Author: The Nation

The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sustained its grip on the state winning the two supplementary elections held on Saturday in Khana-Gokhana Federal Constituency and Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 2.

PDP had earlier won the governorship poll, all 32 House of Assembly seats, the three senatorial districts and with Saturday’s results of 12 out of the 13 seats in the House of Representatives.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers was said to have declared PDP’s Dunameme Dekor the winner of Khana/Gokhana Federal Constituency and the party’s Blessing Amadi, winner of Port Harcourt 2.

The Returning Officer for Khana-Gokhana, Kingsely Owete while reading the performances of the various candidates in the election said Dekor satisfied the requirements of the law and was reelected. 

Dekor commended the electorate for voting for him and hailed INEC and the police for remaining apolitical throughout the exercise.

In Port Harcourt Federal Constituency 2 where INEC declared Mrs. Blessing Amadi of the PDP the winner, the election was reportedly peaceful.

The candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Collyns Owhondah withdrew from the race about 24 hours to the election, renounced his membership of the APC and joined the PDP.

Owhondah cited the lack of focus, seriousness, and insensitivity of the APC leadership in the state as the reason for dumping the party and withdrawing from the race.

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He supported the PDP candidate during the supplementary poll. 

There were reports of apathy during the election as many people went about their daily activities without showing any interest in the election.

Amadi expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election and commended INEC for ensuring the BVAS functioned properly. 

The supplementary elections were held in 419 units of Port Harcourt Constituency two and in two wards of Khana/Gokhana federal constituency.

Several cultists, including suspected killers of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) at a checkpoint in Ikorodu, a Lagos district, have been arrested in major raids across the state.

The Nation reports that the ASP was murdered penultimate Friday and his teammates injured after suspected cultists opened fire on them at their checkpoint at Emuren, Ikorodu.

The suspects, it was learnt, were arrested from identified hotspots for cult-related violence on Friday and were being profiled.

It was gathered that Commissioner of Police (CP) Idowo Owohunwa, had ordered all Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders to rein in cultists and other criminals responsible for resurged gun violence.

The directive, it was learnt, followed last week’s incidents at Ipaja and Ikorodu which left at least five persons, including the ASP, dead and others injured.

Disturbed by the spate of gun violence, the police boss, it was learnt, gave the marching order and charged field officers to clear their jurisdictions of cultists.

Contacted, Police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that suspected cultists were arrested but said he was not aware if those in custody had a hand in the ASP’s murder. 

He declined further comments on the incident on grounds that the command would issue a statement containing details on Monday.

The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a 31-year-old bricklayer, Rasheed Bolaji, to two years imprisonment, for selling Cannabis Sativa, in the Ikoyi custodial centre of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS).

Justice Abimbola Awogboro sentenced Bolaji on Friday following his guilty plea to a two-count charge of trafficking and unlawful dealing in 5.3 kilograms of Indian hemp brought against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Prosecution counsel M. I. Erondu, who reviewed the facts of the case, said Bolaji was arrested with the banned substance, which he was selling, on December 2, 2022, at the NCoS’ Ikoyi Centre.

She said the offence contravened and was punishable under sections 11(b) and 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

Erondu prayed the court to sentence the bricklayer under sections 274(2) and 375 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

But Bolaji pleaded for mercy, saying it was the first time he was selling the banned weed. He promised not to engage in any crime if given a second chance.

His lawyer, Bolanle Kolawole, also told the court that the defendant was a bricklayer and pleaded for mercy in sentencing him.

She also prayed the court to award an option of a fine instead of a custodial sentence.

Justice Awogboro sentenced the convict to two years imprisonment without an option of a fine.

In a related case, the judge also sentenced a father of five, Olusesi Yusuf, to 600 hours of community service, for illegal dealing and possession of some banned substances.

The 41-year-old, according to the prosecutor M. I. Erondu, was arrested on March 6, 2023, 2023 at Felix Ogaga Close, Aso Oke, Ajah Lagos State, where he was selling the banned substances.

The banned drugs found on the convict when arrested, according to the prosecutor, included 15.5 grams of Cocaine; 14 grams of Indian hemp; and 14 grams of Swinol, a psychotropic substance.

Read Also : Police, Amotekun arrest five indian hemp dealers in Ekiti

The prosecutor told the court that the offences contravened sections 19 and 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, 2004.

Yusuf, an air conditioner repairer, pleaded guilty to the charge.

