Metro

NDLEA Intercepts Suspected Bandits, Seizes Heavy Weapons In Katsina, Benue

Published

4 years ago

August 13, 2021

Our Reporter

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says it has arrested three armed bandits; Adamu Shehu, Tukur Mohammed and Ibrahim Suleiman while on an attack mission in Katsina State, with three AK 47 rifles among other dangerous items recovered them.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy,
NDLEA, who made this known in a statement said the arrests and seizures were made at NDLEA checkpoints in the two states where narcotic officers stop and search vehicles for illicit drugs.

He added that heavy weapon manufacturer, Celestine Chidiebere Christian was also arrested with a high calibre G3 rifle along with seventy-eight (78) rounds of life ammunition (RLA) of 7.62mm calibre and five empty shells of same in Benue while trying to move the heavy weapon and ammunition to Jos, Plateau state.

Speaking when the Benue State command was handing over the high calibre G3 rifle and the suspect to the Agencys national headquarters in Abuja on Thursday 12th August, 2021, Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) noted that the NDLEA will continue to support efforts by other security agencies especially the armed forces to restore law and order across the country.

“For us at NDLEA, we’ll continue to do our best with our highly dedicated officers and men to cut off accessibility to illicit drugs by criminal gangs by blocking the trafficking of these psychoactive and psychotropic substances. In doing this, we’ll not shy away from complementing the efforts of other security agencies especially our armed forces in our collective bid to restore security and maintain law and order in all parts of the country,” Gen. Marwa stated.

According to him, the three armed bandits were arrested by officers on patrol in Malumfashi LGA of Katsina on Thursday 5th August, on their way from Igabi LGA of Kaduna state to Kankara LGA in Katsina for another devilish mission.

He added that Toyota Corolla car with registration number Kaduna TRK 149 AE, three AK 47 rifles with magazines and ammunition, different types of charms, rings, cash and other items were recovered from them.

He disclosed that he had since directed the suspects be handed over to the Army Brigade in Katsina for further investigation.

Speaking on the transfer of the high calibre weapon manufacturer to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, Gen. Marwa said from the briefs given by the Benue State command, the suspect was arrested on Wednesday, 4th August 2021 at exactly 6:30am, in a bus belonging to CHI-Boy Transport Company, enroute Onitsha to Jos when the vehicle was flagged down at Aliade check-point for search.

He said in the process, an iron box completely welded end to end was found in the vehicle, and when the passengers were questioned to know the owner, the suspect, accepted ownership.

“When the steel box was taken to the State Command headquarters along with the suspect, an electric filing machine was used to cut it open a fabricated high calibre G3 rifle along with seventy-eight (78) rounds of life ammunition (RLA) of 7.62mm calibre and five empty shells of same were discovered inside. However, I asked that Celestine Chidiebere Christian be transferred to Abuja because of the calibre of weapon found with him, which he claims he manufactures.”

The NDLEA Chairman therefore commended the Katsina and Benue state commands for their vigilance and unrelenting commitment to the mandate given the agency by President Muhammadu Buhari to rid the country of illicit substances and ultimately secure the nation from the activities of criminal gangs.

Metro

Troops Destroy Bandits’ Camp, Arrest Seven Suspected Cultists In Benue

Published

3 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Army has intensified coordinated offensives across the North-Central, destroying a major bandits’ hideout in Taraba State and arresting seven suspected cultists in Benue in separate operations under the ongoing security push.

The fresh operations, conducted by troops of 6 Brigade, Jalingo, and Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, form part of broader kinetic deployments targeting bandits, violent gangs and criminal networks across Taraba, Benue and adjoining corridors.

In Taraba, troops under Operation Lafiya Nakowa conducted an extensive clearance operation on Friday around remote border villages in Takum Local Government Area.

The patrol, which covered Tor-Tser, Kofar Ahmadu, Tornyi, Unom, Mbayongo and Yongogba, followed credible intelligence on the presence of armed groups believed to be plotting attacks and using scattered farmlands as staging points.

According to a Saturday statement issued by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, troops received updated intelligence mid-operation that bandits had been sighted around TY Farm in Tati, sparking rapid redeployment.

“Confronted with the troops’ superior firepower, the bandits fled deep into the forest,” the Army said.

