The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NDLEA

  • Customs seizes hard drugs at airport

    Customs seizes hard drugs at airport

    The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has detected substances suspected to be hard drugs in a consignment containing various spares and household goods packaged for export to Gabon.

    The suspected agent of the illicit substances, Mr Nyeaka Anslem, The Nation learnt, is being detained by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    The command’s spokesperson, Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC) Mrs Thelma Williams, said the substances were detected during a joint examination by customs officers led by Toyin Momoh, a Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC), and other agencies.

    The agencies include: State Security Services (SSS), Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) and the Anti-Bomb Squad of the police.

    Mrs Williams, who said five wraps of the substances were found concealed in a stabiliser, explained that tests by the NDLEA confirmed them to be cocaine, which weighed 600 grammes.

    She further explained that the package in which the hard drug was uncovered was in NDLEA’s custody, adding that the remaining five packages of the consignment had been transferred to government warehouse pending further investigations.

     

  • Kenyan ‘pilgrim’ caught with heroin

    Kenyan ‘pilgrim’ caught with heroin

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, has begun investigations into the arrest of a 32-year-old Kenyan, Imeldah Awino Noah, who was caught with a substance suspected to be heroin.

    The suspect, who was in the country under the pretext of being on pilgrimage, was arrested following the discovery of the substance inside two pairs of female sandals in her luggage. The seizure took place during inward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight from Addis Ababa.

    It was also gathered that she left Nairobi, Kenya for Bujumbura where she collected the luggage containing the drugs before proceeding to Nigeria through Addis Ababa.

    Confirming the arrest, NDLEA Airport Commander, Mr Hamza Umar, said: “The drug was found inside the soles of two pairs of female sandals as well as in a false bottom of her luggage. She is cooperating with our investigating team.”

    Imeldah recounted her journey into the world of crime, saying: “My best friend masterminded my involvement in drug trafficking. I am a diploma holder in Community Health and Development at the African Institute of Development Studies in Western Kenyan town of Kisumu, Nyanza Province. After my one-year volunteer service, I searched for employment. My friend introduced me to her Nigerian boyfriend who offered to assist me by sponsoring my trip to Nigeria. Initially, I was reluctant but my friend persuaded me. They bought my ticket and gave me the bag containing clothes where the heroin was concealed. On arrival at the Lagos airport, the drug was detected.”

    Imeldah also told the investigators that she loved coming to Nigeria to receive blessings from her unnamed spiritual father.

    NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Ahmadu Giade urged the public not to be ignorant of the machinations of drug trafficking syndicates.

    “Drug barons sometimes present themselves as philanthropists. They will offer you free tickets and make all travel arrangements but the ultimate objective is to get you to smuggle their drugs from one point to another. The public should be on the alert and report suspected drug barons to the agency,” Giade said, adding that the suspect would soon be charged to court.

     

  • NDLEA apprehends 39,364 suspects in four years

    NDLEA apprehends 39,364 suspects in four years

    OVER 39, 364 drug suspects have been arrested in the last four years, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said yesterday.

    Its head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said the agency has not relented in the drug war despite huge funding, logistics and legal bottlenecks.

    Speaking in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at a four-day media roundtable organised in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Drug Control, Mitchell explained that the suspects consist 36,902 males and 2,462 females.

    The roundtable was sponsored by the European Union (EU).

    The NDLEA, he also explained, has won the conviction of 8,081 drug offenders.

    Mitchell also disclosed that the total weight of drugs seized by the NDLEA in the last five years is 1,062,982.51kg.

    He gave the breakdown as cannabis 915,377.34kg; psychotropic substances 145,091.824; cocaine 1,931.383kg and heroin 582.102kg. According to him: “The NDLEA carries out surveillances to trace cannabis plantations in forests across the country.

    “This is a very tedious operation because officers trek for long hours to get to the farmlands.

    “In the past three years, the NDLEA has destroyed 3,169.3 hectares of cannabis plantations in the country.”

