NDLEA intercepts 14.5 tons of Ghanaian Loud linked to wanted drug baron in Lagos – Newstrends
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NDLEA intercepts 14.5 tons of Ghanaian Loud linked to wanted drug baron in Lagos

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NDLEA intercepts 14.5 tons of Ghanaian Loud linked to wanted drug baron in Lagos

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has intercepted 14, 524.8 kilogrammes of Ghanaian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis sativa, smuggled into Lagos from Ghana loaded in two trucks and a J5 bus.

Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, February 4, said the three vehicles conveying jumbo bags of the psychoactive substance were trailed and intercepted at Ojuelegba area of Lagos in the early hours of Sunday 28th January 2024.

Babafemi said in the process of blocking the vehicles, two of the drivers jumped off while still in motion while the third driver, 66-year-old Nasiru Ojomu, who works with wanted Akala, Mushin-based drug baron, Suleiman Jimoh (alias Olowo Idi Ogede, also known as Temo) was arrested.

Babafemi said in the last three years, NDLEA operatives have seized several shipments of the same psychoactive substance worth billions of naira linked to Temo.

He said the wanted drug lord has since gone into hiding while the Agency continues a manhunt for him.

The spokesman said in the same vein, NDLEA operatives on routine patrol around a warehouse sealed at Church Street, Idumota, Lagos by the Agency over an ongoing investigation on Thursday 1st February arrested three suspects.

According to the statement, the suspects Joseph Joshua; Muhammed Adamu and Balarabe Musa burgled the store and loaded 546,700 pills of tramadol and other opioids into a waiting yellow bus marked BDG 447 XD and an unregistered Suzuki minibus.

Babafemi also said a male deaf and dumb suspect dealing in illicit substances was arrested at the Samaru area of Zaria, Kaduna state.

The statement reads: “Another suspect, Ibrahim Sani, 56, was also arrested in possession of 51 kilograms of same substance at Tirkaniya area of the state.

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“Operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 31st January arrested Emmanuel Paul with 43.5kg cannabis concealed in used shoes loaded in a trailer coming from Ogbese, Ondo state to be delivered at Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.  In Katsina state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Dutsinma – Katsina road on Friday 2nd February apprehended a suspect, Murtala Isah, 35, with a total of 37,600 pills of tramadol and other opioids recovered from him.

“In Kogi state, operatives on Wednesday 31st January destroyed 833.32 kilograms of cannabis sativa on a two-acre of farmland at Iluke community, Kabba- Bunu LGA while the owner, Samuel Atonila, 49, was equally arrested.

“On the same day, operatives in Nasarawa also arrested three suspects: Muhammed Musa, Bilyaminu Musa and Sadiya Ya’u with the same psychoactive substance weighing 24.4kg at Uke, Karu local government area of the state, while no less than 258 kilograms of same substance were recovered from a bush store around Ikare bypass, Owo, Ondo state.

“In the same vein, NDLEA Commands across the 36 states and the FCT continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation lectures in schools, communities, workplaces and others in the past week. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and staff of Gombe State College of Education and Legal Studies, Nafada;  parents, students, and teachers of Kemta comprehensive high school, Olugbo, Odeda LGA, Ogun state; students of Government Day Science Technical School, Babura, Jigawa state; students and staff of Government science school, Mokwa, Niger state; students of Ansarudeen secondary school, Iludun, Osun state; students of St David’s Anglican Basic School, Ogbomoso, Oyo state; students of Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, Anguwar Danya, Wudil LGA, Kano state; traders at Ogbo-Olu timber market, Anambra state and commercial motorcyclists in Oko Afo, Olorunda LCDA, Badagry, Lagos state, among others.

“Commending the arrests and seizures of the past week by officers and men of the Lagos, Kaduna, Ondo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Kogi and FCT Commands, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) charged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to continue to remain vigilant and double their efforts on both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction simultaneously.”

NDLEA intercepts 14.5 tons of Ghanaian Loud linked to wanted drug baron in Lagos

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Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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April 27, 2025

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Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to silence him, alleging he was treated like a criminal for criticising the government.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

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He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and create a “one-party dictatorial state.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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36 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, which was allegedly being used as a front for the distribution of illegal drugs.

After an extensive search, agents reportedly recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, totaling 417.3 kilograms. The haul is valued at approximately One Billion Forty-Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (₦1,042,500,000) on the street.

In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrests of three individuals during the operation, which took place between Friday, April 25th, and Saturday, April 26th, 2025.

The suspects—Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh—were detained in the raid at the five-storey building, located in Victoria Island. Two other individuals, Noble Philip and his accomplice Kenneth, were said to be currently being sought by authorities.

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The NDLEA also disclosed that items believed to be linked to the alleged drug trafficking were seized from the premises of the hotel, known as The Hook Hotel or Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge.

According to the statement, among the recovered items were several vehicles, including a Toyota Prado Landcruiser Jeep, a Toyota Sienna Vehicle, a Volkswagen Delivery Van, a Kia Ceranto Car , and a Grand Caravan Dodge. Additionally, 74 new television sets, 10 used televisions, and 13 refrigerators were found.

In a separate operation on Sunday, April 20th, at the Seme border near Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives apprehended three Ghanaian women allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud into Nigeria.

The individuals arrested were Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.

NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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42 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, says President Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, the federal capital territory (FCT) minister, are doing everything in their power to restore Siminalayi Fubara as governor of Rivers State.

Tompolo, who serves as the chairperson of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, an oil pipeline surveillance firm focused on combating crude oil theft in Rivers and the Niger Delta, shared his views during an interview with Arise TV on Saturday.

On March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing a prolonged political crisis. The president suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers Assembly for an initial six-month period. Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as the sole administrator for the state.

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This emergency rule has sparked public protests, with many citizens demanding a prompt return to the previous political structure.

Tompolo expressed his belief that Fubara will soon resume his duties as governor.

He emphasized that the ongoing political tension in the state is being addressed by all relevant parties. “The duly elected governor of Rivers is coming back,” Tompolo affirmed. “The problem between Wike and Fubara is between ‘boy and oga’. Our president is one person who has been protecting democracy, and there is no way he is truncating it. We are doing everything, including the president and Wike. Fubara is coming back as governor.”

Reports indicate that Fubara met with President Tinubu in London in early April.

The meeting was reportedly initiated by the suspended governor, who is eager to return to office. During their talks, Fubara is said to have made certain promises to help resolve the ongoing political crisis in Rivers.

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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