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Tag: Femi Babafemi

  • NDLEA operatives intercept 76.9kg drugs in Rivers

    NDLEA operatives intercept 76.9kg drugs in Rivers

    The operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) in Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State intercepted  76.9kg of Canadian loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, from four used vehicles, in a container marked MSDU6686346 from Canada.

    Findings show that a joint inspection of the shipment with men of the Nigeria Customs Service seized the illicit drugs between June 1 and June 2.

    Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, in a statement on Sunday, said that the seizure followed the request for 100% examination of the shipment as a result of earlier intelligence received by the agency on the container.

    He said the operatives stormed Iwe forest in the Iwe community, the Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, where they located a large warehouse of skunk, used to store 231 jumbo bags of the psychotropic substance weighing 3,003kg, which was set ablaze.

    According to him, a well armed army operatives of the NDLEA followed an intelligence report that a wanted drug kingpin had stored tons of the illicit substance in the forest ready for distribution to other parts of the country.

    Babafemi said “In Kano State, two suspects, Ma’aruf Rabiu and Abubakar Mustapha, were arrested on May 30 along Zaria-Kano Road with 260 blocks of cannabis weighing 139.4kg, while Auwal Ibrahim was nabbed with 38kg of the same substance the following day along Kaduna-Abuja Road, same day 35-year-old female suspect, Bilkisu Isiya, was arrested at Birnin Yero, Kaduna in possession of 5.6kg cannabis.”

    He stated that in Borno State, two suspects, Abubakar Usman (aka Alhaji Mai Kero) and Adamu Yusuf, were arrested at Bargu village, Shani Local Government Area, on June 3, with 165 blocks of skunk weighing 140.7kg, adding that their arrest was effected with military support, deep inside insurgents’ environment.

    A female suspect, Hauwa Ibrahim, 25, according to the statement, was nabbed in the same village with 6.4kg of the psychoactive substance, stressing that another suspect, Alhaji Abubakar, 27, was arrested at Njimtilo checkpoint with 4,200 ampoules of pentazocine injection and different quantities of D5 and exol-5 tablets.

    He said that a 30-year-old suspect, Iroko Wasiu was arrested at a drug joint at Sabo Aba-Awolowo, along Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway on May 30, and 31.2kg of cannabis was recovered from him, pointing out that two suspects – Deji Adelabu, 35, and Mutiu Salau, 37, were nabbed the following day in the Sabo area along Oyo-Ogbomoso Road and Awuro Dada area in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, with a total of 8kg cannabis recovered from them.

  • NDLEA provides update on recruitment test for applicants

    NDLEA provides update on recruitment test for applicants

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has provided an updateon Wednesday  to applicants on its 2023 recruitment exercise.

    Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Media Director, has advised those in the superintendent cadre (Professional and General Duties) to prepare for their test.

    The assessment platform will be open from 10:00 am on Monday 8th May, till 11:59 pm on Wednesday 10th May.

    The exercise is the first in the series of screening tests for qualified candidates, who will be contacted through email with details.

    “Applicants who met the advertised qualifications and requirements are advised to check their email inbox or spam folder starting from 3rd May,” Babafemi said.

    The spokesperson said further instructions on how to participate in the aptitude assessment will be provided on the test platform.

    Information will also be disseminated during the NDLEA Twitter Space (to be streamed across social media accounts) on Friday 5th, May between 3pm and 5pm.

    Babafemi advised all contacted applicants to complete the assessment test within the allotted time and submit the same after reading the instructions on the dashboard.

  • NDLEA sends strong warning to skit makers

    NDLEA sends strong warning to skit makers

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), has warned skit makers to stop using its logo and jackets in their production.

    The warning is contained in a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Babafemi warned that those fond of the indiscretion of misusing its official jackets to mislead and create false impressions, to be ready for the consequences

    He was reacting to a trending video of some people wearing red jackets similar to the ones used by officers and men of the agency, which the Agency had disclaimed a year ago.

