The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NDLEA

  • Breaking: One dead, official injured as drug addicts raze NDLEA office

    Rampaging youths on Thursday evening razed the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) office in Kazaure local government of Jigawa state.

    The office located along Daura-Kazaure road opposite Dikko Roni filing station was completely burnt down by the youths during the mob action.

    The youths also injured an NDLEA official identified as Stanley Sylvester, an Assistant Narcotic office I.

    Findings by our reporter indicated the youths were provoked after NDLEA operatives killed a suspected drug kingpin in the area.

    It was gathered the incident occurred when the operatives raided criminal hideouts in Kazaure town, headquarters of Kazaure local government area.

    An eyewitness, who preferred anonymity, identified the deceased as 25-year-old Abubakar Lawal, a resident of Sha-iskawa Kazaure.

    Read Also: NDLEA arrests 81 for illicit drug peddling in Oyo

    He said the deceased ran for safety and jumped into Kazaure river during the raid where he was allegedly shot dead by the NDLEA operatives.

    Eyewitness said the killing resulted to crisis, making the angry youths to chase away NDLEA officials.

    They also burnt two of their vehicles and injured one official.

    When contacted, the Public Relation Officer to the Jigawa state Nigerian Security and Civil Defense, DSP Adamu Shehu confirmed the incident.

    He said: “The NDLEA personal raided a resident on which allegedly as hideout of illegal drugs consumption and trading.”

    Shehu added: “The NDLEA arrested some and while some escaped, one of them drowned in to Kazaure river and died.”

  • Malian jailed two years for Tramadol trafficking

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a Malian, Alasan Diamoutene, to two years imprisonment for dealing in Tramadol illegally.

    Justice Nicholas Oweibo convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the charge.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said he unlawful dealt in 630 tablets of Tramadol and 230 tablets of diazpharm, a psychotropic substance.

    Prosecuting counsel Aliyu Abubakar said the convict was arrested on February 7 at the Seme border.

    Read Also: NDLEA nabs 35 suspected drug peddlers

    The prosecution said he contravened Section 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act of 2004.

    The judge also sentenced Rasaki Jimoh to two years imprisonment for dealing in one kilogram of Cannabis Sativa, popularly called marijuana.

    NDLEA arrested him on January 24 in Badagry where he was hawking it.

  • Judge’s absence stalls arraignment of alleged drug peddler

    Absence of Justice Maureen Onyetenu of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday stalled arraignment of a 25-year-old suspected drug trafficker, Biola Dele.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) charged Dele with trafficking in four kilogrammes of cannabis sativa (hemp).

    Dele’s arraignment, slated for Tuesday, could not take place as Onyenetu was not available.

    READ ALSO: Suspected drug peddlers kill NDLEA officials

    The judge was said to be on another official assignment.

    According to the NDLEA counsel, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, Dele committed the offence on Dec. 4, 2018, at Marssy area of Lagos Island.

    Aernan alleged that the defendant engaged in the sale of the substance, in contravention of Section 11(c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

    He noted that hemp was restricted along with cocaine and heroin, among other narcotics.

  • Navy seeks effective prosecution of maritime offenders

    How to effectively prosecute arrested pirates and other maritime offenders was a major issue raised during the 2019 multinational sea exercise OBANGAME Express in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), The Nation learnt Thursday.

    It was gathered that the Nigerian Navy (NN) was worried at the frequent release on bail or outright dismissal of charges against suspects by the court, a situation that has been blamed on the absence of genuine collaboration and understanding.

    The feeling of suspension and distrust among the agencies, according to the Officer in Tactical Command (OTC) Commodore Dickson Olisemenogor was as a result of the quest to outsmart each other.

    Olisemenogor who spoke to journalists on board Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) CENTENARY during the exercise said there was need for a holistic approach to issues relating to crime in the maritime sector.

    Emphasising the need for collaboration among stakeholders, he said the country would benefit more in terms of revenue generation should all concerned work towards common good.

    READ ALSO: Navy arrests 12 suspects over alleged illegal bunkering

    Adjuging the five-day sea exercise as largely successful, Olisemenogor said it would go a long way if the various agencies could continue the team spirit exhibited during the simulations.

