The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NDLEA

  • Three NDLEA officials killed

    Three NDLEA officials killed

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday said three of its operatives were killed while trying to arrest a notorious drug baron.

    Despite the tragedy, the suspect was arrested, it said.

    Head, Public Affairs, of the agency Ofoyeju Mitchell, in a statement, said: “It was a black Sunday for the NDLEA as three officers were killed in a mob attack while on official assignment in Owode, Ogun State.

    “The incident occurred during the arrest of a notorious cannabis dealer, Azeez Babatunde. Three officers – Bolaji Owolodun, Rabiu Usman Kazaure and Ishaku Joshua – were confirmed dead following the attack”.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmadu Giade, said: “It is shocking that officers on legitimate assignment could be attacked and killed by people whose interest they were protecting. I have ordered investigations into the incident and the agency will leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators are arrested and dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country.”

    The NDLEA boss described the officers as gallant heroes of the anti-narcotics crusade, adding: “These gallant heroes have paid the supreme price for a drug-free society. We shall immortalise them by punishing the culprits and sustaining the fight against drug barons. The agency will take good care of members of the families they left behind.”

    The NDLEA, Ogun State Commander, Mr. Bala Fagge, said the suspect they went for had been arrested and would soon be charged to court.

    “We have the main suspect in our custody and he will be charged to court soon. There is one other officer that sustained injury who is currently recuperating at the hospital,” Bala said.

  • ‘No escape for NDLEA officers’ killers’

    ‘No escape for NDLEA officers’ killers’

    There is no hiding place for the killers of three National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officers in Owode, Ogun State, the agency’s Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, said yesterday.

    Bolaji Owolodun, Rabiu Usman Kazaure and Ishaku Joshua were killed by hoodlums on Sunday while trying to arrest “a notorious cannabis dealer”, Azeez Babatunde.

    In a statement, Giade said: “It is shocking that officers on legitimate assignment will be attacked and killed by people whose interest they are protecting. I have ordered investigation into the incident and the agency will leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators are arrested and dealt with.

    “These gallant heroes have paid the supreme price for a drug-free society. We shall immortalise them by punishing the culprits and sustain the fight against drug barons. The agency will take good care of their families.”

    Ogun State NDLEA Commander Bala Fagge said Babatunde was in the Agency’s custody.

    He said: “We have the main suspect in our custody and he will be charged to court soon. An officer, who sustained injury, is recuperating in the hospital.”

     

  • Three NDLEA officers die in Ogun operation

    It was a black Sunday for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as three of its officers were killed in a mob attack while on official assignment in Owode, Ogun State.

    The incident occurred during the arrest of a notorious cannabis dealer, Azeez Babatunde.

    The officers –  Bolaji Owolodun, Rabiu Usman Kazaure and Ishaku Joshua were confirmed dead following the attack.

    The Chairman of the agency, Ahmadu Giade, who received the news of the officers’ death vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

    “It is shocking that officers on legitimate assignment will be attacked and killed by people whose interest they are protecting.

    “I have ordered investigation into the incident and the agency will leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators are arrested and dealt with in accordance with the laws of the country,” Giade assured.

    The NDLEA boss described the officers as gallant heroes of the anti-narcotics crusade.

    “These gallant heroes have paid the supreme price for a drug-free society. We shall immortalize them by punishing the culprits and sustain the fight against drug barons.

    “The agency will take good care of the family members they have left behind,” the NDLEA boss added.

  • Customs seizes 107 bags of Indian hemp

    •Destroys N15m frozen products 

    The Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday seized a white Ford Chevrolet bus loaded with 107 bags (963 kilogrammes) of Indian hemp (cannabis sativa).

    Addressing newsmen at the command headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, the Customs Area Controller, Mr Oteri Richard, said the bus was intercepted around 4.30am at Igboora in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of the state.

    He said the command‘s Crack Team led by Alajogun J.A, a Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC), arrested the bus marked, XW 193 GGE.

    He said nobody was arrested as the culprits abandoned the bus when they saw men of the command, but assured that through the vehicle documents found in the bus, further investigation would be made to arrest those involved.

    Oteri, who handed the substance to the state Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mrs Omobolade Faboyede, called for synergy among security agencies in combating insecurity in the country.

    Also, the command seized about 2,000 cartoons of imported poultry products worth about N15million along the Agbe-Olodo axis of Osun State.

    The seizure, according to Oteri, was effected through  the renewed commitment to bringing down to the barest minimum, the incidence of smuggling within the command.

    He disclosed that on June 6,  an anti-smuggling team of the command led by Efetobor R.O, intercepted a black Mazda 3 Volkswagon Passat  and another bus loaded with 2,000 cartons of frozen poultry product.

    Oteri explained that the arrest was made possible with the professional expertise of his men.

    Destroying the seized poultry products in the presence of newsmen at the Arapaja dump site in the Oluyole area of Ibadan, Oteri warned those importing contraband products to dump the trade.

    He warned that the command is battle-ready to spoil “business” for them.

     

  • Court jails man for swallowing cocaine

    Court jails man for swallowing cocaine

    A 33-year-old man, Chibuzo Elioku, yesterday bagged a six-year jail after he pleaded guilty to ingesting 95 grammes of cocaine, a banned narcotic.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned him on November 29, last year on a charge of unlawful dealing in the illegal substance.

    The agency said he was arrested on May 13, last year, at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos, during a clearance of passengers aboard a Qatar Airline flight from Brazil.

    A scan revealed the convict had cocaine in his stomach, which contravenes Sections 11 (a) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

    Justice Abang, while pronouncing the sentence, said: “The prosecution tendered documents to prove its case, notwithstanding the guilty plea of accused. The documents included the confessional statement of the accused, where he admitted to ingesting several wraps of Cocaine while in Brazil.

