Metro

Illegal Checkpoint: IGP Squad Arrests Police, Immigration Officers

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2023

There was pandemonium and confusion along the Badagry-Seme Expressway, yesterday, as Police officers believed to be under the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Special Squad arrested some Policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, during a raid on illegal checkpoints on the Seme-Badagry Expressway.

Vanguard gathered that the IGP squad chased and arrested some police officers and other security agents found at some of the checkpoints, believed to have been created purely to extort.

The development may not be unconnected with the recent meeting between the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi and IGP, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, and their resolve to free the axis, which serves as the Lagos-Abidjan corridor of illegal checkpoints.

The activities of the illegal checkpoints have led to all manners of disruptions of movements of goods and people, and believed to have also hindered trade facilitation, apart from the negative image such action exposes the country before the regional and continental community.

Vanguard learnt that the raid would be sustained until bad eggs within the respective agencies responsible for the blight are completely removed through sanctions and punishments.

Reacting to the development, maritime stakeholders commended the IGP for commencing the cleansing of the axis and urged him to take the action to its logical conclusion, until the axis is completely free of the illegal checkpoints.

They also appealed to the CGC and IGP to extend the clean-up to members of maritime police, who they say have also become a clog in the wheel of legitimate businesses and trade facilitation.

Speaking on the menace the police command constitutes to trade, a Customs broker based at Seme, who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, said: “The maritime police command has since appropriated part of customs job by blocking manifests. They order shipping companies not to release manifests and such tendencies have become entrenched.

“They even impound containers on the road and take them to their premises around Obalande. We want the IGP to help us beam its searchlight here too. There is so much extortion going on at the maritime command. They should be fighting maritime crimes and should be stopped from taking over customs job.”

Metro

NDLEA Intercepts Drugs In Factory-fitted Lipsticks At Lagos Airport

Published

6 hours ago

July 13, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of illicit substances concealed in factory-fitted female lipsticks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The discovery, which marks the second of such in less than a week, was announced by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday.

“Ladies beware! It does appear like female lipstick is becoming attractive as an instrument for concealment and trafficking now,” Babafemi warned.

“With yet another consignment of factory-fitted female lipsticks stuffed with illicit substances intercepted at MMIA barely a week after NDLEA officers uncovered a similar cargo at a courier company in Lagos.”

He urged Nigerians, particularly women, to be cautious when purchasing or accepting cosmetic products, especially from unfamiliar or suspicious online sources.

The NDLEA has yet to reveal the identity of the suspect(s) behind the latest smuggling attempt, but investigations are said to be ongoing.

Metro

50-year-old Bandit, Two Informants Arrested

Published

6 hours ago

July 13, 2025

Editor

The Zamfara State Police Command has announced the arrest of eight suspected criminals, including a 50-year-old bandit and two informants, as part of ongoing operations to dislodge criminal elements across the state.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Yazid Abubakar, the command’s Public Relations Officer, disclosed these successes during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Gusau.

Abubakar stated that the arrested individuals include Ibrahim Mohammed, a 50-year-old suspected bandit from Maru Local Government Area of the state, two bandit informants, a gun runner, and five other suspects.

He credited the arrests to credible intelligence received from members of the public.

Items recovered during the operations include assorted rifles, a stolen ATM card, leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, and a Toyota Corolla vehicle, among other items.

The arrests are part of the Zamfara State Police Command’s sustained efforts to combat banditry and other criminal activities plaguing the state.

Metro

Woman Dies After Falling Into 170-ft Well

Published

20 hours ago

July 12, 2025

Editor

A woman has died after falling into a 170-foot well at a construction site in Ijegun, Lagos.

Her body was recovered by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service after a prolonged multi-agency operation.

The agency said it received a distress call around 7:34 pm on June 30, about the incident at Abuba Anthony Street, near Obalagbe Bus Stop, close to Fadeko International Hotel.

According to a statement by the Fire Service’s Senior Public Affairs Officer, Maria Fadairo, on Friday, emergency responders from the Ejigbo Fire Station arrived to find that a female adult had fallen into a deep well located at the front of a one-storey building still under construction.

The structure reportedly consists of six two-bedroom flats on a fenced 648-square-metre plot.

According to The PUNCH, due to the complexity of the situation, a multi-agency operation was launched. After days of coordinated efforts, the woman’s body was recovered on Thursday (July 10).

“The victim was recovered dead and handed over to officials of SEHMU, while the Lagos State Ambulance Service stood by as the Nigeria Police observed proceedings,” the statement said.

The Director of the state Fire Service, Margaret Adeseye, expressed her condolences to the family of the deceased and emphasised the importance of safety at construction sites, noting that “a 170-foot uncovered well is a severe hazard that must never be left unsecured.”

Further investigations will be handled by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, according to the statement.