    He said the exercise afforded participants the opportunity to test their abilities to synergise as well as assimilate operations that lead to arrest, investigate, collation of exhibits and above all sharing of information that could aid successful prosecution of maritime offenders.

    To contain cases of firearm smuggling, drug/human trafficking and illegal fishing, the OTC said the various stakeholders must work together.

    According to him, the NN has done a lot in terms of human capacity development such as joint patrol and testing of exhibit samples, adding that the exercise had fostered better understanding among GoG nations especially with the border-less sea patrols done this year.

    To the Commander NNS CENTENARY Captain Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the exercise served as deterrence to criminals who would have attacked merchant vessels but for the heavy presence of warships across the GoG.

    Government agencies that took part in the sea exercise included the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Agriculture (Fisheries Department), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency  (NDLEA), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NUS), Nigeria Police, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Air Force, among others.

  • NDLEA nabs 35 suspected drug peddlers

    Thirty-five persons have been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) in various parts of Anambra state over drug-related offences.

    The arrests on eight hot spots were effected in collaboration with the Military, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Prisons Service and Nigeria Immigration Service.

    The spots raided included the Nnewi hundred Foot Road, Ihiala, Aba, Obosi, Okija, Okpoko, Owerri, Lagos and Benin motor parks.

    The State Commander of NDLEA, Mr. Sule Momodu said those arrested would be screened, adding that the innocent ones released while those found culpable would be charged to court.

    He said, “The joint raid has come to stay as the agency and its sister agencies will from time to time clamp down on drug peddlers to ensure the state is free of illicit drugs especially in the parks.”

    Read Also: NDLEA nabs 250 drug suspects in Kano

    Appreciating the state governor, Willie Obiano for providing the agency with the needed logistics, Momodu stressed the need for parents to monitor the activities of their children.

    He cautioned all illicit drug peddlers and abusers to leave the state, warning that the agency was all out in its onslaught against hard drugs dealers.

    “Exhibits seized include 6.3432kg of cannabis sativa, 9.4g of cocaine and 4.3g of heroine,” he added.

  • Two drug dealers bag seven years imprisonment in Ibadan

    Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel  of the Federal High Court, Ibadan, on Friday  sentenced two drug dealers– Suleiman Mustafa and Wasiu Gafar– to  seven years imprisonment  for trafficking in 601.1 kg of Indian hemp.

    In two separate judgments, Ayo-Emmanuel held that he convicted  Mustafa and Gafar based on the evidence before him.

    “The quantity of the Indian hemp found on each of the convicts shall have bearing on their sentences.

    “If Indian hemp of 559.1 and 42 kg were allowed to go into circulation in the society, the number of lives that would have been negatively affected is better imagined.

    ”The court has the duty and responsibility to protect the society at large by ensuring that drug traffickers are duly punished.

    “Therefore, Mustafa is sentenced to five years in prison and Gafar is sentenced to two years in prison.

    “Each of the judgments takes into account the dates each of the convicts was first arrested and detained.

    “The weed exhibits found with the convicts are to be destroyed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),” the judge said.

    Earlier in his plea, Mr Musbau Olapade, the counsel to the convicts, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy by reducing the jail terms of his clients.

    READ ALSO: Court sentences five drug dealers to death

    Olapade pleaded with the judge to consider the fact that the convicts were their family’s breadwinners and their health conditions were not  stable.

    Mr Raphael Himinkaiye, counsel to the NDLEA in  Oyo State  had earlier informed the court that the duo were  facing a three-count charge bordering on unlawful dealing and transportation of Indian hemp.

    Himinkaiye added that the convicts committed the crime on Nov. 28 .2014, at Iwajowa and Moniya areas of Oyo State respectively.

    Shedding more light on the case, the prosecutor said that Mustafa, a truck driver was arrested while conveying 559.1 kg loaded in 56 sacks.

    He further stated that Gafar was apprehended while driving a Micra car conveying 42 kg of the illicit drug from Moniya to Iseyin.

    Himinkaiye told the court that the offences contravened Section 11 (B ) and ( C ) of the NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation,  2004.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  reports that the Act  prescribes a maximum of life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of each of the offences.

    NAN

  • LAUTECH to assist NDLEA combat abuse of drugs

    The management of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, has offered to join the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in its fight against drug abuse, especially among youths.

