The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NDLEA

  • Man bags six-month jail over illicit drugs

    A Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced one Lawal Mohammed, 25, to six months imprisonment over alleged possession of illicit drugs.

    Counsel from the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Mr Charles Nwagua, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 10 at Dadinkowa village along ABUAD Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that the defendant, on the said date,without lawful authority possessed 500 grammes of Cannabis Sativa,a Narcotic drugs similar to cocaine Heroin and LSD.

    According to him,the offence contravened Section 19 of the NDLEA ,Act.Cap N30,Laws of Federation of Nigeria. 2004.

    While delivering her judgement, Justice Uche Agomoh said the counsel for the defendant had pleaded for leniency saying the defendant didn’t waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to his crime.

    “The record before showed that the accused was a first offender ,who was lured into the business by peer group

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    “The defendant appeared very remorseful on every of his appearance in court during his trial

    “The court therefore found you guilty and convict you accordingly. ”

    You are hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour.

    She added that this would serve the defendant a lesson and also as deterrent to others in the habit of illicit drugs.

  • Illicit Drugs: Man jailed three months in Ekiti

    A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday sentenced one Ibrahim Taofeek to three months imprisonment over alleged possession of illicit drugs.

    Counsel from the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), Mr. Charles Nwagua told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 10 at Dadinkowa village along ABUAD Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that the defendant, on the said date, without lawful authority possessed 500 grammes of Cannabis Sativa, a Narcotic drugs similar to cocaine Heroin and LSD.

    According to him, the offence contravened Section 19 of the NDLEA Act. Cap N30, Laws of Federation of Nigeria. 2004.

    While delivering her judgement, Justice Uche Agomoh said the counsel for the defendant had pleaded for leniency saying the defendant didn’t waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to his crime.

    “The defendant appeared very remorseful on every of his appearance in court during his trial

    “The court therefore found you guilty and convict you accordingly”

    You are hereby sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour.

    She added that this would serve the defendant a lesson and also as deterrent to others in the habit of illicit drugs.

  • Man jailed three months over illicit drugs

    A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday sentenced one Ibrahim Taofeek to three months imprisonment over alleged possession of illicit drugs.

    Counsel from the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) ,Mr Charles Nwagua told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 10 at Dadinkowa village along ABUAD Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that the defendant, on the said date,without lawful authority possessed 500 grammes of Cannabis Sativa,a Narcotic drugs similar to cocaine Heroin and LSD.

    According to him,the offence contravened Section 19 of the NDLEA Act. Cap N30, Laws of Federation of Nigeria. 2004.

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    While delivering her judgement, Justice Uche Agomoh said the counsel for the defendant had pleaded for leniency saying the defendant didn’t waste the time of the court by pleading guilty to his crime.

    “The defendant appeared very remorseful on every of his appearance in court during his trial

    ” The court therefore found you guilty and convict you accordingly ”

    You are hereby sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour.

    She added that this would serve the defendant a lesson and also as deterrent to others in the habit of illicit drugs.

  • Court convicts fleeing doctor for cocaine trafficking

    The Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday convicted a medical doctor, Dennis Konyeaso, for cocaine trafficking.

    The court, however, could not pass a sentence because the doctor is on the run.

    Justice Mohammed Idris discharged and acquitted Konyeaso’s wife Chidi, who was charged along with him by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    They were arraigned in 2012 on four-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful dealing and storing of 3.3 kilograms of cocaine.

    NDLEA alleged that the couple, in July 2007, conspired to export 3.3 kilograms of cocaine with the aid of an ex-convict Victor Keyamo.

    They were also alleged to have stored the banned substance at their Plot 729 Atere, Omole Estate, Ikeja, Lagos home without lawful authority.

    Prosecuting counsel Mrs. Obiageri Iwuchukwu said the alleged offence contravenes sections 14(b), 19 and 12 of the NDLEA Act of 2004.

    Mrs Konyeaso said her husband abandoned her and their three children for several years after he learnt that the NDLEA operatives invaded their house in search of the banned substance.

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    She said she never knew that her husband was into drug trafficking.

    According to her, she got to know when the officials searched their house and found parcels of cocaine.

    The case was slated for judgment on Monday, but Mr Konyeaso, who is on bail, was absent.

    The wife said she did not know his whereabouts.