His lawyer, Oke Ojakovo, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy. He said Yusuf was a first-time offender. He was also an air conditioner repairer with five children and a pregnant wife, adding that he was misled in selling the substances by his friends.

The lawyer told the court that the convict had learnt his lesson in the hard way. He prayed the court to award an option of a fine instead of a custodial sentence.

Justice Awogboro sentenced the convict to 600-hour community service. She ordered that all the substances recover from him be destroyed by the NDLEA.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA says it has intercepted consignments of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (Designer drug) and Cannabis concealed in winter jackets and bottles of body cream at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.

It said the psychoactive substances were recovered at the new terminal of the airport on Friday April 14 following the arrest of a passenger, Joshia Sunday who was traveling on a Qatar Airlines flight via Doha to Oman in the Middle East.

Spokesman of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, who revealed this is in a statement on Sunday, said a thorough search of the suspect’s two black bags led to the discovery of 4.80 kilograms of cannabis concealed in three winter jackets and various quantities of Tramadol, Rohypnol, Ecstasy (Designer drug) hidden in bottles of body lotion.

According to the statement, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect came into Nigeria from Oman on April 7, and was returning exactly a week after.

Babafemi also said a Lekki Lagos based businessman, Cyril Chidiebere, was on April 14 arrested along with two of his freight agents: Mejabi Peter Sunday and Oyeyinka Babatunde over their involvement in the importation of twelve (12) parcels of Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 6.50kg, which was part of a consolidated cargo brought in from the United States of America.

He said the arrest and seizure followed a three-day intelligence-led operation. 

The statement reads, “Following the arrival of the cargo at the NAHCO import shed of the MMIA, its movement out of the airport was closely monitored in a sting operation until the actual importer, Cyril Chidiebere, was arrested in his house at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, Lekki area of Lagos. 

Read Also : NDLEA secures conviction of 37 drug peddlers in Kano

“Both Mejabi and Chidiebere have made useful statements to confirm that the latter has been involved in dealing on illicit drugs in the past.

“Meanwhile, a pregnant woman, Rabetu Abdulrasak, 24, and a cripple, Shehu Adams have been arrested by NDLEA operatives in Agbede, Etsako West LGA, Edo State while over 14 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs including cannabis, methamphetamine, tramadol and swinol were recovered from them on Saturday 15th April.

“A 22-year-old HND 1 female student of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun state, Isoyo Iveren Susan was on Saturday 15th April arrested opposite 2nd Gate of the institution for dealing in illicit drugs. Recovered from her include 1,100ML of codeine-based cough syrup and 283grams of cannabis. 

“This is just as operatives in Lagos arrested two suspects: Nonso Peter, 21, and Bright Chibike, 23, with 43.4kg cannabis at Ile-Epo, Abule Egba area of the state on Friday 14th April.

“In Katsina State, no less than 1,730 bottles of codeine-based syrup were seized from a suspect, Bishir Sa’adu in Katsina metropolis on Sunday 9th April just as Muhamadu Yusuf was equally arrested same day with 8,000 capsules of tramadol inside a commercial bus along Kano – Katsina road. 

“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna on Thursday 13th April raided a clandestine laboratory where mist potassium citrate was being produced in a residential apartment at 16 Sabon Gari, Zaria. 

“The owner of the lab, Christopher Agodi was arrested and 102 cartons containing 2,448 bottles of the substance recovered. While a suspect, Salisu Abdullahi, 25, was arrested along Abuja-Kaduna road with 11.7kg cannabis concealed in two jerrycans, which he was moving from Port Harcourt to Kano, operatives also on Saturday 15th April nabbed one Atiku Abubakar, 22, on the same road with 50 blocks of cannabis weighing 28kg while travelling from Lagos to Shinkafi in Zamfara state in a commercial bus.

“Similarly, anti-narcotic officers acting on a tip-off, arrested two suspects: Aminu Saudi, 45 and Abdullahi Sani, 35, at Ogbese, Ondo state, with 11 jumbo bags containing 211kg of cannabis concealed in rice chaffs. This was closely followed by the destruction of six hectares of cannabis farm in Uso forest in the state on Thursday 13th April.

“Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Edo, Ogun, Lagos, Katsina, Kaduna and Ondo Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week. He urged them and their compatriots across the country to remain focused and continue the current drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts simultaneously.”

From Khadijat Saidu, Birnin Kebbi

Photos: Yauri Local Government Area (LGA), Yelwa North, Garkar Noma PU-21-20-07-006