  • Customs seizes N1.8m Indian hemp

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun State Command, has seized 553.5 kilogrammes of Indian hemp valued at N1.8 million, at the Imeko Command.

    Speaking while handing over the items to the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Area Comptroller, Haruna Mamudu, said the patrol team covering Imeko made the seizure. He said no arrest was made.

    The breakdown showed that 15 sacks of Indian Hemp were seized on December 30, last year, while 98 sacks were seized on January 3, this year.

    The Comptroller, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller in-charge of Imeko order station, Dappa Williams, handed over the items to the representatives of the NDLEA, led by Abduallahi Sardauna.

  • NDLEA intercepts Indian hemp concealed in noodle’s carton

    Dried weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and concealed in a carton of noodles have been intercepted by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Bayelsa State command.

    The state Commander, Mr Frank Hanachor, said in Yenagoa on Monday that a suspect, Tunde Olaniyan, was arrested in connection with the suspected cannabis sativa.

    He said Olaniyan, 22, was traveling on a commercial bus along the East-West Road when he was apprehended by the patrol team of NDLEA.

    He said the suspected hard drugs weighed about 4.2kg.

    “The pallets of compressed cannabis were concealed among packets of the noodles within the carton. At the time of the arrest, the suspect was traveling in a commercial passenger bus belonging to a renowned transport company,” he said.

    Hanachor cautioned inter-city commercial transport operators against using their vehicles as means of conveying illicit drugs.

    He said the agency would henceforth punish transport operators who failed to scrutinise their vehicles and certify them free of illicit drugs.

    He said: “The current security challenges in the country calls for extra vigilance on the part of commercial transport service operators to ensure that their vehicles do not inadvertently become veritable harbingers of death and destruction to the people”.

    He said the command had earleir arrested one Ezi Litabai with 45.8 grammes of high grade heroin at Akenfa Community, Yenagoa, local government area.

    He said another Kopu Jokori was rounded up at Ewoi Community in Ogbia Local government area with 5.2kg of dried weeds suspected to Cannabis Sativa.

    The State Commander enjoined all residents of the state to assist the command in checking the nefarious activities of drug dealers.

    He further warned the youths against abusing hard drugs to avoid jeopardising their future.

  • NDLEA discovers narcotics in dried fish consignment from Thailand

    NDLEA discovers narcotics in dried fish consignment from Thailand

    OFFICIALS of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos have detected narcotics hidden inside a consignment of dried fish imported from Thailand. Anti-narcotic agents said they have apprehended a 35-year-old customs licensed agent, Chukwu Onyekachi Emmanuel in connection with the illicit import. The shipment was detected during inward screening of goods onboard an Ethiopian airline flight. According to the NDLEA Airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, three different narcotics were found in the consignment containing dried fish. “Three types of drugs were found concealed in dried fish. The drugs recovered by the NDLEA during the search operation include 24 packs of morphine injections weighing 14.960kg, 24 packs of pethidine injections, weighing 10.820kg and 157 packs of apresolineinjections weighing 3.505kg. In all, a total of 29.285kg was seized and a customs licensed agent who handled the clearance of the shipment had also been apprehended,” Hamza stated. The suspect, who lives in Lagos with his wife and three children, told investigators that he was paid to clear the consignment. “A client asked me to clear the consignment. I was told that the content is dried fish. In the process, NDLEA officers said that they wanted to search it. I told them that it contained fish, but they are free to search. However, during examination, packs of injections were found under the dry fish. I was then arrested,” Chukwu stated.

  • Two foreigners arrested for drug trafficking

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two foreigners with narcotic drugs just as suspected drug barons allegedly shifted their attentions to Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) Enugu.

    The two suspected drug traffickers were caught during inward and outward screening of Ethiopian airline passengers.

    They are 54-year-old Ghanaian comedian, Musah Iddrisu aka Charles Udunehi who bought drugs for $19,000 and a 20-year-old citizen of Congo DR, Inana Cedrick, who claimed to be a secondary school student in Tanzania.

