Crime
NDLEA seizes N3.7bn tramadol at Lagos airport
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have thwarted plans to smuggle over five million pills of Tramadol said to be worth N3.7bn into the country.
The agency’s Director, Media, and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Sunday.
Babafemi said the feat was achieved through the collaboration of men of the Nigeria Customs Service and others working at the airport’s DHL cargo warehouse.
He, however, did not disclose when the pills were intercepted.
“Attempts to smuggle 98 cartons containing 5,122,900 pills of Tramadol 225mg with an estimated street value of about N3.7bn only into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, have been thwarted through the robust synergy between men of the Nigeria Customs Service and NDLEA officers at the airport as well as those at the DHL cargo warehouse,” the statement added.
The NDLEA spokesman added that preliminary investigations revealed that the consignments were imported from India and Pakistan, while some of the seized consignments had Freetown, Sierra Leone as the final destination.
Meanwhile, the agency, according to Babafemi, also arrested a suspected drug kingpin identified as Charles Uwagbale in his hotel room in the Okota area of Lagos.
The NDLEA accused 43-year-old Uwagbale of sponsoring young Nigerians to move “Class A” drugs to European countries.
Babafemi said the operatives stormed the suspect’s hotel room when he was preparing one Uju Dominic who he recruited to ingest 93 pellets of cocaine.
The statement read, “It was a rude shock to a notorious drug kingpin who specialises in sponsoring young Nigerians to traffic Class A drugs to Europe especially Italy, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, stormed his hotel room in the Okota area of Lagos late on Friday, July 21 when he was preparing a recruited courier to swallow 93 pellets of cocaine meant for distribution in Italy.
“The 48-year-old drug kingpin, Charles Uwagbale, had recruited Uju Dominic, 35, from his base in Italy with a deal to come to Nigeria, ingest 100 pellets of cocaine on Friday, July 21, and return to Italy on Saturday, July 22.
“True to plan, upon the arrival in Nigeria, the mule was lodged in Golden Heaven Hotel located at Enoma Street off Ago-Palace way, Okota, Isolo, Lagos where Uwagbale brought 93 wraps of the Class A drug for him to swallow at about 11.45 pm on Friday.”
Babafemi said the two men were arrested and drugs weighing 1.427Kg were recovered from them.
“They were in the process when the NDLEA operatives who have been on their trail following credible intelligence stormed their hotel room, arrested both, and recovered the drug exhibits with a total weight of 1.427Kg.
“Operatives of the Lagos State Command of the Agency who made the arrest and seizure had on Thursday, July 20 raided Akala in the Mushin area of the state where they recovered 37.5kg cannabis from the home of a fleeing suspect,” he explained.
In another operation, Babafemi said operatives in Bauchi State recovered 6,265,080 pills of opioids from three suspects; Emmanuel Onyebuchi, 32; Uche Iyida, 33; and Chinedu Ezeanyim, 32.
Eighteen people were killed on Saturday when four suicide bombers set off improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Gwoza, Borno State, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said.
The attack, one of the deadliest reported in the state in recent months, injured more than 30 persons. The degree of injuries ranges from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures.
The Director-General of SEMA, Barkindo Saidu, said he witnessed the first blast.
“In my presence, at about 3 pm, the first bomb blast in Gwoza occurred, detonated by a female suicide bomber in the midst of the marriage ceremony celebration,” he wrote in a situation report later in the day.
“It affected more than 30 persons with various levels of injuries and instant death. Some minutes later, another blast occurred around General Hospital.”
The wedding was held at Tashan Mararaba near the Fire Service in Gwoza town.
A survivor said the first bomber was carrying a baby on her back when she stormed the venue and detonated the IED.
As people gathered to bury those killed at the wedding, Saidu said a third bomber, a lady, detonated another IED with a lot of casualties.
While emergency officials were in the hospital coordinating the rescue mission, a fourth blast was set off by a female teenager.
“So far, 18 deaths comprise children, adult males, females, and pregnant women. 19 seriously injured were conveyed to Maiduguri in four ambulances,” Saidu said.
At the time he released the situation report, he said 23 were waiting for military escort “in the Medical Regimental Services (MRS) Clinic.”
The evacuation of the injured continued into the night with the SEMA DG, who was in Gwoza when the attacks occurred, coordinating the process from there.
He also said he had received a report of a suspected suicide bomber in Pulka but did not provide further details about that.
The military has imposed a curfew in Gwoza LGA in the wake of the attacks.
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has expressed shock over the boldness displayed by certain drug dealers, who have obtained court orders for the release of confiscated illicit drug shipments.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his spokesperson, Sunusi Tofa, the governor disclosed that he was shocked by their actions during his visit to the Kano Road Traffic Agency where he was briefed on the situation.
The governor’s amazement was evident as he discovered that some individuals who engaged in the illicit drug trade had successfully procured court orders for the release of their seized contraband.
He expressed surprise over the judge’s reasoning for issuing such questionable orders, emphasising the severity of the issue at hand.
Worried by the unfortunate development, the governor instructed the State Attorney General to formulate a comprehensive strategy to prevent drug traffickers from exploiting legal loopholes in the future.
He stressed the need for collaboration between the judiciary and the government, so as to shield the state from the dangers posed by drug trafficking.
Recognising the diligence of KAROTA in apprehending illicit drugs, the governor urged the agency to take the requisite actions to eliminate the confiscated substances.
Reiterating his administration’s unwavering dedication to combating drug smuggling within the state, Yusuf affirmed the state government’s assistance to agencies committed to tackling drug trafficking and abuse.
The Governor, who underscored the seriousness of the drug trafficking dilemma, called for the urgent need for a unified endeavour to protect the state from the menace of illicit substances.
The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended two robbery suspects, Musa Ibrahim (30) and Ibrahim Danjuma (22), who carried out a robbery attack on a woman in her shop in the Imude area of Ojo Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
He wrote, “30-year old Musa Ibrahim and 22-year old Ibrahim Danjuma robbed a woman in her shop at about 11pm in the Imude area of Ojo LGA. The police were alerted and a patrol team from Ilemba Hausa Division swiftly responded.
“The suspects were apprehended with the help of community members. A locally made firearm was recovered. Indeed, security is everyone’s business.”
SP Hundeyin’s post highlighted the collaborative efforts between the police and the community, emphasising the importance of collective security measures in tackling crime.
The prompt response by the Ilemba Hausa Division and the assistance from community members played a crucial role in the swift apprehension of the suspects and the recovery of the weapon used in the robbery.
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