Connect with us

News

NDLEA Smashes Attempts to Smuggle Drugs in Jeans Hems, Dolls, Buttons to Europe, Asia

Published

on

NDLEA Smashes Attempts to Smuggle Drugs in Jeans Hems, Dolls, Buttons to Europe, Asia

By: Michael Mike

Attempts by drug syndicates to smuggle illicit substances including various quantities of methamphetamine and opioids concealed in hems of new jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap and tins of beverage to Europe, United Arab Emirate and Asia have been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at some courier firms in Lagos.

A statement by the spokesman of the anti- narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi on Sunday said some of the consignments intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) at courier houses in Lagos include: tramadol 225mg concealed in hems of new jeans trousers heading to Cyprus; shipment of cannabis sativa hidden in heads of dolls going to Dubai, UAE; sachets of tramadol 225mg buried in tins of beverage going to UAE and another set of same drug hidden in local soap also going to UAE, as well as a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in buttons heading to Hong Kong.

He said a shipment of another illicit substance coming from Florida, USA was equally intercepted at a courier firm while the recipient, Daniel Ogi was tracked by NDLEA officers and arrested at 5 Akeem Shittu street, Ajao Estate Lagos on Friday 24th November 2023.

Babafemi also said operatives in Lagos last Friday arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, 56, who specialises in exploiting and recruiting young persons to export meth to Asian countries. He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in Okota area of Lagos with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilogrammes

In another operation in Lagos, operatives last Friday recovered 393 kilogrammes of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin while a suspect, Justin Enuonye, who deals in Canadian Loud was arrested by the police at Victoria Island and transferred to Lagos Command of NDLEA this same day with 154 parcels weighing 92 kilogrammes.

Babafemi also said a team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108 kilogrammes of cannabis from it, while 675 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota at Adedoja area of Mushin, Lagos State.

In Edo, NDLEA operatives last Wednesday stormed the Ujiogba forest, Esan West local government area where they recovered 5,988 kilogrammes of cannabis already processed and ready for distribution while a 22-year-old, Mson Bunde, (a.k.a Tete Peter Joseph) found in a hut on the cannabis farm was arrested.

He said no less than 120,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in new sound systems packed in a Jos, Plateau state-bound bus were seized by NDLEA officers acting on intelligence along Onitsha-Awka road, Anambra state last Monday, while 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73 kilogrammes were recovered from a suspect, Abdullahi Bello along Gombe-Bauchi road, Gombe state last Wednesday, operatives in Abuja seized 168 blocks of same psychoactive substance with a total weight of 101 kilogrammes from the store of a fleeing drug dealer in Kabusa area of the FCT.

The NDLEA spokesman said no fewer than 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered by NDLEA operatives last Friday when they intercepted a vehicle transporting the opioid along Abuja- Kaduna road, with the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku and his conductor, Muhammad Maina arrested. Same day, operatives also arrested Ernest Esechie, 30, with 44.4 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis sativa along Gwantu- Sanga road, Kaduna.

In Kogi, NDLEA officers arrested Ahmad Umar, 18, with 46.4 kilogrammes of cannabis at a check point in Kabba, while Jamilu Zakari, 32, was nabbed at Kofar Idi, Kandahar, Bauchi town, Bauchi state with 125 blocks of same substance that weighed 146 kilogrammes.

At least, 542.3 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a suspect, Festus Egeogoli, 32, when his base at Jakpa road, Warri, Delta state was raided by NDLEA operatives last Wednesday, while 125.9 kilogrammes of same substance were also seized from a store in the same area.

He said the various commands of the Agency across the country
continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students of Phrankstars School, Awka, Anambra; students of Taskar Alkairi Primary and Secondary Schools, Goburawa, Dala LGA, as well as Natsugune Primary and Secondary Schools, Ungogo LGA, Kano; students of Kevqueen College, Itanla, Ondo West LGA, Ondo; students of Unibek Group of Schools, Port Harcourt, Rivers; students of The Apostolic High School, Ilesa, Osun, and students of Usman Jidda Shuwa Memorial Secondary School, Gamboru, Borno state.

Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Gombe, FCT, Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi and Delta commands of the agency as well as DOGI for their outstanding feats in the past week, applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating parity between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.

NDLEA Smashes Attempts to Smuggle Drugs in Jeans Hems, Dolls, Buttons to Europe, Asia

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

News

Akpeme’s Suspension Of Delta State NAPPS Exco Is Illegal -Young

Published

on

Akpeme’s Suspension Of Delta State NAPPS Exco Is Illegal -Young

The Chairman, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Delta State Wing, Deaconess (Mrs.) Young P.N, has said that Dr. Ochuko Akpeme lacks powers to suspend the state executive.

She said this during a phone conversation with Oasis Magazine on Monday night.

