Crime
NDLEA Smashes Major Drug Cartel…Arrests Leader in Village Mansion in Imo
NDLEA Smashes Major Drug Cartel
…Arrests Leader in Village Mansion in Imo
By: Michael Mike
A major drug cartel behind the production and distribution of deadly psychoactive substance, methamphetamine, popularly called ‘mkpuru mmiri’ has been smashed by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as the leader of the syndicate 42-year-old Chikaodi Mbonu is arrested with his associate in his mansion tucked in his Umuomi village, Uzogba-Ezenomi autonomous community, Ikeduru local government area of Imo State.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Tuesday said the cartel with operational bases in Imo and Rivers state became a target of the NDLEA following intelligence indicating it is responsible for the distribution of substantial quantity of methamphetamine in South East, South South and other parts of the country.
Babafemi said after weeks of surveillance, officers of a special operations unit of the agency last Friday, tracked and traced the drug lord to his village mansion in Imo state where he was caught with a member of his cartel, Chibuike Ofoegbu, 34, with different quantities of methamphetamine, its precursor chemicals, a pump action gun and cartridges.
Babafemi while disclosing the exhibits recovered from the house to include: 419.99 grammes of methamphetamine; 750 grammes of iodine, a precursor chemical for meth; 500 grammes of sodium bicarbonate, a precursor chemical for meth; two electronic weighing scales and a pump action gun with four cartridges, noted that the operatives moved swiftly to another of Mbonu’s hideout located at 11 Redemption Avenue, Port Harcourt, Rivers state where they recovered additional exhibits: 750 grammes of processed sodium bicarbonate; 170 grammes of plain sodium bicarbonate and 75 grammes of meth.
The spokesman said another raid in the home of one of Mbonu’s associates, Odoemenam Chinedu, currently at large, at Njaba local government area, Imo state, led to the recovery of another pump action gun with 25 cartridges, among other items.
He said: “While the kingpin cools his heels in custody, two of his mansions in Imo state have been marked for possible forfeiture to the federal government.”
Babafemi said Mbonu had escaped from South Africa where he lived for years and mastered the art of cooking methamphetamine after he came under investigation for drug dealings, adding that upon his return to Nigeria, he continued the criminal trade by setting up clandestine laboratories in remote villages to shield his nefarious activities.
Meanwhile, while reacting to the successful taking down of the meth syndicate, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men involved in the multi-pronged operation, stating that the manner the interdiction was carried out should send a strong signal to other cartels that there’s no hiding place for them in any part of the country.
NDLEA Smashes Major Drug Cartel
…Arrests Leader in Village Mansion in Imo
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
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