Metro

Plateau Killings: Police Parade 17 Suspects, Repel Fresh Attack In Mangu

Published

2 years ago

January 25, 2024

Seventeen suspects were on Thursday paraded by the police in connection with the recent killings in parts of Plateau State.

The suspects were paraded by the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 4, Ebong Eyibio, at the headquarters of the Plateau State Police Command in Jos.

Eyibio said eight of the suspects were arrested in connection with the 2023 Christmas Eve attacks, while the other nine were apprehended for their alleged involvement in the recent security breach in Mangu LGA of the state.

He also disclosed that ten corpses were recovered after the recent incident in Mangu.

Eyibio was represented at the press briefing by the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command DSP Alfred Alabo.

He said, “The Plateau State Police Command has successfully repelled an attack on villages in Mangu LGA of the State.

“On 24/01/24 at about 22:00 hours, we received intelligence concerning an attack which was targeted on the Ntam community and the ASTC Company, both of Mangu LGA.

“Our team of agile police officers from the IGP Special Intervention Squad stationed at the ASTC in conjunction with the Area Commander Pankshin and the DPO swung into action and thwarted the attempted attack.

“In a separate incident, an attempt by some criminal arsonists in Panyam District to set fire on some worship centers was prevented by swift intervention from the police and with help from some elders of the community.

“Also in another development, to further strengthen the existing security architecture in Mangu LGA and ensure compliance with the curfew imposed by the government and prevent further escalation of the incidence which is almost snowboarding into an ethno- religious crisis, I have ordered the deployment of additional Special Intervention personnel to Mangu LGA to be commended by the Area Commander, Pankshin, and restore normalcy in that area.

“The Command is grateful to inform you that the situation as at today, is under control and so far, 9 suspects have been arrested.

“Exhibits recovered from them include dangerous weapons, such as machetes, kegs containing Petrol, and other items. The area remains highly secured by security forces and strict compliance to the curfew is being complied with.

“I also wish to make it clear that the Command under my leadership and supervision will bear zero tolerance to any act of criminality, and will continue to intensify its efforts towards restoring peace, public confidence and normalcy within the State.

“Before you are the 8 suspects from the December 24th, 2023 attack and the 9 suspects arrested in connection with the recent attacks in the state.

“To this end, we urge the public to remain calm and cooperate with the security agencies as we are working tirelessly to maintain peace and order in the region.”

Recall that Eyibio was deployed to the Plateau State after the Christmas Eve attacks.

Metro

PHOTOS: NDLEA Arrests Lagos Hotelier, Seizes 1.7 Tonnes Of Cannabis

Published

19 minutes ago

November 16, 2025

Editor

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, known as Chisco Bee, following weeks of surveillance on his operations.

According to a statement released on Sunday by NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Ibemesi, 42, who runs Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig Ltd and Daisy Garden Hotel in Isolo, Lagos, was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday, 15 November.

Operatives subsequently led him to a warehouse in the same area where 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,762.8 kilogrammes, were recovered. At the point of arrest, cash in foreign currencies was also seized, including $11,600, £2,000, €2,200 and 50 Canadian dollars.

Elsewhere, NDLEA officers disrupted an attempt by a syndicate to distribute processed skunk from Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo forest reserve in the Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.

After days of surveillance, 11,135 kilograms of cannabis were intercepted on Tuesday, 11 November. Two trucks used for transportation were seized, and seven suspects were detained.

In Edo State, 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered in separate operations. These included 184.1 kilograms along Oza/Igbanke road, 672 kilograms from Utese forest, and further consignments from vehicles on the Benin-Akure road, where two suspects were arrested.

Additional arrests were made in Ogun State, where four men were found with 68 kilograms of skunk and 3.15 kilograms of methamphetamine along the Ijebu-Ode expressway. In Taraba, two suspects were detained with 172 kilograms and 84 kilograms of cannabis, respectively. In Adamawa, 396,000 capsules of tramadol were seized at Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, while 785 kilograms of skunk were evacuated from a warehouse in Nasarawa.

Operations in Lagos also yielded results. Two suspects were arrested in Surulere with 65.15 kilograms of Canadian Loud, while another was detained in Oyingbo with 141 kilograms of Ghana Loud. In Kwara, officers intercepted a truck on the Ilorin-Jebba expressway carrying 78.565 kilograms of skunk and cartons of rubber solutions. A separate bus was stopped in Ilorin with 20 blocks of cannabis concealed in a jerrycan.

Alongside enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres and workplaces across Zamfara, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Enugu, Lagos and Ogun.

Chairman of the Agency, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), commended the officers involved in the operations across Lagos, Osun, Edo, Ogun, Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Kwara. He urged them to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with public education.

Metro

NAF Hits Bandit Logistics Hub, Neutralises Many In Zamfara

Published

31 minutes ago

November 16, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Air Component of the Joint Task Force of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY) has carried out precision air interdiction missions on the Sauri bandit camp in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, destroying a major defensive position and a logistics hub used by the criminals.

The strikes, conducted on November 14, 2025, resulted in the neutralisation of several terrorists and the destruction of critical structures, significantly degrading the gang’s operational capacity in the area.

NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, confirmed the operation in a statement on Saturday.

According to him, the mission followed extensive intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations that revealed heightened terrorist activity, including rustled livestock concealed at a high-ground hideout serving as both a defensive position and logistics hub.

“Acting on this intelligence, the Air Component executed multiple coordinated strike passes on the identified targets, achieving direct hits that dislodged surviving terrorists attempting to flee into surrounding vegetation, where they were subsequently tracked and effectively engaged,” he said.