Recall that online media reports on Monday quoted Dr. Akpeme declaring the Young-led executive suspended in Asaba during a press conference.

Reacting, Deacon Young, added that he simply wants to remain a life president.

Her words: “He claims to be the South South Vice President and we do not recognize him as so and we have no dealings with him. He just wants to cause confusion. He and other NAPPS members he picked from Asaba who he said her regional executive members are impersonators and we will deal with him and his accomplices legally if he continues in this direction,” saying that the suspension pronounced on them by Akpeme and his cohorts is illegal, null and void.

According to her, just last week, a letter of caution was sent to him warning him to desist from parading himself round the chapters in the state as the Vice President, South South, adding that they also reminded him in the said letter that they were sworn-in with the 2017 constitution and not that of 2023.

She continued: “What he did today is unacceptable. He should look for his loyalists and work with them and not my excos.”

ALSO READ: DELSU Has Received Students’ Loan Disbursement Of Over N350M –NELFUND

Furthermore, she called on NAPPS members in the state to be calm and resolute, saying that they are on the matter and that there was no cause for alarm.

She said further: “We are not under Akpeme, our NVP is Hon Ekhosuehi Rueben Ikponwwmen Dr. Hajia Samari as our National President. He wants to force Delta NAPPS to join him in his group. He is recruiting young people who are new in the association and have little knowledge about the issues. We did not vote for him as he claims.”

Continuing, she hinted that the state exco has held an online emergency meeting and they have agreed that will remain where they are and that they will not change their minds on not supporting Akpeme.

Meanwhile, she said the state general meeting for Wednesday scheduled to hold in Sapele will still hold, just as she disclosed that he has not been attending their meetings and they are not expecting him, while threatening to arrest him if he shows up at the venue.

Akpeme’s Suspension Of Delta State NAPPS Exco Is Illegal -Young

Continue Reading

News

Singer Market Inferno: FG, APC Govs Donate N8bn To Kano Traders

Published

on

Singer Market Inferno: FG, APC Govs Donate N8bn To Kano Traders

As VP Shettima receives Yusuf into APC, says governor’s place in party is second to none

By: Our Reporter

The Federal Government has approved the sum of N5 billion as intervention fund for traders affected by the fire outbreak that razed large sections of the popular Singer Market in Kano.

This is just as state governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), also donated N3 billion to victims of the inferno, totalling N8 billion to provide relief to hundreds of affected traders.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who announced the donations on Monday when he led a Federal Government delegation to condole with traders at the market on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, sympathized with the traders, praying Almighty God to prevent future occurrence of fire disaster in the market.

Senator Shettima also formally received Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State and his teeming supporters into the APC fold on behalf of the President.

Speaking during the grand reception to welcome Governor Yusuf to the APC at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, the Vice President reiterated President Tinubu’s assurance that the governor’s place in the governing party was second to none.

He noted that the governor’s decision to join the governing party has strengthened the collective resolve of the Tinubu administration and the party to build a more inclusive and prosperous nation.ll

“Your Excellency, we have watched the transformation that Kano has undergone under your leadership. We have seen a commitment to people-centred governance and a respect for the mandate of history. Today, we are proud to welcome you aboard the All Progressives Congress train.

“We welcome you with open hands and open hearts. His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it abundantly clear that your place in this party is second to none and that your presence strengthens our collective resolve to build a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria,” the VP stated.

Describing Kano as “an eloquent expression of Nigeria’s cosmopolitan soul” and a state that “welcomes every Nigerian, absorbs every accent, accommodates every ambition, and turns diversity into destiny,” VP Shettima acknowledged the state’s contributions to Nigeria, which he said “stretch far beyond the arithmetic of elections.

“In commerce, Kano has been the heartbeat of enterprise and trade. In scholarship, it has produced minds that interrogate power and redefine ideas. In politics, in culture, in faith, in industry, Kano has consistently offered Nigeria more than it has ever demanded in return. This is a state whose influence transcends geography and whose legacy outgrows any single political moment,” he maintained.

The Vice President recalled that Kano had gifted Nigeria “towering figures who reshaped” the nation’s “political philosophy and moral imagination,” citing prominent politicians like the late Alhaji Maitama Sule and Alhaji Aminu Kano as examples.

Welcoming Governor Yusuf to the APC, Senator Shettima described the governor as “another visionary son of Kano,” observing that the governor and his supporters are on “a political journey that speaks to the future of” Nigeria.

“His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, may be a man of few words, but his principles speak loudly. They speak in the language of conviction. They speak in the language of discipline. They speak in the language of service. They speak in a tone that cannot be doubted because they are anchored in consistency and guided by purpose,” he stated.

