Crime
NDLEA intercepts UK-bound N.5Billion worth meth, arrests baron, seals Lekki mansion
NDLEA intercepts UK-bound N.5Billion worth meth, arrests baron, seals Lekki mansion
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of methamphetamine concealed in powdered custard containers as part of a consolidated cargo going to London, United Kingdom at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the illicit drug consignment weighing 30.1 kilogrammes with a street value of N567 million was detected and seized by NDLEA operatives at the airport last Tuesday.
He said the seizure was swiftly followed by series of follow-up operations that led to the arrest of a freight agent, Nwobodo Chidiebere; a female suspect, Chioma Akuta and ultimately the drug lord behind the shipment, Chinedu Ezeh, who was arrested at Sotel Suites, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos last Thursday.
Babafemi said Ezeh claimed he is a businessman and deals in articles in Onitsha, Anambra State, but that investigations revealed he lived with his wife and children in London until 10th December 2022 when he fled to Nigeria after his involvement in a drug related offence in the UK.
The spokesman said though Ezeh claimed to have been living in hotels since his return to Nigeria last December, operatives were however able to locate his mansion at No.1 Hawawu Abikan Street, Lekki, last Friday, where a search was conducted and his travel and property documents among others were recovered.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa last Monday arrested a 32-year-old notorious drug dealer, Prince Ikechukwu Uzoma, in Mubi area of the state with a kilogramme of skunk.
Ikechukwu, was said to have twice been arrested in the past, and convicted for the same offence. He was in 2017 sentenced to six months imprisonment and in 2019 was again sent to two years in jail.
In the same vein, a trans-border trafficker, Faisal Mohammed, 27, was last Wednesday arrested in Mubi following the interception of a truck from Onitsha, Anambra State, where a total of 2,376 sachets of tramadol comprising 23,760 pills were found concealed in three blue rubber Jerrycans which were hidden underneath the body part of the trailer. The suspect admitted the opioid was to be taken to Cameroon.
In Oyo state, two suspects: Osas Susan, 35, and Thomas Biodun, 23, were arrested at Igbon, Gambari in Ogbomoso North local government area with 2.13 kilogrammes cannabis while Idris Muhammed, 55, was nabbed with 4,500 pills of tramadol when a commercial bus conveying him and other passengers was stopped and searched along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Similarly, Bulus Mikah, 63, was arrested at Kafanchan, Kaduna state with over 5 kilogrammes opioids including tramadol, diazepam, rohypnol and exol-5, just as a total of 965 kilogrammes cannabis was seized from Shehu Muhammadu Dandare, 25, at Maraban Jos, in Igabi local government area of the state, while 552 kilogrammes cannabis was recovered from a warehouse in a bush when operatives stormed and destroyed 1.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Uhodoua forest, Esan South East local government area, Edo state, 10 suspects were arrested with a total of 5.6 kilogrammes cannabis sativa, 144.4 grammes of methamphetamine and 48,260 capsules of tramadol in different parts of Onitsha, Anambra state last Friday.
In Kwara, two suspects: Mohammed Isa, 47 and Mohammed Haman, 36, were arrested last Friday along Ilorin/Lagos road in a commercial bus on their way to Maiduguri, Borno state with 6 kilogrammes cannabis, 50 grammes of methamphetamine and 20 pieces of military camouflage caps and uniforms. The same day, operatives in Jigawa state nabbed one Ibrahim Abdullahi, 53, with 120 kilogrammes cannabis at Sara town in Gwaram local government area.
Not less than 628 bottles of new psychoactive substance, skuchies were seized when operatives raided a drug joint at Idanre where four suspects were arrested. They include: Olamide Olusola, 26; Abiodun Tijjani, 21; Fatope Temidayo, 29; Agba Obi, 30 and Olafisoye Festus, 26. Also, a suspect, Kayode Hakeem, 22, was arrested at Hawan Dawaki, Kano with 293 blocks of cannabis weighing 211.6 kilogrammes.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen.Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of MMIA command for their professionalism and speed with which they were able to track and arrest another drug kingpin, Ezeh Chinedu. He charged them and their colleagues in Adamawa, Oyo, Kaduna, Edo, Kwara, Jigawa, Ondo and Kano as well as those in other commands and formations across the country not to rest on their oars.
