The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Indian hemp

  • RRS recovers 18 sacks of Indian-hemp from gang

    RRS recovers 18 sacks of Indian-hemp from gang

    A FOUR-MAN gang of narcotic specialists have been arrested in Lagos by men of the state crime-fighting outfit – the Rapid Response Squad (RRS).

    The suspects were arrested at the weekend by the RSS officials who acted on a tip-off.

    They were caught with 18  sacks of substance believed to be Indian-hemp.

    The gang had until now, been allegedly terrorising residents of Oyingbo-Otto and its environs.

    The RRS team, led by Inspector Adeniba Olorunshola, arrested the suspects after a two-week surveillance in the area.

    The operatives, during the special operation, apprehended, Quadri Jimoh, 23, Tajudeen Busari, 33, Ukowa Udomma, 34 and Yakubu Mudashiru, 30, while another suspect, identified as Olumide (aka Aroso), believed to be the  gang leader, escaped.

    Two of the suspects confessed that they were not the actual dealer but that they only smoke, identifying one Olumide, who is at large, as the dealer of the recovered substance.

    “I went there to buy Indian Hemp before I found myself inside the police net. As a fashion designer, I came to Lagos about two years ago to eke out a livelihood,” Udomma said.

    Mudashiru, whose house was reportedly razed by fire some years ago, confessed that he has been a regular patron to the house where the drugs were found.

    “I have nowhere to stay after my house was razed down by fire. Since then, I have been sleeping inside motor park at Oyingbo. Truly, I went there to smoke on the fateful day,” he said.

    Addressing reporters in his office, the RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP), urged Lagos residents to always furnish the police with information.

    “With information from members of public, the work of the policemen will be easy. We cannot do it all alone as we rely much on the hints from the people”, Disu said.

    He said the manhunt for the drug kingpin would continue.

    The suspects have been transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further interrogation.

     

  • Two held for alleged Indian hemp trafficking

    Two held for alleged Indian hemp trafficking

    Two men, Ismaila Aliu, 28, and Edwin Igwe, 39, have been arrested at  Seme Border for alleged trafficking of 20 bags of substance suspected to be Indian hemp.

    Parading the suspects yesterday, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Lagos, AIG Bala Hassan said they were arrested following a tip-off.

    Hassan said the substance would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). He promised to arrest others at large.

    Aliu, who works at Seme border, said his work is to bring in contraband.

    He said: “I bring in many things including rice, groundnut oil, turkey meat and sausage rolls. I was not around when the last incident happened. There are small boys who work with me. My role is to bring in anything their goods for a fee.

    “That fateful day, they called me to come and carry goods. When I came I saw them with police and I asked what the matter is? They told me that what they carried attracted the police. I looked at the goods they were talking about and they looked like Bibles and others looked like video tapes (CDs). I tried to call the person who bought the load and told him that there was a problem and that he should bring money for the problem to be solved. I told him to bring N500, 000 but he brought only N480, 000. I also called the owner of the goods through my senior brother and he promised to make the owner come quick. The owner is an Igbo man. My work is to bring in contraband and they pay me there. I am not a criminal. I don’t steal rather.”

    Igwe said he loads goods into vehicles for a fee.

    He said: “I am based at the border between Togo and Ghana. We work for so many people, we are like agbero people and agbero people have no choice in the type of work they do so far it will fetch them small money for food and drinks.

    “It was one Jennifer who owns the goods that asked me to give Aliu N480, 000. I was in Lagos when Aliu’s brother called me. He told me Aliu was arrested with Jennifer’s goods. Jennifer gave me the money to go and give Aliu to perfect the releases of the Indian hemp. Jennifer is a foreigner, a Ghanaian. She gave me the money to give Aliu and I was later arrested.

    “I don’t know anything about the other goods from across the waters. I don’t know how to swim hence I will not be able to steal or smuggle anything through the waters. I am a mere loader. At times, I am paid N3,000 for loading contraband. I am innocent because I know that what they are doing is illegal but what I am doing is just to find food and transport money. Now that I know that it is an offence, I will not load contraband again it is just that there is no job.”

