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CRIME

NSCDC Smashes Fake Currency Syndicates

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Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have smashed two syndicates that specialize in criminal conspiracy, cheating, obtaining by trick (OBT) and production/distribution of counterfeited US Dollars (USD) and new Naira notes into society.

A statement on Friday by the spokesman of the Corps, Olusola Odumosu read that acting on credible Intelligence, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps’ Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) in clandestine operations, arrested two syndicates alleged to be involved in offenses ranging from criminal conspiracy, cheating, obtaining by trick (OBT) and production/distribution of counterfeited US Dollars (USD) and new Naira notes into the society.

Odumosu said one of the groups arrested, which consisted of four male adults was caught in possession of $64,800 and N475,000 notes, while fake notes of N1.5 million were also seized from the second group consisting of five male adults

He revealed that the names of members of the syndicate arrested with the sum of N1.5m are; Dantala Omale, 30 years, Musa Abdullahi, 24 years, Audu Abdulazeez, 56 years, Umar Hassan 46 years and Mahammadu Yakubu, 30 years.

He disclosed that the arrest was effected when one Dantala Omale was lured to Nasarawa from Plateau state and picked up by the squad on the 22nd of February, 2023, with fake new naira notes of N412,000.

According to him, the arrested suspect confessed to getting the fake notes from Musa Abdullahi, aka Baballe which led to the arrest of Abdullahi on 22nd of February, 2023 at Namu area of Quanpan local government area n Plateau state in possession of N49,650 old naira notes.

He said after a thorough interrogation, Abdullahi confessed that he usually gets his supply of fake currencies from one Audu Abdulazeez, aka Dan-Gombe, who the squad arrested on the 3rd of March 2023, at Plateau Express service motor park in Jos, Plateau State, at about 11:20 a.m with N350,000 fake newly redesigned Naira notes.

He said the effort of the squad to arrest all members of the syndicate paid off when Abdulazeez confessed to giving one Umar Hassan the fake notes. When Hassan was apprehended, he had N20,500 and he also confessed to his involvement in the crime and that he regularly transact with one Mohammadu Yakubu, who was also arrested close to the old CBN office in Lafia town, at about 3:10 p.m on March 5, 2023, with fake N2000 of the new Naira notes.

He said the further investigation, however, revealed that the group operated within and around Plateau, Nasarawa, Bauchi and Gombe states.

He said members of the second syndicate arrested with the exhibits of $64,800 and N475,000 are; Jonathan Dakogol, Abbas Ibrahim, Isa Ukashatu and Aminu Isa.

Isa Ukashatu and Jonathan Dakogol were arrested with fake $64,800 and N475,000 at Akurba of Lafia local government area in Nasarawa State after being lured to deliver the money to a client.

He said upon arrest, Dakogol volunteered and led the CG’s SIS operatives to the Kurgwi area in Quaan’Pan local government area, Plateau State, where one Aminu Isa who was alleged to be a herbalist was also arrested.

Isa also led the Squad to the arrest of one 62 years old Abbas Ibrahim in the Quaan’Pan local government area, Plateau State who had collected $30,000 in fake US Dollars from him.

He said all suspects at the point of arrest were found in possession of fake dollars and the newly redesigned Naira notes ranging from N500 to N1000 denominations respectively and had also confessed to being involved in the business for over five years.

Meanwhile, the Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr. Ahmed Audi has commended the CG’s SIS for a job well done and described the criminal gangs as economic saboteurs destroying the country through the perpetration of financial crimes and defrauding of innocent citizens.

He stated that their arrest is a good omen for the country because it helped to stop the distribution and influx of fake currencies into a society which could have caused great setbacks to the economy.

He charged the squad leader, DCC Appollos Dandaura, and his team to intensify efforts for more arrests by launching their dragnet further into every nook and cranny of the country to fish out other dangerous criminal elements and syndicates perpetrating heinous financial crimes at the detriment of the nation.

He warned all criminal syndicates to desist from this venture and get other legitimate means of survival or face the wrath of the law because NSCDC and other security agencies will fish them out no matter their hiding places.

Odumosu said the arrested suspects are still assisting the Corps with useful information for further investigation and would be handed over to the appropriate authority for prosecution after the preliminary investigation is concluded.