NDLEA intercepts UK-bound N.5Billion worth meth, arrests baron, seals Lekki mansion
Troops repel ISWAP attack in Chibok as NAF obliterates scores of fleeing terrorists
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), early Saturday repelled a large-scale attack by ISWAP/Boko Haram terrorists in Chibok, Borno State, while the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) neutralised scores of the fleeing fighters during a follow-up air interdiction.
Zagazola gathered that the terrorists, numbering over 300, launched a coordinated multi-front assault on the community at about 3:00 a.m., attempting to breach defensive locations and overwhelm deployed troops.
A security source told Zagazola that the soldiers immediately responded with superior firepower and well-coordinated manoeuvres, engaging the attackers in a two-hour gun battle that forced them to retreat toward the Timbuktu Triangle.
“The troops were alert and professionally contained the attack. There was no casualty on our side, and no equipment was affected,” the source said.
Following the terrorists’ withdrawal, ground forces requested air support, prompting the immediate deployment of NAF combat aircraft to the identified withdrawal axis.
“The NAF jet delivered precise and devastating strikes along the terrorists’ escape route, obliterating a significant number of the fighters and disrupting their movement,” the source added.
According to the sources, four major airstrikes were conducted by NAF combat aircraft along the terrorists’ withdrawal route toward the Timbuktu Triangle. The airstrikes were guided by real-time intelligence from ground troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK).
The sources said that the first wave of strikes targeted a cluster of fleeing terrorists attempting to regroup, “achieving significant degradation of the hostile elements.” Subsequent strikes pursued additional pockets of fighters dispersing into forested terrain.
In addition to the four strikes executed by manned aircraft, the sources confirms that another set of attacks was carried out by an unmanned aerial platform.
“The platform maintained continuous ISR coverage and engaged with high precision. Its strikes further eliminated retreating fighters and disrupted their movement pattern,” the sources notes.
The sources emphasised that the combination of air and ground coordination ensured that the terrorists suffered “substantial losses,” preventing any possibility of reorganisation after the failed offensive.
Troops repel ISWAP attack in Chibok as NAF obliterates scores of fleeing terrorists
Armed bandits attack Kwandawa village in Sokoto, most kidnapped victims rescued
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits attacked Kwandawa village in Sokoto State in the early hours of November 26, kidnapping several residents, but most of the victims were rescued unharmed.
Zagazola report that the assailants, described as numerous and carrying sophisticated weapons, invaded the village around 2:30 a.m., firing sporadically and abducting an unspecified number of people.
A coordinated response engaged the attackers in a prolonged gun duel, forcing them to flee into nearby bushes with apparent gunshot injuries.
While the majority of the kidnapped villagers were rescued unhurt, two victims remain unaccounted for. No casualties were reported among the villagers or the responding security personnel.
Security forces are combing the surrounding area to rescue the remaining victims and apprehend the bandits, with neighboring districts alerted to block potential escape routes.
Armed bandits attack Kwandawa village in Sokoto, most kidnapped victims rescued
Troops foiled Armed bandits’ attack at Bulunku Zamzam Hotel in Gusau
By: Zagazola Makama
A suspected bandit attack was foiled by Nigerian troops in Gusau, Zamfara State, in the early hours of November 27, after gunmen stormed Bulunku Zamzam Hotel and areas behind NTA Samaru.
According to sources, the attackers, armed with sophisticated weapons, engaged security operatives in a prolonged gun duel.
The confrontation forced the bandits to retreat, sustaining possible gunshot injuries. No abduction or casualties were recorded during the incident.
Patrols and monitoring remain active in the area to prevent further criminal activities and ensure public safety.
Troops foiled Armed bandits’ attack at Bulunku Zamzam Hotel in Gusau
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