Connect with us

Crime

NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest

Published

on

NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest


…3 Operatives Injured, One Undergoes Brain Surgery

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have engaged armed hoodlums in crossfire during a siege on forest warehouses in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state where drugs to be sold during the forthcoming Yuletide period were stored.

A statement on Thursday from the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the operatives repelled rain of bullets from armed hoodlums who blocked all roads in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state to prevent the anti-narcotic operatives from accessing the forest warehouses where tons of processed psychoactive substances have been stored for distribution nationwide ahead of the coming Christmas and New Year season.

He noted that this is coming barely 11 months after armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers who stormed the community to destroy massive warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilogrammes (317.4 metric tons) of cannabis sativa on Wednesday 18th January 2023.

He recalled that at least, three suspects: Omoruan Theophilus, 37; Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53, and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42, were arrested in connection with the drugs then.

Babafemi said Opuje community is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares. After harvest, they build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses at all time.

He said following credible intelligence that the drug cartels had again stocked their warehouses in the forest to start distribution of the psychoactive substance to various parts of the country ahead of the Yuletide season, teams of NDLEA officers were mobilized to enter the Edo forests and block the distribution of the illicit drug by destroying their warehouses. Some of the warehouses containing about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis were first taken down in Ujiogba forest in Esan West LGA last weekend.

He added that the NDLEA teams however came under gunfire attack in the early hours of Monday when they approached the Opuje forest after the armed hoodlums had blocked all access roads in the community. He said the NDLEA operatives were able to exit the area after over two hours of gun fight with the armed hoodlums.

Babafemi said unfortunately, three of the officers were injured in the attack with one of them shot in the head while some of the vehicles used for the operation were riddled with bullets. The affected officers were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the critically injured one had a major surgery on Wednesday to remove the bullets in his brain.

In his reaction to the attack, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) warned that those sponsoring attacks on the operatives would know no rest until they are all brought before the law to face the consequences of their action and their criminal trade terminated.

While commending the professional conduct of the officers involved in the operation, Marwa said the incident will not in any way deter the agency from continuing its ongoing offensive action against drug barons and cartels who are merchants of death bent on destroying the lives of innocent citizens especially the youths for their own comfort across the nooks and crannies of the country.

NDLEA Officers in Crossfire with Hoodlums in Notorious Edo Hemp Forest

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Crime

NDLEA busts clandestine Colos lab in Lagos

Published

on

NDLEA busts clandestine Colos lab in Lagos
…Arrests music artist; Steady Boy for dug related offense

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a clandestine laboratory where Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis is being produced in a residential building.

The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday, said the laboratory is located at Ajao estate, Isolo, Lagos state and during the clampdown, large quantities of freshly cooked Colos and various precursor chemicals for drug production were recovered, adding that the 30-year-old lab owner, Kelechi Imoh was arrested.

He noted that the discovery followed months of intelligence gathering on possible Colos laboratories in Lagos after NDLEA officers intercepted consignments of freshly produced Colos in March and May 2025 in the state, a development that suggested that the dangerous psychoactive substance, which was hitherto imported into the country, was now locally produced.

He said the effort paid off last Thursday when NDLEA officers raided the residential apartment in Ajao estate, Isolo, Lagos state which Imoh converted to a laboratory for cooking Colos, a strain of cannabis produced with the psychoactive plant and various chemicals.

Recovered from the apartment include: freshly cooked Colos weighing 16.2 kilogrammes; ADB-CHMNACA Cannabinol -1.7 kilogrammes; Potassium Carbonate -4.5 kilogrammes and Dibromobutane – 91 litres.

Babafemi said in another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday raided the enclave of a 28-year-old drug dealer Afeez Salisu (alias Malu) in Mushin where 16 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis as well as designer sachets and bottles of Colorado weighing 16.4 kilogrammes were recovered from him.

He said a music artist Godspower George Osahenrumwen whose stage name is Steady Boy was last Thursday arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to take delivery of a large consignment of Loud, a strain of cannabis concealed inside three cartons of bathtub imported along with other items such as cloths and gadgets from New York, United States.

He revealed that the arrest followed the seizure of the shipment which arrived the import shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos from US aboard a DHL flight last Tuesday.

Babafemi said the 20-year-old music artist was nabbed at Bougain Villa, Primewater Gardens 2, Freedom way, Lekki Lagos when he showed up as the consignee to take delivery of the 140 bags of Loud with a gross weight of 77.2 kilogrammes on behalf of a syndicate, which includes his manager, Zion Osazee Omigie (a.k.a Zee Money) who is currently at large.

In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja – Jos highway on Sunday 26th October intercepted a consignment of 84,710 capsules of tramadol coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and heading to Bauchi. A follow up operation in Bauchi led to the arrest of the recipient Musa Abdulkarim, 27.

Babafemi said two days later, on Tuesday, operatives at the tollgate along Abuja – Kaduna highway arrested Hamza Musa, 47, conveying 32, 946 bottles of Akuskura, a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) from Lagos, while Saidu Nafiu, 30, was nabbed with 131.5 kilogrammes skunk at Kamfanin Zangon Aya, Igabi local government area, Kaduna.