He said a manhunt has been launched for other fleeing members of the syndicates.

CRIME

Lawyers, Rights Activists, Seek Justice For Man Attacked By Anambra Anti-Touts Officials

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The victim after brutalisation
By Chuks Eke
Some lawyers and Hunan rights activists have urged Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to ensure that members of the state’s Special Anti-Touts Squad, who used a pestle to brutalise and cripple Onitsha-based businessman Wilfred Ezike, a.k.a Mgbilimgba, face justice.
This comes as the Campaign for Democracy, the Human Rights Liberty Access, and the Peace Defenders’ Foundation have all condemned Mgbiligba’s torture at the hands of Anambra State’s Special Anti Tout Squad.
Mgbilimgba, who is also a member of Anambra’s ruling party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was seen in a viral video that has been circulating on social media since last week, in which men from the Anti-Touts squad were beating and maiming him with short pestles and matchetes over an unspecified reason.
The incident was said to have happened at the underground cell of the Anti-touts operatives located at Upper Iweka, in Onitsha, on Tuesday.
The horrifying viral video, which has sparked outrage across the state, showed anti-touts officials repeatedly hitting the man with a short pestle while questioning him about an unknown matter. The officials were filming him while brutalising his ankles and knees with short pestles and matchetes.
In response to the development, rights groups criticised the state governor for his continued silence on the matter, describing the treatment of the man by State Special Anti-Touts Squad operatives as “inhumane” and “barbaric.”
In separate interviews with our correspondent on Tuesday, John Udeh, a human rights lawyer based in Onitsha and former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (Nnewi branch), said the Anti-touts operatives violated the part of the constitution that declared torture or any form of brutality by security operatives to be absolutely prohibited.
Udeh said, “I saw the video, it was very horrible and inhumane how the public officials who are being paid with tax payers money were brutalising the young man and also filming the process. The acts exhibited by the SASA men in that video were highly condemnable, no matter the offence of the victim, the rightful thing to do was to hand him over to the certified law enforcement agencies like the police or DSS for investigation and possible prosecution. SASA does not have the powers to detain ‘suspects’.
“And for the fact that the state governor has continued to keep mum over the viral horrible video leaves so much to be desired. There is nobody that saw that video that was not touched. The brutality in that video was out of this world, it shows how wicked and inhumane those recruited into that operations are.
“The state government must react by exposing and punishing the erring officers that is the only way to demonstrate that they are not accomplices in the act of brutality against the people. Although, the commissioner for homeland affairs issued a statement the following day that video was released, it’s been over a week now, nothing has been done and the officers are walking freely while the victim is hospitalised.”
Another rights lawyer, based in Onitsha, Clement Ataghi, said, “Such brutality expressed by the Anti-touts officials in that video requires drastic reaction by the state government. No matter the offence of the person, he should have been handed to law enforcement officers like the police. It is condemnable that up to a week, the pepertrators have not been fished out.
“Nigeria’s Constitution prohibits torture, and the Anti-Torture Act imposes a penalty of up to 25 years imprisonment for perpetrators. There are legal safeguards against arbitrary arrest, torture, brutality and detention. Our constitution also expresses an absolute prohibition on torture, including the Convention against Torture (CAT), which requires states to take effective measures to prevent acts of torture in their jurisdiction.
“The fact that the state government has allowed such horrible acts of brutality by SASA operatives and nothing is being done to the perpetrators demonstrates that the state governor has a high disregard for human rights, and human rights abuses have continued to fester in this administration through various state government agencies, which is just a pity.”
Another rights lawyer, Ifeoma Okeh, stated that when SASA was established, the state governor did not give officers the freedom to engage in the brutality and violations of human rights depicted in the viral video.
“The fact that relevant authorities, including the police, have remained silent on the situation demonstrates how they have prioritised human rights and citizens’ rights. What those operatives did in that video was extremely condemnable, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted in order to restore trust in the system. “They should not be permitted to carry dangerous weapons,” she added.
However, in separate reactions issued on Tuesday, the Chairman of Campaign for Democracy and Executive Director of HURIDE, Chief Uzor A. Uzor, stated that, while they were not holding brief for “Mgbiligba,” the incident portends grave danger for democracy not only in Anambra State but throughout the country.
Uzor stated that Soludo cannot defend himself from the “barbaric and uncivilised” method of torturing the victim with a short pestle based on a “trumped-up allegation” that he is a suspected criminal.
He said “If he is a criminal, the security operatives should do their job by arresting him and arraigning him in a law court instead of the Anti-touts operatives taking laws into their hands by crudely torturing him
“Mgbiligba’s torture by Soludo’s anti-tout group undermines Anambra State’s credibility as a civilised state. Even if Mgbiligba had committed the alleged crime, there are more civilised and legal ways to handle him than this crude torture.
“What Soludo’s anti-tout group did amounted to taking the law into their own hands through brute force; they told people that “might is right.” We urge Soludo to immediately order the arrest and arraignment of the perpetrators involved in this heinous act as a deterrent to others in the future.”
However, when contacted about the latest development on Tuesday, Anambra State Police Command spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga stated that he saw the viral video in which the man was brutalised, but that the matter had not been brought before the police.
Chikodi Anarah, the state Commissioner for Homeland Affairs, also issued a statement, saying, “We are investigating the matter and will punish the erring SASA operatives.”
“I was alerted to a viral video of Wilfred Ezike, also known as Mgbiligba, being arrested and manhandled by SASA officers. I am really sorry that such an incident occurred. I have been feeling bad all day since someone shared the video with me.
“Our government is law-abiding, which is why we must apprehend the SASA agents involved in the incident under investigation and punish them appropriately.
“It is also true that we are determined to eliminate ‘Agberos,’ but this must be done in accordance with the laws of the land. Interestingly, people have commented and reacted. This depicts life in a functioning democracy.
“Some of them claim Wilfred Ezike committed various levels of atrocities for which he should have been more severely manhandled and prosecuted, while counter-narratives argue that he should not have been manhandled at all. Nothing justifies brutality in my opinion or in the eyes of the Anambra State government, which is why we will punish the wrongdoers.”
According to news reports, Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo established the state Anti-touts Squad in 2023 to combat the state’s growing problem with touting.
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CRIME