     

  • Disabled woman nabbed with Indian hemp

    Disabled woman nabbed with Indian hemp

    A disabled woman who gave her name as Patience Onisuru, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with 10 bags of cannabis sativa also known as Indian hemp.
    The suspect was nabbed along Utese-Okada road, in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
    Patience aged 47 and mother of four said the substances were being conveyed to a state in the South-East.
    She said a bag was to be sold at N15,000 per bag.
    According to her, “I was introduced to this business when I did not have anything to do‎. The person said that he would buy one (bag) at N15,000 each.
    “I do not feel fine about my arrest. I beg for forgiveness. I will not try in again; this is my first time.”
    Others suspects paraded by the NDLEA in the state included Victor Okon, Osaro Uwaifo, Igelenya Dennis, ‎Ehimare Ikhalea, Osagie Ibhawese, Anakarizu Henry, Sunday Ineh, Frederick Nwose, Festus Ossai, Sunday Ohenhen and Obazu Ahigbe‎.
    State Commandant of the NDLEA, Wakawa Buba said the suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of a total of 13,498 kilograms of illicit drugs.
    Wakawa said 72 suspects were arrested in connection with the exhibits in six vehicles at different locations in Benin, the state capital.
    The commandant said the suspects were arrested between September and November 2015‎.
    His words, “The most popular drug of trafficking in this zone (South-South) is the cannabis sativa, which is locally called Igbo or Indian hemp. These drugs are planted very deep in the forest under rugged terrains, not accessible by road.
    “So when they harvest, they use these motorcycles  to bring them out closer to where they can use the vehicles to load and transport. We have made reasonable seizures,” he added.‎

     

  • Indian hemp ‘warehouse’ discovered in Ondo

    Indian hemp ‘warehouse’ discovered in Ondo

    THE Ondo state command of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered a building where Cannabis Sativa, popularly called “Indian Hemp” was allegedly being stored and sold in Akure, the state capital.

    Officials of the agency who went to raid the “hemp warehouse’ said the command was reliably informed by residents of the area that Indian hemp was being stored and sold in the building.

    The building located on Ogunleye lane, off Kolawole Estate, Olu foam area in Akure, was said to be a meeting point for drug offenders in Akure and its environs.

    The State Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. Ibrahim Abdul who led officials of the agency to the area disclosed that ýtwo middle aged men were arrested in the building with Indian hemp in their custody.

    The operation was the first major one to be carried out by the new commandant of the agency, since his assumption of office at the command.

    Abdul hinted that two suspects, Chibozor Godday and Collins Nmo who were arrested inside the building would be prosecuted after conclusion of investigation.

    The Commandant disclosed that over 800 bags of Indian hemp were secretly kept inside the ceiling of the building.

    He urged members of the public to always furnish the agency with necessary information whenever they noticed strange developments in their environment.

  • Man, 65 docked over possession of Indian hemp

    A 65-year-old man, Sheu Ashaolu, has been arraigned before a Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti over illegal possession of two kilogrammes of Indian hemp.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) prosecution counsel, Charles Ugwuja, told the court that the accused committed the offence on December 3, last year.

    Ugwuja told the court that Ashaolu was caught in possession of the illicit drug at Oke-Odo Street of Igbara-Odo, in Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

    The charge sheet reads: “That you, Sheu Ashaolu on December 3, 2014 at Oke-Odo Street of Igbara-Odo, in Ekiti SouthWest LGA under the jurisdiction of this court without lawful authority did possess two kilogrammes of narcotic drug.”

    According to the prosecutor, the offence committed by the accused contravened Section 19 of National Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Ugwuja then prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him properly prepare for the case.

    Earlier the accused had pleaded not guilty to the one count charge when it was read to him.

    His counsel, Ibitoye Ogunyemi made an oral application, praying the court to grant bail in favour of his client in a liberal terms and it was not opposed to by the prosecution.

    The presiding Judge, Justice Ishaq Sanni granted bail to the accused in the sum of N800,000 and one reliable surety in like sum.

    Justice Sanni added that in the alternative the surety should be a Grade Level 10 Civil Servant.

    He later adjourned the case till March 30, for trial.

  • Indian hemp warehouse in Ondo

    Indian hemp warehouse in Ondo

    The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State has discovered an Indian hemp warehouse in Akure, the state capital.

    The state Commander, Ibrahim Addul, said missionary, government and security vehicles were used for conveyance of cannabis sativa. He said the agency would ensure the monitoring of all government vehicles.

    Addul said 30 persons were arrested for alleged drug offences across the state. The NDLEA boss said the agency had destroyed 20 hectares of land with Indian hemp, adding that 19 tonnes of Indian hemp were also seized by the agency.

    Abdul informed that 26 drug offenders were serving jail terms in the state with 11 others facing trials.

    The NDLEA boss said it has also intensified efforts at curbing the menace of drug abuse among teenagers and youths.

