
Crime
Fulani youths shot by suspected Berom militia in Jos South in latest unprovoked attack in Pleateau
Fulani youths shot by suspected Berom militia in Jos South in latest unprovoked attack in Pleateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Two Fulani youths were ambushed late Tuesday while returning from Gero village in Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) in the latest unprovoked attack by suspected Berom militia in Plateau state.
Zagazola Makama gathered from sources that the victims, Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa, were attacked by suspected Berom militia around 8:00 p.m. Abdullahi was killed on the spot, while Musa sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The latest ambush of Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa fits this established pattern of escalating attacks, in which pastoral and farming communities are alternately targeted in a cycle of reprisals.
The recent spate of violence follows the deadly December 31, 2025, attack in Bum community, Chugwi area of Vwang District, Jos South LGA, where at least seven farmers were killed in their homes and farmlands. That attack occurred despite prior security alerts warning of potential threats to several rural communities.
Zagazola had link the Bum killings to an escalating cycle of reprisal attacks. On December 27, 2025, five Fulani youths were shot near Con Filling Station along Bukuru Express Road, sustaining critical injuries. Local sources allege that the gunmen, suspected Berom militia, targeted the youths without provocation as they returned from Bukuru Cattle Market.
The December violence traces further back to attacks on mining sites and pastoral assets. On December 16, 2025, gunmen attacked an illegal mining site at Tosho community, Barkin Ladi LGA, by Fulani Bandits, killing 12 miners and abducting three others. The assault reportedly followed cattle rustling in nearby communities, including the loss of 137 cattle in Nding community on December 12, and additional theft and poisoning of livestock across Jos East and Riyom LGAs.
The unrest has also seen civilian casualties, including the killing of four children in Dorong village, Foron District, Barkin Ladi LGA, in what residents describe as a Fulani reprisal attack. Other retaliatory attacks have reportedly targeted Gero village in Jos South LGA, resulting in the deaths and injury of both humans and livestock.
Despite multiple warnings and early alerts, affected communities have repeatedly decried slow response by the state government and selective enforcement that fails to dismantle armed militias on all sides.
The lack of decisive action against armed militias on both sides has fueled unending attacks, mistrust, making people in rural settlements increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Unresolved issues such as cattle rustling, livestock poisoning, and targeted killings act as triggers for revenge attacks, creating a self-perpetuating spiral of violence.
Fulani youths shot by suspected Berom militia in Jos South in latest unprovoked attack in Pleateau
Collapsed fence kills five in Maiduguri
By: Zagazola Makama
Five people were killed and one injured after a fence collapsed in Bintu Sugar, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.
Zagazola report that the incident occurred on Jan. 4 at about 8:12 p.m., when six individuals were reportedly near the fence at the community.
According to the sources, the victims were immediately evacuated to the State Specialists Hospital, Maiduguri, for medical attention. However, Hadiza Mohamed, Adamu Umar, Abdul Malik Usman, Abdullahi Usman, and Salamatu Mohammed Dibal, all residents of Gomari, Bintu Sugar, were certified dead.
One survivor, Ya’u Labaran, 16, is responding to treatment at the hospital.
The Borno Police Command confirmed the incident noting that the corpses were photographed and released to relatives for burial according to Islamic rites. Investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fence collapse is ongoing.
Collapsed fence kills five in Maiduguri
ISWAP kills 10 JAS fighters in Kukawa as rivalry clashes escalates
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