NDLEA Busts ‘Unholy Alliance’ Illicit Drugs Party, Arrests Organisers
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives on Saturday raided a lounge in Osogbo where a weird party organised for illicit substance abuse was to hold. The operatives arrested some of the organisers who were found with the drug exhibits. NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated on Sunday in Abuja, that the raid followed credible intelligence report that a night party tagged: “Unholy Alliance for Stoners and Drunkards’’ was to hold at the lounge. He stated that different types of illicit substances were to be sold and consumed by the revellers. “Soon after the organisers began to gather at Berrymist Lounge located at Ofatedo Area of Osogbo to start the party, NDLEA operatives swooped in on them. “The operatives arrested the organisers and seized illicit substances and drug paraphernalia from them. “Those arrested included Ikotu Omolayo (25), Fola Olabode (30) and Akorede Adunni Ajibola (22). The management of the lounge has also been invited for investigation. “This comes on the heels of an earlier raid on Thursday, November 23 at Area 5 Forest Reserve, Ile-Ife, also in Osun where operatives recovered 156kg of Indian hemp,’’ Babafemi stated.
NDLEA Seizes 2 Tons Of Illicit Drugs In Lagos, Kogi, 5 Other States
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted more than two tons of illicit substances in Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Ekiti, Anambra, Ondo and Kogi in the last one week. Its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated on Sunday in Abuja, that the agency’s operatives stormed a warehouse at Obi Camp in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo on Monday, Nov. 20. They seized 338kg of Indian hemp concealed in sacks of charcoal in the raid. NDLEA operatives also raided Ikhin Forest in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo on Saturday, Nov. 25 and seized 235kg of the same psychoactive substance. “A suspect, Onah Ikechukwu (32) was arrested at Jattu in Etsako West Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday, Nov. 22. “The operatives seized 11,690 capsules of tramadol, 295 bottles of codeine syrup and various quantities of Molly, Indian hemp and Methamphetamine from the suspect. “Another raid on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at Enu-Owa Street, Lagos Island, led to the seizure of 40,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 440,000 pills of tramadol in a store belonging to one fleeing Ebuka Amechi. “Not less than 135,600 capsules of tramadol and 950gm of Indian hemp were seized from two suspects – Afamefuna Ibekwe (37), and Sunday Onweh (41) at Nkpor, Akuzor and Ose-Ogbaijo, Onitsha, respectively,’’ he stated. Babafemi added that 37,360 pills of different psychoactive drugs and 250 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered from one Muhammed Khamis (22) on Thursday, Nov. 23 on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway. The drugs were being transported from Onitsha, Anambra to Abuja, Babafemi stated. NDLEA operatives in Ekiti seized 288kg of Indian hemp at Odo-Owa Forest in Ijero Local Government Area of the state on Saturday, Nov. 25. “At least, 116kg of Indian hemp were seized from a suspect, Chinagoram Obaru (24) who was arrested at Iju Forest on Thursday, Nov. 23,’’ he added. Babafemi also stated that 859kg of Indian hemp, concealed among bags of sugar in a truck for onward transportation to Mokwa, Niger state were recovered. The consignment, he added, was loaded at Ogbese in Ondo State and hidden among bags of cement in a truck before it was trans-loaded into another articulated vehicle in Ogun. On Friday, Nov. 24, NDLEA operatives in Ogun arrested two suspects – Adamu Ibrahim and Nura Sani at Ileke trailer garage, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa commended the officers and men over the seizures and arrests. He charged them to remain vigilant and to double their efforts, especially as criminal networks had become desperate to make quick money preparatory to the Yuletide season.
