CRIME
NDLEA Operatives Arrest Saudi-Bound Trafficker With Cocaine Hidden In Sandals
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a member of Lagos major drug syndicate, a 56-year-old, Lawal Oyenuga who was on a mission to deliver 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in a pair of palm sandals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The suspect and wares
Orenuga’s arrest led to a swift follow up arrest of a wanted notorious kingpin, Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, who is notorious for the recruitment of mules for the cartel.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi said operatives of the anti-narcotics agency attached to the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos had on Thursday 24th November intercepted Oyenuga with a pair of black palm sandals packed in the luggage he was going with to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airways flight.
Babafemi disclosed that a thorough examination of the sandals revealed they were used to conceal two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grammes, noting that this was barely a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs. Ajisegiri Sidika was arrested at the airport over her attempt to traffic 400 grammes of cocaine concealed in her footwear to Makkah, Saudi Arabia on board a Qatar Airways flight.
The spokesman said Oyenuga in his statement claimed he was recruited to traffic the drug by Wasiu Gbolahan popularly known as Teacher, adding that he was first given some pellets of cocaine to swallow but when he couldn’t do that, he was given the ones concealed in the palm sandals.
He confessed to have resorted to the criminal trade to raise money to pay an examination fee for his daughter who is in Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3.
Babafemi said the agency’s database revealed that Wasiu Sanni (Teacher) has been linked to some previous attempts to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia and Dubai, UAE, and had been fingered as the one who recruited a BRT driver, Bolajoko Babalola for Lagos socialite and owner of Adekaz Hotels, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem Muhammed) to traffic drugs to Dubai.
Bolajoko was arrested on 27th June while taking 900 grammes of cocaine to Dubai while Ademola Kazeem was nabbed on Thursday 10th November, barely 10 days after he was declared wanted by NDLEA.
Babafemi said a follow up operation in the early hours of last Friday led to the arrest of the kingpin, Teacher, who specialises in recruiting mules for drug barons in Lagos and its environs at his residence located in Ikorodu area of Lagos. The 64-year-old Wasiu Sanni Gbolahan is a housing and property agent, with seven children and four wives, one of whom is now late.
He also revealed that in another follow up operation to the seizure of 1.1 kilogrammes cannabis concealed in bottles of body cream going to Dubai on 9th September, the actual owner of the consignment, Wordu Chukwuemeka who runs a boutique business in Port Harcourt, Rivers state was arrested in the Garden City last Thursday.
In the same vein, operatives attached to NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on last Tuesday intercepted a consolidated cargo from Johannesburg, South Africa via an Airpeace Airline flight.
The cargo contained different items, including cloths, cereals, baby toys, drinks, and a set of two big black speakers, which were used to conceal 25 parcels of Loud variant of cannabis, with a gross weight of 5.5 kilogrammes.
Similarly, operatives attached to the SAHCO export shed of the airport same Tuesday intercepted a carton of food items used to conceal 500 grams of cannabis going to Dubai, UAE while the owner, Uzoma Kingsley was promptly arrested.
Babafemi said in a related development, attempt by an Organised Criminal Group to traffic 131 kilogrammes of Ephedrine, a dominant precursor chemical for the production of Methamphetamine to Congo Kinshasa through the SAHCO export shed of the airport was foiled on Monday 21st November by NDLEA operatives in conjunction with Aviation Security (AVSEC) officers of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He said the two freight agents: Nwazuru Georgewill and Saheed Muritala linked to the bid were promptly arrested.
He said an attempt by a drug trafficker, Udogwu Johnson, facing multiple charges of drug offences to flee the country after he jumped bail has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport where he was arrested last Friday.
He said the 51-year-old suspect was already facing trial at a Federal High Court in Lagos before he was arrested again on Saturday 9th April in Port Harcourt for importing 5.48kg cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. He was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Wednesday 23rd November over his latest offence while the Lagos court had issued a warrant of arrest against him for jumping bail over his case in Lagos.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the move by a Brazilian returnee, Iroegbute Francis, 46, to smuggle 4 kilogrammes cocaine soaked in towels stuffed in his hand luggage into the country was foiled on Thursday 24th Nov by NDLEA officers who arrested him, upon his arrival on a Qatar Airline flight from Brazil -Doha-Abuja.
According to Babafemi, no fewer than 5,851.3 kilogrammes (5.8 tons) of cannabis sativa were seized from dealers across five states in the past week, including a notorious cripple, Ibrahim Yusuf, 45, who was arrested on Monday 21st November at Gasline, Ifo, Ogun state with 4 kilogrammes of the psychotropic substance, while a total of 36 bags weighing 570 kilogrammes of the same substance were recovered in another raid at a forest in Ogunmakin town, Obafemi Owode local government area.
In Edo, operatives last Tuesday evacuated 141 bags of cannabis sativa with a gross weight of 1,884 kilogrammes (about 1.9 tons) stored in a warehouse in Okpe forest, Akoko Edo local government area, while last Thursday, NDLEA officers arrested Ismaila Abubakar, 50, at Okada junction, Ovia South West local government area with 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 216.5 kilogrammes, and a day after, operatives also seized 112 bags of cannabis sativa stored in Obi Camp forest, Ovia South West local government area weighing 1,512 kilogrammes.
He said this was also followed by another seizure of 45 bags that weighed 529.5 kilogrammes while officers equally intercepted a Toyota Sienna bus with Reg. No. BDG 598 FZ (Lagos) loaded with 566.5 kilogrammes cannabis going to Onitsha, Anambra State, and a suspect, Sunday Mathias, 30, arrested with the seizure.
In Ondo state, NDLEA operatives stormed Oke-Ogun forest last Friday where Onyebuchi Chime was arrested with 88 kilogrammes cannabis, a gun and some ammunition while they also recovered 149.5 kilogrammes of the substance at Ipele forest. Not less than 12.42 hectares of cannabis farms were destroyed and 195 kilogrammes processed weeds of the substance recovered at Efon Alaye, Ekiti state where two dealers: Richard Ebong and Nze Abraham were arrested on Saturday.
In Oyo state, operatives arrested a 27-year-old Mrs. Adebayo Rahmat last Thursday at Sabo-Ilupeju, Atiba local government area, with 136.3 kilogrammes cannabis, while no fewer than 84,000 pills of tramadol tablets were recovered from a suspect, Muhsin Abdullahi in Bodinga area of Sokoto state same day. Also 16,000 pills of Exol-5 and D5 concealed in palm oil were seized from Lawal Rabe, 24, last Friday at Kokami village, Danta local government area, Katsina while a total of 54,500 tablets of tramadol and Exol-5 were seized from the duo of Basiru Muhammadu and Saidu Yusuf in the same area on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, NAIA, PHIA, Edo, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Sokoto, Katsina and Oyo Commands of the agency for their professionalism in the discharge of their duties and the remarkable results that followed.
He however enjoined them and their compatriots across the country not to let down their guards as the nation approaches the festive season.
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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