Crime
Baby Factory: NDLEA Rescues Five Pregnant Teenagers In Imo
Officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on patrol along the Aba-Owerri Expressway have intercepted five pregnant teenage girls suspected to be victims of child trafficking.
It was gathered that the victims were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in the Naze area of Owerri to the Ikenegbu area of the Imo State capital.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed this in a Sunday statement.
The victims –Chioma Emmanuel, Uma Faith, Divine Adimonye, Opara Gift, and Amarachi Mbata – were rescued on Wednesday, Babafemi stated.
“In their statements, they claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them. The Imo state command of the agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, for further investigations,” he added.
He said fresh attempts to export various quantities of methamphetamine and skunk by members of some transnational drug trafficking organisations through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja and courier companies in Lagos State, were again thwarted by operatives of the NDLEA, who intercepted the illicit drug consignments concealed in different items.
Similarly, on Tuesday, NDLEA operatives intercepted an intending passenger, Ugwu Tochukwu, on his way to Oman, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight at the Lagos airport. Upon a thorough search of his luggage, 7.50 kilogrammes of skunk were discovered concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf.
This is even as some NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilogrammes of skunk and 14 grammes of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes respectively.
“While two suspects Moses Akowe, 32, and Sunday Gabriel, 31, were arrested with 227.1 kgs of cannabis on Tuesday, September 11 at Ikebe village, Ankpa LGA, Kogi state, a female suspect, Bilikisu Salako, 35, was nabbed with 108 kgs of same substance on Saturday, September 16 in the Ifo area of Ogun State.
“A total of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55 kgs and 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup seized from the duo of Salisu Murtala and Shafi’u Dahiru on Tuesday, September 11 along Abuja road have been traced to two other suspects – Muntari Nasiru and Yusuf Ali who were arrested in follow up operations in Kano.”
See the full statement below:
NDLEA seizes illicit drug consignment at MMIA, intercepts 5 pregnant teenage girls
Uncovers meth, skunk in soles of ladies’ high heel shoes as court sentences kingpin to 5 years imprisonment in Lagos
Fresh attempts to export various quantities of methamphetamine and skunk by members of some transnational drug trafficking organisations through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja and courier companies in Lagos have again been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, who intercepted the illicit drug consignments concealed in different items.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 12th September intercepted an intending passenger going to Oman, Ugwu Peter Tochukwu, while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight. Upon a thorough search of his luggage, 7.50 kilograms of skunk were discovered concealed inside crayfish mixed with dry bitter leaf.
In the same vein, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations attached to some courier companies also intercepted Dubai-bound 2.9 kilograms of skunk and 14 grams of methamphetamine concealed in bags of semovita and soles of ladies’ high heel shoes respectively.
In Imo state, operatives on patrol along Aba-Owerri expressway on Wednesday 13th September intercepted five pregnant teenage girls suspected to be victims of child trafficking used as baby factory. They were picked up while being relocated from their hideout in Naze area of Owerri to Ikenegbu area of the state capital.
The victims include: Chioma Emmanuel, 15; Uma Faith, 15; Divine Adimonye, 17; Opara Gift, 15; and Amarachi Mbata, 16. In their statements, they claimed they didn’t know the men who impregnated them. The Imo state command of the Agency has since been directed to hand them over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigations.
While two suspects: Moses Akowe, 32, and Sunday Gabriel, 31, were arrested with 227.1kgs of cannabis on Tuesday 11th September at Ikebe village, Ankpa LGA, Kogi state, a female suspect, Bilikisu Salako, 35, was nabbed with 108kgs of same substance on Saturday 16th September in Ifo area of Ogun state. A total of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55kgs and 600 bottles of codeine-based syrup seized from the duo of Salisu Murtala and Shafi’u Dahiru on Tuesday 11th September along Abuja road have been traced to two other suspects: Muntari Nasiru and Yusuf Ali who were arrested in follow up operations in Kano. In FCT Abuja, a 27-year-old Kingsley Chimaobi was arrested with 6,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup along Lokogoma-Abuja road on Tuesday 11th September.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday 13th September sentenced to five years imprisonment a drug dealer, Segun Odeyemi for trafficking and dealing in 3,842 kilograms of skunk. He was arrested on Saturday 1st July while conveying 89 jumbo bags of the illicit substance in his truck around Eleganza area of Ajah, Lekki. He was subsequently charged in suit number FHC/L/388C/2023 presided over by Justice Akintayo Aluko.