NDLEA Seizes 6 Tons Of Skunk In 5 States
NDLEA has intercepted more than six tons of skunk in Ondo, Oyo, Lagos, Edo and Gombe states. Its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated in Abuja on Sunday that 2,197kg of skunk were recovered in four interdictions in parts of Ondo State within four days. He explained that 1,165.5kg of skunk were seized in Uso, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State on Wednesday, while 691kgs of the drugs were recovered at Ukugu Forest in Ipele, in the state on Tuesday. “A suspect, Ifeanyi Abuguja, 32, was arrested with 87kg of same substance on Monday, October 23 at Agula Road, Ogbese, in Akure North Local Government Area of the state. “At Ogbese Market in the same local government area of Ondo State, 253.5kg of the substance were recovered on Thursday, October 26,’’ he stated. Babafemi added that, two suspects, Ayo Dele, 19, and Olaitan Ahmed, 23, were arrested with 160gm of Indian hemp at a drug joint at Inalende area of Ibadan on Sunday, October 22. A follow-up operation at a warehouse in the area led to the recovery of 332kg of Indian hemp, he stated. The spokesman also stated that NDLEA operatives of the Lagos Command recovered a vehicle loaded with 209kg of “Loud’’ at Okun Ajah area of the state on Monday, October 23. Babafemi added that NDLEA operatives in Gombe State recovered an abandoned consignment of 401 blocks of Indian hemp on Saturday. The consignment weighed 392kg, he stated, adding that 21,000 capsules of tramadol were also recovered at Tumfure area of Gombe. “In the early hours of Sunday, October 29, NDLEA operatives in Edo stormed the Utese Forest in Ovia North East Local Government Area. “The operatives evacuated 2,931.3kg of Indian hemp from a warehouse in the forest,’’ Babafemi stated.
NDLEA Arrests 2 Fugitive Drug Kingpins, Nabs 2 Others For Swallowing 175 Heroin Wraps
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully detained two wanted leaders of transnational criminal organizations, while also capturing two additional individuals who ingested a combined total of 175 wraps of heroin. This achievement follows weeks of intelligence-driven operations both within Nigeria and abroad. According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson Mr. Femi Babafemi in Abuja on Sunday, the apprehension of these suspected drug lords occurred in conjunction with the interception of cocaine and heroin consignments. These drugs, concealed within the bodies of two traffickers destined for Paris, France, and Doha, Qatar, were seized by NDLEA officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Furthermore, operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, managed to detain Hakeem Salami on October 10. Salami is the ringleader of the “Tajudeen Babatunde Abioye Transnational Criminal Organization,” which deals in multiple narcotics, including Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Ephedrine, trafficking them between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe. Salami had fled to South Africa after one of his syndicate members, Suleiman Oba, was arrested at the Lagos airport on August 25 for attempting to export 25.10 kgs of ephedrine to South Africa. Salami was eventually located and apprehended through collaboration with South African authorities and other intelligence sources. Some of his luxury vehicles were confiscated, and his residence in Surulere, Lagos, was sealed. Other members of the cartel already in custody include Suleiman and Godwin Edet Mathew. In a statement, Salami claimed to have previously engaged in the importation of building materials from China to Nigeria and had sold gold in South Africa before venturing into the illegal drug trade about two years ago. Additionally, the head of another cartel, Ikechukwu Okafor (known as Jantu), and his wife, Ifeyinwa Okafor, were apprehended on October 5 when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout in the Okota area of Lagos. During the operation, 27.566 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in a blue box and two sacks, intended for export to Europe and Asia, were seized. Their Lexus RX350 with the registration ABJ 512 AY was also impounded during the operation. The arrests followed several weeks of intelligence gathering about the criminal network. At the Abuja airport, on October 6, operatives arrested a suspected drug trafficker, Nwofor Ejiogu, 45, during the outward clearance of a Qatar Airways flight to Doha. After a body scan revealed he had ingested cocaine, he was placed under observation, during which he excreted 75 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.653 kgs. At the time of his arrest, Nwofor offered to bribe an NDLEA officer with $3,000 in an attempt to secure his release. On October 7, another trafficker, Nwufo Charles, 45, was arrested while attempting to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Paris, France via Frankfurt, Germany. After being scanned and taken into a recovery room, he excreted 96 wraps of heroin he had ingested, with a total weight of 1.413 kgs.