    “It is also clear from the evidence tendered by the prosecution that the accused excreted some of the narcotics later when he arrived Nigeria. The confessional statement of the accused is straightforward, compelling, and convincing. I am satisfied that the prosecution has proved its case beyond doubt.

    “The accused person is accordingly convicted as charged in line with sections 285 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Act. I hereby sentence the convict to six years imprisonment with effect from June 3, 2014, I so hold,” Justice Abang said.

  • NDLEA appoints Ibinabo Fiberesima, others ambassadors

    NDLEA appoints Ibinabo Fiberesima, others ambassadors

    In a bid to strengthen its operations, the management of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has appointed some celebrities as ambassadors.

    The new ambassadors, who were sworn in last Thursday, include Ibinabo Fiberesima, president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Grace Amah, Uche Nnaji, Dayo Adeneye, alias D1, among others.

  • Illicit drug ‘packaging specialist’ held

    Illicit drug ‘packaging specialist’ held

    The end of the road has come for an alleged specialist in the concealment of illicit drugs, Onyejiaju Chukwuemeka Augustine. He is 52.

    He was arrested by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

    The suspect, who was said to have been on the agency’s “watch list,” was apprehended during screening of passengers on an Etihad flight.

    He was said to have left  Sao Paulo in Brazil with 2.605 kilogrammes of cocaine well-packaged as candies.

    NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar, said that the suspect unlawfully possessed cocaine, adding: “We made a shocking discovery of the cocaine carefully and neatly packed as candies. The suspect, Onyejiaju, has been arrested and currently under investigation in connection with unlawful possession of cocaine.”

    Onyejiaju, the agency said, owns a supermarket in Sao Paulo, which he uses as a cover for his illicit drug activities.

    The suspect, who hails from Urualla, Imo State, owned up to the crime.He said: “I own and manage a supermarket in Brazil where I have lived since 2006. I bought the cocaine and concealed it as candies. It is just unfortunate that the cocaine was found in my bag.”

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, described his arrest a reward for the agency’s protracted surveillance.

    “This significant arrest is an indication that the agency is making remarkable progress in undercover operations. The suspect has been under surveillance for some years following his alleged role in illicit drug concealment for drug mules,” Giade said.

    The NDLEA boss, who said Onyejiaju would soon be charged to court, added that other suspects on the agency’s “watch list” would also be brought to justice soon.

  • ‘Yes, I deal in cocaine’

    ‘Yes, I deal in cocaine’

    A 32-year-old deaf and dumb man, Aliu Sanni, yesterday pleaded guilty to the allegation of dealing in about 17.8 kilogrammes of cocaine, a banned narcotic drug.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned him at the Federal High Court in Lagos for illegal drug dealing. He was alleged to have committed the offence on March 26.

    The prosecution said that Sanni was arrested at The Young Shall Grow Motor Park at Iddo, Lagos Mainland. NDLEA said he intended to export the narcotic.

    The offence is said to have contravened the provisions of Sections 11 (c) of the NDLEA Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation, 2004.

    Justice Mohammed Idris ordered him remanded at the Ikoyi Prison until when a sentence would be passed and adjourned till June 2 for a review of the facts and sentencing.

  • Ndlea detects drug syndicate

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered a drug syndicate that operates under the cover of a travel agency.

    This followed the arrest of two suspected members of the criminal gang at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

    The duo was found in possession of 4.660kg of substances suspected to be methamphetamine at the airport car park.

    NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar, gave the names of the suspects as Gwacham Emmanuel Orakwe, 25, and Alhaji Ayila Kolawole, 47. “Gwacham Emmanuel Orakwe’s role was to smuggle the drug to India, while Alhaji Ayila Kolawole was the one coordinating his movement. Both of them were apprehended at the car park with 4.660kg of methamphetamine.

    The drug was packed in five parcels in the bag of Gwacham who had a valid Emirate ticket to India” Hamza stated.

    Preliminary investigation revealed that Ayila contracted Gwacham Emmanuel Orakwe to traffic drugs to India for a fee.

    The suspects have volunteered their statements to narcotic investigators.

    Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said that the agency would continue to unmask members of drug syndicates.

    “Whatever trick drug barons apply, we shall expose them. This arrest is important for the agency because we have moved beyond the courier to the mastermind of the illicit exportation. Investigation is ongoing and more arrests shall be made” Giade stated.

  • NDLEA arrests drug trafficker with methamphetamine

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested one Odeyemi Ademola Ayodeji, 51, for attempting to smuggle 3.870kg of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine to Nairobi, Kenya.

    The arrest took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos during outward screening of passengers on a Kenyan Airways flight.

    Methamphetamine often called Ice or Meth is a crystal-like powdered substance that sometimes comes in large rock-like chunks. It is odourless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol.

    The NDLEA Commander at the Lagos Airport, Hamza Umar, stated that the drug was found inside the suspect’s luggage.

    “One Odeyemi Ademola Ayodeji was arrested with 3.870kg of methamphetamine.

    “The drug was packed in white transparent polythene and hidden inside his bag containing soup ingredients like pepper, melon and crayfish,” Hamza stated.

    The 51-year-old suspect said he would have made a profit of $15,000 from the drug deal.

    “I cannot sleep because of debts. I would have made a profit of $15,000 by selling the drug in Nairobi.

    “As a result of my condition, my senior wife has gone to live with her parents because of hardship. I intended paying my debt and starting a business with the 15,000 dollars. Kindly help me, I am married to two wives with three children,” Odeyemi appealed.

    He hails from Osogbo in Osun State.