Metro
NDLEA nabs businessman at Enugu airport for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine +Photos
. Smashes 2 cocaine syndicates, arrests
Chinese, Nigerian kingpins, 5 associates in Lagos; intercepts N4.3Billion worth of opioids at Onne, Tincan ports
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 50-year-old businessman, Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu, for ingesting 90 wraps of cocaine.
Osuoha was intercepted on Wednesday 20th November 2024 at the arrival hall of the Enugu airport during the inbound screening of passengers arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian airlines flight following months of intelligence and surveillance on him. He was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he egested 90 pellets of cocaine weighing 2.019 kilograms in seven excretions.
Investigation reveals that the suspect who operates phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, Central Africa, travelled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon from where he took a flight to Addis Ababa where he swallowed the pellets of cocaine while in transit and thereafter continued his journey to Enugu with Lagos as his final destination. He deliberately complicated his movement to distort traces of his travel history unknown to him that he has been on NDLEA watchlist for the past three months. In his statement, Osuoha said he desperately needed the money from the criminal drug trade to boost his declining phone and accessories business.
In another well-coordinated operation carried out by a Special Operations Unit of the Agency on Thursday 21st November, head of a cocaine distribution cartel, 42-year-old Ndive Maxwell Obinna was arrested along with five of his associates at Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos. A total of 2.412 kilograms of cocaine were recovered from them.
Other members of the drug trafficking organization arrested along Obinna include:
Okeke Gloria Ifeoma who is the syndicate’s stash keeper; Ikechebelu Emmanuel Chibuzor; Okorie Onyedikachi; Okonkwo Nnabugo Prince; and Okafor Blessing Anita.
In a related development, another drug syndicate operated by a Chinese man, 58-year-old Tianzhen Yen (alias Jackie) has been dismantled by NDLEA operatives following his arrest at his hotel in Ikeja area of Lagos. Officers of the Seme Special Area Command of the Agency had on Thursday 21st November intercepted a 40-year-old suspect, Yakubu Emmanuel Mark in a commercial bus going to Ghana at the Gbaji checkpoint along Badagry-Seme expressway based on credible intelligence.
When he was searched, a total of 750grams of cocaine were found in his bag. A swift follow up operation was organized to trace and arrest the kingpin behind the trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, who turned out to be a Chinese citizen, Tianzhen Yen. He was eventually traced to MC Hotel behind Alade market, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. When his hotel room was searched, 4.3grams of cocaine; a gram of methamphetamine; two electronic weighing scales; and Chinese National Identification Number Card, among other exhibits were recovered while he was arrested in the vicinity of the hotel.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Friday 22nd November intercepted 92 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a combined weight of 23.25kg concealed in two vehicles imported from Canada: a Nissan car and a GMC bus. The discovery was made during a joint examination of a container from Canada by NDLEA officers, men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other stakeholders.
In Rivers state, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, on Thursday 21st November intercepted two containers of imported opioids during a joint examination with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
A total of 168,000 bottles of codeine based syrup worth One Billion One Hundred and Seventy Six Million Naira (N1,176,000,000) only in street value, were recovered from one of the containers while the second one contains Four Million Five Hundred Thousand (4,500,000) pills of super royal tramadol 225mg valued at Three Billion One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3,150,000,000) only, bringing the combined value of both the codeine and tramadol consignments to Four Billion Three Hundred and Twenty Six Million Naira (N4,326,000,000) only.
In Ekiti state, NDLEA operatives on Sunday 17th November arrested a 50-year-old physically challenged woman, Mustapha Boja, with 286 grams of Colorado and Loud strains of cannabis at Araromi street, Ikere-Ekiti, while 64kg of cannabis sativa was recovered at Akinyele motor park, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday 21st November.
Not less than 1,200.5 kilograms of same psychoactive substance were seized during raids by NDLEA officers in parts of Edo state. At Utese forest in Ovia North East LGA, 463.5kg was recovered on Thursday 21st November; while 507kg was seized at a compound in Owan village, Ovia LGA where the duo of David Ojo Ederin, 60, and Afoje Frank, 24, were arrested on Friday 22nd November. Another suspect, Godwin Okhoya, 40, was nabbed with 230kg of same substance at Okpuje, Owan West LGA.
In Kano, four suspects: Usman Sani, 25; Abdul Mohd, 28; Bunu Ali,27; and Umar Musa, 30, were on Tuesday 19th November arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria- Kano road, with 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 45kg, while Ayuba Umar Zaranda, 55, was nabbed with 124kg cannabis at Pengana village, Toro LGA, Bauchi state.
