News

N567m Drug Heist: NDLEA Nabs Drug Baron in Lagos Hotel

Published

4 months ago

May 22, 2023

Eric

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday arrested a drug baron, Charles Ezeh, following the recovery of a consignment of methamphetamine weighing 30.10kg with a street value of N567m.

The illicit drug consignment concealed in powdered custard containers as part of a consolidated cargo going to London, United Kingdom, was intercepted at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, on Tuesday

The spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi, revealed this in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday.

Babafemi said the interception was followed by a series of follow-up operations that led to the arrest of a freight agent, Nwobodo Chidiebere, a female suspect, Chioma Akuta, and ultimately the drug lord behind the shipment, Ezeh, who was arrested at Sotel Suites, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

Babafemi said, “Ezeh claims he is a businessman and deals in articles in Onitsha, Anambra State, but investigation revealed that he lived with his wife and children in London until December 10, 2022, when he fled to Nigeria after his involvement in a drug-related offence in the UK.

“Though he claimed to have been living in hotels since his return to Nigeria last December, operatives were, however, able to locate his mansion at No. 1, Hawawu Abikan Street, Lekki, on Friday, May 19, where a search was conducted and his travel and property documents among others were recovered.”

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa on May 15, arrested a 32-year-old notorious drug dealer, Ikechukwu Uzoma, in the Mubi area of the state, with 1kg of skunk.

Babafemi noted that Ikechukwu had twice been arrested in the past, and convicted for the same offence, and he was in 2017 sentenced to six months imprisonment and in 2019, was again sent to two years in jail.

“In the same vein, a trans-border trafficker, Faisal Mohammed, 27, was on Wednesday, May 17, arrested in Mubi following the interception of a truck from Onitsha, Anambra State, where a total of 2,376 sachets of tramadol comprising 23,760 pills were found concealed in three blue rubber Jerrycans which were hidden underneath the body part of the trailer. The suspect admitted the opioid was to be taken to Cameroon,” he added.

In Oyo State, two suspects, Osas Susan, 35, and Thomas Biodun, 23, were arrested at Igbon, Gambari in the Ogbomoso North Local Government Area with 2.13kg cannabis while Idris Muhammed, 55, was nabbed with 4,500 pills of tramadol when a commercial bus conveying him and other passengers was stopped and searched along Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

Similarly, Bulus Mikah, 63, was arrested at Kafanchan, Kaduna state with over 5kg opioids including tramadol, diazepam, rohypnol and exol-5, just as a total of 965kg cannabis was seized from Shehu Muhammadu Dandare, 25, at Maraban Jos, in Igabi local government area of the state.

Babafemi further noted that, while 552kg cannabis was recovered from a warehouse in a bush when operatives stormed and destroyed 1.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Uhodoua forest, the Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State, 10 suspects were arrested with a total of 5.587kg cannabis sativa, 144.4grams of methamphetamine and 48, 260 capsules of tramadol in different parts of Onitsha, Anambra State on Friday, May 19.

He added, “In Kwara, two suspects Mohammed Isa, 47 and Mohammed Haman, 36, were arrested on Friday, May 19, along Ilorin-Lagos road in a commercial bus on their way to Maiduguri, Borno State with 6kg cannabis, 50grams of methamphetamine and 20 pieces of military camouflage caps and uniforms.

“The same day, operatives in Jigawa state nabbed one Ibrahim Abdullahi, 53, with 120kg cannabis at Sara town in Gwaram LGA.

“Not less than 628 bottles of new psychoactive substance, skuchies was recovered when operatives raided a drug joint at Idanre where four suspects were arrested. The suspects include Olamide Olusola, 26, Abiodun Tijjani, 21, Fatope Temidayo, 29, Agba Obi, 30, and Olafisoye Festus, 26.

“In the same vein, a suspect, Kayode Hakeem, 22, was arrested at Hawan Dawaki, Kano with 293 blocks of cannabis weighing 211.6kg.”

News

Adeleke Cancels Independence Day Celebration in Osun

Published

24 hours ago

September 29, 2023

Eric

Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has cancelled celebration of Independence Day slated for Sunday, October 1 in the state.

His spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, announced on Friday in Osogbo that the governor urged residents of the State to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country.

“Let us use the Independence Day to meditate and pray on the state of our nation.

“Our people are passing through tough times. It is time to take stock and seek divine intervention and guidance in the affairs of our nation.

“I greet Osun people and Nigerians in general as the Independence Day knocks at our doors.

“Here in Osun, we will celebrate with meditation and prayers,” he said.

News

Mohbad: Sam Larry Now in Our Custody, Police Confirm

Published

2 days ago

September 29, 2023

Eric

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested controversial Lagos socialite, Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, over an ongoing investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of the singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad.

The Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development to The Punch in a late Thursday night telephone interview.

“Yes, Balogun Eletu aka Sam Larry is now in our custody. He is currently assisting with the ongoing investigation,” Hundeyin said.

The police had earlier invited Sam Larry and singer, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, for questioning over Mohbad’s demise.

The police, last week, also confirmed that pathologists had concluded the autopsy conducted on Mohbad, while they await the result.

He said, “Autopsy has been concluded. Awaiting results.” This development followed the exhumation of Mohbad by a combined team of the Nigeria Police Force and health officials.

The police had also arrested the nurse who reportedly injected the deceased singer before his demise on Tuesday, September 12.

The Punch

News

Kaduna: Tribunal Affirms Sani’s Election, Dismisses PDP’s Petition

Published

2 days ago

September 28, 2023

Eric

The Kaduna State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna has dismissed petition brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the 2023 election, Isah Ashiru, against the victory of Governor Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, in a dissenting judgment of two against one, delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel headed by Justice Victor Oviawie dismissed the petition on the ground that the pre-hearing notice was filed out of time, and therefore deemed to be abandoned.

The tribunal chairman and another member held that the appeal brought by PDP and Ashiru against the dismissal of their petition at the preliminary stage by the first and second defendants was not meritorious because the filing of the pre-hearing notice was abandoned and out of time, and therefore had dealt the entire petition a fatal blow.

The tribunal, however, noted that if the petition had not been dismissed for lack of merit, it would have ordered a supplementary election in 22 polling units within 90 days in the substantive judgment.

Senator Sani, during the election polled a total of 730,001 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ashiru of the PDP, who scored 719, 196 votes.

The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake, came third with 58,283 votes, while Suleiman Hunkuyi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) scored 21,405 votes.

While the Labour Party and NNPP accepted the outcome of the election, the PDP and its candidate rejected the results, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the wrong candidate winner of the election.

Besides, the PDP and Ashiru alleged that there were massive irregularities and manipulation of results in favour of Governor Ubah in some local governments by INEC. According to them, the APC candidate did not score the highest number of valid votes cast in the election and ought not to have been returned winner of the election by INEC.

In June 2023, PDP and Ashiru, however, filed a petition at the election petition tribunal to challenge the election of Governor Uba.

At the last sitting of the court on September 3rd, all parties presented their final written addresses before the tribunal, with APC’s legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bayo Ojo (SAN), arguing that the petitioners had helped in proving he won the election free and fair, pointing in particular to the admission of a star witness for the petitioner, Bonett Gwazah, a senior system analyst in the VR/ICT department of INEC in Kaduna State.