Babafemi revealed that three suspects: Seun Olaniyi, 24; Rauf Asogba, 28; and Ayinla Adeniyi, 50, were last Saturday arrested at Abeokuta, Ogun state after a team of NDLEA officers tracked their movement from Benin Republic and eventually intercepted their bus along Abiola way, Abeokuta, with a total 1,779 kilogrammes skunk recovered from them.

He said while Jamilu Mustapha (a.k.a Last Card), 46, was arrested with 596.4 kilogrammes skunk at Nasaru town, Ningi local government area, Bauchi State last Wednesday, no fewer than 532,600 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from the trio of Halilu Amiru; Rabiu Maikudi and Ibrahim Mati in a truck marked KTG- 791 ZZ at Oko-olowo, Ilorin, Kwara state same day.

In Edo state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okhokho – Isi community in Uhunmwode local government area last Wednesday intercepted two Toyota Sienna buses marked EPE 545 EV and ABC 142 CD conveying a total of 1,455 kilogrammes skunk following credible intelligence.

He said in like manner, operatives in Ondo state last Tuesday recovered a total of 2,829 kilogrammes skunk linked to a 32-year-old female suspect Mrs. Ige Olarewaju from two locations at Ayede, Ogbese, while another suspect Samuel Adebayo was nabbed with 737 kilogrammes of same psychoactive substance at Adegbola junction, Akure.

No less than 76.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture of black currant, skunk and opioids were seized from a suspect Ige Oluwale, 50, who was arrested by NDLEA officers at Ibereko, Bagadry, Lagos last Friday, while a total of 30,370 pills of tramadol and 177 grammes of methamphetamine were recovered from the duo of Musbahu Abdullahi, 28; and Saleiman Ahmed, 25, following their arrest at Wukari, Taraba state by operatives last Thursday when they were conveying the drugs from Onitsha, Anambra state to Yola, Adamawa state.

Babafemi said 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, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), while commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kaduna, Edo, Kwara, Ogun, Taraba, Ondo, Seme, and Bauchi commands as well as their compatriots across the country for their resilience, professionalism and balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the country, vowed that the agency will continue to target and dismantle every identified drug syndicate in any part of Nigeria while denying them of the benefits of the proceeds of their criminal trade by ensuring that they forfeit all their traceable assets to the Federal Government.

NDLEA busts clandestine Colos lab in Lagos

Continue Reading

Crime

Exclusive: How bandit kingpin Jankare was killed in Katsina

Published

on

Exclusive: How bandit kingpin Jankare was killed in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

Fresh fact have emerged how the Notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Abdurrahman Jankare, was killed by a rival in an internal dispute in Tsaskiya village, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Reliable security and local sources Zagazola Makama that Jankare was gunned down on Thursday by a fellow bandit identified as Nazanku, a trusted ally of another notorious bandit leader, Dan Ori.

The incident, sources said, stemmed from a feud over the seizure of a rifle and a bag containing magazines belonging to Nazanku.

“Last week, Jankare seized Nazanku’s rifle, and just yesterday, he also took a bag in which he kept magazines. This provoked Nazanku, who confronted him and shot him dead,” one of the sources said.

Only seven people reportedly attended Jankare’s funeral prayer before he was buried later in the day.

Until his death, Kachalla Jankare was one of the most feared lieutenants of the late Kachalla Usman Modi Modi and was linked to several deadly attacks and kidnappings in Dutsinma, Safana, and Kurfi Local Government Areas of Katsina State.

His death is said to have triggered renewed tension among rival bandit factions across the northwest forest axis.

Exclusive: How bandit kingpin Jankare was killed in Katsina

Continue Reading

Crime

JNIM claims first attack in Kwara, four months after announcing new brigade

Published

on

JNIM claims first attack in Kwara, four months after announcing new brigade

By: Zagazola Makama

Al-Qaeda–linked militant group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for an attack in Kwara State, its first in Nigeria, four months after announcing the establishment of a new brigade in the country.

According to intelligence sources, the attack reportedly occurred in the northern part of Kwara, along the border corridor linking Niger and Kogi States.

JNIM, which operates mainly in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, announced in June the creation of a new brigade for Nigeria, raising concerns about a possible southward expansion of jihadist influence.

Zagazola said that the claim aligns with earlier intelligence warnings of cross-border infiltration through smuggling routes connecting Benin Republic and Niger.

“JNIM’s latest statement describes the attack as the debut operation of its Nigerian brigade. If verified, this would indicate a dangerous evolution of the regional threat landscape,” the source said.

Security operatives in Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States should intensify patrols and surveillance in response to the development, with reinforcements deployed to border communities.

Military and intelligence agencies should work to identify possible linkages between JNIM operatives and local extremist networks.

The incident comes amid heightened regional insecurity and the continued fragmentation of terror groups across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.

JNIM claims first attack in Kwara, four months after announcing new brigade

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights