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Guests Scamper For Safety As Fire Guts Hotel In Owerri

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Many guests abandoned their belongings and scampered for safety Friday night at Bohncynth Luxuria Hotel, New Owerri, Owerri State, as midmorning inferno wreaked havoc on the hotel.

Others were seen frantically moving their vehicles out of the hotel’s premises during the pandemonium.

Police officers from the New Owerri Police Division, firefighters, the management of the hotel and sympathizers were already on ground to put the situation under control.

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A staff of the hotel who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told newsmen at the scene of the incident that property worth over N22 million was lost in the inferno.

Stating that the actual course of the outbreak was yet to be ascertained, she disclosed that the incident started from the power house.

The staff said, “We thank God that the men of the fire service responded to our distress calls and quenched the fire outbreak. The actual course of the outbreak is not yet known, but it started from the powerhouse. Four generators were destroyed, including electric wires, doors and Windows, roof housing the generators were not spared.”

Speaking to newsmen, the chief fire officer of Imo State, Mr. Geoffrey Okoroafor, said his men responded quickly to distressed calls and prevented the hotel from being razed down completely.

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He said he was yet to get briefs from his men to ascertain the level of damage in the hotel.

Accroding to him frantic efforts were made by the firefighters to ensure the outbreak did not affect other parts of the hotel and the surrounding buildings in the area.

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However, four heavy-duty generators and two flashy cars were touched by the fire as well as a nearby private building.

PHOTO: File

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Metro

Groom, 25 Others Arrested As NDLEA Burst Drug-fueled Wedding Reception

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) successfully intercepted what was purportedly a wedding reception but turned out to be an illicit drug party.

The bust resulted in the arrest of the groom and 25 individuals, as confirmed by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy, in a statement posted on his Facebook account on Sunday.

Say a prayer against the demon of drugs in the lives of our youths this Sunday as #ndlea_nigeria busted another drug party organised as a wedding reception. Groom and 25 others arrested,” he wrote.

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The statement also said the big cartels also suffered heavy losses some hours before the arrest with the seizure of their cocaine consignments.

The big cartels also suffered heavy loss hours ago with the seizure of their cocaine consignments,” the statement read.

The arrested individuals, including the groom, are now in custody as investigations proceed.

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16 Dead, 27 Injured In Kaduna-Abuja Expressway Accident

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The Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC), Kaduna Sector Command, says no fewer than 16 persons died and 27 sustained injuries in a road crash on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway.

The Sector Commander, Mr Kabir Nadabo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the fatal road traffic crash occurred at Audu Jhangon village along the expressway on Sunday.

He explained that the crash occurred at 05:20hrs, when a Daf trailer with registration number KUJ 430XC, with overloaded goods, lost control and fell into a ditch.

READ ALSO: NDLEA Nabs Businessman With Large Cocaine Consignments At Enugu Airport [PHOTOS]

”Initial reports indicate the driver was at high speed, probably due to fatigue.

“The combined rescue teams of RS1.114 Zhipe Unit Command and RS1.16B Dutse Outpost conducted the rescue operations.

“The crash involved 65 people, where 27 were injured and 16 people were deceased.

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“The injured have been taken to the nearest hospital for treatment,“ he added.

Nadabo said on receiving news of the crash, he visited the scene to have first-hand information as well as direct the rescue team on the evacuation of the deceased to the morgue.

I also directed the tow truck to remove part of the accidented trailer blocking part of the road. The operation is ongoing, and the road is free for movement,“ Nadabo said (NAN)

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NDLEA Nabs Businessman With Large Cocaine Consignments At Enugu Airport [PHOTOS]

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives on Saturday intercepted 12 consignments of cocaine belonging to members of a drug trafficking organisation at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu.

According to the NDLEA, a businessman, Augustine Justine Emeka, 44, who claimed he deals in copper wire, was arrested at the airport upon his arrival from Douala, Cameroon, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopia Airlines plane with the 12 consignments, consisting of 797 pellets of cocaine weighing 17.6 kilograms.

The agency said the suspect, during a preliminary interview, admitted the cocaine consignments were for delivery to 12 different persons in the country.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, disclosed this on Sunday.

