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.

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.

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”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)

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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.