Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a commercial bus transporting N3.2m counterfeit cash owned by three suspects including eight-month pregnant Favour Peter (24), Esther Adukwu (27), and Ochigbo Michael (39), who were arrested at Jabi park in Abuja.

This was made known in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and shared on the agency’s website on Sunday.

The statement read, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a commercial bus conveying N3.2m counterfeit cash owned by three suspects: eight-month pregnant Favour Peter, 24; Esther Adukwu, 27, and Ochigbo Michael, 39, who were arrested at Jabi park in Abuja in a follow up operation on Tuesday, April 9 following the seizure of the fake naira notes in Lokoja, Kogi State.

“This is even as NDLEA officers in collaboration with men of the Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard Base, Lokoja intercepted 37-year-old Aliyu Lawal along Lokoja-Abuja Road on Monday, April 8 and recovered 620 blocks of cannabis weighing 310kg from him, while 10 sacks of the same psychoactive substance weighing 98kg were seized along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway by the NDLEA operatives from Jama Obodo, 44, in a commercial bus coming from Ilesha, Osun State enroute Taraba State on Wednesday, April 10.

“In Cross River State, a 40-year-old widow and mother of two, Mrs. Theodora Ita, was on Monday, April 8 arrested at Bassey Edom, Calabar, by the NDLEA operatives for producing and selling a lethal new psychoactive substance, NPS, locally called ‘Combine’, which is a mixture of different strains of cannabis and opioids soaked in raw gin.

“As at the time of her arrest, 18 litres of the dangerous substance in used paint drums were recovered from her. In her statement, she claimed she started the illicit drug production and distribution in October 2023. Another suspect, Godwin Okon Samuel, 48, was apprehended at Essit Ebum area of Calabar with 39.4kg of cannabis sativa on Tuesday, April 9.”

According to the statement, two suspects: Sani Mohammed, 43, and Christopher Eze, 64, were arrested in the Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday, April 9with 900,000 pills of opioid recovered from them.

The NDLEA operatives, on patrol along Owerri-Onitsha Road, Imo State on Friday, April 12, intercepted a logistics truck with number plate JGB 403XB and recovered 230 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 119kg hidden under household items after a thorough search.

Meanwhile, in Ekiti state, a raid at Ijesa Isu forest led to the seizure of 252kg of cannabis.

In Ondo Sate, four suspects were caught loading 40kg of the substance onto a gas truck.

The NDLEA also made arrests in Ogun state, where Ismaila Ogun was caught with 79kg of cannabis, and in Ondo State, where Friday Abah was found with 410kg of the same substance.

A chief magistrate court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, has fixed April 12 for ruling on a bail application filed by Chizorom Harrison Ofoegbu, the social media influencer popularly known as Ijele Speaks.

Ijele was arrested by the police after he accused Ebuka Obi, the lead founder of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, of performing fake miracles.

Ijele claimed that Obi is a criminal and scammer who lives through dubious means.

In the post tagging the police, the influencer also accused the clergyman of being “a fraudster who performs fake miracles”.

The blogger has been in detention for over two weeks.

Arguing a bail application on Monday, Marvin Omorogbe, counsel to Ijele, prayed the court to set aside the remand order granted against his client.

He asked the court to “order his release from the Keffi correctional centre or, in the alternative, admit him to bail”.

Omorogbe alleged that the police suppressed facts before the court to secure a remand order.

He said the police also lied about filing a charge at the Abuja federal high court.

“For the fact that the Police came to court to lie on oath is enough reason to set aside the remand order. They misled the court into granting the remand order against the applicant,” the lawyer said.

Ijele’s counsel said the 14-day period for the applicant to be remanded has expired, adding that there is no application for the renewal of the remand order.

Opposing the bail application, Obiora Ejiofor, the police lawyer, said, there was no evidence placed before the court to warrant granting the applicant bail.

He also insisted that a four-count criminal charge against the applicant has been filed at the federal high court in Abuja.

“We are waiting for a date by the federal high court to arraign the applicant. The police is a very responsible institution of government,” Ejiofor said.

Responding on point of law, Omorogbe told the court that the exhibits attached to the counter affidavit by the police were forged.

“The purported wanted person notice was forged, that was why they made a photocopy of it to confuse the court,” he said.

“The court should not accord any value to the exhibits. The documents do not meet the minimum standard of the Evidence Act.”

He said the police did not exhibit any charge in all the processes filed before the court, saying that, there is no case against the applicant in the face of the law.

After listening to the submissions of all parties in the matter, Emmanuel Iyanna, the chief magistrate, adjourned till April 12 to rule on the application.

The applicant is to remain in Keffi correctional centre pending the ruling.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have arrested Freeman Charles Ogbonna, an Indian-bound passenger, who vomited 80 wraps of cocaine.

In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the suspect was arrested on March 31 as he was about to board a flight to Delhi, India, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.

Babafemi said the suspect had a Liberian international passport with the name Carr Bismark and was taken for a body scan which revealed he had ingested 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,” the statement reads.

“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.”

Babafemi added that NDLEA officials also intercepted one Imran Taofeek Olalekan, a drug mule, at the Lagos airport travelling to Oman.

He said the officials “discovered a false bottom concealment of drugs in the check-in luggage and the walls of the backpack” that the suspect carried.

“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,” he said.

“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 delivered the consignment in Oman, while his recruiter, Ishola was to be paid N200,000.”

“Further search by the officials led to the discovery of charms in the bag and on the drug mule who confessed that he travelled 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.”

The NDLEA spokesperson also said operatives on April 3 intercepted 2,144 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1,072kg, at the Tincan seaport in Lagos.

“The seizure was made during a joint examination with Customs Service and other stakeholders of a container marked GAOU 6699215 coming from Montreal, but originated from Toronto, Canada,” he said.

“The drugs packed in 46 jumbo bags were found concealed in used 2009 Lexus RX 350, 2011 Toyota Sienna, and 2009 Lexus ES 350 as well as used engines, automobile doors, tyres, and used household goods as well as big drums loaded into the container.”

Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, commended the operatives and urged them to remain vigilant and intensify their offensive action against drug cartels, as well as take their war against drug abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign to every community nationwide.