The Lagos State Police Command is currently investigating two suspected traffic robbers.

The duo identified as Idowu Lukuman and Sadiq Ahmed, were arrested at Kola Bus Stop, Alagbado, area of the state after police received a distress call.

According to police, the suspects were apprehended after allegedly stealing a victim’s Itel phone worth ₦70,000.

According to the victim, who immediately alerted the authorities, the robbers had posed as a Keke (tricycle) rider and passenger to deceive and rob unsuspecting commuters. The Lagos Police patrol unit, acting on the distress call at exactly 5:29 pm on September 6th, 2024, intercepted the duo, who were riding a Keke with the registration number KJA 637 QM.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest and stated, “Our officers responded swiftly to the call, which allowed us to apprehend the suspects within minutes. The stolen Itel phone, along with other phones including a Tecno Camon, a Nokia, and a Vivo phone, were recovered from the suspects.”

SP Hundeyin further disclosed that the two suspects would be transferred to the appropriate unit for further investigation. He reiterated the command’s commitment to reducing crime rates in the state and urged citizens to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities.

This successful operation showcases the importance of community-police collaboration and highlights the effectiveness of police patrols in Lagos.

..Destroys over 100,000kg cannabis in Ekiti forest; recovers tons of illicit drugs in Kano, Osun, Taraba, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Bauchi, and Borno raids

Consignments of cocaine and pharmaceutical opioids concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads and hair treatment cream containers heading to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at three courier firms in Lagos.

In one of the logistics companies, not less than 30 parcels of cocaine weighing 1.1 kilograms were concealed in hair cream containers were recovered by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, during examination of cargoes going to Ireland on Tuesday 3rd September 2024.

Another consignment of 24 parcels of cocaine weighing 862 grams also hidden in hair cream containers meant for delivery in UK was equally intercepted at the same company on Friday 6th September.

In the same vein, a total of 525 pills of tramadol 225mg and ecstasy (MDMA) concealed in ladies’ sanitary pads going to Cyprus were seized at another courier firm in Lagos by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 3rd September, while a shipment of 200 ampoules of promethazine injection and pentazocine injection hidden in food items and herbs heading to London, UK, was also seized by operatives on Wednesday 4th September.

Operatives equally intercepted another consignment of tramadol 225mg buried in granulated melon that came from Cameroon and going to South Africa on Friday 6th September.

No fewer than 550,000 pills of tramadol were also intercepted at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt on Monday 2nd September during a joint examination of a cargo that came from Delhi, India, with men of the Nigerian Customs Service while a suspect was already arrested in connection with the seizure.

In Ekiti state, NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday 3rd and Wednesday 4th September stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun local government area where over 100,000 kilograms of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land were destroyed.

The affected settlements include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.

Two suspects: Bala Musa, 42, and Danladi Muhammad, 44, were arrested on Friday 6th September along Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM, while another suspect, Aminu Ayuba, 24 was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town. Two others: Umar Usman, 40, and Zubairu Kabiru, 45, were arrested along Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of tramadol, all same day.

In Jigawa state, Uzairu Ya’u, 30, was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis on Thursday 5th September at Koran Shehu, while operatives in Kogi on Wednesday 4th September intercepted 77,300 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 as well as 1,230 bottles of codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA, Kogi state. Another suspect, Mohammed Idris, 56, was nabbed along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 3rd September, with 42.400kg cannabis coming from Lagos enroute Kano.

While NDLEA operatives in Borno state arrested Idris Muhammad, 40, at Ramat area of Maiduguri on Thursday 5th September with 13,100 pills of tramadol, their counterparts in Kano on Wednesday 4th September nabbed Hakilu Usman, 35, with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of diazepam along Kano – Daura road.

In Taraba, no fewer than 87,790 pills of tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, while in Osun state, a raid of the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa on Wednesday 4th September led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture for students of Kano state Polytechnic, Kano; staff of Don Bosco Science Academy, Ukhun, Ekpoma, Edo state; members of Peace Corps, Osogbo, Osun state; Council of Traditional Rulers, Abakaliki, Ebonyi state; and taxi drivers at Central Motor Park, Sokoto, among others.

While commending the officers and men of DOGI, PHIA, Ekiti, Kano, Osun, Taraba, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kogi, Bauchi, and Borno Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country are well appreciated.

He urged them not to rest on their oars but continue to intensify ongoing drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Sunday 8th September 2024

Two Nigerians have been sentenced to prison by a US federal court for their involvement in wire fraud.

Franklin Okwonna, 34, and Ebuka Umeti, 35, were convicted for causing over $5 million in losses to multiple victims in the US and elsewhere.

A statement by the US department of justice on Tuesday said Okwonna pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft” on May 20 and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

Umeti was convicted on June 13 and sentenced on August 27 to 10 years in prison.

Both men were asked to pay “nearly $5 million” each as restitution.

“According to court documents and evidence presented at Umeti’s trial, between February 2016 and July 2021, Umeti, Okwonna, and their co-conspirators caused millions of dollars in unauthorized wire transfers by sending victim businesses phishing emails,” the statement reads.

“These emails falsely appeared as though they originated from trusted sources, such as a bank or a vendor.

“After the victim opened an attachment, their computers would be infected with malicious software, or “malware,” that allowed the defendants and their co-conspirators to gain unauthorized access to the victim’s computer systems and email accounts.

“The defendants and their co-conspirators then exploited that access to obtain sensitive information, which they used to deceive individuals at the victim companies into executing wire transfers to accounts specified by the co-conspirators.

“As a result of this scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators caused or attempted to cause over $5 million in losses to the victim companies.”