    Justice Idris convicted him in absentia but cleared the wife of all the counts.

    The judge adjourned sentencing until when the convict is arrested.

  • NDLEA arrests 103 suspected drug traffickers

    The Edo Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has arrested 103 suspects for trafficking illicit drugs.

    Mr Peter Ogar, Head of Operations and Intelligence in the command, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria  in Benin on Monday.

    Ogar said the suspects, comprised of 88 males and 15 females, were arrested between July and September in various parts of the state.

    He explained that more than 4,000 kilograms of suspected Indian hemp was seized within the period while 14 farmlands of about 10 hectares cultivated with the plant, were destroyed.

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    Ogar however said that the command had rehabilitated 79 drug addicts who had reunited with their families, while two are still undergoing intensive rehabilitation.

    “It is peak period for traffickers because it is the harvest season,” he noted, adding that this has led to upsurge in arrest of suspects and seizures by the agency.

    The Assistant Commander disclosed that the NDLEA had filed 18 cases in courts within the period, while several others are pending.

  • NDLEA arrests seven suspects in Kogi for ‘dealing in illegal drugs’

    The Kogi State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it arrested seven suspects for allegedly dealing and possessing 23.94 kilogrammes of substance suspected to be Indian hemp and other psychotropic substances.

    Its state commander, Alhaji Idris Bello, told reporters that the suspects were arrested in various locations across the state.

    Bello said two of the suspects were arrested on Okene-Lokoja road with 66 bottles of Codeine syrup and 40 grammes of Rohypnol.

    The state commander said the suspects concealed the substances in bottles and packaged them in a popular noodles cartons in a luxury bus being conveyed from Enugu State to Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    He also said four other suspects were arrested in some flash points within Lokoja, the state capital.

    Bello warned peddlers of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances to stay away from the state, adding that the command would arrest and prosecute persons.

    He urged residents to always provide useful information that could help in ridding the state and the society of illegal drugs.

    According to him, most crimes are perpetrated under the influence of drugs.

    The state commander noted that once the use of illegal drugs is curtailed, the rate of crime will reduce drastically.

    Bello said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation into the cases is concluded.

     

  • NDLEA busts drug ring on VI

    •Lebanese, driver held

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday arrested a Lebanese Chef, Charbel Chalouhi, for allegedly using and dealing in drugs.

    Chalouhi, of 18, Wahab Ogunbambo Street, off Simeon Akinlonu Crescent, Victoria Island, was arrested following a tip-off.

    He is being held at the NDLEA’s Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Lagos Command, Ikeja.

    He was arrested with his Nigerian driver.

    The Nation gathered that NDLEA agents trailed Chalouhi and his driver for some time before raiding his home at about 8am. They recovered about 1kg of cocaine from there

    A resident told The Nation that he witnessed the arrest.

    The witness said the NDLEA combed several homes in the area and questioned the occupants before arresting Chalouhi.

    “I was just walking on the street and I saw the NDLEA officials when they came in. I saw the event. When they came, they invaded his house, not even his house alone, they went to other houses too. But when they got to know that he was the one, they checked him and they took him away. He joined the NDLEA officials in their car.”

    According to the witness, the residents had been living in fear of drug dealers.

    He said: “People in this area have been very careful about complaining to law enforcement agencies about the activities of drug dealers, because such people can be very dangerous. If they get to know that you reported them, you could be harmed. People are living in fear, so the NDLEA should save us, save Nigerian youths.”

    Another witness told The Nation that some Lebanese in the country were putting pressure on the NDLEA to free Chalouhi.

    The source said: “Since his arrest, different Lebanese and top politicians have been calling the Lagos State Area Command and pressurising the investigating officer to drop the case.

     

    “Most importantly, for the security of our Nigerian youths and the prevention of the drug trading Lebanese cartel on the streets of Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi, this case should be used to set an example to foreigners taking over our streets with hard drugs.”

    The NDLEA’s Airport Command spokesperson, Mr Ahmed Garba, said he was not aware of the incident, but NDLEA Lagos Area Commander Aliu Suleiman, confirmed Chalouhi’s arrest.

    “We are still investigating,” Suleiman said.

  • ‘85% of mad people in Nigeria are youths’

    Dr Aliyu Abubakar of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, has said that the youths account for about 85 per cent of mad people in Nigeria.

