Troops Rescue Kidnap Victim At Bauchi/Plateau Border

By: Our Reporter

Troops of Operation Safe Haven on Thursday, May 8 (correct the date), rescued a kidnap victim, Bala Musa, from a terrorists haven at Bulli village along the Bauch/Plateau states border.

The troops, responding to a distress call by locals, swooped on the the terrorists in a decisive operation to clear the adjoining communities along the border of all terrorists and other criminals.

They swooped on the Bulli high ground along the Gindiri (Plateau) – Lere (in Tafawa-Bakewa LGA) road along the border in swift response to a distress call and tip by a local who had sighted one of the terrorists buying food items at a nearby village, Bulli.

The Tunri high ground, Bulli and other adjoining communities have constituted dreaded flashpoints of the gunmen and other criminals terrorizing the Bauchi/Plateau neighbouring communities.

Acting on the tip by the local, troops, which first cleared Tunri high ground, diverted to Bulli, where they mowed down the terrorists and save Bala Musa, a citizen of Kano State, who was enroute back home.

His prompt rescue saved enabled his family to save a whooping N3 million they had collected, and were already on their way to pay as ransome to his kidnappers fir his release.

Troops Rescue Kidnap Victim At Bauchi/Plateau Border

NDLEA Smashes int’l Drug Syndicate, Seizes Loud Consignments, Arrests 5 Members

By: Michael Mike

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have smashed an international drug syndicate with networks in parts of Nigeria, South Africa and Thailand.

According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, no fewer than five members of the cartel were arrested in a two-weeks intelligence led operations in Lagos, Abia and Anambra states following the seizure of their illicit drug consignments at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

He said the unravelling of the drug cartel started on Sunday 20th April when their cargo of four big suitcases arrived the NAHCO shed on an Air Peace airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

He added that after days of close monitoring and investigation, the first suspect, Umeh Chisom was arrested on Wednesday 24th April after he showed up to pick two of the suitcases
containing Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis owned by a Thailand based member of the syndicate, Obum Michael.

Babafemi disclosed that the consignment of four parcels was concealed in false bottoms of the two suitcases, while the four suitcases contain a total of 17.6 kilogrammes Loud and drug candies.

He also said another member of the syndicate, Mrs. Chiwendu Ugbe whose South Africa based husband, Aloytus Ugbe sent some of the consignments, was traced to Anambra state where NDLEA officers arrested her on Saturday 27th April while attempting to collect the drug parcels sent to her by her husband.

He said two other suspects: Onyejakor Chimezie and Naaji Chukwukere, with links to the cartel were also arrested in parts of Lagos on Last Monday, with their arrest leading to another operation in Abia state where Mrs. Chinazo Osigwe was arrested when she was to pick up some of the parcels containing Loud and drug candies sent by her husband, Chidiebere Osigwe
who is equally operating from South Africa.

In other clampdowns, NDLEA operatives on stop and search operation along Abuja-Abaji highway on Wednesday 1st May intercepted a 40-feet gas tanker marked RBC 77XG and upon a thorough search discovered 511 jumbo sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 4,752 kilogrammes concealed in the gas tank compartment of the truck.

Babafemi said the consignment was loaded into the tanker in Ondo state and meant to be delivered in Abuja for further distribution. He disclosed that four suspects: Efe Abel, 39; Ebigide Cyril, 29; Ejechi Monday, 41; and Friday Chukwudi, 39, were arrested in connection with the seizure.

The spokesman said while two suspects: Aminu Umar, 25, and Anas Umar, 22, were arrested with 207.1 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa in their house at Unguwan Rimi, Basawa, Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna state last Monday, Bashir Umar, 35, was nabbed at Ladanai, Hotoro area of Kano last Friday with 194 bottles of codeine syrup.

In Osun state, NDLEA operatives last Wednesday arrested an ex-convict, 51-year-old Suleiman Usman, who is currently facing trial for another drug offence at the Federal High Court Osogbo. At the time of his latest arrest at Okinni town, Suleiman was found in possession of 4.4 grammes of Cocaine, 28.5 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa, 20 tabs of rophynol weighing 6.2 grammes and 812 pills of tramadol.

The following day, last Thursday, NDLEA operatives at Agbara checkpoint, Seme border, Badagry, Lagos State intercepted a Toyota Camry car marked KJA 825 FT conveying 113 jumbo parcels of cannabis with a total weight of 64 kilogrammes. The driver, Charles Amoni, 45, was promptly arrested.

In Bauchi state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bauchi-Jos road last Monday arrested Clement Chukwuka, 39, with 595 bottles of codeine; 38,260 pills of opioids such as tramadol, rohypnol and diazepam, while another suspect, Friday Ibochi was nabbed at NDLEA check point, Aloma junction, Otukpa, Benue state last Tuesday with 66 blocks of cannabis weighing 33 kilogrammes. Also, 42-year-old Ifeanyi Stanley was arrested with 12kg of same substance at Swali Jetty, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

Babafemi said with the same vigour, the various commands of the agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week.

Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Osun, Seme, Bayelsa, Bauchi, and Benue commands of the agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.

NDLEA Smashes int’l Drug Syndicate, Seizes Loud Consignments, Arrests 5 Members

Nigeria: 12 killed, 17 injured in major Boko Haram attack on Cameroon island

By: Our Reporter

An assault by suspected Boko Haram fighters in northern Cameroon resulted in the killing of 10 people, including soldiers and civilians.

The heavily armed Boko Haram fighters attacked a Cameroon troop formation at Darak, an island near Lake Chad in Cameroon’s Far North region, some 1,000km from the capital, Yaounde, on April 29.

NEWSng learned that the attackers arrived on 15 boats and stormed the town at about 10 p.m., where they began engaging the troops in a heavy gun battle that lasted until 3 a.m. on April 30, 2024.

The toll was put at 12 dead, of which 4 were soldiers with 6 injuries and eight civilians with 11 injured by stray bullets.

The assailants later carted away food items from the shops, loaded them on their boats, and fled away.

Nigeria: 12 killed, 17 injured in major Boko Haram attack on Cameroon island