The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted N9 billion worth of opioids in Rivers State following a recent raid.

The NDLEA confirmed the successful operation on Sunday morning in a statement on its official X account signed by spokesman, Femi Babafemi.

“NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State have intercepted 13,298,000 pills of opioids including Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol as well as 338,253 bottles of codeine based cough syrup all worth  N9b in street value,” Babafemi said. 

“The opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India targeted by the NDLEA during a 100% joint examination of the cargoes with men of the Nigerian Customs and other port stakeholders on Wednesday, 2nd and Thursday, 3rd October, 2024.”

Similarly, NDLEA operatives at the Tincan seaport in Lagos on Thursday, 3rd October intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 50kg. 

The consignment was packed in 20 parcels each in five jumbo bags concealed in a container with four units of imported vehicles that came from Canada. 

Though, the container had earlier been cleared out of the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu but based on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives were able to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu where the illicit consignments were discovered in one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus.

The suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim has already been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

In Taraba, NDLEA officers on Thursday, 3rd October intercepted a commercial bus marked JAL 198 YQ coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Jalingo. 

Large quantities of opioids: tramadol, rohypnol and codeine-based syrup concealed in body compartments of the vehicle were recovered when it was searched, while two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor were arrested. 

Another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor was arrested at Wukari on Wednesday, 2nd October with 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38kg hidden in bags of garri.

In Lagos, a suspect, Bolanle Ajenifuja was on Friday, 4th October arrested at Afro – Media area of Ojo where 700 litres of skuchies, a mixture of local chapman and cocktail of illicit drugs were recovered from her.

Mesn, three suspects namely Ezekiel Akpele;, Elijah Michael and Goddard John were nabbed same day when NDLEA operatives raided two cannabis farms located at bridge camp, a boundary community between Edo and Ondo States. 

Not less than 9,966.332kg of the substance was destroyed on over three hectares of farmland with 48kg of the already processed psychoactive substance recovered.

With the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Musawa, Katsina; students and teachers of Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; students and staff of Community High School, Ile Ogbo, Osun and students of Dominion Secondary School, Okon, Akwa Ibom state among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo and Taraba commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has nabbed a Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju with a large consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis.

The NDLEA confirmed Munju’s arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos on Sunday morning in a statement signed by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi.

“A 41-year-old lady, Adrienne Munju has been arrested by operatives of the NDLEA for importing a large consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’,” Babafemi said.

“The suspect was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on KLM airline flight from Canada at the terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on Thursday, 3rd October, 2024.

“During a joint examination of her three bags, Adrienne who was coming to Nigeria for the first time was found with 74 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 35.20 kilograms stuffed in two of her three bags.”

In her statement, she claimed she was recruited to traffic the consignment through an online platform for 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.

She said she took the offer because she needed the money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada.

South African police have arrested three people in connection with the killing of 18 relatives — mostly women — gunned down at a rural homestead a week ago, the police minister said Sunday.

A fourth suspect was being sought for the massacre in the early hours of September 28 in the Eastern Cape province, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu announced at a memorial near the site of the killing.

Gunmen opened fire inside two homes in Lusikisiki, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) southwest of the coastal city of Durban, killing 17 people. An 18th person died later in hospital.

The victims were aged from 14 to 64 years old, according to South African media. Fifteen were women and several were shot in the head. The motive for the attack — executed as the family had gathered for a traditional ceremony — was not known.

The massacre has shocked South Africa, adding to calls for more police protection from crime in the country which has one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world.

A 15-year-old boy was “stabbed 50 times” and burned alive this week in the southern French city of Marseille in an apparent case of drug-related violence, prosecutors said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager was murdered on Wednesday, describing the case as one of “unprecedented savagery.”

Marseille, France’s second-largest city but also one of its poorest, is plagued by drug-related violence.

Bessone said that victims and perpetrators of such violence were getting increasingly younger.

The city has in recent years witnessed a turf war for control of the highly profitable drug market between various clans including DZ Mafia.

The teenager had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor by setting fire to his door, the prosecutor said, adding he had been promised 2,000 euros.

The teenager had however been spotted by members of a rival gang who repeatedly stabbed him then set him on fire, he added.

The same prisoner then recruited a 14-year-old minor to carry out a revenge attack and kill a member of the Blacks gang, promising to pay him 50,000 euros.

The 14-year-old hired a 36-year-old driver who angered the minor and ended up being killed.

The two latest cases mean that the number of drug-related killings in Marseille has risen to 17 since the start of the year.

By comparison, a total of 49 people were killed in drug related violence in Marseille in 2023.

The Nasarawa State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of three robbery suspects while recovering fire arm and a stolen vehicle.

The spokesperson of the Nasarawa State Police Command, DSP Ramhan Nansel announced their arrest on Sunday in a post on X.

“Based on credible information, Police operatives attached to Mararaba ‘A’ Division have arrested the trio of Salim Hussaini 22yrs, Abdulkadir Musa 20yrs, and Dimas Danja 24yrs all males of Yelwa road, Aso Pada, Karu LGA of Nasarawa State where one locally fabricated riffle, a knife and criminal charms were recovered from the suspects as exhibits,” Nansel wrote.

“They have confessed to belonging to a gang of armed robbers terrorising Mararaba and it’s environs.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects had on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at about 10:40pm stormed a residential building on Yelwa village road, Aso Pada, to carry out their nefarious activity but met stiff resistance and fled.

“The Police was contacted and investigation was launched into the case. That led to the subsequent arrest of the criminals.”

Similarly, on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at 2pm, actionable intelligence at the disposal of Police detectives attached to New Karu Area command revealed that one Mohammed Aliyu Abubakar ‘M’ of Mabushi, FCT Abuja and three others were in possession of a Blue Toyota Camry with registration number RBC 980 DA suspected to have been stolen and were in search of a buyer.

Responding swiftly to the intercept, the detectives stormed the location of the criminals who took to flight on sighting the Police

However, luck ran out of the above mentioned suspect as he he was arrested and the vehicle recovered to the station.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Shehu Nadada, has called on the owner of the stolen vehicle to visit the New Karu Area Command with proof of ownership to claim the recovered vehicle,” Nansel said.

The Police Command in Lagos state says it has detained a 30-year-old newlywed man, Motunrayo Olaniyi, for allegedly stabbing his 25-year-old wife, Olajumoke, to death.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the murder case to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

He said that the incident happened on Friday at about 1:00 p.m. in Amazing Grace Estate, Elepe, in the Ikorodu area of the state.

Hundeyin said that Ikorodu Division received a distress call concerning the incident.

“A distress call was received at Ikorodu Division that a newlywed couple allegedly engaged in a domestic scuffle in their room and in the process, the husband stabbed the wife to death.

“He locked her in the room and set it ablaze, while he inflicted wounds on himself, ” the image maker said.

The command’s spokesperson said that the police stormed the scene of the incident based on the report.

“A team of detectives visited the scene where the fire was put out, the lifeless body of the wife was met lying on the floor with wounds on her abdominal part.

“The husband was rescued with injury, and rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was treated, discharged and taken into police custody.

“Upon interrogation, preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect stabbed his wife during an altercation between them and he gave himself the mild stabs, “he said.

Hundeyin said that the corpse had been deposited at Ikorodu General Hospital morgue for autopsy.

According to him, investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.