Crime
Surinamese gets 13 years jail term for drug offence
Surinamese gets 13 years jail term for drug offence
As NDLEA secures conviction of 1,445 drug traffickers in six months
By: Michael Mike
A 34-year-old South American man from Suriname has been sentenced to 13 years prison term for smuggling drug into Nigeria.
The man, whose name was given as Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert, was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers state for bringing into Nigeria 117 parcels of cocaine concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory packed inside bottles of 100ml body spray, taken to court subsequently found guilty and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
According to a statement on Wednesday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, the accused who claimed he departed his country, Suriname, located in the North Eastern coast of South America on 2nd April for Sao Paulo, Brazil and from Sao Paulo to Nigeria on Friday 7th April, 2023 on board Qatar Airways flight in search of his long-lost Nigerian father whom he called “Omini”, was arraigned before Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court 2, Port Harcourt on 1st June on two counts of importation and unlawful possession of 9.9 kilogrammes cocaine in charge number FHC/PH/181C/23.
READ ALSO: https://dailypost.ng/2023/08/02/niger-tribunal-set-to-give-ruling-on-17-petitions-445-exhibits/
The Surinamese however pleaded guilty to the two-count charge and after the review of the facts of the case on Thursday 20th July, he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment on both counts without an option of fine.
In his ruling, Justice Obile declared that “You Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert is hereby sentenced to 13 years imprisonment without option of fine on Count 1 and Count 2 also. And both shall run concurrently.”
The trial judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of US$90 R$10 (Brazilian Real) recovered from the convict at the time of his arrest to the Federal Government. The court equally refused the application by Lorenzo’s Counsel for him to be deported back to his country. As a result, the convict is now serving his term of imprisonment at the Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to Babafemi, the successful prosecution and conviction of Lorenzo is one of the 1,445 drug cases concluded at the Federal High Court across the country between January and June 2023 by the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of NDLEA with the trial of a total of 11,166 other drug suspects ongoing in court.
He said out of the 1,445 convicts, 221 of them are female while the balance of 1,541 are male; and of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 of them are men while the rest, 540 are women.
Babafemi said the 1,445 convicts and 11,166 suspects who are still facing trial were arrested and charged to court over the seizure of 555,953.70 kilogrammes of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and others linked to them between January and June 2023.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) commended officers and men of the prosecution department for a job well done.
He however charged them to remain committed to diligent prosecution of all pending cases in court, adding that conviction and sentencing without the option of fine is a strong deterrence to offenders and anyone contemplating going into any crime.
Surinamese gets 13 years jail term for drug offence
Crime
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
By: Zagazola Makama
A catastrophic fire has torn through the Kalari settlement in Konduga Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, claiming three lives and displacing over 3,000 people. The blaze, which erupted at approximately 1:00 PM, engulfed three villages, reducing more than 1,500 thatched houses to ashes.
Zagazola Makama gathered that In response to the disaster, the military, along with the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF), mobilized swiftly to provide emergency assistance. Personnel from the 222 Battalion rendered first aid to the wounded and transported the injured to Maiduguri Specialist Hospital via Army ambulances.
The timely intervention of key local officials, including the Chairman of Konduga LGA, a Member of the House of Assembly, and the Commissioner for Environment, ensured immediate relief efforts for the affected families.
This incident comes on the heels of severe flooding that devastated Konduga LGA in September 2024, following the collapse of the Alau Dam. The flash floods from the dam’s collapse also affected Maiduguri and Jere LGAs, displacing an estimated 240,000 people. Many residents are still recovering from that catastrophe, and the latest fire disaster has further intensified the region’s humanitarian crisis.
An Official of SEMA, said the Borno State Government has made an urgent appeal for humanitarian aid to support the thousands affected by both the recent fire and previous flood disasters. Efforts are underway to provide shelter, food, and medical care to those impacted by these successive calamities.
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
One Killed, Several Injured in Niger Communal Clash Over Farmland
By: Zagazola Makama
A communal clash over farmland between youths from Gbajibo and Goragora communities in Jebba District of Mokwa Local Government Area has left one person dead and ten others seriously injured.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on April 5, 2025, at about 2:00 p.m., when armed youths from Gbajibo Community, predominantly of the Nupe ethnic group, launched an attack on Goragora, a Hausa settlement, allegedly over disputed farmlands belonging to the Nupes but cultivated by the Hausa settlers.
Armed with locally made guns and machetes, the attackers clashed violently with residents of Goragora.
Security forces were swiftly mobilized to the scene to restore order.
Eight individuals from Goragora and two from Gbajibo sustained various degrees of injuries. They were taken to the General Hospital Mokwa for treatment, but one of the victims was confirmed dead on arrival.
Security forces have restored calm to the area, with additional personnel and local vigilantes deployed to maintain peace and prevent further violence.
One Killed, Several Injured in Niger Communal Clash Over Farmland
Bandits Attack, Set Houses Ablaze, Abduct Five Women in Tsafe, Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
A group of armed bandits launched a violent attack on Rakyabu Village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State on April 5, 2025, at around 6:30 p.m.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the assailants shot indiscriminately, causing panic among the villagers, and set several houses on fire.
The sources said that during the attack, the bandits abducted five women, including Rakiya Adamu and four other victims, before fleeing the area to an unknown destination.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were quickly mobilized to the scene, but by the time they arrived, the bandits had already deserted the village.
Sources have confirmed that efforts are underway to secure the safe release of the abducted women.
Bandits Attack, Set Houses Ablaze, Abduct Five Women in Tsafe, Zamfara
VP Shettima Demands More Private Sector Engagement In Healthcare Reforms
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
Six Die in Taraba Boat Mishap, Nine Rescued
-
News1 year agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years agoTHE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News1 year agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions3 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
Columns1 year agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions1 year agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics8 months agoKashim Shettima: Of Sentiments, Their Opinions, and the 21 billion Naira VP’s Official Resident
