Crime
NDLEA intercepts ex-convict with over N4.6 billion worth of cocaine at Lagos airport
NDLEA intercepts ex-convict with over N4.6 billion worth of cocaine at Lagos airport
By: Michael Mike
Barely 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing 19.4 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of over N4.6 billion.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, Ogbuji was first arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Wednesday 10th May 2023 upon arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951 for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.986 kilogrammes. He was subsequently arraigned before Federal High Court 12 Abuja presided over by Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023 and convicted on 13th July 2023. Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of N3 million, which he paid and was set free.
Babafemi said Ogbuji on the court order also forfeited the seized 1.986 kilogrammes cocaine, his international passport, 14 US dollars and 9000 Uganda shillings found on him at the time of his arrest.
The spokesman said: “Not done with crime, Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport on Wednesday 18th September 2024 during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers from Addis Ababa to Lagos. The suspect had approached the joint examination table with a black travelling bag which was searched by an NDLEA operative who cleared the luggage. In a dubious move, Ogbuji sneaked back to the carousel area to put inside the cleared bag a black backpack he left on the conveyor’s belt.
As he made his way out of the arrival hall, vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him and subjected him to a second search. It was then large wraps of excreted cocaine were found concealed inside the backpack hidden in the black travelling bag that was earlier found with the suspect.
He said a total of 817 pellets of cocaine excreted by many traffickers in Addis Ababa weighing 19.4 kilogrammes belonging to different members of a drug cartel were recovered.
Babafemi said during interrogation of the suspect, he stated that he initially left the backpack containing the drug at the carousel area as a strategy to beat NDLEA operatives, adding that he never knew there could be a “secondary search” since he had presented his bag for search previously and nothing incriminating was found. He claimed he had to procure a new international passport to continue his criminal trade.
The spokesman said investigations revealed Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and others in the West African sub-region like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire.
In his reaction to the arrest of Ogbuji, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA Strategic Command for an excellent job done, adding that the seizure of such a large consignment of cocaine at the airport is a milestone that will send a strong message to the international drug cartels trying to find footholds in Nigeria.
He however assured that the agency will continue to work to disrupt the activities of drug cartels operating in the country.
Ends
NDLEA intercepts ex-convict with over N4.6 billion worth of cocaine at Lagos airport
Police successfully rescue kidnapped ward head in Benue
By: Zagazola Makama
The Benue State Police Command has successfully rescued Dickson Idu, the Ward Head of Ehatokpe Ohimini, who was abducted on April 30, 2025.
Police sources told Zagazola Makama that the victim was kidnapped from his residence in Ohimini Local Government Area (LGA).
Upon receiving the information, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State, directed the Acting Area Commander Otukpo, the Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and a team of officers to immediately proceed to the area and ensure the safe rescue of the victim.
At approximately 8:45 a.m., a combined team of armed conventional policemen, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and personnel from the Benue State Civil Protection Guard, supported by Ohimini youths, launched an operation in the Ojanu/Ijami Village forest. The team conducted an intense combing operation, utilizing smoke canisters to pressure the kidnappers.
The strategy paid off, and at about 3:25 p.m., the kidnappers, feeling the heat of the search, released their captive. Dickson Idu was successfully rescued and has been debriefed and reunited with his family.
The sources said while no arrests have been made so far, the police have assured that investigations are underway, with efforts to apprehend the suspects continuing.
Police successfully rescue kidnapped ward head in Benue
Police arrest suspected bandit in Kaduna over suspicious financial transaction
By: Zagazola Makama
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a 25-year-old man, Rabiu Usman, on suspicion of being a bandit associate following a report of suspicious financial activity in Giwa Local Government Area of the state.
A police sources confirmed the arrest on Tuesday, stating that the suspect was apprehended on April 28 by operatives of the Kidandan Division.
The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Kabiru Abdullahi, a 27-year-old Point of Sale (POS) operator in Galadimawa, who reported that the suspect had requested his account details on April 26 to enable a relative, identified as Ibrahim Bature, to send money to him.
Upon receiving intelligence that Ibrahim Bature is a suspected bandit, the complainant promptly alerted the police. Rabiu Usman was arrested when he arrived to collect the said funds.
The suspect is currently in custody and has provided useful information to investigators. Efforts are underway to track and apprehend Ibrahim Bature, who remains at large.
Police arrest suspected bandit in Kaduna over suspicious financial transaction
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits attacked a Golf vehicle on the Bagaga-Anka road in Zamfara State on April 26, 2025, killing the driver and abducting five passengers.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred at about 11:40 a.m. when the bandits blocked the road, shot dead the driver, and abducted the five passengers traveling in the vehicle.
Upon receiving the distress report, joint security forces were swiftly mobilized and dispatched to the scene. The injured driver was taken to Bagega Primary Healthcare for treatment.
Efforts to rescue the abducted victims are ongoing, with security agencies intensifying their search for the perpetrators.
Bandits kill driver, abduct five passengers on Bagaga-Anka road
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