Across the country, various commands of the Agency continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in the past week taking advocacy messages to the stakeholders. Instances of this include, WADA advocacy visit to the head of Kadiria Islamic Sect of Africa, Sheikh Qaribullah Nasiru Kabara, in Kano; WADA sensitisation lecture for men and officers of Nigerian Army, Sobi barracks, Ilorin; lecture for Muslim community in Kaduna; WADA sensitisation lecture at Enugu State College of Health and Technology, Oji- River; advocacy lecture for members of Ram Sellers Association, Osogbo as well as officers and men of the Nigerian Navy School of Music, Ota, Ogun state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Imo, Kaduna, Ogun, Kogi, FCT and Lagos Commands as well as those of DOGI for intensifying their drug control efforts, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded the commitment of all the commands across the country to work with other stakeholders to take the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to the communities, schools, worship centres, work places and traditional institutions. He charged them not to relent.
Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 17th September 2023
The arraignment of Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, commonly known as Evans, the convicted kidnap kingpin, was postponed on Thursday at the Lagos High Court in Ikeja due to the absence of his counsel. The trial judge, Justice Adenike Coker, adjourned the case until June 13 to allow for the planned arraignment.
Evans and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, face an amended five-count charge including murder, attempted kidnap, and conspiracy. They are accused of killing Peter Nweke on August 27, 2013, in Festac Town, Lagos, as well as Chijioke Ngozi. Additionally, they are charged with attempting and subsequently killing Obianado Vincent, the Chairman of Young Shall Grow Motors.
During Thursday’s proceedings, when the defendants were called into the dock, they informed the court that they were not aware of the arraignment and expressed doubts about whether their lawyers were informed.
A Lagos state government counsel, Yusuf Sule, representing the prosecution, informed the court that Evans’s counsel, although based in Abuja, was aware of the arraignment. Sule also mentioned that the counsel for the second defendant was occupied with another case before a different judge.
Sule informed the court that both defendants had applied for a plea bargain, which was under consideration by the Attorney General of the state. He also explained the amended charges, noting that two previous defendants were no longer included due to one passing away in prison and the other being convicted.
The prosecutor requested a new date for the arraignment, which was granted by Justice Coker. She instructed Evans to ensure his counsel’s presence on the next adjourned date and fixed June 13 for the arraignment and a report on the plea bargain agreement.
The former Chairman of the Park Management System in Oyo State, Lamidi Mukaila, known as Auxiliary, has been apprehended by the police after months of being declared wanted. He was arrested at his residence in Olodo, Ibadan, by the Department of State Services for his alleged involvement in armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder.
Commissioner of Police Hamzat Adebola stated during a parade of the suspect at the state police command that he would be charged in court. He emphasized the extensive effort that led to the arrest, involving intelligence, technology, collaboration with other security agencies, and community policing.
Numerous items were recovered from Auxiliary’s possession, including weapons like an AK-47 rifle, pump-action rifles, pistols, and ammunition. Also found were assorted weapons, mobile phones, a laptop, charms, vehicles, and a considerable amount of cash.
The Commissioner expressed gratitude to the public for providing vital information to combat crime and reiterated the commitment of the police to decisively deal with criminal individuals or groups aiming to regress the state into lawlessness. He emphasized the determination to prevent a return to the chaotic era of the “Wild West.”
Transferring the case involving Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and seven others to a different court brings attention to the legal proceedings surrounding allegations of corruption.
The case, initially before Kano High Court number 4, presided over by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba, has now been moved to Court 7, which is under the jurisdiction of Justice Amina Adamu, at Miller Road.
This transfer was confirmed by Baba Jibo Ibrahim, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State High Court, who emphasized that the Chief Justice of the state holds the authority to direct such transfers at any stage prior to judgment.
However, no specific reasons were provided for this transfer.
The charges against Ganduje, his wife, son, and others include serious allegations such as bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, amounting to billions of naira. This move to a new court may bring fresh perspectives and considerations to the case, and it’s crucial to watch how the proceedings unfold.
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