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NDLEA seizes illicit drug consignment at MMIA, intercepts 5 pregnant teenage girls exploited for child trafficking

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NDLEA seizes illicit drug consignment at MMIA, intercepts 5 pregnant teenage girls exploited for child trafficking

By: Michael Mike

Latest attempts to export various quantities of methamphetamine and skunk by members of some transnational drug trafficking organisations through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and courier companies in Lagos been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who intercepted the illicit drug consignments concealed in different items.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi read that at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives last Tuesday intercepted an intending passenger going to Oman, Ugwu Tochukwu, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight, noting that upon a thorough search of his luggage, 7.50 kilogrammes of skunk were discovered concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf.

Babafemi added that NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilogrammes of skunk and 14 grammes of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes respectively.

He said in Imo state, operatives on patrol along Aba-Owerri expressway last Wednesday intercepted five pregnant teenage girls suspected to be victims of child trafficking used as baby factory. He disclosed that they were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in Naze area of Owerri to Ikenegbu area of the state capital.

The victims include: Chioma Emmanuel, 15; Uma Faith, 15; Divine Adimonye, 17; Opara Gift, 15; and Amarachi Mbata, 16. In their statements, they claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them. The Imo state command of the agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigations.

Babafemi also said two suspects: Moses Akowe, 32, and Sunday Gabriel, 31, were arrested with 227.1 kilogrammes of cannabis last Tuesday at Ikebe village, Ankpa local government area of Kogi state, even as a female suspect, Bilikisu Salako, 35, was nabbed with 108 kilogrammes of same substance last Saturday in Ifo area of Ogun state.

He revealed that a total of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55 kilogrammes and 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup seized from the duo of Salisu Murtala and Shafi’u Dahiru last Tuesday along Abuja road have been traced to two other suspects: Muntari Nasiru and Yusuf Ali who were arrested in follow up operations in Kano.

In FCT Abuja, a 27-year-old Kingsley Chimaobi was arrested with 6,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup along Lokogoma-Abuja road last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lagos last Wednesday sentenced to five years imprisonment a drug dealer, Segun Odeyemi for trafficking and dealing in 3,842 kilogrammes of skunk. He was arrested on Saturday 1st July while conveying 89 jumbo bags of the illicit substance in his truck around Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki. He was subsequently charged in suit number FHC/L/388C/2023 presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko.

Babafemi said across the country, various commands of the agency continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in the past week taking advocacy messages to the stakeholders. He noted that instances of this include, WADA advocacy visit to the head of Kadiria Islamic Sect of Africa, Sheikh Qaribullah Nasiru Kabara, in Kano; WADA sensitisation lecture for men and officers of Nigerian Army, Sobi barracks, Ilorin; lecture for Muslim community in Kaduna; WADA sensitisation lecture at Enugu State College of Health and Technology, Oji- River; advocacy lecture for members of Ram Sellers Association, Osogbo as well as officers and men of the Nigerian Navy School of Music, Ota, Ogun state, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Imo, Kaduna, Ogun, Kogi, FCT and Lagos Commands as well as those of DOGI for intensifying their drug control efforts, however applauded the commitment of all the commands across the country to work with other stakeholders to take the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to the communities, schools, worship centres, work places and traditional institutions. He equally charged them not to relent.

NDLEA seizes illicit drug consignment at MMIA, intercepts 5 pregnant teenage girls exploited for child trafficking

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Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara

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Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of the Nigerian Army have neutralised two suspected terrorists during a fighting patrol in Zamfara State.

Security sources said the operation was conducted by troops of 1 Brigade Quick Reaction Force (QRF) from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bagega in the early hours of May 4.

The troops, while on patrol, advanced through Maikwanuga village in Talata Mafara Local Government Area, extending operations to Aljumma, Gidan Dawa, Magami Didi, and Tungar Magaji villages in Maradun Local Government Area.

During the operation, the troops made contact with suspected terrorists at Tungar Magaji village, where a firefight ensued.

“In the course of the engagement, two terrorists were neutralised, while others fled with possible gunshot wounds,” the source said.

