Metro
PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a India-bound passenger, Freeman Ogbonna, for ingesting 80 wraps of cocaine.
He was arrested at the screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The suspect was arrested on last Sunday while attempting to board his flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways, with a Liberian passport bearing the name: Carr Bismark.
This was made known in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday.

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
The statement said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have arrested a Delhi, India-bound passenger, Freeman Charles Ogbonna, at the screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos for ingesting 80 wraps of cocaine.
“Ogbonna was arrested on Sunday, March 31, while attempting to board his flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways, with a Liberian international passport, bearing the name: Carr Bismark.

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
READ ALSO: NDLEA Intercepts Qatar-bound Drugs, Officers Reject N5m Bribe
He was taken for a body scan, which tested positive for ingestion of illicit drugs.
“Preliminary checks revealed his real identity as Freeman Charles Ogbonna and was subsequently placed under observation in NDLEA custody where he started to manifest signs of discomfort.

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
“Obviously choked by the volume of illicit drugs in his stomach and another substance taken to hold back excretion, the suspect soon began to retch before starting to vomit and excrete wraps of cocaine he ingested almost simultaneously.
‘The suspect who claimed he was recruited into drug trafficking by one of his relatives eventually passed out a total of 80 wraps of cocaine weighing 889 grams through his mouth and anus over a period of four days.
“The great risk that almost took his life notwithstanding, Ogbonna said he was given the drugs to swallow at a hotel in Ipodo area of Ikeja with a promise to reward him with N300,000 cash if he successfully delivers the consignment in India.
READ ALSO: NDLEA Seizes 44,948kg Drugs, Vehicles In Lagos, Edo, Ondo Raids
“In the same vein, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport on Wednesday, April 3 intercepted a drug mule, Imran Taofeek Olalekan, at Gate C Departure of Terminal 1 travelling to Oman with a check-in luggage and a backpack. When his check-in bag and backpack were subjected to thorough search, the operatives discovered a false bottom concealment of drugs in the check-in luggage and in the walls of the backpack.

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
“The NDLEA officers swiftly moved in on a man who accompanied the suspect to the airport. He was later identified as Ishola Isiaka Olalekan, who recruited the trafficker.
“Imran Taofeek Olalekan said he returned from Dubai some years ago but still has a valid residence permit on his old passport. :He claimed he was promised N1,500,000 if he successfully delivers the consignment in Oman, while his recruiter, Ishola, was to be paid N200,000.
“Curiously, when the two bags were completely unpacked at the NDLEA office, a charm was found in one of the bags while another one was found on the drug mule who confessed that he traveled to Ibadan, Oyo state to meet with an ‘Alfa’ that prepared the charm for him to ensure he was not caught during the trip.
“Another charm was also found on the intermediary, Ishola Isiaka Olalekan, who accompanied Taofeek to the departure area of the airport. Ishola claimed he procured the charms for the sum of N70,000.”

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
READ ALSO: NDLEA Secures Conviction Of 67 Drug Traffickers In Edo
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 2,144 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1,072kg on April 3.
The seizure occurred during a joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders of a container originating from Toronto, Canada. The drugs were concealed in various items such as used vehicles, engines, household goods, and big drums.
In Kano, a 48-year-old suspect, Gidado Sani, who had previously jumped bail, was re-arrested on April 5 in the Sharada area with 85 blocks of cannabis weighing 50.1kg. Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested Wasiu Jimoh on April 4 with 84 parcels (62kg) of cannabis sativa during a raid operation at Ilese Awo.

PICTORIAL: NDLEA Arrests India-bound Passenger For Ingesting 80 Wraps Of Cocaine
Operatives in Lagos intercepted Emeka Umeh with 506.2kg of cannabis at Igbede, Ojo area on April 3, and Victor Okeke was apprehended on April 5 at Igbo Elerin, Ojo, with 142grams of cannabis sativa and 175 litres of skuchies.
Furthermore, a smuggling attempt by Ifeanyi Udogwu to transport 1.5kg of cocaine concealed in music speakers was thwarted on April 3 by NDLEA officers collaborating with Young Shall Grow Motors in Aba, Abia State.
Metro
Residents Flee Kogi Community Over Fear Of Bandit Attacks