Dispatch Rider, Hair Stylist Nabbed For Selling Drug-Laced Chin-Chin To Students, Parties

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Suspects

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Josephine Odunu, a 20-year-old hair stylist, and Edesemi Ikporo, a 30-year-old dispatch rider, for selling and distributing illegal drug-laced chin-chin to schoolchildren and at social gatherings in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

According to a press statement issued by the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA officers on patrol in the Opolo area of Yenagoa intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi, on Sunday, March 10, 2024, and recovered 200 grammes of chin-chin produced with cannabis sativa, which he was on his way to deliver to a buyer.

He stated that a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributes the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa. The search of the salon led to the recovery of 3 kilogrammes, bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2 kilogrammes.

He noted that investigations revealed that they distributed the chin-chin often laced with cannabis and tramadol to students and at birthday parties., with Edesemi handling the delivery to buyers, Josephine is a major distributor to a wanted suspect who produced the drugged chin-chin.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa state last Wednesday arrested two wanted suspects: Ajim Samuel (aka Boss), 30, and Davidson Joshua (aka Dantala), 36, while on their way from Onitsha, Anambra state where they had gone to buy a consignment of tramadol containing 14,428 pills of the opioid which they tucked in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car marked YLA 623 SL. They were nabbed along Numan-Jalingo road, recovered from them were 21 grammes of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19,280.

In Osun state, 49-year-old commercial bus driver Ogunleye Adegoke was arrested on the Gbongan-Ibadan road after NDLEA agents discovered 2,000 tramadol capsules, 60 rohypnol tablets and ten bottles of codeine syrup hidden in his vehicle’s spare tyre compartment. In Osun state, commercial bus driver Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, was arrested on the Gbongan-Ibadan road after NDLEA agents discovered 2,000 tramadol capsules, 60 rohypnol tablets, and 10 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in his vehicle’s spare tyre compartment.

