Crime
NDLEA secures conviction of 1,445 drug traffickers in 6 months
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured the prosecution and conviction of 1,445 drug traffickers from January to June across the country.
NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, stated that the cases were concluded at the Federal High Court.
Babafemi said the process was carried out by the Directorate of Prosecution and Legal Services of NDLEA with the trial of a total of 11,166 other drug suspects ongoing in court.
According to him, out of the 1,445 convicts, 221 of them are female while the balance of 1,224 are male.
“Of the 11,166 pending cases, 10,626 of them are men while 540 are women.
“The 1,445 convicts and 11,166 suspects who are still facing trial were arrested and charged to court over the seizure of 555,953.70 kilograms of various drugs.
“The drugs which were namely cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis, tramadol and others were linked to them from January to June 2023,” he said.
Meanwhile, a 34-year-old South American man from Suriname, Dadda Lorenzo was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) Rivers, for drug trafficking.
Babafemi said the suspect was intercepted for bringing into Nigeria, 117 parcels of cocaine.
He said the drugs were concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory packed inside bottles of 100ml body spray.
He also said that the suspected drug trafficker had been convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison.
Babafemi said the suspect claimed to have departed his country, Suriname, located on the North Eastern coast of South America on April 2, 2023, for Sao Paulo, Brazil and from Sao Paulo to Nigeria on Friday, April 7 2023 on board Qatar Airways flight.
He also said the suspect claimed was in search of his long-lost Nigerian father whom he called “Omini”.
According to Babafemi, he was arraigned before Justice E.A. Obile of the Federal High Court 2, Port Harcourt on June 1 on two counts of importation and unlawful possession of 9.9kgs cocaine in charge number FHC/PH/181C/23.
The Surinamese however, pleaded guilty to the two-count charge. After the review of the facts of the case on Thursday, July 20, he was convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment on both counts without an option of fine.
“In his ruling, Justice Obile declared that ‘You Dadda Lorenzo is hereby sentenced to 13 years imprisonment without option of fine on Count 1 and Count 2 also. And both shall run concurrently.’
“The trial judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sum of Ninety ($90) United States Dollars and Ten (R$10) Brazilian Real recovered from the convict at the time of his arrest to the Federal Government.
“The court equally refused the application by Lorenzo’s Counsel for him to be deported back to his country. As a result, the convict is now serving his term of imprisonment at the Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the successful prosecution and conviction of Lorenzo is one of the 1,445 drug cases concluded across the country from January to June.
(NAN)
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesperson for the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Awka.
According to Ikenga, the operation was carried out by police operatives around 9:30am on June 15, leading to the arrest of six suspects at the scene.
Recovered during the raid were one Jojef pump action gun, two cartridges, and a golden-coloured Lexus SUV with registration number ATN 202 AE. Other items found include two cutlasses, two scissors, a cap bearing the inscription of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, charms, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“They are currently undergoing police interrogation to get more insight into their modus operandi, after which the case will be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigations,” Ikenga stated.
The police spokesperson reassured residents of the command’s unwavering commitment to fighting cultism and other related crimes across the state.
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.
Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.
The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.
Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.
The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.
She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.
“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.
Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.
He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.
An Area Court in Jos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Jeptha John, to three months imprisonment for stealing a Redmi mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the John after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine and N50, 000 restitution to the complainant.
Bokkos said that if the convict defaulted in paying the restitution, three months should be added to his sentence to make it six months imprisonment.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported at the B Division Police Station, Jos, on Dec. 1, 2024, by Ms Nerat Danjuma.
He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant trespassed into her house and stole her mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The prosecutor further told the court that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code, Law of Northern Nigeria.
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