    The NDLEA Commander at the Enugu Airport, Nsikak-Abasi Udoh, said that  Cedrick was caught with 1.500kg of heroin while  Iddrisu was found to have ingested 450 grammes of cocaine.

    “The Ghanaian comedian ingested 450 grammes of cocaine on his way to Thailand while the student from Congo DR imported 1.500kg of heroin into the country. We have also apprehended a Nigerian by name John Obi Nwadilichukwu who was to receive the student, collect the drug and pay him for smuggling the drugs,” Nsikak-Abasi stated.

     

  • Reps flay Commission over N400m Service Wide Vote

    The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts yesterday grilled the National Planning Commission (NPC) over alleged missing N400 million it received from the Service Wide Vote.

    The Secretary of the commission, Ntufam Fidel Ugbo, could not give adequate answers on the N400 million the Budget Office said it gave the Commission in 2012.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, requested the Secretary to the Commission to present the committee with the transaction details.

    Also yesterday, the Committee summoned the Director- General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Ziakede Apkobolokemi, to appear before it today over alleged mismanagement of funds.

    The lawmaker said if he fails to appear before the committee, it would have no option than to issue a warrant of arrest on him.

    He said the decision of the committee is hinged on the fact that over ten invitations had been extended to the NIMASA boss without him appearing to defend the Auditor-General of the Federation’s query against the agency.

    A member of the committee, Ossai Ossai, urged that should the NIMASA boss fail to appear today, a warrant of arrest should be issued against him.

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday denied collecting the N65 million under the Service Wide Vote as claimed by the Budget Office.

    Its Chairman, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, said the agency did not receive such funds.

    Giade said the last time the agency received money from the Budget Office was in April 2009. He said it was paid N52 million. The NDLEA chief said he was not aware of the receipt of N65.2 million in October 2009.

    The committee fixed another date for further hearing of the case, urging the NDLEA boss to ensure safe custody of the official documents.

  • Two ‘ritual killers’ held in Oyo

    Two ‘ritual killers’ held in Oyo

    THE Oyo State security joint task force, Operation Burst, has arrested two suspected ritual killers at Magaji in Atiba Local Government Area.

    The suspects were apprehended following complaints by residents about their “suspicious activities.”

    Aliyu Mohammed, officer in charge of the task force, told our correspondent at its base in Kosobo that a shrine, two huts, cutlasses, knifes and other weapons were found with the suspects.

    Mohammed said his men were on the trail of the group’s leader, who is at large.

    He said two suspected Indian hemp dealers were nabbed in Oyo and were taken to its headquarters in Ibadan, where they will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    Mohammed debunked rumours that his men were molesting indecently dressed ladies, saying: “We did not molest anyone. Addressing indecent dressing is not within the purview of our assignment. Our duty is to go after ritual killers, armed robbers, kidnappers, Indian hemp dealers and smokers, etc.

  • NDLEA discovers methamphetamine in female artificial hair

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has discovered three kilogrammes of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine inside female hair attachments.

    Anti-narcotic officials detected the drugs at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) cargo section of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

    The drug was meant for export to South Africa.

    The NDLEA’s airport commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, said that the agency apprehended a 37- year-old freight forwarder in connection with the illicit shipment.

    Umar added that the discovery was barely few days after a suspected drug trafficking syndicate abandoned five kilogrammes of heroin hidden inside a shipment of praying rugs from Pakistan.

    The suspect, Mark Udegbulun, told narcotic investigators: “I personally received the shipment from my friend and customer at Yaba, Lagos.

    “He paid me to send the bag to South Africa as unaccompanied cargo. Unfortunately, while the officers were searching the bag, the drug was found inside nine of the packs of hair attachment,” the Nnewi-born Udegbulun stated.

    He is married and has two children.

    The suspect will be charged to court soon.