    LAUTECH’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Michael Ologunde, made the promise while hosting the agency’s Area Commander in Ogbomoso, Mr, Aminu Yusuff Ahmed, and his team.

    Ologunde said the nation could no longer continue to watch the future of its youths get destroyed by drug abuse.

    Read also: NDLEA nabs 250 drug suspects in Kano

    Promising to support the NDLEA and the Drug Free Club of the university to educate students on the dangers of drug abuse on their careers, The vice-chancellor said LAUTECH would henceforth make it mandatory for intending leaders of the students’ union to undergo drug tests before they are certified qualified to contest for various positions.

    Ahmed told the vice-chancellor about the high prevalence of drug abuse in Oyo State and Ogbomoso.

    He said students were responsible for the high figures the agency was contending with.

    “We will appreciate your making use of our counselling and rehabilitation centres as a means of recovering anybody arrested from the path of peril,” Ahmed said.

     

  • NDLEA nabs 250 drug suspects in Kano

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kano State Command, has nabbed over 250 drug addicts and destroyed 45 drug joints in the state.

    The Commander, Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, who briefed reporters, said the anti-drug law agency also confiscated drugs, among which were cannabis sativa (Indian hemp), heroin and cocaine.

    He said drugs such as tramadol and cough syrup with codeine could no longer be found in the state because of the vigilance of NDLEA officials.

    Abdul said the command seized about 872kilogram of Indian hemp, 715kilogram of sycotrophic substances, 400grams of cocaine and 50grams of khats, totalling 1.637kg.

    He urged politicians to desist from misguiding youths into thuggery, saying they should aim at having a drug free society.

    The commander said some politicians were in the habit of using their premises to commit drug offences, adding that those violating the NDLEA act and those found dealing in drugs would be prosecuted.

    He said some politicians have been invited by the NDLEA and are being investigated.

    Abdul advised the public to be law-abiding, “as nobody is above the law,” adding that anyone found wanting in terms of drug abuse and other related offences would be dealt with according to the law.

  • NDLEA arrests 36 in Kwara for ‘drug abuse’

    Thirty-six youths, including three women, have been arrested for alleged drug abuse in the last two weeks in Kwara State, Commander National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Mr. Ona Ogilegwu has said.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin yesterday that the suspects were aged between 14 and 25.

    “We arrested 25 people for drug abuse a week before the election, while the remaining 11 were nabbed four days to election in 16 spots in Ilorin metropolis, in areas such as Asadam, Maraba motor garage, Idiape and Oko-olowo

    “We usually counsel those that smoke Indian hemp and prosecute the dealers, for the law to take its course,” Ogilegwu said.

    Read also: Suspected drug peddlers kill NDLEA officials

    The NDLEA boss said more youths were involved in abuse of drugs such as Tramadol, Indian hemp and even inhaling pit latrine.

    “Three months ago, acting on information from a source, we seized over three tonnes of compressed Indian hemp coming into the state from Ghana,” he said.

    Ogilegwu said the NDLEA would intensify effort to stop drug abuse and ensure sanity among youths.

  • 25 held as NDLEA seizes 407.2kg of hard drugs

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 407.205kg of hard drugs during a raid on some notorious dens in Lagos State.

    Places raided are in Shitta and Akerele in Surulere; Alaba Rago, Idi-Araba, Ijora, Mile II, Ajegunle, Amuwo-Odofin, Ipodo, Abule-Egba, Ajah and Ajao Estate.

    In a statement yesterday, Assistant Commander, Operations and Intelligence Unit, Lagos Command, Ojo Ogbechema said NDLEA  seized volumes of cannabis sativa aka Indian hemp during the raid.

    He said the seized narcotics at Alaba Rago weighed 108.9kg; 270.2kg was confiscated at Akerele.

    Ogbechema said nine drug dealers and 25 drug users had been arrested from January 1 to date.

    The users, he said, had been counselled and reunited with their families, adding that the dealers were  charged to court.

    “By this, we are creating a drug free and violent free environment for a smooth conduct of the general election.

    “Due to the importance of the elections to the sustenance of our democracy, and survival of our great nation, all hands must be on deck to ensure that they were peaceful and credible.

    “For us at the NDLEA, especially Lagos Command, we shall do all that is required to ensure the success of these elections,” Ogbechema said.