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NDLEA Storms Edo Forests, Razes Warehouse Housing 317 tons of Cannabis

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NDLEA Storms Edo Forests, Razes Warehouse Housing 317 tons of Cannabis

By Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a lethal blow on a cluster of cannabis syndicates operating in the Opuje forests of Edo state where massive warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilogrammes (317.4 metric tons) of the psychoactive substance were destroyed and set ablaze in a two-day operation.

The clampdown came few hours after the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) vowed to make life tough for drug barons and cartels in Year 2023 if they fail to back out of the illicit drug trade.

A statement on Saturday by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi said a police impersonator, Omoruan Theophilus, 37, who parades as a Police Inspector to convey the drugs from the forests to the cities and three others: Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Zaza, 53, and Naomi Ohiewere, 42, were arrested in connection with the drugs.

Babafemi, while noting that the Opuje community in Owan West Local Government Area, Edo State, is notorious for cannabis cultivation, with cartels investing huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares, and after harvest built warehouses inside the forest reserves, employing the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses round the clock.

Babafemi said accessing the forest last Wednesday took hours of trekking by hundreds of NDLEA operatives. He said they were ambushed with bonfire by armed youths on their way out of the community the following day but were able to successfully leave the area without any casualty except the heavy investment losses inflicted on the cartels.

The spokesman also said the agency last Thursday through intelligence received from the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States busted a criminal syndicate involved in the trafficking of fake USD currency in Lagos.

He noted that during a combined operation carried out by NDLEA operatives with their EFCC colleagues, a total of $269,000 counterfeit US dollars were recovered from the syndicate at Oniru Shoprite area of Lekki, Lagos, where three suspects were arrested.

Meanwhile, Marwa while commending all the officers involved in the two special operations in Edo and Lagos States for their professionalism and commitment, had directed that the fake dollars recovered and suspects arrested in the Lekki operation be immediately transferred to the EFCC for possible prosecution.

NDLEA Storms Edo Forests, Razes Warehouse Housing 317 tons of Cannabis

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One killed, another injured as Lakurawa bandits attack cattle range in Sokoto

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One killed, another injured as Lakurawa bandits attack cattle range in Sokoto

By: Zagazola Makama

One person has been killed and another injured following an attack by suspected Lakurawa armed bandits on a cattle range on the outskirts of Tangaza along the Nigeria–Niger border in Sokoto State.

Sources said the incident occurred on Feb. 20 at about 9:15 p.m., when a large group of bandits armed with sophisticated weapons reportedly stormed the area, opening fire on residents.

Army Forward Operating Base, and other security forces were swiftly mobilized to the scene. The troops confirmed that one Yahaya Al-Hassan, 30, was shot dead, while Bello Muhammad sustained a gunshot injury to his left leg.

The attackers reportedly rustled an unspecified number of domestic animals before fleeing into a nearby forest. The deceased and the injured victim were evacuated to the General Hospital Tangaza for autopsy and treatment.

The troops said efforts were being intensified to apprehend the assailants and recover the stolen livestock. Confidence-building patrols by joint security teams are ongoing in the area to reassure residents and prevent further attacks.

One killed, another injured as Lakurawa bandits attack cattle range in Sokoto

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Bandits abduct villagers, rustle cattle in Zamfara

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Bandits abduct villagers, rustle cattle in Zamfara

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed bandits have abducted several villagers and rustled an unspecified number of cattle following an attack on Kuya village in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Sources said the incident occurred on Feb. 21 at about 12:00 p.m., when armed men carrying AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons stormed the village via Kekun Waje district.

The assailants reportedly abducted an unknown number of residents and drove away a yet-to-be-quantified number of cattle to an unknown location.

The sources said the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were immediately deployed to pursue the bandits, with efforts focused on rescuing the abducted victims and recovering the stolen livestock.

Security forces have intensified operations in the area to restore normalcy and prevent further attacks.

Bandits abduct villagers, rustle cattle in Zamfara

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Kidnap victim found dead in Adamawa, security forces launch manhunt

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Kidnap victim found dead in Adamawa, security forces launch manhunt

By: Zagazola Makama

Security forces have launched a manhunt for suspected kidnappers following the discovery of the body of a ransom bearer who was abducted alongside others in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Security sources said the case was reported on Feb. 21 at about 4:00 p.m. by the Village Head of Mallam Madugu, Aminu Modibbo Bakura, at a police station in the area.

According to the sources, two residents – Usman Ibrahim, 45, and Abubakar Arwa, 65 – were initially kidnapped on Feb. 10 at about 9:00 a.m. by unknown gunmen who took them to an undisclosed location. The incident was not formally reported at the time.

Sources said that after a ransom of N1 million was arranged, two other residents, Abubakar Abdullahi, 28, and Ahmadu Ibrahim, 55, went to deliver the payment on Feb. 18 at about 5:00 p.m., but were also abducted by the assailants.

The matter came to light when, on Feb. 21 at about 2:00 p.m., the corpse of Abubakar Abdullahi was discovered.

Police operatives who visited the scene observed three bullet wounds on the deceased and recovered seven empty AK-47 ammunition shells.

The body was evacuated to a cottage hospital in Girei for autopsy, while investigations commenced.

Authorities said efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the perpetrators, assuring residents that security operations had been intensified across the area to curb kidnapping and related crimes.

Kidnap victim found dead in Adamawa, security forces launch manhunt

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