Items recovered from the scene include one AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and a motorcycle.

The troops are currently exploiting the general area to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent further threats in the region.

Troops neutralise two terrorists, recover arms in Zamfara

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Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo

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Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of 34 Artillery Brigade, operating from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Oguta, in collaboration with a local vigilante group, have raided a suspected cultist hideout in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Security sources said the operation, conducted at about 3:34 p.m. on May 4, led to the arrest of five suspects allegedly linked to criminal activities in the area.

The sources noted that the group was believed to be responsible for a series of crimes within the general area.

One of the suspects has reportedly volunteered to lead troops to a suspected armoury located at Osomoto Valley in the same local government area.

The suspects are currently in custody, while further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing.

Troops arrest five suspects in raid on criminal hideout in Imo

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Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks

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Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks

By Zagazola Makama

Three civilians have been killed in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State in a renewed outbreak of violence amid ongoing tit-for-tat attacks linked to longstanding communal tensions between groups in parts of the state.

Security sources said the incident occurred in the night of May 3 at about 8:55 p.m. when suspected fulani armed elements ambushed civilians travelling on motorcycles along a rural route near Fan Loo. The victims were reportedly intercepted and shot before the attackers fled into nearby bushes.

Troops of Sector 4 under Operation Safe Haven (OPEP) were immediately alerted and deployed to the scene. However, on arrival, they met the aftermath of the attack, with three persons confirmed dead.

The bodies were evacuated after preliminary assessment, while security forces launched follow-up operations in surrounding communities to track the fleeing attackers.

According to security sources, the incident is believed to be part of a wider pattern of tit-for-tat violence in parts of Barkin Ladi and adjoining Local Government Areas, where communities have repeatedly experienced cycles of attacks and reprisal killings linked to longstanding communal tensions and armed group activities.

The latest attack comes barely days after a series of violent incidents in Plateau State, including kidnappings, killings, and armed confrontations between security forces and armed groups in Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi axis. Within the week, a Paster was killed, his wife and daughter in response to an earlier attack on Fulani and rustling of livestock.

In Barkin Ladi, a Fulani community leader, Alhaji Lawal Abubakar, was recently abducted from his residence in Kara village, prompting search operations by troops. In Bokkos, Mr. Danlami Luka was killed in Kaban village in an attack that also heightened tensions in surrounding settlements.

In Mangu Local Government Area, troops have been engaged in multiple operations following earlier unrest, including a deadly confrontation in Sabon Gari community during an attempt to prevent escalation of youth mobilisation linked to a prior killing at a mining site.

That incident, according to security sources, escalated rapidly when troops came under fire while attempting to restore order, The locals, attacked the Nigerian Army troops killing a senior officer in the process. The troops responded in self defense leading to the neutralisation of two attackers and recovery of weapons. The situation later triggered further unrest and retaliatory attacks in parts of the LGA, with the youths blocking the roads and attacking people identified as Hausa or Muslims.

Troops later conducted operation within same communities where they recovered additional weapons and ammunition from locals.

Across the state, troops of Operation Enduring Peace have maintained an intensified operational posture, conducting patrols, cordon-and-search missions, arrests of suspected criminals, and show-of-force operations aimed at stabilising volatile communities.

In Bassa Local Government Area, a suspected vandal was recently arrested while attempting to steal copper cables, while in Jos East and Jos South, troops intervened in disputes involving farmland destruction and grazing conflicts to prevent escalation into wider violence.

Despite these interventions, Plateau State continues to experience violence characterised by attacks, reprisals, and counter-operations, particularly in rural communities where grievances are often quickly transformed into armed confrontations.

The Fan Loo killings, fit into this expanding trend, where attacks on civilians frequently trigger retaliatory tensions, further complicating security responses and increasing the risk of escalation. Youths and religious leaders have also continued to make inflammatory remarks aimed at pitching locals against non indigenes.

Three Killed in Renewed Violence between Fulani and Berom militia in Plateau as Troops Intensify Operations Amid Tit-for-Tat Attacks

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