NDLEA seized at least eight tons of Indian hemp and 8,000 bottles of codeine in raids in Edo, Delta, Bauchi, Kaduna, Gombe, Kogi Anambra and the FCT in the last one week.

Its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated on Sunday in Abuja that operatives stormed Ujiogba Forest in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo on Wednesday, Nov. 29 where they recovered 5,988kg of Indian hemp.

He added that a 22-year-old, Mson Bunde, also known as Tete Peter Joseph, found in a hut on the Indian hemp farm was arrested.

He stated also that at least 120,000 capsules of tramadol were seized by NDLEA officers on Nov. 27.

The drugs, Babafemi added, were concealed in electronic music equipment loaded in a Jos-bound bus, but were intercepted on the Onitsha-Awka Highway in Anambra.

“One hundred-and-twenty-three blocks of Indian hemp weighing 73kg were recovered from a suspect, Abdullahi Bello on Gombe-Bauchi Road in Gombe State on Nov. 29.

“Operatives in Abuja also seized 168 blocks of Indian hemp weighing 101kgs from the store of a fleeing drug dealer in Kabusa area of the FCT,’’ Babafemi stated.

He added that at least 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup were intercepted in a vehicle on the Abuja- Kaduna Road on Dec. 1 and the driver, Shamsu Isiyaku and his conductor, Muhammad Maina were arrested.

He stated also that NDLEA operatives arrested one Ernest Esechie (30) with 44.4kg of Indian hemp on Gwantu-Sanga Road, Kaduna State also on Dec. 1.

In Kogi, NDLEA officers arrested Ahmad Umar (18) with 46.4kg of Indian hemp at a check point in Kabba.

In Bauchi, the officers arrested one Jamilu Zakari (32) at Kofar Idi with 125 blocks of Indian hemp weighing 146kg.

On Nov. 29, NDLEA operatives recovered 542.3kg of Indian hemp from a suspect, Festus Egeogoli (32) when his base at Jakpa Road, Warri, Delta, was raided.

Another 542.3kg of Indian hemp was seized from a store in the area, Babafemi stated.

An Area Court in Jos on Friday sentenced two farmers, Samaila Zanko, 24, and Umar Abubakar, 36, to three months imprisonment each for assault and extortion.

The judge, Mr Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced Zanko and Abubakar after they pleaded guilty to assault and attempted extortion.

Bokkos, however, gave each of them an option to pay a fine of N10,000.

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Monday Dabit told the court that the case was reported on Sept. 11 at the office of the Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Jos, by the complainant, Malam Saudi Abdullahi.

The prosecutor said that the convicts beat up the complainant after invading his house.

He told the court that the convicts also demanded N3 million from the complainant as a “settlement fee”and threatened to beat him up if he refused to comply.

Dabit said that the offence contravened the provisions of the Plateau Penal Code.

The family of Isa Yusuf, a victim of a military shoot-out with suspected kidnappers in the Gandu area of the Lafia metropolis, Nasarawa State, has appealed for help.

Isa Yusuf was shot and left at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia after a rescue mission went awry.

According to Salihu Yusuf, the elder brother of the victim, Isa went to rescue a kidnapped relative in Gandu, only to be mistaken for fleeing kidnappers by military operatives. The encounter resulted in Isa being shot three times.

The family, expressing understanding of the military’s duty, is struggling with the escalating medical expenses.

Salihu Yusuf stated the family has already spent over ₦200,000 on tests and scanning, with indications that one of the shots affected Isa’s spinal cord, necessitating a referral to a hospital in Jos, Plateau State.

Isa, a painter and electrician, not only faces health challenges but also cares for four children left behind by a late brother.

The family, unable to bear the medical costs alone, is reaching out to well-meaning individuals, with a special plea to Governor Abdullahi Sule for assistance.