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Bandits demand N40trn, 150 bikes to release 16 Kaduna residents

Published

2 months ago

March 12, 2024

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa

Bandits demand N40trn, 150 bikes to release 16 Kaduna residents

Bandits in Kaduna are demanding N40 trillion and other goods as ransom for the release of 16 residents kidnapped in the state’s Gonin Gora area.

According to village leader John Yusuf, the bandits contacted the victims’ families and demanded 11 Hilux vehicles and 150 motorcycles.

Yusuf said the bandits attacked twice within a week, abducting people of the hamlet.

“The bandits have contacted us. They are demanding N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 people they are holding captive,” Yusuf told TheCable.

“Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion.

“The abductions happened twice within four days interval. During the first attack, three people were kidnapped while in the second attack, 13 people were abducted bringing the total number of people being held captive to 16.”

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He said the communities in Birnin Gwari are surrounded by bushes serving as hideouts for the bandits.

Yusuf noted that the establishment of a military base would tackle the criminal operations in the area.

“We are pleading with the government to come to our aid by establishing a military base behind our community where the bandits take advantage of the bushes to invade our community,” Yusuf said.

“From our community down to Birnin Gwari which is over 150 kilometres is a stretch of bush. We also have another stretch of bushes from Gonin Gora down to Niger state.

“So when the criminals have free access through the bushes to our community. We are pleading with the government to help us.

“The army are really trying, despite the fact that they are seriously overstretched. Whenever we make distressed calls they come.

“But the problem is that before they reach the community, the bandits would have done what they wanted and left.”

Bandits demand N40trn, 150 bikes to release 16 Kaduna residents

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NDLEA intercepts drug consignments in three-trailer load

Published

6 seconds ago

May 12, 2024

Trends Admin

NDLEA intercepts drug consignments in three-trailer load

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted three trailer loads of opioids comprising 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin local government area of Lagos state.

The director of media and advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, May 12, said that suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.

Babafemi did not give a specific sum of the drugs’ worth but said the multi-billion naira consignments were loaded into two 40-foot container trucks and another 20-foot truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex.

He said, the trucks then headed for a large warehouse at Abule-Ado where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on Thursday, May 9.

According to the statement, those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks.

Babafemi said the third driver jumped off to escape arrest.

The statement reads: “Not less than 37.5kg of cannabis sativa loaded in a Toyota Camry car was recovered from another suspect, Adegbola Segun, 47, when the car was intercepted at Mile 12 area of Lagos on Monday 6th May.

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“Another consignment of opioids consisting of 59,106 pills of tramadol and different quantities of codeine syrup and Rohypnol being taken across the border to Garua, Cameroon was intercepted by NDLEA officers on Monday 6th May along Mubi-Yola road, Adamawa state. Two suspects linked to the drugs: Abubakar Auwal, 39, and Adamu Abubakar, 25, (a.k.a Bamanga), a trans-border trafficker who was to take the consignment from Mubi across to Cameroon were promptly arrested.

“In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 11th May raided the Iguiye forest in Ovia North East LGA, where a total of 11, 636.185kg cannabis was destroyed on three farms measuring 4.654474 hectares, while an additional 188kg of the same psychoactive substance was recovered and a suspect, Itah Nyong was arrested during the overnight operation.

“A 75-year-old grandpa, Jibril Audu was on Friday 10th May arrested with 7.5 kilograms of cannabis at Oke-asa village, Ijero-Ekiti, Ekiti state during a raid operation, while a 70-year-old grandma, Tikwase Nytor was nabbed with 15.6kg of same substance on Thursday 9th May during a raid operation at Achusa and International Market road, Makurdi, Benue state.

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“The NDLEA commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres, and communities. Some of these include the WADA sensitisation lecture to Muslim faithful at Sultan Bello Jummat Mosque, Kaduna; students of Oduduwa University and Oduduwa Polytechnic, Ipetumodu, Osun; students of Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (Boys Section), Kano; students of Federal University of Technology, Babura, Jigawa; students of Father Tansi International College, Okpuno Awka, Anambra; WADA advocacy visit to Delta state First Lady Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori and similar advocacy visit to the Founder City of God cathedral, Cardinal James Omolaja Odunmbaku who was joined by Ojodu LCDA Chairman, Hon. Segun Odunmbaku in Ojodu area of Lagos state.

“While commending the efforts of the Lagos, Edo, Ekiti, Benue, and Adamawa Commands of the Agency for jobs well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) assured that officers and men of the Agency will continue to work with local and international partners to ensure that the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking is brought to the barest minimum in Nigeria.”

He said in the same vein, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 7th May arrested a suspect, Nwankwo Ejike in the Coker area of Lagos where 100 litres of codeine syrup was recovered from him.

He added that 60 litres of the same substance were seized from one Clinton Akinye in the same area the same day.

NDLEA intercepts drug consignments in three-trailer load

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JTF uncovers over 50 illegal refining sites in Bayelsa forests

Published

13 mins ago

May 12, 2024

Trends Admin

JTF uncovers over 50 illegal refining sites in Bayelsa forests

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, codenamed, ‘Operation Delta Safe (OPDS)’, says it has uncovered over 50 illegal refining sites in the Biseni forests of Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa state.

He said a large dug-out open pit that could accommodate more than 10 trucks of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), popularly known as diesel, was being used to hold crude oil from the distribution points to their cooking sites.

He recalled that he had earlier warned oil thieves in the area to desist from the illegal business or relocate to another area.

He equally recalled that on May 9, 2024, the troops were at Ukwa West LGA in Abia state bordering Rivers state and Imo River, he had issued a similar warning for criminals to stop the illegalities

Okeke said: “Today, like I said, we are not going to relent and it is a work in progress. We will not get tired, we will continue to give criminals hell; we are now in Biseni in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State.

“We traversed from Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State to reach this point. The most surprising thing is that this place we are now is housing over 50 cooking sites with unique arrangements.

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“It is where the thieves operating in this area have decided to be, so smart by connecting what is called theft line made of two inches pipe, a galvanized pipe connecting directly to supply oil line on the road, from a distance of one kilometre.

“Then they have a lot of funny connections where they have various arrangements of linking multiple connections where each of the oil thieves gets their supply.

“From a large dug-out open pit that can accommodate more than 10 trucks of AGO, they are holding crude oil from where they distribute to their cooking sites.”

The OPDS commander called on the public-spirited individuals to continue to volunteer useful information to help the troops apprehend the suspected criminals, saying the troops alone could not do it.

“Look at the thick forest we are in now, you can never imagine that such serious crime is going on here. If not for the good-spirited individuals that volunteered information, we wouldn’t have known what is happening in the forest,” Okeke stated.

He advised the criminals to kindly relocate or change their business because troops would not relent in their clearance operations.

The JTF Commander said his message to those involved in illegality had remained that sooner or later they would catch up with them and deal decisively with them.

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He noted: “It appears that they felt that we are romancing with kid gloves, but I can assure you that it is getting out of hand and we won’t relax on our laurels to curb these illicit activities.

“I personally will begin to advocate more serious measures to address this challenge, because the country is bleeding. You know the illicit oil activities are doing more harm than good.

“When you allow such activities to be perpetrated continuously, the legitimate people that engage in crude business will not be able to sell their products because these criminals will be selling at far lower prices.

“The government needs to gain revenue for developmental purposes that is why we have taken it as a force to continue to fight this battle and we will not back down.”