    The spokesman said that the agency had in a well-publicised statement on May 21, 2022, stated that the video was a skit produced by one Mathew C Eze who lived in the Lekki area of Lagos.

    “A year after, the video has returned to the social media space, a development that has led to several enquiries from concerned members of the public on the authenticity of the content of the video.

    “We will like to reiterate again that the confusion the controversial video has created in the minds of members of the public underscores the need for some social media content producers to show restraint.

    “Also, they need to show responsibility and decorum in how they misuse paraphernalia of law enforcement officers, to avoid misconceptions and insinuations,” he said.

  • TARABA: NDLEA seizes 164,750 tramadol pills

    TARABA: NDLEA seizes 164,750 tramadol pills

    Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized 164,750 tramadol and other illicit pills in Taraba State.

    This was disclosed by its spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated on Sunday in Abuja.

    He stated that the drugs were seized from two suspects – Henry Abuchi and Daniel Ugwoke.

    He added that 96 compressed blocks of Indian hemp weighing 82kg concealed inside jumbo bags of cassava flour were also recovered at Basket Market, Asaba.

    NDLEA operatives also recovered 45 blocks of compressed Indian hemp weighing 23kg on the Okene-Abuja Highway in Kogi on March 21 from one Abubakar Muhammad.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) learned that Muhammad was traveling in a bus that left Lagos for Maiduguri before his arrest.

    A female drug dealer, Mrs Kudirat Bello was arrested at Igbesa in Ogun on March 20 with different quantities of methamphetamine, Indian hemp, rophynol and N119, 600 monetary exhibits, he stated.

    “In Lagos, more than 1,000kg of Indian hemp were recovered from three suspects – Bolaji Adesina, Femi Ojo and Jamiu Useni during a raid at Mushin,’’ Babafemi added.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Tramadol, sold under the brand name Ultram among others, is an opioid pain medication used to treat moderate to moderately severe pain.

    When taken by mouth in an immediate-release formulation, the onset of pain relief usually begins within an hour. It is also available by injection. It is available in combination with paracetamol (acetaminophen).

    As is typical of opioids, common side effects include constipation, itchiness, and nausea. Serious side effects may include hallucinations, seizures, increased risk of serotonin syndrome, decreased alertness, and drug addiction. A change in dosage may be recommended in those with kidney or liver problems.

    It is not recommended in those who are at risk of suicide or in those who are pregnant. While not recommended in women who are breastfeeding, those who take a single dose should not generally have to stop breastfeeding.

    Tramadol is converted in the liver to O-desmethyltramadol (desmetramadol), an opioid with a stronger affinity to the μ-opioid receptor. Tramadol is also a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

    Tramadol was patented in 1963 and launched under the name “Tramal” in 1977 by the West German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal GmbH.

    In the mid-1990s, it was approved in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is available as a generic medication and marketed under many brand names worldwide. In 2020, it was the 35th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 17 million prescriptions.

  • NDLEA destroys 317 tons of cannabis in Edo forest, arrests 4

    NDLEA destroys 317 tons of cannabis in Edo forest, arrests 4

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), says it has destroyed and set ablaze over 317,417 kgs (317.4 metric tons) of cannabis sativa in the Opuje forests, Edo.

    The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja.

    Babafemi said that this happened barely hours after the Chairman, NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, vowed to make life tough for drug barons and cartels in the new year if they failed to back out of the illicit trade.

    He said that Operatives of the agency have dealt a lethal blow to a cluster of cannabis syndicates operating in the said forest during the two-day operation.

    “At least, a police impersonator, Omoruan Theophilus, 37, who parades as a Police Inspector to convey the drugs from the forests to the cities, was arrested.

    “And three others: Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53, and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42, were also arrested in connection with the drugs,” he said.

    Babafemi said that the Opuje community in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources.

    This, he said, involved cutting down economic trees of the forest and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares.

    “After harvest, they build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ the services of armed youths to protect the warehouses 24/7.