    Abubakar made the remark in a paper he presented at a sensitisation workshop for youths organised by Bizara Youth Development Association in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the paper is entitled: “Drug Abuse in Nigeria: Causes, Effects and Solutions.”

    Abubakar said: “According to a recent study, 85 per cent of mad people in Nigeria are youths within the age bracket of 18-38 years.

    “The major cause of mental challenge in Nigeria has gone beyond drug-abuse as the youths now inhale lizard feces, putting their noses into pit toilets, smoking matches, smoking dried horse feces and mixing lizard feces with dye powder.

    “Drug abuse disorder is a common problem affecting about 5 per cent of the of the world population with an estimated 10.2 per cent in the USA.”

    He recalled that in Nigeria, it was recently reported that about three million bottles of cough syrup containing codeine is consumed daily in Kano State and about six million bottles consumed in the North-West.

    Abubakar added that in 2016, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency reported that about 40 per cent of Nigerian youths engaged in drug-abuse.

    The medical doctor stressed that the consequences of drug-abuse include mental disorder, liver cirrhosis, lethargy and cardiovascular disorder among others.

    Abubakar added those those abusing drugs mostly drop out of school, engage in cultism, violence, arm-robbery, thuggery, rape, lawlessness, murders and are culturally disorientated.

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    In his speech, the Chairman, Bizara Youth Development Association, Malam Yahaya Nuhu advised parents to draw their children closer to monitor their movement and those they relate with.

    He advised government to introduce stiffer penalties against drug-dealers, fish them out and punish them accordingly.

    Nuhu advised the youths to be cautious of peer group influence and always ensure that they serve as worthy ambassadors of their families and communities.

    “Members of the society also have a role to play towards curbing the menace the of drug-abuse, especially by monitoring activities of the youths.

    “Additionally, community members can advise parents where necessary, and also supply vital information to relevant authorities for prompt action.”

  • 2019: NDLEA urges leaders to preach against drug abuse

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ), Gombe State Command, has appealed to the traditional and religious leaders to preach against substance abuse as the 2019 elections draw near.

    Mr Aliyu Adole, the state NDLEA Commander, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Tuesday.

    Adole tasked the leaders to sensitize their subjects and congregation to shun violence before, during and after the 2019 general elections.
    He said that there was need to advise youths in the state to shun drug abuse, saying that it was dangerous to their health.

    “We need the traditional and religious leaders seriously, especially as we are in the political period; we want peaceful polls in the state and the country at large,” Adole said.
    According to him, some youths get out of control when they take drugs; religious leaders need to convince them that what they are taking is bad.

    Adole also solicited the support of the elders and parents in the communities to speak out on the dangers of substance abuse.
    “So, everybody in the community should come out to assist the NDLEA to educate youths in Gombe State to get out of drug abuse,” the state NDLEA commander said.

    He advised politicians in the state to control their supporters, especially youths to engage in peaceful campaigns and elections in the state and the country at large.

  • NDLEA raids illicit drug base in Aba

    The Abia State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) led by its commander, Bamidele Akingbade has raided a notorious base used by illegal drug peddlers and users in Aba at Orji Uzor Kalu Bridge near the popular Good Morning Market.

    Akingbade and his team also demolished shanties where the hoodlums engaged in their illicit indulgences.

    The NDLEA commander said that despite several efforts to raid the place, the hoodlums often escaped arrest, regrouped and continued their business.

    Though no arrest was made this time, the agency recovered hard drugs such as cocaine, cannabis and heroine in the process of destroying the shanties.

    The NDLEA boss appealed to members of the public to provide the command with credible information about activities of drug peddlers in their neighbourhoods, adding that the war against sale and consumption of illicit drugs in Aba and other parts of the state remains in force.

    He said, “With the demolition of the structures, drug traffickers and armed robbers will have no place to hide to commit any crime. We are equally going to establish an outpost there like we did at York Street to ensure that they didn’t come back.

    “I want to use this opportunity to thank the authorities of Nigerian Army and other sister agencies in the state for the assistance that they have been able to give us so far which resulted in the successes we have been able to record so far. We are equally appealing to the state government to help provide us with logistics to enable us function well and effectively. For us, the war against sale and consumption of illicit drugs in the state is total.”