Hundreds of residents of Okunran village in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State have deserted their homes following persistent attacks by armed bandits.
A viral video circulating on social media showed the once-bubbling community completely deserted, with houses abandoned and streets empty.
“Okunran, once a bubbling town, is now a ghost town,” a resident said.
The villagers said they fled to escape incessant kidnappings, killings, and ransom demands that have plagued the community.
READ ALSO:Army Kills Notorious Bandit, Babangida, In Kogi
“The government has failed us, security agencies have failed us. If we remain here, we will be consumed by bandits. We are tired of paying ransom and contributing money for bandits,” said Akin Samuel, a fleeing resident.
The Guardian learnt that neighbouring communities, including Okoloke and Egbe, are also considering leaving if the attacks persist.
The abduction of the first-class traditional ruler of Okoloke, 90-year-old Pa. Dada James Ogunyanda, in May 2025, deepened the climate of fear in the area. Although he was released after a ransom was paid, the monarch has refused to return to his palace.
A native of Okunran, Auwal Maroof, who now lives in Lokoja, said the decision to flee became inevitable.
READ ALSO:One Dead, Five Injured In Kogi Road Crash
“We have been praying for God’s intervention, but the insecurity persists to the point that fleeing was the only option to stay alive,” he said.
Egbe, the commercial hub of Yagba, is feared to be vulnerable due to its close connection with neighbouring Kwara State, where the bandits are suspected to be coming from.
Local sources report that at least 10 people, including seven police officers and three civilians, were killed by bandits in Yagba within one week this month.
The Chairman of Yagba East Local Government recently imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in a bid to contain the crisis, while the Kogi State government and the senator representing the district have pledged to rid the area of bandits.
Metro
18 Dead, Dozens Missing In Zamfara Mine Collapse

Rescuers in Nigeria are searching for dozens of people missing after a boulder crashed onto an illegal mine during heavy rains, killing at least 18 people, local sources told AFP on Saturday.
The rock came crashing down on Thursday on the mine in the northern Zamfara state outside the Kadauri village in the Maru district, they said.
“We have managed to pull out 18 dead bodies from the pit and five other survivors who sustained various degrees of injuries,” Sani Lawwali, a miner who works in unauthorised pits, said from Kadauri.
A dozen other miners were still trapped inside and their fate remained unknown, said Lawwali, who took part in the rescue effort.
READ ALSO:
“The process is slow and laborious as we use our bare hands to chisel the end of the boulder to make holes for limited access into the pit,” he said.
Rescuers have asked for a bulldozer being used at a nearby road construction site to be brought in to help, but had not yet received a response from the company using it, Lawwali added.
Abubakar Nabube, a local community leader, confirmed the death toll of 18. He said that 15 of those killed came from the nearby Maikwanugga and Damaga villages.
“If no help comes from emergency agencies soon, none of those trapped would come out alive,” he said.
READ ALSO:Bandits Attack Mosque In Zamfara, Kill, Abduct Worshippers
Zayyanu Ibrahim, a resident of Kadauri village said the collapse occurred at one of several newly dug sites in the recently established mining site.
“Dozens of miners were working in the pit while it heavily rained outside. A huge boulder at the mouth of the pit collapsed and buried miners inside,” said Ibrahim, who also confirmed the toll.
Sani Abdullahi, a councillor in the area, said it was difficult to say how many people there were in the pit at the time of the accident.
READ ALSO:Zamfara Gov Disburses ₦322m To Support 8,225 Schoolgirls
Officials from the Nigerian emergency agency NEMA did not respond to an AFP enquiry about the accident.
Zamfara, a poor agrarian state, is rich in gold deposits where illegal artisanal mining thrives in the countryside, despite several attempts by authorities to stop the practice.
The authorities have blamed illegal mining for the worsening of bandit violence, with criminal gangs getting money from protection fees they extort from miners.
Metro
Police Confirm Abduction Of 17 Passengers Along Calabar Waterway

The Police Command in Cross River has confirmed the abduction of 17 passengers by sea pirates along the Calabar Waterways.
The command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, DSP Igri Ewa, who made the confirmation on Saturday in Calabar, said that the passengers were abducted on Thursday.
Ewa said that the command had already swung into action to ensure the ‘immediate and prompt’ rescue of the abductees.
According to the police spokesperson, a serving police officer in Akwa Ibom and a popular politician in Cross River who were on board the boat narrowly escaped abduction.
READ ALSO:Six Arrested For Alleged Killing Of Police Constable In Bayelsa
A passenger who preferred anonymity told newsmen that the boat was attacked a few minutes after take-off from Oron en route Calabar.
“They stopped our boat, transferred some passengers to their boat, and when their boat was full, they took off.
“When we arrived at the Inland Waterways Jetty, we were thoroughly quizzed by the police. Our statements were later taken before we were allowed to go home.”
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