  • Indian hemp warehouse in Ondo

    Indian hemp warehouse in Ondo

    The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State has discovered an Indian hemp warehouse in Akure, the state capital.

    The state Commander, Ibrahim Addul, said missionary, government and security vehicles were used for conveyance of cannabis sativa. He said the agency would ensure the monitoring of all government vehicles.

    Addul said 30 persons were arrested for alleged drug offences across the state. The NDLEA boss said the agency had destroyed 20 hectares of land with Indian hemp, adding that 19 tonnes of Indian hemp were also seized by the agency.

    Abdul informed that 26 drug offenders were serving jail terms in the state with 11 others facing trials.

    The NDLEA boss said it has also intensified efforts at curbing the menace of drug abuse among teenagers and youths.

  • Customs seizes N1.3m IIndian hemp

    Customs seizes N1.3m IIndian hemp

    Oba of Lagos to INEC: don’t alte

    The Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to alter the wish of Nigerians at the February elections.

    Akiolu said that INEC should not tolerate rigging or any other electoral malpractice to ensure free, fair and credible polls that would deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

    The monarch who urged the commission to ensure that all eligible voters would get their cards before the elections, assured it of the support of the traditional institution in the state toward credible general elections.

    Akiolu regretted the insurgency in some parts of the country but hoped that it would soon end.

    “I know that our military was not equipped in the past the way it should, but everybody has learnt from his mistakes,’’ the royal father said.

    Nigerians’ wish

  • Customs seizes N1.3m Indian hemp

    Customs seizes N1.3m Indian hemp

    The Headquarters Monitoring Team of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Idiroko Axis, has intercepted a wine-coloured Toyota Corolla car along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The car was laden with three sacks of substances suspected to be Indian hemp estimated at about N1.3 million, The Nation learnt.

    Following a tip-off, the patrol team, led by Yahaya Usman, an Assistant Comptroller of Customs (ACC), trailed the vehicle to a low-risk area before interception to avert any operational hiccup.

    The team’s leader expressed deep satisfaction with the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko and his management for their support and the confidence reposed in his team.

    Usman said since inception, the team has contributed immensely to the seizure profile of the service to justify the essence of its creation.

    He added that the collaboration and synergy which his team receives from the Controller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DCC) Turaki Usman Adamu, had been overwhelming.

    He vowed to remain committed to the anti-smuggling efforts of the NCS and promised to ensure strict compliance with the Federal Government’s fiscal policy on trade and commerce.

    Usman urged the public to give the team useful information that would assist their operations.

    “Smuggling, just like scavenging, is a global menace and the NCS will continually be at the vanguard of ensuring its drastic suppression in line with its statutory obligations and extant laws,” he said.

  • Indian hemp lands ‘robber’ in police net

    Indian hemp lands ‘robber’ in police net

    Why did I take too much Indian hemp and Ogogoro (local gin) before going for that operation”? This is the lamentation of a member of a four-man armed robbery gang, Chukwuemeka Obikachi (25), who is being detained by the police.

    Reeking of Ogogoro, he was caught at Ologolo in Lekki, Lagos, last month, while his three accomplices escaped.

    Last December 8, a police source said, Obikachi and the others allegedly stopped a man, simply identified as Ismaila, while trying to drive his Highlander Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) into a compound at Ologolo.

    They took the car key, stripped the mand naked, dumped him in the back seat and zoomed off.

    The man’s screams attracted the residents, which who rushed to his aid.

    “When the robbers saw a crowd coming, they took to their heels, but Obikachi could not follow them immediately due to the foolish courage the Indian hemp and drink he consumed gave him. They caught him and gave him the beating of his life. They later took him to a police station in the area before transferring him to SARS,” the source said.

    The SARS operatives, it was learnt, later took him to the scene and recovered one berretta pistol and three live cartridges.

    Obikachi said: “I live in the Pako area of Ijora. I was in the market when one Henry invited me for an armed robbery work. He first took us to Small Kuramo where we entered one liquor joint. He gave us drinks, smoke and pepper soup.

    “On the day of the operation, Tunde, Chinedu and Henry came with two guns. When we surrounded the man, Chinedu took over the steering, Henry pointed the gun, and Tunde searched the motor and stripped the man naked. My role was to watch out for intruders. I over-smoked Indian hemp and hot drinks; that was why I could not escape when my colleagues did.

    “If I am released, I will stop smoking Indian hemp, go back to school and after graduation, I will join the police to become a gallant police officer. I will fight criminals with passion.”