Metro News
NDLEA intercepts N6.5bn heroin at Lagos airport, declares drug baron wanted
… Blocks cocaine, others going to UK, Dubai
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a consignment of heroine weighing 26.150 kilograms, with a street value of over N6.5billion,A at the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.
According to a statement by the agency’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the illicit drug had arrived Lagos in 25 parcels from South Africa through an Airpeace Airline flight on 30th June, 2021 and was detained for screening following reasonable suspicion of the content of the consignment.
“A follow up operation was subsequently carried out the following day, 1st July when narcotic officers of the MMIA command trailed the driver and a clearing agent that were assigned to deliver the consignment to the house of a baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu at No. 132 Lateef Adegboyega Street, off Ago palace way by Grandmate bus stop Okota, Lagos.
“During the follow up operation, Tony Chidi Onwurolu who obviously mounted a counter-surveillance around his neighbourhood fled his home before the arrival of the team of operatives who stormed his residence. They were however able to search his home and recovered a number of documents to establish his true identity.”
Babafemi stated that the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), has directed that the fleeing drug baron, Tony Chidi Onwurolu be declared wanted immediately and his details submitted to Interpol for tracking across the world, and directed the agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigations, as well as the Directorate of Intelligence to deploy their networks to fast track the arrest of the fleeing suspect.
“The agency would deploy all available mechanisms, locally and internationally, to track him and bring him to face charges in the law court. Those who have been on the run for 10 years and some for five years, we have since tracked them and are now facing charges while cooling their heels behind bars. The latest one wont be an exception, because he can only run but cant hide for too long before we get him,” Marwa vowed.
Similarly, operatives of the Command also intercepted a 4.3kg of skunk imported from Canada. The package, which came on Ethiopian Airline, was concealed in nine packs of cereals.
“On 9th July, one Babatunde Usman Omogbolahan Bakare was intercepted by NDLEA operatives with 550grams of cannabis and 50grams of Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam) concealed in six jerry cans of local herbal mixtures called Gabo at SAHCO export shed, MMIA, Ikeja. The drug was detected during outward clearance of Cargo going to Dubai.
“Earlier on Tuesday 6th July, operatives of the MMIA Command, conducted a follow-up operation at Gate 2, Ladipo Oluwole Street, opposite Guinness Bottling Company, Ikeja, where one Animashaun Kabiru was apprehended for questioning about a bag containing bitter cola, which was brought for export to the UK. When the bag of bitter kola was searched, it was discovered that the bitter kola were mixed with some wraps of a substance suspected to be illicit drug. Thirty-six wraps of the suspected substance later tested positive for Cocaine weighing 600grams.“
Meanwhile, an Uber driver, Lawal Tunde Rasheed, arrested on 8th June in connection with the seizure of a cocaine consignment has been let off the hook following his cooperation that led to the arrest of the real owner of the drug, Mr. Egbo Emmanuel Maduka, who in his statement accepted ownership of the consignment and absolved Lawal of any complicity.
While commending officers and men of the MMIA Command of the Agency for the series of seizures and arrests in the past week, Gen. Marwa asked them not to rest on their oars, adding that we must all remain fully prepared and proactive at all times if we have to battle this scourge to a standstill.
The Rivers state Police command says four people and over 70 vehicles were burnt in Friday’s fuel tanker explosion in the state.
The explosion occurred along Eleme section of the East-West Road in the state at about 7:30 p.m.
SP Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesman of command, who confirmed the sad incident in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said that the tragedy occurred following a collision between a heavy-duty truck and a petrol-laden tanker.
At the scene of the accident, there were seveal burnt vehicles and charred bodies of victims on the road.
The incident happened a few metres from the Indorama Petrochemical Company and roughly 10 kilometres from the Port Harcourt Refinery.
There was an extensive gridlock stretching over five kilometres on the road under reconstruction as part of the N200 billion Ring Road project by the Rivers Government.
State government trucks, accompanied by police and Federal Road Safety Commission officials, were seen evacuating the burnt vehicles to facilitate traffic flow.
An eyewitness, Onyeka Ubani, who narrowly escaped the explosion, said that while transporting passengers on his newly acquired tricycle (Keke), they heard a deafening sound ahead of them.
“The loud sound was followed by a massive fireball, causing everyone to flee for safety.
“We managed to escape, but unfortunately, my Keke caught fire in the process.
“I thank God for my life, but I am at a loss about what to do with my life now, having recently purchased this Keke,” a distraught Ubani said.
Another eyewitness, David Jumbo, said that he was returning home from work around the Akpajo axis of the East-West Road when the incident occurred.
He narrated that after the explosion, vehicles and victims were caught by fire, which stretched over 200 metres.
“It happened so quickly that it could be likened to scenes from Hollywood movies.
“While I was fleeing for safety, I saw a pregnant woman struggling to exit one of the commercial vehicles.
“Unfortunately, when I returned this morning, I found the deceased pregnant woman trapped in the bus as she tried to escape,” he recounted.
Jumbo attributed the accident to the recklessness of truck drivers, who disregarded road warnings despite the ongoing road construction.
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, who visited the accident scene, described it as tragic and sad.
He urged motorists to always exercise caution while on the road.
“This incident is not a pleasant one, we recorded a huge number of vehicles destroyed and lives lost.
“I have already asked the relevant agencies to brief us on how we can support the bereaved families to mitigate their losses.
“This incident would have been avoided if the motorists had adhered to proper conduct. People should ply this road with caution,” Fubara said.
Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, says the state government will support he families of victims affected by the multiple tanker explosion.
Fubara spoke on Saturday when he visited the scene of the accident alongside Olatunji Disu, commissioner for police in Rivers, and Maximus Nwafor, commissioner for energy.
On Friday night, tankers laden with petroleum products burst into flames on a section of the East-West road in Eleme, Rivers state, leaving an unspecified number of people killed.
The inferno which had also left travellers stranded for hours, engulfed over 50 vehicles, with some bodies found burnt beyond recognition in cars and in a nearby drainage.
The governor directed security agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of the accident to facilitate the provision of aid to families of victims.
“Yesterday around 7-8pm, we got information about a very serious inferno that was caused by a tanker conveying PMS,” he said.
“I got the information through the MD of Indorama and immediately alerted the security agencies. From what we are seeing this morning, it was not a very pleasant case.
“We recorded, from what I am seeing, a huge number of vehicles being destroyed and souls lost.
“I have already asked the security agencies to give us a full brief. So that we can come into the situation fully by seeing how much we can support the families of the bereaved and see how we can cushion the effect of the losses.”
The governor also lamented the deteriorating condition of the Eleme section of the East-West road.
“We all know the situation of this road; it is unfortunate. Most of our people when plying this road do so with caution,” he added.
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