Ejodame added that the mission demonstrates the commitment of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who has consistently pledged that the NAF will “find them, hunt them down, and protect our people.”

He said the operation underscores the unwavering resolve of the Joint Task Force and the NAF under Operation Fansan Yamma to deny terrorists safe havens, strengthen security in Zamfara State, and support national efforts to restore peace and stability across the North West.

The latest strike came four days after NAF conducted coordinated air interdiction missions in Borno, Katsina, and Kwara states, targeting bandit and terrorist enclaves.

In Borno, heavy strikes hit ISWAP positions in the Northern Tumbuns—Lake Chad Islands—and Mallam Fatori, where terrorists were mobilising with motorcycles and boats.

In Kwara State, airstrikes on Garin Dandi and Chigogo inflicted heavy losses on criminal elements and created panic within their ranks.

Similarly, in Katsina State, bombardments destroyed key logistics hubs at Zango Hill in Kankara Local Government Area, neutralising several terrorists.

Ejodame noted that each mission reaffirms NAF’s commitment to deploying smarter, intelligence-driven airpower to deliver precise lethality against insurgents and criminals while safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians.

Metro

NDLEA Arrests Suspected Drug Baron, Seizes Over 14,000kg Skunk In Osun

Published

36 minutes ago

November 16, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a suspected drug baron, Frank Ibemesi, also known as Chisco Bee, following weeks of surveillance on his activities.

Ibemesi, 42, identified as the MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig. Ltd., was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, November 15, 2025, at his Daisy Garden Hotel on Agbeke Street, Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos.

A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said he was later taken to a warehouse on Pius Ezeobi Street, also in Ago Palace Way, where officers recovered 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of “loud,” a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,762.8 kilograms.

He said cash recovered from him at the point of arrest included $11,600, £2,000, €2,200, and 50 Canadian dollars.

“A wanted drug baron who operates under the cover of a businessman and hotelier, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, alias Chisco Bee, has been arrested by operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the NDLEA after weeks of intelligence and surveillance on his criminal activities.

“The 42-year-old Ibemesi, who is the MD/CEO of Franc CJ Ibemesi Nig. Ltd., was arrested at his Daisy Garden Hotel, 66–68 Agbeke Street, Ago Palace Way, Isolo, Lagos, in the early hours of Saturday, November 15, 2025, after which he was taken to his warehouse at 7 Pius Ezeobi Street, off Ago Palace Way, Isolo, where 42 jumbo bags and four cartons of loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,762.8 kilograms, were recovered.

“Also seized from him at the point of arrest were $11,600; 2,000 British pounds; 2,200 euros; and 50 Canadian dollars, all in cash,” the statement partly read.

In a separate operation in Osun State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives disrupted a drug syndicate at Orita-Apeje, Araromi-Okeodo Forest Reserve in Ife South Local Government Area on Tuesday, November 11.

According to him, the operatives seized 11,135 kilograms of processed skunk and arrested seven suspects.

“Operatives, after days of surveillance in the forest, seized two trucks being used to transport the illicit consignments: a Volvo truck marked WWR 29 XA and a Mercedes truck with registration number AWK 713 YZ, and arrested seven suspects. Those in custody in connection with the seizure are Lucky Abiodun; Julius Amos; Victor Ngbikili; Sunday Oduegwu; Ibrahim Akanni; Eze Godstime; and Fred Ifeanyichukwu,” he said.

In Edo State, Babafemi said officers recovered a total of 1,902.1 kilograms of skunk in separate operations.

These, according to him, included 184.1kg on Oza–Igbanke Road on Thursday, November 13; 672kg from Utese Forest on Friday, November 14; and 494kg from a Mercedes-Benz (DE311BEN) on the Benin–Akure Road, where 45-year-old Felix Edah was arrested.

He added that another suspect, Lucky Abagha, 51, was arrested with 552kg of skunk in a Mercedes-Benz.

“While four suspects — Micheal Okoh, Offor Agada, Raphael Nkemjika and Nwabueze Franklin — were arrested with 68kg of skunk and 3.150kg of methamphetamine along the Ijebu-Ode Expressway in Ogun State, Danjuma Tukura, 50, was nabbed with 172kg of skunk at Sunkani, Ardo-Kola LGA, Taraba State, on Friday, November 14, and Wisdom Titus, 24, with 84kg of the same substance at Takum area of the state,” he added.

In Adamawa State, Babafemi said 396,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from 50-year-old Ahmed Isyaku Nda at the Aliyu Mustapha International Airport, Yola, on Friday, November 14.

“Another 785kg of skunk was recovered from a warehouse in Asob Maraba Karu, Nasarawa State. The owner of the warehouse is currently at large,” he added.

In Kwara State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck marked T-0262KT along the Ilorin–Jebba Expressway on Thursday, November 13.

The vehicle, according to him, was conveying 197 blocks of skunk weighing 78.565kg and 155 cartons of rubber solutions.

“The truck driver, Umar Yakubu, was taken into custody. In another operation, a commercial bus with registration number KJA-657CY was intercepted at Eiyenkorin, Ilorin, on Wednesday, November 12, with 20 blocks of skunk concealed in a 50-litre jerrycan, and the driver, Ibrahim Bello, was arrested,” Babafemi said.

The PUNCH reported that the agency on Tuesday intercepted a shipment of cocaine valued at over $235m (about N338bn) at the PTML Terminal of the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.

The agency said it has launched a joint investigation with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency to identify those behind the importation of 1,000 kilograms of cocaine.

(PUNCH)