    “Accessing the forest on Wednesday January 18, took hours of trekking by hundreds of NDLEA operatives who were ambushed with bonfire by armed youths on their way out of the community the following day.

    “They were, however, able to successfully leave the area without any casualty except the heavy investment losses inflicted on the cartels,” he said.

    In the same vein, the agency on Thursday, Jan. 19, through intelligence received from the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States, busted a criminal syndicate.

    Babafemi said that the suspect was involved in the trafficking of fake American currency in Lagos.

    He said that during a combined operation carried out by NDLEA operatives with their EFCC colleagues, a total of US$269,000 counterfeit currency were recovered from the syndicate.

    This, he said, was at Oniru Shoprite area of Lekki, Lagos, where three suspects were arrested.

    He quoted Marwa as commending all the officers involved in the two special operations in Edo and Lagos for their professionalism and commitment.

    Marwa directed that the suspects arrested (with their fake dollars) in the Lekki operation be immediately transferred to the EFCC for possible prosecution.

  • Gunmen ambush NDLEA operatives, soldiers, escape with Lagos drug baron

    Gunmen ambush NDLEA operatives, soldiers, escape with Lagos drug baron

    Suspected gunmen numbering about 20 on Tuesday ambushed some operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, who were trailing a drug baron from the Agege area of Lagos Mainland.

    The operatives were trying to intercept a truck conveying unknown quantities of Canadian Loud on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State around 1 am when they came under a rain of gunfire but the attackers were repelled with the assistance of some soldiers.

    However, the hoodlums escaped with the baron who had been on the watch list of the drug agency for some time.

    The incident is coming against the backdrop of the arrests of several drug lords and the crippling of their criminal enterprise, leading to seizures of huge quantities of narcotics and other illicit drugs.

    It was gathered that the NDLEA recently froze 126 bank accounts belonging to a suspected drug lord, Nsofor Chukwukadibia.

    The accounts domiciled in various commercial banks had cash inflows of N4.3bn and outflows of N7.9bn, while over N50bn had passed through them.

    The NDLEA also confiscated 20 mansions belonging to the suspected drug baron located in Lagos, Abuja and the South-East.

    However, the drug traffickers have been fighting hard against the drug agency’s onslaught by launching attacks on its operatives.

    Confirming the Tuesday attack in Lagos, the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, explained that the agency successfully seized a truckload of Canadian Loud during the operation.

    According to Babafemi, Canadian Loud is a very strong and expensive variant of cannabis.

    He said, “It is usually imported from Canada and shipped through neighboring countries like Ghana and Benin Republic from where the cartels try to smuggle them into Lagos as in this particular case.”

    Babafemi said, “Operatives of the agency trailed a drug movement from the Agege area of Lagos Mainland to the Ikoyi area of Lagos Island in the early hours of Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

    “Our operatives blocked the truck and in the process, some suspected fake security agents who were escorting the truck struggled with our operatives, and they eventually escaped with the suspect.

    “But our men were able to get the drug-filled truck. The gunmen damaged NDLEA’s operational vehicle and tried to demobilize our operatives as they damaged the windscreen of the vehicle.

    “But our operatives got the support of some soldiers who were nearby during the attack, and the soldiers supported the efforts of our operatives, leading our operatives to successfully move the truck containing the drugs to our office.”

    But the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi doubted the involvement of police officers in the attack, noting that the necessary steps would be taken if investigations by the NDLEA identified the attackers as police officers.

    Adejobi said, “I doubt the veracity of the claim that the attackers were police officers. No reasonable police officer would involve themselves in drug dealing or attack operatives of the NDLEA during an operation to arrest a drug baron; instead, police officers are supposed to work with the NDLEA to nab criminals.”

  • NDLEA arrests another pregnant drug dealer with 1,161kgs of cannabis in Delta

    NDLEA arrests another pregnant drug dealer with 1,161kgs of cannabis in Delta

    Barely one week after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) nabbed a pregnant woman over possession of hard drugs, a 30-year-old pregnant drug dealer has been arrested in Delta State.

    Spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, December 11, said a raid operation in Abbi town, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state led to the arrest of Aniekem Evelyn, with 1,161kgs of cannabis recovered from her warehouse.

    In Kebbi state, two suspects: Austine Julius and Sale Yakubu were arrested on Sunday 4th December along Yawuri-Kebbi road in a loaded Dyna Truck with 117 bags of Cannabis Sativa weighing 1,070 kilograms concealed under bags of oranges.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that NDLEA is a federal law enforcement agency in Nigeria under the Federal Ministry of Justice charged with eliminating the growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, exporting, and trafficking of hard drugs. The agency was established by Decree Number 48 of 1989.

    NDLEA is present in international airports, seaports, and border crossings and also targets the leaders of narcotics and money laundering organizations.

    Drug trafficking
    The United States donated full body scanning machines for the Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt international airports and provided security training and orientation to airport officers.

    The machines have proved effective in catching smugglers and couriers taking cocaine from Latin America to Europe by way of Nigeria. Between 2006 and June 2008 over 12,663 suspected drug dealers were arrested, with the seizure of over 418.8 metric tonnes of various hard drugs.

    Recall that in July 2009, a woman about to board a KLM flight at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport was arrested by NDLEA officers and later excreted 42 wraps of cocaine, weighing 585 grams. In September 2009, the NDLEA arrested a Guinean woman en route from Brazil to Europe with 6.350 kg of pure cocaine at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos.

    In 2008 Nigeria was certified by the United States in the anti-narcotic crusade for the eight successive time. President George Bush said that Nigeria had made significant progress in counter narcotics and had effectively co-operated with the United States on drug-related and money laundering cases.

    In Katsina State, 100 people were convicted for drug offences from January to May 2008, and 358 people were arrested for drug offences in the same period.

  • JUST IN: NDLEA arrests wanted kingpin

    JUST IN: NDLEA arrests wanted kingpin

    Operations of a major cocaine syndicate in Lagos have been disrupted with the arrest of a 56-year-old trafficker, Lawal Oyenuga, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    NDLEA’s spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi stated in Abuja on Sunday that the suspect was on a mission to deliver 400 grams of the “Class A’’ drug when he was nabbed.

    Babafemi stated that the drug was concealed in a pair of black palm sandals packed in a luggage en-route Jeddah via an Ethiopian Airways flight.

    A thorough examination of the sandals revealed they were used to conceal two parcels of cocaine weighing 400 grams.

    He added that there was also a swift follow-up arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Nov. 24 of a wanted notorious kingpin, Wasiu Sanni popularly known as “Teacher’’.

    Sanni recruits mules for the Lagos drug cartel.

    “This is barely a week after a 56-year-old widow and mother of four, Mrs Sidika Ajisegiri was arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to traffic 400 grams of cocaine to Saudi Arabia.

    “She was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight with the drugs concealed in her footwear,’’ Babafemi stated.

    According to him, the suspect claimed she was recruited to traffic the drug by Sanni popularly known as “Teacher’’.

    “She claimed that she was first given some pellets of cocaine to swallow but when she couldn’t do that, she was given the choice of concealing those found in the palm sandals.

    “She said she resorted to the criminal trade to raise money to pay an examination fee for her daughter in Senior Secondary School Class 3,’’ Babafemi stated.

    He added that NDLEA’s database showed that Sanni had been linked to some previous attempts to traffic cocaine to Saudi Arabia and to Dubai.

    He stated also that Sanni was earlier named as the one who recruited a BRT driver, Bolajoko Babalola for a Lagos socialite and hotel owner, Alhaji Ademola Kazeem (a.k.a Alhaji Abdallah Kazeem) to traffic drugs to Dubai.

    “Babalola was arrested on June 27 while taking 900 grams of cocaine to Dubai while Kazeem was nabbed on Thursday, Nov. 10, 10 days after he was declared wanted by the NDLEA.

