CRIME
Kidnap Kingpin, ‘John Lion’, Gang Members Collected N140m From Two Victims- Police
Suspected kidnap kingpin, John Ewa, alias ‘John Lion’, was on Monday paraded at the Police Officers’ Mess in Yenagoa by the Bayelsa State Police Command.
The command also paraded no fewer than 10 other suspects, who were arrested for crimes bordering on alleged cultism and murder, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, and pipeline vandalism.
Ewa, 30, was paraded alongside three members of his kidnap gang whom the police identified as Emmanuel Angase, Innocent Kingsley and Timi Werikumo aged 37 and 21 respectively.
The Commissioner of Police, Ben Okolo, said they were nabbed for allegedly kidnapping Akeem Olushola on December 8, 2020, and Danjuma Emeje on June 30, 2022, at their residences in Yenagoa, among other incidents of abduction.
He said that Ewa, Angase, Kingsley and Werikumo were apprehended “through painstaking investigation” while another suspect, Gbalipre Gamage was at large.
Okolo said, “In recent times, the Command was confronted with reported cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism. I re-jig the security strategy with a special focus on tackling kidnapping and armed robbery. The strategy has paid off with the recent arrest of members of a notorious kidnapping gang by operatives of Operation Restore Peace. This gang has been responsible for over ten (10) high-profile kidnappings in the State over a period of seven (7) years.
“On 8th December 2020 one Akeeb Oladele Olushola ‘m’ 48 years a Manager of a new generation Bank was kidnaped at his residence at Old Commissioners Quarters Opolo, he was released on the 12th December after paying a ransom of Eighty (N80) Million Naira.
“Similarly, Danjuma Omeje 41 years a Manager of a new generation Bank in Yenagoa was kidnaped at his residence at Okaka, Yenagoa, on 30th July 2022, he was released on 14th July 2022 after paying a ransom of 60 million naira. Thirty (N30) Million Naira cash and US Dollar equivalent of Thirty (N30) Million Naira.”
He described Ewa as “known for a flamboyant lifestyle on social media, saying he confessed to the kidnap of Olushola, Nancy Keme Dickson (on December 26, 2015), Chinonso Eze and other Igbo businessmen.
The Police Commissioner said that the suspects would be charged at the conclusion of the investigation, stressing that the command under his leadership had resolved firmly to make Bayelsa uncomfortable for criminals.
In an interview, Ewa said he was involved in the abduction of Akeeb Olushola and Danjuma Omeje but claimed he was not aware his gang members were engaged in the kidnapping.
He, however, said he showed the gang members the Yenagoa homes of the two victims and that he knew Omeje while working in his bank as a cleaner and resigned in 2003.
“We were just driving and I showed them, I said, this is my former boss’ house. That was it.”
The suspect said he received N1.5m and N3.5m as his share from the ransoms paid by Olushola and Omeje.
Also, Angase also confessed to his involvement in the kidnap of Olushola and Omeje.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have engaged armed hoodlums in crossfire during a siege on forest warehouses in the Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo State where drugs to be sold during the forthcoming Yuletide period were stored.
A statement on Thursday from the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi said the operatives repelled rain of bullets from armed hoodlums who blocked all roads in Opuje community, Owan West local government area of Edo state to prevent the anti-narcotic operatives from accessing the forest warehouses where tons of processed psychoactive substances have been stored for distribution nationwide ahead of the coming Christmas and New Year season.
He noted that this is coming barely 11 months after armed youths recruited by drug barons ambushed NDLEA officers who stormed the community to destroy massive warehouses and tents storing over 317,417 kilogrammes (317.4 metric tons) of cannabis sativa on Wednesday 18th January 2023.
He recalled that at least, three suspects: Omoruan Theophilus, 37; Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53, and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42, were arrested in connection with the drugs then.
Babafemi said the Opuje community is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares. After harvest, they build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses at all times.
He said following credible intelligence that the drug cartels had again stocked their warehouses in the forest to start distribution of the psychoactive substance to various parts of the country ahead of the Yuletide season, teams of NDLEA officers were mobilised to enter the Edo forests, and block the distribution of the illicit drug by destroying their warehouses. Some of the warehouses containing about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis were first taken down in the Ujiogba forest in Esan West LGA last weekend.
He added that the NDLEA teams however came under gunfire attack in the early hours of Monday when they approached the Opuje forest after the armed hoodlums had blocked all access roads in the community. He said the NDLEA operatives were able to exit the area after over two hours of gunfight with the armed hoodlums.
Babafemi said unfortunately, three of the officers were injured in the attack with one of them shot in the head while some of the vehicles used for the operation were riddled with bullets. The affected officers were rushed to the hospital for treatment while the critically injured one had major surgery on Wednesday to remove the bullets in his brain.
In his reaction to the attack, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) warned that those sponsoring attacks on the operatives would know no rest until they are all brought before the law to face the consequences of their action and their criminal trade terminated.
While commending the professional conduct of the officers involved in the operation, Marwa said the incident will not in any way deter the agency from continuing its ongoing offensive action against drug barons and cartels who are merchants of death bent on destroying the lives of innocent citizens especially the youths for their comfort across the nooks and crannies of the country.
Attempts by drug syndicates to smuggle illicit substances such as methamphetamine and opioids concealed in the hems of new jeans trousers, dolls, buttons, local soap, and beverage tins to Europe, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia have been foiled by NDLEA operatives at some courier firms in Lagos.
According to a statement issued by the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, some of the consignments intercepted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) at courier houses in Lagos include tramadol 225mg concealed in the hems of new jeans trousers bound for Cyprus; a shipment of cannabis sativa concealed in the heads of dolls bound for Dubai, UAE.
