Crime
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted at the nation’s three major airports of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt large consignments of cocaine which Brazil based drug cartels tried smuggling into the country.
According to the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi arrested were seven traffickers in the smashes.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman said at the Port Harcourt International Airport, five suspects were arrested on Saturday 9th April. Three of them were arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt.
He said the three suspects departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on board same Qatar flight, en-route Doha to Abuja and Port Harcourt with a total of 24.96 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Babafemi sad the first is 51-year-old Udogwu Johnson who was arrested with 5.48 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. He claimed he agreed to traffic the drug for a fee of N1 million.
He said also arrested is Ezekwueme Valentine, 32, who was caught with 10.82 kilogrammes cocaine packed in 84 sachets concealed in seven duvets, while the third trafficker, Chiezie Ikechukwu Arinze, 35, was arrested with 8.66 kilogrammes cocaine hidden in 115 golden and silver colour 30ml breakable bottles factory packaged with lotion on top.
The fourth suspect, Uchechukwu Onwugbufor, 42, according to him, was arrested at the airport car park while waiting to receive one of the traffickers, Udogwu James and his consignment. He claimed he was contacted by someone in Brazil to receive Udogwu and lead him to Lagos for a fee of N100,000. Uchechukwu Onwugbufor was at the Airport with his neigbour, Nwogu Ezimadu, who is equally being investigated to determine if he is complicit in the crime or not.
He said at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a Psychology graduate of Imo State University, Owerri, Sebastine Kelvin, 30, was arrested with 74 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.454 kilogrammes on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight enroute Doula- Addis Ababa-Abuja last Wednesday.
He said the father of one who claims he is a motor spare parts dealer, said he lived in Cameroon for six years before going into the drug business to raise money to boost his trade. He added that he was introduced to the man who gave him the drugs at Addis Ababa by another person serving jail term for drug offence at the Doula Newbell Prison.
Also Read: Wamakko bags NDLEA Wider Ambassador Award
Babafemi said in Lagos, another Brazil based passenger, Uba Samuel was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, by NDLEA operatives last Friday on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight from Sao Paulo via Addis Ababa to Lagos with sachets of cocaine weighing 633 grammes concealed in his footwear and toothpaste tube.
The suspect who claims to be a shoemaker and barber, while accepting ownership of the drug, said he used his shoe making knowledge to conceal the drug in his pair of sandals. Uba who is a regular traveller confessed he bought the drug to sell at a market in Abia.
In other clampdown, more illicit substances were recovered in raid operations in other parts of the country. In Gadaka village of Fika local government area, Yobe state, operatives arrested one Hassan Usman with a total of 22,110 tablets of Tramadol, D5 and Exol 5, while one Ali Mohammed was nabbed in a commercial vehicle coming from Kano to Maiduguri with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 33 kilogrammes. Also arrested on the Kano-Maiduguri route was a driver Ibrahim Khalil Idris with 60 packets of Tramadol, all on Tuesday 12th April.
In Kogi state, 750 blocks of cannabis weighing 750 kilogrammes were seized from two suspects: Hassan Adamu, 25, and Abdulmalik Abdullahi, 24, along Okene-Abuja highway. The drug exhibits were concealed inside fabricated panels of a Ford bus.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the PHIA, NAIA, MMIA, Yobe, and Kogi Commands of the agency for disrupting desperate attempts by drug cartels to traffic dangerous drugs into Nigeria and across the country. He said the huge seizures at the airports will send a strong message to drug barons that Nigeria will no longer be their safe destination or transit route.
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
Crime
Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara
Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Nigerian Army have neutralised two suspected terrorists during a fighting patrol in Zamfara State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted by troops of 1 Brigade Quick Reaction Force (QRF) from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bagega in the early hours of May 4.

The troops, while on patrol, advanced through Maikwanuga village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area, extending operations to Aljumma, Gidan Dawa, Magami Didi, and Tungar Magaji villages in Maradun Local Government Area.
During the operation, the troops made contact with suspected terrorists at Tungar Magaji village, where a firefight ensued.

