. . As Iran-bound drug mule excretes 76 wraps of cocaine at Kano airport

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a total of Twenty-Five Million (25,000,000.00) pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol and Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand (350,000) bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.

The seizures were made on Tuesday 17th and Friday 20th September 2024 from three containers which had been on the watchlist of the Agency following processed intelligence. As a result, the NDLEA had requested for 100% joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. The 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value of Thirteen Billion Seven Hundred and Twenty-Five Million Naira (N13,725,000,000.00) while the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of Two Billion Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N2,450,000,000.00), bringing the total value of the seizures to Fourteen Billion Nine Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N14,950,000,000.00).

The tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers on Tuesday 17th September while another container examined same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons. The third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined on Friday 20th September.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Lagos State Strategic Command of the Agency on Friday 20th September arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in Iyana Ipaja area of the state. In his statement, the Octogenarian claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years. He further claimed he gets his supplies from Benin republic, and sells to his customers from his residence between 7am and 10pm every day.

In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Lagos on Wednesday 18th September raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, where a total of 226kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son. Though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6kg from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22, while another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife Hauwa Bashir, 42.
No less than 720 blocks of Arizona, a strain of cannabis weighing 390kg were also recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van marked MUS 720 XH at Ojo area of Lagos on Monday 16th September.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 15th September arrested a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach. After three days in excretion observation, Okafor excreted the 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267kg.

In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 17th September recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna, while a suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested by operatives on Friday 20th September along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state, in possession of 49,000 tablets of tramadol, 20,000 tablets of diazepam, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.

A total of 451 blocks of cannabis weighing 213kg were intercepted along Azikiwe road, Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday 18th September, by NDLEA officers who apprehended a suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, conveying the consignment to a notorious drug haven in Borikiri.

While operatives in Plateau state on Friday 20th September arrested a wanted suspect Jonathan Ali Abuttur, 46, at Agingi- Rukuba road Bassa LGA in possession of 808kg of cannabis sativa concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertilizer, their counterparts in Kwara also nabbed Shaibu Musa with 28kg of the same psychoactive substance.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Rayhaan Model Academy, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state; Government Day Secondary School, Danrimi, Malumfashi LGA,Katsina state; Technical College, Ihe-Achi, Oji River LGA, Enugu state; Corpus Christi College, Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state; fresh students of Oyo State College of Health Science and Technology, Eleyele Ibadan, Oyo state; traders at Agboju market, Festac town, Lagos and the palace of Oloola of Ilara, Oba Mutiu Adedimeji Lawal Oyede and his chiefs, at Ilara, Ogun state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of Tincan, MAKIA, Lagos, Niger, Plateau, Rivers, Kogi, Edo and Kwara Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Security analyst Col. Anthony Wonah (Rtd), has shed more light on the reasons why Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, embarked on media campaign against the Federal Government and his predecessor, the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.

“In my opinion, one among the reasons why Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal is attacking Matawalle is because of the neutralization of some bandits kingpins terrorising the northwestern region, especially Halilu Sububu, who is believed to be Dauda Lawal’s right hand man in gold mining business, which I think happened to die with Dauda untraceable fortunes, that’s number one.

“Two, Gov Dauda Lawal is seeing the current Minister of State for Defence Bello Mohammed Matawalle as his potential nightmare against 2027 general elections, so long as he remains in office as the defense Minister,” Said Col. Anthony during a lecture he delivered in Abuja at the weekend, tittled, “150 tactics to stop terrorists funding”, which was organized by a non governmental organisation.

In Col. Anthony words: “Dauda Lawal’s style of governance is quite different from other sitting governors, looking at the way he abandoned his expected responsibilities as a Governor, to embark on blame games to cover up his weakness, adding that, “Dauda Lawal should have known that any government must inherit assets and liabilities.

Col. Anthony also urge Governor Dauda Lawal to fully explain to Nigerians the motive behind the already leaked memo where some bandit kingpins were captured as beneficiaries of hundreds of Millions of Naira including late, bandits kingpin Halilu Sububu, and the reshufflement of Treasury Staffs after the memo was leaked.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it was set to commence state-level collation of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State but disturbed by insecurity.

The Commission, however, said that it was deeply disturbed over report from its Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state of a threat to INEC office in Okpoba-Okha local government area on Saturday, resulting in a stampede in which one of its officials was injured.

INEC also expressed worry over the overnight presence and demonstrations by some political actors and their supporters at its Head Office in Benin City, the state capital, ahead of the commencement of final collation of election results.

INEC National Commissioner and Member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, stated these in a statement on Sunday morning.

He said the actions were uncalled for and nobody should disrupt the process at any stage and no one will be allowed to benefit from lawlessness.

“Following the conclusion of voting yesterday, the Commission activated the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal and uploaded the Polling Unit results in earnest. The same results have also been collated from all the 192 Wards.

“Similarly, collation has been concluded in most of the Local Government Areas and the designated officials are already at the collation centre in Benin City or on their way. We are set to commence State-level collation.

“However, the Commission received a deeply disturbing report from our Resident Electoral Commissioner of a threat to our office in Okpoba Okha Local Government Area yesterday, resulting in a stampede in which one of our officials was injured.

“We are similarly disturbed by the overnight presence and demonstrations by some political actors and their supporters at our State Head Office ahead of the commencement of final collation. These actions are uncalled for. Nobody should disrupt the process at any stage and no one will be allowed to benefit from lawlessness.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the collation of result will proceed as provided by the Electoral Act 2022 and our regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections. There is a mechanism for redressing complaints during collation, including the power to review results declared under duress. The Commission will not hesitate to invoke such powers where necessary.

“Accredited party agents, observers and the media should be granted unimpeded access to all collation centres. The Commission calls on the security agencies to continue to maintain the same vigilance and professionalism that led to the peaceful conduct of the election as we conclude the process,” INEC National Commissioner stated.