8 suspected bandits arrested in Ondo forest with explosives

• Italy-bound disabled held at Lagos airport over drugs

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

A 53-year-old physically challenged man, Ehiarimwiam Osaromo Emmanuel, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos for drug trafficking.

NDLEA in a statement issued yesterday by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, said Ehiarimwiam was arrested on Sunday 28th August on his way to Italy, via Doha on a Qatar Airways flight. An indigene of Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, and was found to have concealed five thousand (5,000) tablets of Tramadol 225mg in his luggage.

The statement said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a frequent traveller who often travels with lots of bags containing mainly food items, body cream, hair attachment and drinks.

“The suspect was said to have presented his usual large consignment to NDLEA operatives for search but held on to some packages, which were retrieved from him and properly searched during which the drugs were discovered.”

The statement added that, its operatives in Ondo state combed the Ala forest in Akure North LGA for a drug lord and intercepted eight suspected bandits terrorising farmers in the area.

“Those arrested include: Austin Dickson, 47, who is the gang leader; Sunday Adekunle, 31; Kayode Oluwaseun, 29; Kolawole Kazeem, 33; Oladimeji Makinde, 37; Emeka Charles, 46; Ojo Oluwadare, 40; and Lanre Oluwajana, 44.

“The suspected bandits were nabbed on Friday, 2nd September 2022. Recovered from them include twenty five (25) bags of cannabis sativa weighing 296kgs; Six (6) explosive devices; six (6) cartridges; four (4) motorcycles and assorted charms used in terrorising farmers in the forest.

In Sokoto, operatives on Saturday 3rd Sept intercepted a commercial bus from which two five CD loader players were recovered along Sokoto-Bodinga road. Upon search, 5.5kgs of cannabis were discovered inside the CD players and the owner, Nasiru Ibrahim arrested while in another bus, a suspected bandit Sani Ibrahim, 37 was arrested with some ammunition and cannabis sativa along Kware road.

An Abuja businesswoman, Onyinye Nwoke, 38, has been arrested following an intelligence-led raid at her residence, House 56 Aldenco Estate, Galadimawa where operatives uprooted fresh stems of cannabis plants grown at the backyard of the house. The uprooted plants weighed 18.4kgs while 800grams of cannabis seeds were also recovered from the house.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Niger, Sokoto, Ondo, FCT and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures. He charged them and their compatriots across the country to intensify the heat on drug cartels in Nigeria while balancing their efforts on supply reduction with drug demand reduction activities.”