Crime
NDLEA smashes drug cartels, recovers multi-billion-naira cocaine
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has smashed a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple, Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, and also, multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs were recovered.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that the seizures were made in two major operations following the arrest of the suspects in one of the intelligence-led raids.
Babafemi said that the duo were arrested on Saturday, May 25, by operatives of a special operations unit in NDLEA.
According to him, the interdiction was with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States.
Babafemi said that the suspects were arrested at Ibiye, a community near Badagry in Lagos state, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.
He said that at the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class a drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them.
“A swift follow up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC Extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg.
“This brought the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms, “he said.
In a separate raid by the special operations unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered.
The NDLEA spokesman said that the drugs were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.
Also, no less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid, weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin, at Idumota market.
“Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70 percent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S., “he said.
Babafemi said that two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu, 37, and Ogunfowora Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them.
Similarly at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 25, intercepted 15 parcels of Loud.
Babafemi, who described it as a synthetic strain of marijuana, said that it weighed 7.5kg and was concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325.
“The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles, including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
“A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment.
“A bribe of N6 million offered to NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as exhibit for the prosecution of the case, “he said.
Reacting to the arrests and seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the unit for their resilience in taking down drug cartels and barons.
Marwa equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners.
He urged all commands and formations of the agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive against the drug underworld. (NAN)
Crime
Court remands 2 brothers for alleged culpable homicide, armed robbery
A Kaduna High Court on Tuesday ordered that two brothers be remanded in a correctional centre for alleged culpable homicide and armed robbery.
The police charged Hamza Jibrin, 27 and Yusuf Jibrin 24, with conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.
Justice Aisha Shagari ordered the remand of the defendants, after they pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
Shagari adjourned the matter until Dec. 12 for hearing.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, James Edward, said that the defendants and two others at large, while armed with matchete and other dangerous weapons along Airport Road, Kaduna, on Nov. 7, robbed and caused the death of a 26-year-old man, Rabiu Sani.
He said the defendants stole the deceased’s HP laptop, two cell phones, his wallet which contained two ATM cards and cash sum of N30,000.
Edward said that the offence is punishable under the Robbery and Firearms ( Special Provision) Act LFN, 2004.
The Defence counsel, Habiba Usman, had pleaded with the court to grant her clients bail.
Usman while moving her bail application, urged the court to gtant her client bail on literal terms, adding , that the defendants would be of good behaviour and would not jump bail.
Crime
Trader bags 9 months jail term for attempted theft
A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced a 20-year-old trader, Darwang Chung, to nine months in prison for attempted theft.
Chung, who resides at Gyel in Jos South, pleaded guilty to the one count charge of attempted theft.
The Magistrate, Mr Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Bokkos, in his judgement, gave the convict an option of N30,000 fine, or to risk six months in prison and a compensation of N15,000 or another 3 months in prison in default.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp. Labaran Ahmed, told the court that the case was reported on Oct. 6, at the”B” Division Police Station by one Yohanna Dalyop, the complainant.
Ahmed said the convict jumped over the fence into the house of the complainant and was caught.
He said that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code Law.
Crime
Special Fraud Unit arraigns suspect for cybercrime
The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Police, on Tuesday arraigned a defendant before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged unlawful interception of digital infrastructure.
The defendant, Ayodeji Oyenekan, was charged before Justice A. Aluko, on a three-count charge bordering on cybercrime.
He, however. pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, Mr M. Y. Bello, told the court that the defendant committed the offence sometime in February 2022.
He, alleged that the defendant intentionally and without authorisation, intercepted digital infrastructure server hosted by Amazon Web Services, property of Meplaylist Classic Entertainment.
According to the prosecution, the defendant caused the said Meplaylist Classic Entertainment Ltd. loss of property, by altering Amazon Web services, which restricted the rightful owner access to its server.
He alleged that the defendant inputted his email address ayodeji.oye@meplaylist.com, and allegedly built a mobility startup called Hellobikee, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The defendant was also alleged to have fraudulently made use of the electronic unique identification feature of Meplaylist, through his email, for purposes of conferring economic benefits to himself.
The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 12(1), 16(1), and 22(2)(a) of the Cybercrime ( Prohibition, Prevention) Act, 2015.
The court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.
The court held that the defendant shall remain in the correctional facility, pending perfection of all conditions of bail as spelt out by the court.
He adjourned the case until Jan. 21, 2025, for trial.
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