He stated that NDLEA operatives seized at least 24 kilogrammes of cannabis from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange in Ogun state last Wednesday, while in Kano, two suspects, Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were apprehended with a total of 125.3 kilogrammes of cannabis, 3,400 tramadol pills, and 30 bottles of codeine syrup. They were arrested last Monday at Gadar Tamburawa area, and last Friday at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.

He revealed that 118 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Nasarawa state’s Masaka area last Saturday, while NDLEA operatives in Edo state arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75 kilogrammes of the same psychoactive substance last Thursday in the market area of Otuo, Owan East LGA. Same day, operatives raided the Oloma-Okpe forest in Akoko Edo LGA where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kilogrammes of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.

Babafemi stated that the agency’s various commands across the country have continued the War Against Drug Abuse, or WADA, advocacy campaign with the same vigour over the last week.

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CRIME

NDLEA Discovers Illicit Drug Consignment In Commercial Bus Engine, Arrests Two Grandfathers

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) agents intercepted an illicit drug shipment hidden in the engine compartment of an interstate commercial bus, just as two grandfathers were arrested for drug trafficking.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, no less than 5.2 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa and opioids were discovered last Thursday.
NDLEA officers conducting a stop and search operation on the highway discovered the engine compartment of an interstate commercial bus labelled VDY 187 XA on the Gbongan-Ibadan road in Osun state.

He stated that Iorliam Dominic, 35, the bus driver who accepted responsibility for the concealment, has been detained for further investigation.

According to Babafemi, on Wednesday, a 26-year-old woman, Obasanmi Iyanu, who produces and distributes skuchies, was arrested during a raid on her hideout in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, during which at least 16.5 litres of the illicit substance, as well as various quantities of molly and cannabis, were recovered.

He stated that NDLEA agents in Borno state arrested two grandfathers, Mallam Mai Gemu Adam (70) and Yamama Musa (65), for drug trafficking.

He said they were arrested on Saturday along with 24-year-old Abubakar Ya’u and Babagana Ali, 28, in Maiduguri and Gamboru-Ngala respectively while 32,000 ampoules of tramadol injection were recovered from them.

He revealed that on the same day, operatives in neighbouring Yobe State at Geidam intercepted a Golf 3 salon car heading to Gagamari in Niger republic, where the occupant, Alhaji Mala Tijjani, 28, was to deliver 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 24.5 kilogrammes to another dealer, while 42 cartons containing 8,400 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,260 kilogrammes were recovered from a driver, Mutari Ya’u, 29, at Katsina road, Kaduna last Tuesday.

Nura Yusuf, 35, was arrested with 62 kilogrammes of cannabis in the Gadar Tamburawa area, where Abubakar Sani, 40, was also apprehended with 244 bottles of codeine syrup, and Mohammad Alkali, 28, was found with 49,800 tramadol pills along the Kano-Maiduguri road last Thursday.

NDLEA operatives in Lagos state last Wednesday arrested Aba Thomas at Igbo Elerin area of the state where 84 litres of skuchies, 1.1 litres of codeine syrup, 4 kilogrammes cannabis sativa, and 800 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from him.

Last Friday, NDLEA officers raided the notorious Karu abattoir drug joint in Abuja’s FCT, arresting eight suspects and recovering 51.3 kilogrammes of cannabis. Those arrested include: Buhari Muhammadu; Jamilu Muhammed; Abubakar Wappa; Yahaya Tasiu; Ezekiel Mulanda; Abba Haruna; Habibu Umar and Shamsu Lawali.

In Plateau state, two suspects, Pam Thomas, 45, and Stephen Nyam, 38, were arrested on Monday with cannabis weighing 611.428kg in Zawan, Jos South, while in Kogi state, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial J5 bus travelling from Onitsha, Anambra state to Zaria, Kaduna state on Wednesday, March 6th along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja motorway, seizing a total of 8,580 tramadol and exol-5 pills from a suspect, Yusuf Abdullahi, 40.

Last Tuesday, operatives in Enugu state raided some locked-up shops at the new market in the Enugu metropolitan area, recovering 371.42 kilogrammes of cannabis and 9.49 grammes of methamphetamine.

NDLEA commands across the country balanced drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns in schools, markets, worship centres, and communities.

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