The soldiers then discovered and destroyed a major hideout at the farm location, recovering one Dane gun and other items believed to have been used by the fleeing fighters.

The Commander, 6 Brigade and Sector 3 OPWS, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, praised the soldiers for their conduct, saying their responsiveness was evidence of improved tactical mobility and renewed operational discipline.

He also reaffirmed the brigade’s resolve to tighten dominance around rural axes vulnerable to ambushes, illegal taxation and night incursions by armed cells.

Uwa urged locals to remain active partners in early-warning, stressing that actionable tip-offs have been critical to recent breakthroughs.

He called for “timely and credible information to aid ongoing operations.”

In a related development, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke carried out a precision raid on a suspected cult base in the North Bank axis of Makurdi, Benue State, an area repeatedly flagged for youth gang violence and drug-use clusters.

The raid, conducted on Thursday, October 30, led to the arrest of seven suspects, believed to be linked to armed robbery, drug activities and cult-linked retaliatory attacks within the state capital.

“During the operation, troops apprehended seven (7) suspected cultists believed to be involved in various criminal activities, including armed robbery, drug abuse, and cult-related violence.

“Items recovered from the hideout include two (2) locally fabricated pistols, one (1) laptop, one (1) cartridge, one (1) round of 7.62mm ammunition, one (1) empty 7.62mm shell casing, one (1) dagger, and several bags containing charms and other incriminating materials,” the statement partly read.

All seven suspects are now in military custody awaiting profiling and handover to relevant investigative agencies.

Force Commander OPWS, Major General Moses Gara, commended troops for their “professionalism, vigilance and resilience,” and directed continuous pressure on splinter gang structures within North Bank and neighbouring university communities.

He also issued a caution to youths, particularly tertiary institution students, warning against the lure of cult group identity.

He urged them to “shun cultism, drug abuse and other forms of criminal behaviour,” stressing the importance of discipline and patriotism.

Gara added that recent security gains will be consolidated, pledging that the Joint Task Force will continue large-area sweeps as part of its mandate to stabilise Taraba–Benue theatre communities.

Both operations came amid renewed concerns about arms trafficking routes linking Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa and border forests stretching into Cameroon.

Metro

Police Bust Kidnap Ring, Rescue 23 Foreigners, Arrest 14 Suspects Near Abuja

Published

15 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismantled a transnational kidnapping syndicate that demanded N230 million ransom from foreign nationals lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers.

Operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad launched the sting operation around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State, a border community near Abuja.

Fourteen suspected kidnappers were arrested and 23 foreign nationals rescued in the process.

According to police findings, the victims, all West African nationals, were deceived into travelling to Nigeria by a criminal network posing as employment recruiters.

Upon arrival, the victims were held captive, and the kidnappers demanded ransom from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said on Friday that investigations identified the ringleader as Abubakar Jigiba, a suspected notorious cross-border criminal with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA francs (about N10 million) per person, a total ransom demand of N230 million.

Adeh confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother, Sougule Zoubere, both of whom remain at large.

She said: “In a major breakthrough against kidnapping and human trafficking, operatives of the FCT Police Command’s Scorpion Squad have successfully arrested fourteen (14) suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three (23) victims, all foreign nationals, from captivity.

“The intelligence-led operation took place at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

“The operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers. Upon arrival, they were held hostage by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the syndicate is coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, handles the recruitment, kidnapping and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they are detained pending ransom payments. The group demanded four million CFA (N10,000,000) for each victim.

“Further investigations revealed that the victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days. They were subsequently confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.

“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address, where a total of twenty-three (23) victims — fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females and one (1) child — were rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.”

Metro

Woman Begs Court Not To Grant Husband’s Prayer For Divorce

Published

16 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A housewife, Fauziya Ibrahim, has begged an Area Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, not to grant her husband, Hamza Musbau’s prayer of divorce.

She told the court that she does not want her marriage dissolved.

“I have been married to my husband for 16 years and I want to remain in this marriage,” she told the court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),Earlier, Hamza prayed for divorce on grounds of lack of love and affection.

The judge, Mr Toyin Aluko, said that on the strength of the provisions of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah allows a wife to seek for settlement, just as divorce is allowed.

He, therefore, advised Fauziya to try her best to make peace and settle any misunderstanding between them.

Aluko adjourned the case.