Crime
Wanted kingpin, Chadian, grandpa arrested over London-bound shipment
Wanted kingpin, Chadian, grandpa arrested over London-bound shipment
By: Michael Mike
A suspected drug kingpin wanted for alleged attempts to ship illicit drug consignments to the United Kingdom tops the list of arrests made by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA through interdiction operations that led to the seizure of four tons of illicit substances in the past week.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, Obiorah Chigozie has been on the wanted list of the NDLEA since 15th September 2023 when a consignment of 1.5 kilogrammes skunk concealed in flour going to London, UK was intercepted at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, during which his freight agent, Nworah Adaugo was arrested.
Babafemi said that Obiorah convinced that the 1.5 kilogrammes consignment had sailed through, walked into the agency’s dragnet last Thursday when he personally brought another tranche of 2 kilogrammes concealed in cartons to the airport for shipment to the UK. He noted that during interrogation, Obiorah claimed he was into shoes sales in Lagos before venturing into the illicit drug business.
He said operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Command of the agency last Friday intercepted a container truck with registration number BD G41 XM coming from Lagos to Kano at the Gwagwalada area of the FCT, revealing that no less than 1,188 kilogrammes of skunk loaded at Owo, Ondo state and hidden under cartons of toothpaste were recovered from the truck and its driver, Amafan Fattison, 28, arrested.
In the same vein, NDLEA officers in Bayelsa state last Wednesday seized 432 kilogrammes of the same substance from an abandoned J5 bus along Saipem road, Opolo, Yenagoa. The vehicle was equally recovered from the scene for further investigation.
In Kano, a septuagenarian grandpa, Ado Mai Unguwa, was arrested last Saturday with 143.2 kilogrammes skunk in Dindere village, Tofa local government area, while operatives in Enugu same day recovered 110.6 kilogrammes of same substance from a locked-up shop at Aria new market.
Babafemi revealed that operatives in Lagos on Saturday stormed the notorious Idi-Oro drug enclave in Mushin where they seized 212.5 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa belonging to a wanted drug lord. This is even as NDLEA officers in Kwara state recovered 104 kilogrammes of skunk from a Toyota Camry car in Offa area of the state, while a Chadian, Mohammed Ibrahim, 25, was nabbed at Mafa check point, Borno state with 11.8 kilogrammes of same substance last Monday.
He said in Plateau, the state police command in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration transferred four suspects: Yusuf Akim; Frank Gah; Jackson Ejeh and Joseph Utsu, and 1,978 kilogrammes cannabis recovered from them to the state command of NDLEA, while in Cross River, operatives last Monday seized 40,000 ampules of pentazocine injection from two suspects: Fajulugbe Adeshola, 35, and Nnaorji Agwe, 54, at Mobil by MCC road, Calabar.
Also in Kogi state, NDLEA officers last Wednesday arrested a suspect, Ifeanyi Odoh, 25, with 59,867 pills of opioids including Tramadol and 4.03 kilogrammes cannabis sativa at Idah area of the state.
Babafemi dissident the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy activities equally continued across the country in the past week. He noted that some of the activities include: WADA advocacy visit to the Director/CEO, Nigeria French Village, Badagry, Lagos, Prof. Lateef Ayeleru by the Seme Special Area command of NDLEA; WADA sensitisation lecture at Ar-Rahmania College of Health Sciences, Minna, Niger state; WADA advocacy lecture at Pentecostal Academy, Aba, Abia state and WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of School of Nursing, Eket, Akwa Ibom state among others.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, FCT, Bayelsa, Borno, Kogi, Kwara, Cross River, Borno and Enugu Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Wanted kingpin, Chadian, grandpa arrested over London-bound shipment
Kidnappers abduct young man in Abuja estate, shoot fiancée
By: Zagazola Makama
Gunmen have abducted a young man during an attack on a private residence at Leisure Court Phase 1 Estate, located under Aco Division in Abuja.
Zagazola Makama gathered that the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday at about 12:01 a.m., when the attackers gained access into the residence of Mr. Olusoji Litan on Mike Ekere Street.
Sources said the gunmen kidnapped Mr. Litan’s son, Oladeji Emmanuel, who had just arrived Abuja to visit his parents on Friday, Nov. 9.
During the attack, Emmanuel’s fiancée, identified as Amanda, sustained gunshot injuries on both thighs.
Following a distress call received at about 12:25 a.m. from the Chief Security Officer of the estate, police patrol teams, working with hunters and vigilantes, were deployed to the scene.
Three expended 7.62mm ammunition shells were recovered from the compound.
Amanda was immediately evacuated to Lawrence Margaret Teaching Hospital, River Park Estate, where she is receiving treatment and is reported to be in stable condition.
Sources said efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing kidnappers and rescue the victim.
The case is being handled by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
Kidnappers abduct young man in Abuja estate, shoot fiancée
Gunmen abduct FRSC officer, neighbour in Benue
By: Zagazola Makama
Gunmen have abducted a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel and another resident in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Zagazola learnt that the attack occurred at about 9:00 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Asa 1, Otobi Akpa Road, Otukpo.
According to sources , armed men numbering about five stormed the residence, broke down the door, and forcefully took away the FRSC officer, identified as Oketa Ejembi, along with a neighbour whose identity was yet to be established at the time of filing the report.
The son of the victim, Daniel Oketa, reported the incident to the police at about 9:43 p.m.
Following the report, the Divisional Police Officer mobilised a patrol team alongside tactical units to the scene.
The command said efforts were ongoing to track the suspects and rescue the victims unhurt.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has commenced investigation
Gunmen abduct FRSC officer, neighbour in Benue
Over 50 fighters reportedly killed as Boko Haram factions clash with ISWAP in Abadam
By: Zagazola Makama
A deadly clash between the factions of Boko Haram the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunna lid-Da‘wa wa’l-Jihād (JAS) and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) has resulted in the reported death of more than 50 fighters at Toumbun Gini, an island community in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the clash occurred on Sunday afternoon around 3 pm, following an attempted offensive by ISWAP fighters.
According to the source, ISWAP mobilised fighters using 10 high-powered watercraft and launched an attack aimed at reclaiming the island, believed to have recently fallen under the control of the rival JAS faction.
However, intelligence reportedly reached JAS leadership ahead of the assault, enabling them to set up a counter-ambush.
At exactly 1500 hours, ISWAP boats landed and what was planned as a surprise offensive quickly turned into a deadly trap. The first shots were decisive. JAS fighters overpowered them within minutes. ISWAP was routed,” the source said.
The source said over 50 ISWAP fighters were killed during the ambush, with seven of their boats seized. The remaining three vessels escaped with casualties. Video clips appearing to show the aftermath of the clash surfaced online on Sunday.
Zagazola described the clash as Day 5 of intensified rivalry between the two insurgent factions, which have been fighting over territorial dominance and control of resources in the Lake Chad islands.
The continued push by JAS against ISWAP could force surviving ISWAP fighters deeper into mainland communities bordering Kukawa, Monguno and Marte LGAs, increasing security risks for civilians and security personnel.
The rivalry has however, weakened both factions, reducing their ability to launch coordinated large-scale attacks. However, this fragmentation also poses a different challenge: smaller, unpredictable cells that are harder to track.
What is happening on Lake Chad today is a conflict within a conflict and Nigerian troops remain in the middle of the battlefield. The fighting could be leveraged strategically by intensifying pressure on both groups simultaneously.
“This is the best time for the Nigerian military to tighten the corridor and deny both factions space to regroup,”said Zagazola.
Over 50 fighters reportedly killed as Boko Haram factions clash with ISWAP in Abadam
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