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.
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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
NDLEA Busts $360m Transborder Drug Network, Earns Tinubu’s Praise
By: Zagazola Makama
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for dismantling a transborder drug trafficking syndicate involving Nigerian and Mexican nationals, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in the fight against organised crime.
The President gave the commendation in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the operation led to the arrest of foreign nationals, local drug kingpins, and other collaborators, as well as the seizure of chemicals and illicit drugs valued at over 360 million dollars.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Mohammed Buba Marwa, had earlier announced the successful operation following weeks of intelligence gathering and coordinated efforts by NDLEA operatives in collaboration with international partners.
President Tinubu said the successful operation demonstrated exceptional professionalism, courage, and commitment by the anti-narcotics agency in safeguarding society from the dangers of illicit drugs.
He commended the bravery and resilience displayed by NDLEA operatives throughout the operation and urged the agency not to relent in confronting drug trafficking networks.
The President noted that West Africa had increasingly become a major transit hub for cocaine, synthetic drugs, and unregulated pharmaceuticals destined for Europe and North America.
He warned that beyond constituting a serious security threat, narcotics also posed grave dangers to the future of young people, many of whom had fallen victim to drug abuse and trafficking networks.
Tinubu called on Nigerians to support the anti-drug campaign by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activities within their communities to security agencies.
According to him, the success of the operation sends a strong message that security agencies will not tolerate organised crime and criminality in any part of the country.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that individuals and groups threatening public safety and national security face the full weight of the law.
NDLEA Busts $360m Transborder Drug Network, Earns Tinubu’s Praise
Troops Foil Attempted Motorcycle Snatching by Plateau Militia in Mangu
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 8 of Operation Safe Haven have foiled an attempted motorcycle snatching along Jwak village in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Security sources said the incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on May 21 when troops deployed at Jwak general area responded to a distress call over an attempt by suspected local criminals to dispossess a motorcyclist of his motorcycle along the highway.
The victim, identified as Shuaibu Ayuba, was reportedly attacked by the criminals before the arrival of the troops.
According to the sources, the swift intervention by the troops forced the attackers to abandon the operation and flee into nearby bushes.
The victim was rescued by the troops and immediately evacuated to the Medical Centre in Mangu for treatment.
Security sources said efforts were ongoing to track and apprehend the fleeing suspects, while patrols had been intensified along the axis to deny criminal elements freedom of action.
Authorities reassured residents of continued security presence and urged members of the public to provide timely information to aid ongoing operations.
Troops Foil Attempted Motorcycle Snatching by Plateau Militia in Mangu
Crime
Troops recover 39 cattle after the owner alleged to have been killed by rustlers in Mangu, Plateau
Troops recover 39 cattle after the owner alleged to have been killed by rustlers in Mangu, Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace have recovered 39 cattle allegedly roaming about in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau, in suspected targeted attack on the owner.
Security sources disclosed that the incident occurred at about 4:30 p.m. on May 21 during a patrol by troops at Mwansat community.
The sources said the cattle were suspected to have been rustled, while the owner was feared to have been killed by cattle rustling networks in Mangu.
According to the sources, the troops moved the cattle to a safe location pending the identification of the owner and the affected farmer for amicable settlement.
Authorities said efforts were ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident and prevent escalation of tensions in the area.
NDLEA Busts $360m Transborder Drug Network, Earns Tinubu’s Praise
Troops Foil Attempted Motorcycle Snatching by Plateau Militia in Mangu
Troops recover 39 cattle after the owner alleged to have been killed by rustlers in Mangu, Plateau
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