NDLEA Confiscates 685 Kg Illicit Drugs, Shuts Down 13 Drug Outlets in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has reported a significant operation resulting in the seizure of 685.179 kg of illicit drugs and the dismantling of 13 illicit drug joints within Kaduna. Mr. Ibrahim Braji, the NDLEA State Commander, revealed on Sunday that these operations took place during the month of August. During this period, law enforcement authorities apprehended a total of 86 suspects, consisting of 83 males and three females. The confiscated drugs included 650.690 kg of Indian Hemp, 0.004 kg of Cocaine, 0.003 kg of Heroin, 0.197 kg of Methamphetamine, 9.336 kg of Tramadol, and 24.949 kg of Psychotropic substances. Braji specified that the 13 illicit drug outlets were located in various areas, including Tirkaniya, Kantin Kwari garage, Badarawa, Filin Minister, Mangarori, Kafanchan, Unguwar Gimbiya, Kauru, Birnin Yero, Narayi, Unguwar Gwari, Hayin Na’iya, and Hayin Dan Mani. In addition to the drug seizures, the NDLEA operatives also recovered 100 rounds of live ammunition, live bullets, one pistol marked 73.1×19, one locally made pistol, and 448 rounds of live ammunition of 7.69mm. Commander Braji emphasized that the fight against illicit drugs and drug consumption is a collective responsibility and urged the public to support their efforts in addressing this pressing issue. He encouraged individuals to provide timely information to enable proactive measures against drug-related offenses.
India-bound ‘couple’ excretes 184 wraps of cocaine – NDLEA
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) have arrested a fake couple, Kingsley and Roseline Ilonzeh for ingesting 184 wraps of cocaine. The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. He said that the suspected drug traffickers were purportedly going for medical treatment in India. Babafemi said that the drugs weighed 3.322Kg, while another 100 grammes of the drug was concealed in the woman’s private part. He said that the two suspects were intercepted at Screening Point 1, Terminal 1 of the international wing of the Lagos airport on Aug. 1, while attempting to board an Ethiopian airline flight to India. Babafemi further said that though their travel documents showed consistency in their names and depicted them as a couple, an NDLEA officer however, decided to subject them to a body scan. He said that the scan confirmed the couple ingested drugs as a result of which they were later placed on excretion observation at the agency’s facility. ”Their travel documents identify the man as Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and the lady to be Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum, “Preliminary investigation reveals that the intending passengers are not a couple but obtained the travel documents in the same surname to beat security checks at the airport. “The lady later gave her real name as Ngogbike Nkechi. During interview, she confessed that she was recruited in her Church in Aba, Abia where she lives. “The suspect, Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum (aka Ngogbike Nkechi) states further that she is a divorcee and that Kingsley, with whom she is travelling is not her husband but connected only for the purpose of the illicit drug business trip. “She said that Kingsley, her arranged husband brought the pellets of cocaine to ingest her in the hotel where they both lodged in separate rooms on July, 31, ” he said. The NDLEA spokesperson said that after their arrest, a thorough search conducted on her led to the discovery of a big size wrap of cocaine that weighed 100 grammes which she inserted into her private part. He said that the suspected drug trafficker confessed that she was promised $5,000 upon successful delivery of the drug in India. Babafemi said that in his own statement, Kingsley, who was into clothing business in Onitsha, Anambra claimed he was promised $2,000 after a successful delivery of the drug in India. “A further search of the agency’s crime data base reveals that Kingsley also obtained his travel documents with fake identity for the trip. “Indeed, it has been established that he was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on March 19, 2022, for ingesting 100 wraps of cocaine weighing 2.243kgs upon his arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on board an Ethiopian airline flight. “His travel documents then contained his real name: Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian,” he said. He noted that after his arrest at the Abuja airport on March 19, 2022, with another suspect, Iro Elvis Uche, who also ingested 65 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.376kgs, Uwaezuoke was subsequently arraigned. Babafemi said that he was arraigned before Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court Abuja with charge number: FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2022. He said that the suspect was eventually granted bail by the court, pending the conclusion of his trial. ”He is still on court bail when he was arrested at the Lagos airport for a similar offence on August 1. “Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi (aka Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian) excreted a total of 82 wraps of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.822kgs in five excretions. “Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum (aka Ngogbike Nkechi) ingested 101 wraps in four excretions with a big size wrap of the substance recovered from her private part, all weighing 1.50kgs,” he said.