Crime
NDLEA makes major interceptions of tramadol pills at Lagos airport
NDLEA makes major interceptions of tramadol pills at Lagos airport
… As notorious drug kingpin bags 7 years imprisonment
By: Michael Mike
Attempts by drug cartel to smuggle into the country an estimated N1.04 billion worth of tramadol has been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Also foiled was an attempt by traffickers to smuggled a consignment of 1.30 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in reconstructed engine blocks to Dubai, United Arab Emirate.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said desperate attempts by the tramadol drug cartel to smuggle into Nigeria over 2,465,000 tablets of the pharmaceutical opioid in 225mg and 250mg, weighing 2,356 kilogrammes with an estimated street value of N1,040,000,000 through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos was foiled by operatives of the anti-narcotics agency.
Babafemi, while noting that the seizure of the drug last Friday came barely a week after about 13.5 million pills of the same opioid worth over N8.8 billion were recovered by NDLEA operatives from one of the mansions of a billionaire drug baron in the highbrow residential estate, Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lekki Lagos.
He said following credible intelligence, the agency had shown interest in the consignment of 52 cartons that came into Nigeria from Karachi, Pakistan with six different airway bills via Ethiopian Airline flight, comprising seven cartons of 250mg of a brand called tamral and 45 cartons of 225mg, branded as tramaking.
He disclosed that soon after its arrival at the Lagos airport, the NDLEA called for a joint examination of the consignment with other stakeholders and after the suspicion was confirmed by all, the 52 cartons of the seized substance which are above the recommended threshold for medical use and banned in the country, were moved to the agency’s facility.
The spokesman said, in the same vein, another bid to export through the airport 15 parcels of cannabis and 600 grammes of tramadol 225mg concealed in a sack of crayfish to Dubai, UAE was equally thwarted by operatives who seized the consignment and subsequently arrested a freight agent, Osahor Ekwueme, who presented it for export.
Babafemi said Weeks after NDLEA operatives intercepted 5.2 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in kegs of palm oil going to Dubai at the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport, the brain behind the consignment, Ifeanyi Egbuwaohia, has been arrested in Igando area of Lagos.
He said though Ifeanyi works as a technician at Computer Village, Ikeja but beneath his known business is his connection with a drug network in Dubai, where he sends illicit drugs for distribution.
He revealed that few hours after his arrest, another consignment of 2.6 kilogrammes of the same substance sent by him for export to Dubai was also intercepted by operatives at the airport.
Another consignment of 1.3 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in reconstructed engine blocks going to Dubai have also been seized at the SAHCO export shed while two persons: Olatunji Temiola and Osemojoye Sunday have been arrested in connection to the bid.
In clampdowns across the country, in Kaduna state, a female drug dealer, Peace Ayuba, was last Friday arrested at Kakau Gonin Gora with 78 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 849.5 kilogrammes, while operatives in Sokoto state arrested Onyeka Owo, 28, with 443 bottles of codeine based syrup.
Babafemi also disclosed that 10 months after his arrest by NDLEA, a notorious drug dealer in Alaba Rago area of Ojo, Lagos, Alhaji Surajo Mohammed has been convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Yellin
He said Surajo was arrested with 941.15 kilogrammes cannabis on Monday 20th December 2021 and arraigned in court in charge number FHC/L/370c/2021. In his judgment delivered last Thursday the Judge however gave the convict an option of seven million naira fine.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Kaduna, Sokoto and Lagos commands for their feat, urged them and their compatriots across the country to remain steadfast, resolute and unrelenting until the last gramme of illicit drugs is taken away from the streets of Nigeria.
NDLEA makes major interceptions of tramadol pills at Lagos airport
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
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Oyo State have rescued 68 victims of human trafficking and arrested 16 suspects, including 10 males and 6 females, following a raid on a hideout in Kajorepo community, Agabala Daniel Area.
Sources reliably informed Zagazola Makama that the operation, carried out on April 26, 2025, was based on credible intelligence from the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the State Intelligence Division (SID).
The rescued victims include 47 males, 20 females, and one child. They were found locked in a building where they were reportedly being held with the intent to be trafficked.
The suspects were taken into custody for interrogation, while the victims were provided with care and assistance. The building was sealed off, and patrol teams have been deployed to prevent any attempts by an angry mob to destroy the property.
The sources added that further investigations are ongoing to dismantle the trafficking network.
Police rescue 68 trafficking victims, arrest 16 suspects in Oyo State
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
By: Zagazola Makama
The Taraba State Police Command, in collaboration with operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Force Headquarters Abuja, has arrested members of a notorious kidnap and banditry syndicate responsible for terrorising communities across Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Bauchi, and Kaduna States.
Security sources told Zagazola
Makama that the breakthrough, according to the Command, was achieved following credible intelligence that was processed into actionable operations, leading to the arrest of key gang members on April 25.
The sources said that the operatives, working in conjunction with a local vigilante group, apprehended three suspects at about 10:00 a.m.
Those arrested were identified as Shehu Ibrahim, 27, of Larai Gada, Ilorin; Abdullahi Haruna, 28, of Angwan Karofi, Bauchi; and Yusuf Bello, 40, of Birama Village, Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
“Upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in multiple kidnapping operations across the affected states,” the spokesperson said.
Items recovered from them include one AK-47 rifle, two AK-49 rifles, six AK magazines, and 45 live rounds of ammunition.
The police sources noted that the recent arrests follow earlier operations that led to the capture of other members of the same criminal gang.
Those earlier apprehended include Suleiman Mohammed, 28, of Lariski, Gombe State; Tijjani Bello, 30, of Nasarawo, Jalingo; Muhammed Umar, 25, of Sabon Gari, Jalingo; Adamu Ibrahim, 22, of Mutum Daya, Karim Lamido; Solomon Nathaniel, 32, of Logo, Benue State; and Haruna Adamu, 25, of Lushi Village, Lau, Taraba State.
From these earlier arrests, the police recovered three AK-47 rifles, one AK-49 rifle, and four AK-47 magazines.
He said that three suspects have confessed to several heinous crimes, including kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery, and attacks on rural communities.
He added that investigations are ongoing to apprehend the remaining members of the syndicate and dismantle the network completely.
Police smash kidnapping syndicate terrorising Taraba, neighbouring states
Police arrest two suspected informants to bandits in Kwara
Army troops rescue Deputy Commander of NDLEA officer, five others from kidnappers in Taraba
Rival gangs clash at wedding, one dead in Kontagora, Niger State
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