Crime
NDLEA intercepts N14.9bn opioids, arrests octogenarian, community leader’s wives, son

NDLEA intercepts N14.9bn opioids, arrests octogenarian, community leader’s wives, son
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have 25 million pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol and 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said the seizures were made on Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th September 2024 from three containers which had been on the watchlist of the agency following processed intelligence.
He added that as a result of the intelligence, the NDLEA had requested for 100% joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. The 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value N13,725,000,000 while the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of N2,450,000,000 bringing the total value of the seizures to N14,950,000,000.

He disclosed that the tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers last Tuesday while another container examined same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons. The third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined last Friday.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Lagos State Strategic Command of the agency last Friday arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi with 14 kilogrammes of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja area of the state.

Babafemi said the Octogenarian in his statement, claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years, and that he gets his supplies from Benin republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7am and 10pm every day.
NDLEA operatives in Lagos last Wednesday raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, where a total of 226 kilogrammes of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son.
Babafemi said though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6 kilogrammes from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22, while another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6 kilogrammes from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42.
He added that no less than 720 blocks of Arizona, a strain of cannabis weighing 390 kilogrammes were also recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van marked MUS 720 XH at Ojo area of Lagos last Monday.

The spokesman said at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 15th September arrested a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach.
He said after three days in excretion observation, Okafor excreted the 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267 kilogrammes.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway last Tuesday recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna, while a suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested by operatives last Friday along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state, in possession of 49,000 tablets of tramadol, 20,000 tablets of diazepam, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
A total of 451 blocks of cannabis weighing 213 kilogrammes were intercepted along Azikiwe road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday 18th September, by NDLEA officers who apprehended a suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, conveying the consignment to a notorious drug haven in Borikiri.
While operatives in Plateau state on Friday 20th September arrested a wanted suspect Jonathan Ali, 46, at Agingi- Rukuba road Bassa LGA in possession of 808 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertilizer, their counterparts in Kwara also nabbed Shaibu Musa with 28 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance.
Babafemi said with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of Tincan, MAKIA, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Kogi, Edo and Kwara commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
Crime
Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno

Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno
By: Zagazola Makama
Unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists from the Buduma faction, shot a herder and rustled about 200 cattle in Yele bush area, Monguno Local Government Area, Borno State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that three incident occurred on May 20, 2025, at about 11:00 a.m., according to a report by Abubakar Mohammed of Fulatari Ward, Monguno.
The sources said that his younger brother, Muhammadu Hammadu, 30, was grazing his cattle when the gunmen on foot attacked him, sustaining bullet wounds on his right hand and right buttock.
Security forces are intensifying efforts to track the attackers and recover the stolen livestock.
Terrorists attack herder, rustle 200 cattle in Monguno
Crime
Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun

Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun
By: Zagazola Makama
The Nigerian Police Force in Ogun has arrested one of its officers, Police Constable Idris Oloyede, over alleged involvement in conspiracy, stealing, cybercrime and other related offences.
Zagazola was reliably informed that the arrest was carried out on Wednesday by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta.
A police sources told Zagazola that Oloyede, who bears Force Number 537972, is attached to the patrol team at Odeda Divisional Headquarters.
According to the police sources, the arrest followed credible intelligence and investigation that linked the officer to the suspected crimes.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Odeda Division immediately released the officer for further interrogation upon the arrival of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The suspect has been transferred to the SCID for detailed investigation.
Police officer arrested over alleged Cybercrime, Fraud in Ogun
Crime
Army eliminate 6 Bandits as Forest Sanity III’ pushes deeper into Sokoto forests

Army eliminate 6 Bandits as Forest Sanity III’ pushes deeper into Sokoto forests
By: Zagazola Makama
As the troops of Operation FANSAN YABMA have continued their aggressive operations in the thick undergrowth of Gandumi Forest, North of Goronyo, the stillness of a late-morning haze was shattered on Thursday as soldiers from the 8 Division Gar Strike Team swept through a cluster of makeshift huts and weapons pits.
It was the latest push under Operation Forest Sanity III, a rolling clearance campaign designed to uproot terrorist and bandit enclaves that have long exploited Sokoto’s sprawling woodlands as a sanctuary.
Between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., the troops struck two separate hideouts: one in Gandumi Forest, Goronyo Local Government Area, and another in Indulumu village, Maradun LGA. Military sources told Zagazola Makama that six armed militants were neutralised in the combined raids.
Two AK-47 rifles, three motor-cycles, camouflage fatigues, assorted drugs and maintenance kits were recovered, while the camps themselves were levelled and set ablaze to prevent re-occupation.
“Every foot of ground we seize in these forests denies criminals a staging area,” a senior officer on the mission explained. “The goal is to keep them constantly off balance so they cannot regroup or threaten nearby communities.”
Barely an hour later and 70 kilometres away, a separate drama unfolded in Isa Local Government Area. Dozens of bandits riding motorcycles rolled toward Gamaroji, a dusty farming community often hit by rustling raids, only to meet an ambush laid by crack operatives on special assignment.
Acting on what authorities described as “specific, time-sensitive intelligence,” the team intercepted the convoy at about 11 a.m. A fierce exchange of fire ensued; one gunman was killed, the rest fled, abandoning two Honda motorcycles, an empty AK magazine and two assault rifles bearing.
Local residents told Zagazola Makama that the rapid response averted what could have been a mass abduction or livestock theft.
“We heard gunshots outside the village and thought they had come for us again,” said farmer Bawa Yusuf. “When it fell silent, we saw security men bringing out seized rifles. People are breathing easier tonight.”
Sokoto’s Eastern corridor from Goronyo down through Isa into Zamfara’s Maradun axis forms a critical transit route for armed gangs shuttling cattle, weapons and abductees between forest camps and black market buyers.
Operation Forest Sanity III, launched in March as the newest phase of the multi agency offensive, focuses on these corridors. Its mix of deliberate daytime assaults and intelligence driven night manoeuvres has already yielded a string of weapons recoveries and hostage rescues.
A defence Intelligence said the aim is two-fold: “Deny the bad actors depth and logistics, while reassuring civilians that the state is reclaiming every contested space.”
For villages like Gamaroji and Indulumu, each successful raid offers a brief respite. Yet many residents remain cautious, mindful that retreating fighters often strike back at soft targets.
A District head who chose to be anonymous for the fear of being targeted urged continued vigilance. “We thank the security forces for today’s success,” he told Zagazola. “But we still need sustained patrols and quick response lines because the criminals melt into other forests.”
Military commanders say the campaign will persist “until all camps are dismantled and freedom of movement is restored.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region
End
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