    “A follow-up operation in the early hours of Nov. 25 led to the arrest of the kingpin, “Teacher’’ at his residence in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

    “Teacher’ specialises in recruiting mules for drug barons in Lagos and its environs. The 64-year-old Sanni is a housing and property agent, with seven children and four wives, one of whom is now deceased,’’ he stated.

    Babafemi added that in another follow up operation, Hopewell Chukwuemeka, owner of seized 1.1kg of Indian hemp concealed in bottles of body cream headed for Dubai was arrested in Port Harcourt.

    Chukwuemeka, arrested on Nov. 24 runs a boutique business in the Rivers capital city, he stated.

  • NDLEA uncovers plot to smuggle deadly Fentanyl opioid into Nigeria

    NDLEA uncovers plot to smuggle deadly Fentanyl opioid into Nigeria

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA), says it has uncovered plans by some drug cartels to introduce a lethal synthetic opioid, Fentanyl, into the Nigerian market.

    A statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi, said that the illicit drug was 100 times stronger than Tramadol.

    Babafemi added that it has the potency to kill many youths targeted by the cartels.

    He therefore said every step would be taken to ensure that the lethal drug does not circulate in Nigeria, which currently has drug abuse prevalence of 14.4%.

    The NDLEA spokesman explained that the drug was responsible for more than 70 per cent overdose deaths in the United States, and a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses.

    Babafemi assured Nigerians that necessary measures have been deployed to monitor the cartels involved in this latest threat to public health with a view to frustrating their criminal plot.

    He added that the unscrupulous elements would be made to face the wrath of the law.

    “We are not unaware of desperate efforts by some drug cartels to introduce to the Nigerian market, Fentanyl, which according to the CDC, is 80 times as potent as morphine and 100 times more potent than heroin.

    “This, they plan to do either in liquid or powder form and/or with misleading labels to target our youth population.

    “This they may also mix with other prescription drugs. The illegally manufactured fentanyl in its liquid form can come in nasal sprays, eye drops, or small candies.

    “As a result, parents and other stakeholders are advised to be vigilant, alert and warn their young ones against attempting experimenting with this illicit substance.

    “Symptoms for fentanyl exposure and/or overdose include pinpoint pupils, falling asleep or losing consciousness, slow and shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, limp body, and pale, blue, or cold skin”, he said.

  • Popular Abuja businessman selling illicit drugs on Jiji arrested

    Popular Abuja businessman selling illicit drugs on Jiji arrested

    One Mr Orakwe Chibuike Celestine, a popular businessman based in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been arrested for engaging in sales of illicit and controlled drugs on the popular e-commerce platform, Jiji.ng.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Mr Orakwe, the MD/CEO of Marvelrock Pharmaceuticals and Stores Limited, was arrested by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), following painstaking investigation.

    A graduate of Business Administration from the University of Abuja, Orakwe registered the pharmaceutical company on 16th December 2014 with the certificate and support of a licensed pharmacist, who opted out of the deal in 2017, according to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy.

    “The suspect continued running the business and enrolled it on Jiji.ng platform in 2019. He however came under NDLEA’s radar in October 2021 when he advertised many pharmaceutical products such as Tramadol, Ketamine Hydrochloride injection, Hypnox flunitrazepam tablets among others on the Jiji.ng online marketplace.

    “Between 26th October 2021 and 8th August 2022, the team of anti-narcotic officers assigned to investigate Orakwes drug business activities was able to establish the suspect was selling Tramadol 225mg and other illicit/controlled drugs through the e-commerce platform.

    “As a result, the suspect was arrested with some quantities of Tramadol and Swiphnol brand of Rohypnol on Monday 8th August at a drink joint in Jabi area of Abuja where he had gone to make some supplies of orders made through his online channel on Jiji.ng.

    “In his reaction to Orakwes arrest, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) said the painstaking investigation and process of arresting the businessman should send a strong message to those hiding behind the internet to engage in marketing and selling of illicit/controlled drugs that the Agency will definitely get them to face the consequences of their action,” the statement reads.