READ ALSO: NDLEA Arrests Three Blind Men Over Drug Trafficking, Seizes Narcotics Worth N13bn

Babafemi said the agency, in a related development, arrested a fleeing suspect, Onyejiuwa Prince Ifeanyi, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, 8th December.

He stated that the suspect had gone into hiding since 8th September following the seizure of a United Kingdom-bound 20kg cannabis consignment concealed in tomato paste tins at the SAHCO shed linked to him.

According to the statement, NDLEA operatives of the seaports operations on Monday 4th December, also arrested a 45-year-old Beninoise, Jamila Fatiu, at Ebute Ero Jetty in Lagos Island with 398 bottles of codeine cough syrup on her way to Seme border via a boat service.

READ ALSO: Navy Hands Over N70m Seized Cannabis Sativa To NDLEA In Badagry

“While in Katsina State, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence disrupted a pre-wedding ceremony drug abuse competition in a community popularly known as Shola Quarters, Katsina and arrested 25 youths participating in the drug party. Operatives swooped on the suspects while they were busy taking turns abusing all sorts of illicit substances, including a mixture of multiple drugs mixed in a plastic bucket. Though the groom, Musa Gwandi who organized the drug party along with his friends was not at the venue at the time the 25 others were arrested, he was however nabbed on Sunday 3rd December following a manhunt for him.
“On the same day, Sunday 3rd December, operatives in Anambra state intercepted a truck marked BEN 302 YS (Edo) and after a search, 5,612 bottles of codeine-based syrup; 57,800 capsules of tramadol and 5,100 ampoules of pentazocine injection, among others were recovered. The driver, Ambrose Oyamedan, conductors – Samuel Otejere and Obey Jonathan as well as the truck were taken into custody for further investigation. Two ladies: Chiemenam Akusoba, 25, and Chidinma Ibenwa, 28, were also arrested on Saturday 9th December with 15.8503kg of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine and Cannabis sativa in Umuogbu, Nnobi and Onitsha respectively,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, NDLEA said, “At least three suspects: Monday John, 50; Maryam Adang, 48; and Mohammed Lawal Musa, 36, were arrested in different parts of Kaduna state. While John was arrested with 28.4kg of cannabis on Thursday, 7th December, Maryam was nabbed with 18.6kg of the same substance on Saturday, 9th December, the same day Musa, an indigene of Damagaran, Niger Republic, was arrested with 34 kilograms of cannabis sativa along Abuja- Kaduna highway while he was on his way to Niger Republic with the exhibit.
In Kogi state, a 20-year-old Adamu Nuhu was arrested on Monday 3rd December, along Okene- Lokoja- Abuja expressway while coming from Onitsha, Anambra en route to Kaduna with 2,700 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 11,900 pills of tramadol 225mg and 100mg as well as 124,000 tablets of diazepam.

READ ALSO: NDLEA Arrests Three Blind Men Over Drug Trafficking, Seizes Narcotics Worth N13bn

“In Borno State, NDLEA operatives recovered a total of 81,975 pills of tramadol from three suspects: Mohammed Abubakar, 25; and Hassan Mohammed, 25, both in Response Area, Bayo town while Suleman Hamidu, 27, was nabbed by soldiers on a follow-up operation in Mubi town, Adamawa State.
“While Taye Ali, 43, and Okon Peter, 60 were arrested with 97kg cannabis at Kanisuru, Ipele area of Ondo state on Saturday 9th December, Nnabuke Christian, 29, was nabbed with 46,000 tabs of diazepam, 4,900 pills of tramadol and 6,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection at Gwagwalada area of the FCT Abuja. The suspect admitted that the consignment was for onward supply to illegal miners at Sabongarin Doguwa in Kano State.”

Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers and men of the AIIA, MMIA, Katsina, Anambra, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Ondo, and FCT Commands as well as those of seaports operations for the arrests and seizures of the past week.

Marwa urged them and their compatriots across all formations of the Agency to maintain the offensive action tempo while creating a balance with their drug demand reduction efforts.

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