He said a shipment of another illicit substance coming from Florida, USA was equally intercepted at a courier firm while the recipient, Daniel Ogi was tracked by NDLEA officers and arrested at 5 Akeem Shittu Street, Ajao Estate Lagos on Friday 24th November 2023.
Babafemi also said operatives in Lagos last Friday arrested a drug kingpin, Okechukwu Ogala, 56, who specialises in exploiting and recruiting young persons to export meth to Asian countries. He was arrested at Blue Moon Hotel in the Okota area of Lagos with 60 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.009 kilogrammes
In another operation in Lagos, operatives last Friday recovered 393 kilogrammes of cannabis in a shop at Akala, Mushin while a suspect, Justin Enuonye, who deals in Canadian Loud was arrested by the police at Victoria Island and transferred to Lagos Command of NDLEA this same day with 154 parcels weighing 92 kilogrammes.
Babafemi also said a team of NDLEA operatives also intercepted a vehicle at the Oyingbo area of Lagos and recovered 108 kilogrammes of cannabis from it, while 675 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered from the store of a wanted dealer, Wahab Olota at Adedoja area of Mushin, Lagos State.
In Edo, NDLEA operatives last Wednesday stormed the Ujiogba forest, Esan West local government area where they recovered 5,988 kilogrammes of cannabis already processed and ready for distribution while a 22-year-old, Mason Bunde, (a.k.a Tete Peter Joseph) found in a hut on the cannabis farm was arrested.
He said no less than 120,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in new sound systems packed in a Jos, Plateau state-bound bus were seized by NDLEA officers acting on intelligence along Onitsha-Awka road, Anambra state last Monday, while 123 blocks of cannabis weighing 73 kilogrammes were recovered from a suspect, Abdullahi Bello along Gombe-Bauchi road, Gombe state last Wednesday, operatives in Abuja seized 168 blocks of a same psychoactive substance with a total weight of 101 kilogrammes from the store of a fleeing drug dealer in Kabusa area of the FCT.
The NDLEA spokesman said no fewer than 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered by NDLEA operatives last Friday when they intercepted a vehicle transporting the opioid along Abuja- Kaduna road, with the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku and his conductor, Muhammad Maina arrested. The same day, operatives also arrested Ernest Esechie, 30, with 44.4 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis sativa along Gwantu- Sanga road, Kaduna.
In Kogi, NDLEA officers arrested Ahmad Umar, 18, with 46.4 kilogrammes of cannabis at a checkpoint in Kabba, while Jamilu Zakari, 32, was nabbed at Kofar Idi, Kandahar, Bauchi town, Bauchi state with 125 blocks of the same substance that weighed 146 kilogrammes.
At least, 542.3 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a suspect, Festus Egeogoli, 32, when his base at Jakpa road, Warri, Delta state was raided by NDLEA operatives last Wednesday, while 125.9 kilogrammes of the same substance were also seized from a store in the same area.
He said the various commands of the Agency across the country continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include WADA sensitisation lectures for students of Phrankstars School, Awka, Anambra; students of Taskar Alkairi Primary and Secondary Schools, Goburawa, Dala LGA, as well as Natsugune Primary and Secondary Schools, Ungogo LGA, Kano; students of Kevqueen College, Itanla, Ondo West LGA, Ondo; students of Unibek Group of Schools, Port Harcourt, Rivers; students of The Apostolic High School, Ilesa, Osun, and students of Usman Jidda Shuwa Memorial Secondary School, Gamboru, Borno state.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) while commending the officers and men of the Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Gombe, FCT, Kaduna, Kogi, Bauchi and Delta commands of the agency as well as DOGI for their outstanding feats in the past week, applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating parity between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
By Chuks Eke
North fewer than four persons including security operatives have been feared killed in the Aguluzigbo community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, the hometown of Senator Victor Umeh, the incumbent Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone when gunmen allegedly attacked sex-security operatives in the area.
It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified hoodlums invaded the community on Tuesday morning and allegedly engaged themselves in a sporadic gunshot which led to a hot exchange of gun duel between them and security operatives in the area.
According to sources, the gun duel, which started in the morning, raged for several hours and sent panic in the community.
The incident was further corroborated by videos from the scene, which are currently trending on social media.
When contacted on the development, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident but said details were still sketchy.
Ikenga said, “Yes. There was a shooting incident between some gunmen and security operatives at Aguluzigbo community this morning”.
“The information is still sketchy for now and any further details will be made available when we get the true pictures of what happened. But our men are currently on top of the situation.”
Efforts to reach Senator Umeh on the phone proved abortive as his phone rang severally without response.
4 feared dead as hoodlums attack security operatives in Senator Victor Umeh” ‘s Aguluzigbo community
By Chuks Eke
North fewer than four persons including security operatives have been feared killed in the Aguluzigbo community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, the hometown of Senator Victor Umeh, the incumbent Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial Zone when gunmen allegedly attacked ex-security operatives in the area.
It was gathered that the yet-to-be-identified hoodlums invaded the community on Tuesday morning and allegedly engaged themselves in a sporadic gunshot which led to a hot exchange of gun duel between them and security operatives in the area.
According to sources, the gun duel, which started in the morning, raged for several hours and sent panic in the community.
The incident was further corroborated by videos from the scene, which are currently trending on social media.
When contacted on the development, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident but said details were still sketchy.
Ikenga said, “Yes. There was a shooting incident between some gunmen and security operatives at Aguluzigbo community this morning”.
“The information is still sketchy for now and any further details will be made available when we get the true pictures of what happened. But our men are currently on top of the situation.”
Efforts to reach Senator Umeh on the phone proved abortive as his phone rang severally without response.
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