“In the course of the engagement, two terrorists were neutralised, while others fled with possible gunshot wounds,” the source said.
Items recovered from the scene include one AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and a motorcycle.

The troops are currently exploiting the general area to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent further threats in the region.
Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara
Crime
Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo
Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, operating from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oguta, in collaboration with a local vigilante group, have raided a suspected cultist hideout in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.
Security sources said the operation, conducted at about 3:34 p.m. on May 4, led to the arrest of five suspects allegedly linked to criminal activities in the area.
The sources noted that the group was believed to be responsible for a series of crimes within the general area.
One of the suspects has reportedly volunteered to lead troops to a suspected armoury located at Osomoto Valley in the same local government area.
The suspects are currently in custody, while further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing.
Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo
Crime
Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks
Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks
By Zagazola Makama
Three civilians have been killed in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State in a renewed outbreak of violence amid ongoing tit-for-tat attacks linked to longstanding communal tensions between groups in parts of the state.
Security sources said the incident occurred in the night of May 3 at about 8:55 p.m. when suspected fulani armed elements ambushed civilians travelling on motorcycles along a rural route near Fan Loo. The victims were reportedly intercepted and shot before the attackers fled into nearby bushes.
Troops of Sector 4 under Operation Safe Haven (OPEP) were immediately alerted and deployed to the scene. However, on arrival, they met the aftermath of the attack, with three persons confirmed dead.
The bodies were evacuated after preliminary assessment, while security forces launched follow-up operations in surrounding communities to track the fleeing attackers.
According to security sources, the incident is believed to be part of a wider pattern of tit-for-tat violence in parts of Barkin Ladi and adjoining Local Government Areas, where communities have repeatedly experienced cycles of attacks and reprisal killings linked to longstanding communal tensions and armed group activities.
The latest attack comes barely days after a series of violent incidents in Plateau State, including kidnappings, killings, and armed confrontations between security forces and armed groups in Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi axis. Within the week, a Paster was killed, his wife and daughter in response to an earlier attack on Fulani and rustling of livestock.
In Barkin Ladi, a Fulani community leader, Alhaji Lawal Abubakar, was recently abducted from his residence in Kara village, prompting search operations by troops. In Bokkos, Mr. Danlami Luka was killed in Kaban village in an attack that also heightened tensions in surrounding settlements.
In Mangu Local Government Area, troops have been engaged in multiple operations following earlier unrest, including a deadly confrontation in Sabon Gari community during an attempt to prevent escalation of youth mobilisation linked to a prior killing at a mining site.
That incident, according to security sources, escalated rapidly when troops came under fire while attempting to restore order, The locals, attacked the Nigerian Army troops killing a senior officer in the process. The troops responded in self defense leading to the neutralisation of two attackers and recovery of weapons. The situation later triggered further unrest and retaliatory attacks in parts of the LGA, with the youths blocking the roads and attacking people identified as Hausa or Muslims.
Troops later conducted operation within same communities where they recovered additional weapons and ammunition from locals.
Across the state, troops of Operation Enduring Peace have maintained an intensified operational posture, conducting patrols, cordon-and-search missions, arrests of suspected criminals, and show-of-force operations aimed at stabilising volatile communities.
In Bassa Local Government Area, a suspected vandal was recently arrested while attempting to steal copper cables, while in Jos East and Jos South, troops intervened in disputes involving farmland destruction and grazing conflicts to prevent escalation into wider violence.
Despite these interventions, Plateau State continues to experience violence characterised by attacks, reprisals, and counter-operations, particularly in rural communities where grievances are often quickly transformed into armed confrontations.
The Fan Loo killings, fit into this expanding trend, where attacks on civilians frequently trigger retaliatory tensions, further complicating security responses and increasing the risk of escalation. Youths and religious leaders have also continued to make inflammatory remarks aimed at pitching locals against non indigenes.
Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks
-
News2 years agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years agoTHE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News1 year agoFAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions4 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
ACADEMICS2 years agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 years agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions2 years agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