On behalf of the Federal Government, the VP sympathised with Governor Yusuf over the fire outbreak at Singer Market, assuring that the government at the centre will work collaboratively with the state “to ensure that support is extended to all those affected and that recovery efforts are swift and effective.”

Also, Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, noted that with the governor’s defection to the APC, Kano was now in the main stream of Nigerian politics and will benefit more from the government at the centre.

“What this means is that Kano will begin to benefit more from the national government. We will have more infrastructure and healthcare delivery as well as all other facets of development. When you (Governor Yusuf) complete your eight years, Kano will become an eldorado,” he said.

On his part, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Tajudeen Abbas, said the coming of Governor Yusuf into the APC was very important and strategic for the party.

“Kano is the powerhouse of our democracy, and today, Allah has made it possible for the governor to move and this will be the beginning of the coming of so many good things to Kano. The future of Kano will be brighter under him,” the Speaker assured.

For his part, APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the Governor has made the right move by joining the APC, and the state is set to reap the benefits of the decision.

He praised the infrastructural development witnessed by the state under the governor, assuring that the party will support him to do more for the State.

Prof Yilwatda handed over the symbolic APC flag to the Governor and some federal legislators who also decamped to the APC

Also, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, described Governor Yusuf as an original breed of the APC who “only went on sabbatical and has returned home.”

Uzodinma urged supporters and local government chairmen in the state to work hard to ensure victory for APC, saying President Tinubu is happy with the political development in Kano.

Thanking Vice President and the APC entourage for the grand reception, Governor Yusuf said his official entry into the APC was a very important occasion and a defining moment for the state, noting that “the reason for politics should always be to serve the people.”

The governor said he decided to join the APC family in order to deliver results for the people of Kano, adding that all the decisions he has taken as a governor were guided by the need to better the lot of the people.

Explaining why he dump the NNPP, Governor Yusuf said his former party was not providing the cohesion and stability required for the development of the state.

“Kano is too large and too important to be disconnected from the government at the centre,” he added, even as he pledged his support and loyalty to President Bola Tinubu.

Also, former National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, noted that Governor Yusuf’s defection has not only increased the numerical strength of the APC in Kano State but also consolidated the position of the party in the state.

“This move of the governor is a compound of party followers that will continue to think, act, plan and move together to ensure an all round development of Kano State,” he said.

Singer Market Inferno: FG, APC Govs Donate N8bn To Kano Traders

Continue Reading

News

NCSP DG Salutes China on Spring Festival, Unveils Push for Export-Driven Economic Reset

Published

on

NCSP DG Salutes China on Spring Festival, Unveils Push for Export-Driven Economic Reset

By: Michael Mike

The Director-General of the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), Joseph Tegbe, has congratulated the government and people of China on the Spring Festival, describing the celebration as symbolic of a renewed and more ambitious phase in Nigeria–China economic relations.

In a statement marking the Lunar New Year, Tegbe noted that this year’s festivities coincide with the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Nigeria and China, established in 1971. He said the milestone reflects a resilient partnership that has grown from formal diplomatic engagement into one of Africa’s most consequential economic relationships.

According to him, the relationship—now elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership—has expanded beyond trade to encompass infrastructure financing, industrial investment, technology cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

He said China remains Nigeria’s largest trading partner and a major contributor to strategic infrastructure projects spanning rail, ports, power and industrial parks.

Tegbe, however, stressed that the next chapter of engagement must go beyond infrastructure development to focus on value addition, manufacturing and export competitiveness.

He described the Zero-Tariff initiative introduced by the Chinese government for qualifying African exports as a potential game-changer for Nigeria’s non-oil sector. The policy, he said, opens a pathway for Nigerian producers to access one of the world’s largest consumer markets under preferential trade terms.

“The Zero-Tariff arrangement provides Nigerian businesses with an unprecedented opportunity to scale exports, deepen industrial processing and create jobs at home,” Tegbe stated. “But access alone is not enough—success will depend on quality standards, efficient logistics and strong collaboration between government and the private sector.”

He disclosed that the NCSP is engaging stakeholders across manufacturing, agriculture and export promotion agencies to ensure Nigeria maximises the preferential trade window and translates diplomatic goodwill into measurable economic gains.

Tegbe added that as both countries commemorate 55 years of diplomatic engagement, the symbolism of the Spring Festival—renewal, growth and prosperity—mirrors what he described as a strategic recalibration of bilateral ties toward sustainable development and shared prosperity.

“With deliberate execution and policy discipline, this next phase of Nigeria–China relations can redefine our export landscape and strengthen industrial capacity,” he said.

Observers say the renewed emphasis on export diversification signals a broader shift in Nigeria’s foreign economic strategy, positioning China not just as an infrastructure partner but as a gateway for industrial expansion and global market access.

NCSP DG Salutes China on Spring Festival, Unveils Push for Export-Driven Economic Reset

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights