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NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Consignments at Port Harcourt, Abuja, Lagos Airports, Arrests 7 Traffickers

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AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

Sponsored by: H&H

Desperate attempts by Brazil based drug cartels to smuggle large consignments of Cocaine into Nigeria through three major international airports in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, who arrested seven traffickers.

At the Port Harcourt International Airport, five suspects were arrested on Saturday 9th April. Three of them were arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt. The three suspects departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on board same Qatar flight, en-route Doha to Abuja and Port Harcourt with a total of 24.96 kilograms of cocaine.


The first is 51-year-old Udogwu James Johnson who hails from Orlu LGA, Imo state. He was arrested with 5.48kg of cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. He claimed he agreed to traffic the drug for a fee of N1million.

Also arrested is Ezekwueme Ifeanyi Valentine, 32, from Aguata LGA, Anambra State, who was caught with 10.82kg cocaine packed in 84 sachets concealed in seven duvets, while the third trafficker, Chiezie Ikechukwu Arinze, 35, from Dunukofia LGA, Anambra State, was arrested with 8.66kg cocaine hidden in 115 golden and silver colour 30ml breakable bottles factory packaged with lotion on top.

The fourth suspect, Uchechukwu Onwugbufor, 42, from Idemili North LGA, Anambra State, was arrested at the airport car park while waiting to receive one of the traffickers, Udogwu James and his consignment. He claimed he was contacted by someone in Brazil to receive Udogwu and lead him to Lagos for a fee of N100, 000. Uchechukwu Onwugbufor was at the Airport with his neigbour, Nwogu Ezimadu, who is equally being investigated to determine if hes complicit in the crime or not.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, a Psychology graduate of Imo State University, Owerri, Sebastine Emeka Kelvin, 30, was arrested with 74 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.454kg on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight enroute Doula- Addis Ababa-Abuja on Wednesday 13th April.

The father of one who claims hes a motor spare parts dealer is from Ezeagu in Ezeagu LGA, Enugu state. He said hes lived in Cameroon for six years before going into the drug business to raise money to boost his trade. He added that he was introduced to the man who gave him the drugs at Addis Ababa by another person serving jail term for drug offence at the Doula Newbell Prison.

In Lagos, another Brazil based passenger, Uba Samuel was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, by NDLEA operatives on Friday 15th April on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight from Sao Paulo via Addis Ababa to Lagos with sachets of cocaine weighing 633grams concealed in his footwear and toothpaste tube.


The suspect who claims to be a shoemaker and barber hails from Umunneochi, Abia state. While accepting ownership of the drug, he said he used his shoe making knowledge to conceal the drug in his pair of sandals. Uba who is a regular traveller confessed he bought the drug to sell at a market in Abia.

Meanwhile, more illicit substances were recovered in raid operations in other parts of the country. In Gadaka village of Fika LGA, Yobe state, operatives arrested one Hassan Usman with a total of 22, 110 tablets of Tramadol, D5 and Exol 5, while one Ali Mohammed was nabbed in a commercial vehicle coming from Kano to Maiduguri with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 33kg. Also arrested on the Kano-Maiduguri route was a driver Ibrahim Khalil Idris with 60 packets of Tramadol, all on Tuesday 12th April.

In Kogi state, 750 blocks of Cannabis weighing 750kg were seized from two suspects: Hassan Adamu, 25, and Abdulmalik Abdullahi, 24, along Okene-Abuja highway. The drug exhibits were concealed inside fabricated panels of a Ford bus.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the PHIA, NAIA, MMIA, Yobe, and Kogi Commands of the Agency for disrupting desperate attempts by drug cartels to traffic dangerous drugs into Nigeria and across the country. He said the huge seizures at the airports will send a strong message to drug barons that Nigeria will no longer be their safe destination or transit route.

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FIVE KIDNAPPERS FATALLY INJURED IN POLICE OPERATION ON LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY

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…As Commissioner of Police reiterates commitment to ensure safety of lives and property

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED: H&H

On January 25, 2025, at about 1900hrs, the Area Commander, Sagamu received a distress call from commuters travelling along Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Expressway of an ongoing armed robbery near Ilishan, Ogun State. Acting swiftly, the Area Commander mobilized a crack team of officers to the scene.

Upon arrival, officers discovered that a group of unidentified gunmen had set up a roadblock using an articulated truck, indiscriminately opening fire on unarmed passengers, causing widespread panic. In the ensuing chaos, three commuters – Bolaji Bilesanmi ‘m’, 65yrs Olasunkanmi Idowu ‘m’ 50yrs, and Mohammed Salisu ‘m’ (age unknown) were abducted into the forest from two vehicles (1) Honda Pilot (Registration No. Lagos EKY113GZ) and (2) Honda Accord Car (Registration No. Lagos KJA13QFA).

SWIFT POLICE INTERVENTION

The Commissioner of Police, CP. Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD. directed a covert operation led by the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. On January 29, 2025, at about 0400hrs, operatives located the kidnappers’ hideout, and upon sighting the police squad, the gang engaged the officers in a fierce gun battle. In the exchange, five (5) kidnappers were fatally injured while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

RECOVERED ITEMS

The following items were recovered from the scene:
• One AK-47 rifle
• Ten rounds of 5.6mm calibre ammunition
• ₦5.2 million (suspected to be proceeds of crime)
• Three mobile phones

The three (3) kidnapped victims regained their freedom unhurt. Efforts are ongoing to arrest injured members of the syndicate. The Commissioner of Police strongly warns against criminal activities, particularly among young individuals seeking financial gain through high-profile crimes.

He reiterates the Command’s unwavering commitment to an aggressive crackdown on criminals preying on innocent citizens in Ogun state.

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So-Safe Corps Apprehends Ex-Convict with Human Skull in Ogun

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So-Safe Corps Apprehends Ex-Convict with Human Skull in Ogun

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation, and Safety Corps (So-Safe Corps) has apprehended a middle-aged man at a tomb in Kere, Obada-Oko, Abeokuta, Ogun State, while he was allegedly attempting to exhume a human skull.

This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Commander of So-Safe Corps, Commander (Dr.) Soji Ganzallo, through the office of the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Corps, Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf.

According to the statement, at about 2:35 a.m. on January 21, 2025, officers of the So-Safe Corps on routine patrol observed suspicious activity on a parcel of land behind a church. The suspect, identified as 54-year-old Adelani Oriyomi, was spotted trying to hide. Once the coast seemed clear, he resumed digging the tomb to allegedly retrieve a human skull. However, the officers returned to the scene, apprehending him before he could escape.

Ganzallo revealed that the suspect, a resident of Kere, Obada-Oko in Ewekoro Local Government Area, confessed to the crime during interrogation. Oriyomi admitted that on January 18, 2025, he had exhumed a skull from a tomb on a plot of land behind his residence. He confessed that he was now attempting to retrieve another skull to complete the number required for a money ritual preparation known as Osole. Oriyomi further disclosed that he had hidden the first skull in his room.

The suspect also confessed to being a seasoned offender, having sold nearly ten skulls in the past. He revealed that previous arrests for similar offenses committed at Ado-Odo led to two years of imprisonment and a further six years and nine months at the Oba Correctional Center following another conviction in Obada-Oko.

Commander Ganzallo confirmed that the suspect and the recovered exhibit—a fully dried human skull—have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Obada Divisional Headquarters, for further investigation and possible prosecution.

In his remarks, Ganzallo urged community leaders to thoroughly screen tenants and visitors to prevent harboring undesirable individuals. He emphasized that such vigilance could ensure 70% of home security, with the remaining 30% relying on alertness to external threats.

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SANWO-OLU COMMISERATES WITH JIGAWA GOVERNOR, VICTIMS FAMILIES OVER FUEL EXPLOSION TRAGEDY 

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SANWO-OLU COMMISERATES WITH JIGAWA GOVERNOR, VICTIMS FAMILIES OVER FUEL EXPLOSION TRAGEDY 

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who died in the unfortunate fire incident in Majiya town, in the Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, following the explosion of a petrol-laden tanker.

The Governor also sent a note of sympathy to his colleague, Governor Umar Namadi, friends and associates of the victims, as well as the people and Government of Jigawa State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the unfortunate incident has left yet another scar in the minds of millions of Nigerians, adding that no nation or people could afford to experience this kind of tragedy without its effect on the social and psychological wellbeing of the people.

Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, offered prayers for the victims and their families, Governor Umar Namadi, and the citizens of Jigawa over the tragic loss of their fellow residents.

He said, “It is with heavy heart that I have read and followed the development of the disaster that happened yesterday in Majiya town, in the Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, following the explosion of a petrol-laden tanker that claimed over 153 persons.

“Certainly, this unfortunate incident is beyond what we can reasonably imagine, going by what I have seen in the media. The devastating effects can only be imagined.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with my brother, Governor Umar Namadi, the Government and the people of Jigawa State over this very sad incident.

“I pray for the repose of the deceased and ask that the Almighty Allah grant the families of the victims the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

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