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 Sardauna Academy, Malumfashi, Katsina state; Community Secondary School, Ede-Oballa, Nsukka, Enugu state; Government Secondary School, Riji, Kano state; Government Secondary School, Ogba, Ahoada East LGA, Rivers state and the youths and community leaders of Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of AIIA, SIU,Tincan, Onne, Seme, Ekiti, Oyo, Kano, Bauchi, and Edo 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 Francesca Hangeior
A group of at least 20 armed bandits attacked the Chikakore community in Kubwa, Abuja, on Sunday night, abducting five residents, including a family of three and their visitor.
According to police sources, the assailants stormed the Health Centre extension area of Chikakore around 11 pm. The victims included Adesiyan Akinropo, his wife, their son and a visiting guest. Another neighbour was also taken, bringing the total number of abductees to five.
During the attack, a woman sustained a head injury after being struck with a gun butt. She was rushed to the hospital as she bled profusely. Police operatives from the Byzahin division reportedly arrived at the scene but the bandits had already fled with their captives.
Residents expressed frustration over the delayed police response, noting that officers arrived approximately 90 minutes after the incident.
“The bandits have resumed attacks in Chikakore. We need a police division here in this community. We have land and a five-bedroom apartment already built to accommodate the police but there is no deployment yet,” a community member lamented to Sahara Reporters.
The attack adds to growing concerns about security in the Chikakore community which previously faced violence in January when fleeing bandits from Katsina State detonated explosives near an Islamic school in Kuchibuyi, Bwari Area Council. That explosion claimed two lives.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, for comments were unsuccessful as calls went unanswered.
The 6 Division of the Nigerian Army has dismantled 13 illegal refining sites, recovered 300,000 litres of stolen products, and arrested 15 suspected oil thieves following operations across four Niger Delta satates from January 20 to 26, 2025.
Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations for the 6 Division, Jonah Danjuma, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday.
Danjuma noted that the operations included deactivating 150 locally-made ovens and were carried out in Rivers, Delta, Edo, and Akwa Ibom states.
“Troops of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have continued to tighten the noose against oil thieves with numerous successes resonating across the joint operations area,” Danjuma said. “These successes include the dismantling of 13 illegal bunkering hubs, four boats demobilised, arrest of 15 oil thieves, over 150 locally made ovens deactivated, and the recovery of over 300,000 litres of stolen products.”
In Edo State, troops discovered a vandalised site at Ugo Community in Orhiomwon Local Government Area, where a pool containing 252,000 litres of stolen crude oil was uncovered.
Equipment such as a pumping machine, hose, and pipes were also recovered.
In Delta State, troops intercepted a 30,000-litre DAF tanker truck siphoning crude oil from PAN Ocean Nigeria Limited Pipeline, with over 15,000 litres already stolen before the interception.
In Rivers State, operations along the Imo River corridor led to the confiscation of over 10,000 litres of stolen products.
At Owaza general area, an active illegal refining site was raided, prompting the criminals to flee upon sighting troops. A pump-action gun was recovered during the follow-up operation.
Additional successes in Rivers State included the dismantling of illegal refining clusters at Obiafu Oil Field in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, where 10 cooking drums, hoses, and reservoirs were seized. Similar operations in Abalama Community, Asari-Toru LGA, and Abacheke area, ONELGA, uncovered thousands of litres of stolen products, cooking drums, and other equipment. Eight suspects were arrested.
In Akwa Ibom State, troops raided a storage facility in Ikot Abia, Ikot Ekpene LGA, recovering polythene bags filled with stolen Automotive Gas Oil.
In Bayelsa State, troops dismantled two illegal refining sites at Isonogbene, Brass LGA, recovering over 5,000 litres of stolen crude.
General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, commended the troops’ efforts in curbing oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
“The days of criminal elements masquerading as economic saboteurs and associated crimes are numbered,” Emekah said, urging perpetrators to embrace legitimate livelihoods or face intensified military action.
Hisbah operatives in Kano have successfully rescued 16 trafficked girls at a motor park in the state.
The victims, all underage girls were rescued at the luxury bus station, Unguwa Uku.
Speaking after the operation, the Deputy Commandant, Hisbah, Mujahid Aminuddeen Abubakar said, “Our men at the motor park were able to confiscate some persons with underage female children about to be trafficked to Lagos, from there to Benin Republic and to Ghana.
“What they do, is from Ghana they will procure fake passports for them and disperse them into other Arab countries.
“All the children are underage and all females and they don’t even know what is happening. From here, some of them will die, some will be sold, some will be subjected to prostitution, some will be made slaves and it’s all against the law.
“Unfortunately, they are all Hausa, nine from Kano, four from Katsina, two from Jigawa, one from Borno; about 16 of them.”
He, therefore, called on parents to be more vigilant and shun the temptation of acquiring wealth by all means by allowing their children to risk their lives for trafficking.
“Parents must watch over them and be more vigilant; there is nothing good about it, it’s an act of slavery these girls are being subjected to when taken outside,” he said.
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