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NDLEA arrests hair stylist, dispatch rider for supplying cannabis-laced Chin-Chin to students

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 20-year-old hair stylist, Josephine Odunu and a 30-yeard-old dispatch rider, Edesemi Ikporo, for allegedly selling and distributing illicit drug-laced chin-chin to school students and at social parties in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

 

The NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said officers of the Agency on patrol around Opolo area of Yenagoa intercepted the motorcycle dispatch rider, Edesemi and recovered 200 grams of chin-chin produced with cannabis sativa, which he was on a mission to deliver to a buyer on Sunday 10th March 2024.

 

He said that a swift follow up operation led to the arrest of the hairdresser, Josephine, who distributes the drugged chin-chin from the salon where she works in Kpansia area of Yenagoa.

 

According to Babafemi, a search of the salon also led to the recovery of 3.00kilograms bringing the total weight of the illicit substance seized from the duo to 3.2kg.

 

The NDLEA spokesperson said that investigations reveal that they distribute the chin-chin often laced with cannabis and tramadol to students and at birthday parties.

READ  Kidnappers of C’River commissioner demand N150m for her release

 

He added that while Edesemi handles the delivery to buyers, Josephine is a major distributor to a wanted suspect who produces the drugged chin-chin.

 

In the same vein, Babafemi disclosed that operatives of the NDLEA in Adamawa State on Wednesday 13th March arrested two wanted suspects: Ajim Samuel (aka Boss), 30, and Davidson John Joshua (aka Dantala), 36, while on their way from Onitsha, Anambra state where they had gone to buy a consignment of tramadol containing 14, 428 pills of the opioid which they tucked in the body compartments of their black Honda Civic car marked YLA 623 SL. They were nabbed along Numan-Jalingo road.

 

Also recovered from them were 21grams of cannabis and monetary exhibits totaling N19, 280.

In Osun state, a commercial bus driver, Ogunleye Adegoke, 49, was arrested along Gbongan-Ibadan road after NDLEA operatives discovered 2,000 capsules of tramadol, 60 tablets of rohypnol and 10 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in the spare tyre compartment of his vehicle.

 

The NDLEA statement further read, “While a total of 343,000 pills of opioids were seized by NDLEA officers from a suspect, Lawan Abubakar, 33, in Azare town, Katagum, Bauchi state on Friday 15th March, same day the Nigerian Army transferred a suspect, Muhammadu Rabi’u, 37, with 64,000 pills of tramadol recovered from him to the Bauchi state command of NDLEA.

READ  Bedlam as Lagos drug kingpin attacks NDLEA operatives during arrest

 

“At least, 24kg of cannabis was seized from the driver of a transport company, Ikechukwu Obialo, at Sagamu Interchange, Ogun state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 13th March, while in Kano, two suspects: Ali Amadu, 27, and Adamu Hassan, 33, were nabbed with a total of 125.3kg cannabis; 3,400 pills of tramadol; and 30 bottles of codeine syrup. They were arrested on Monday 11th March at Gadar Tamburawa area, and Friday 15th March at Tsamiya Babba, Hotoro respectively.

 

“While 118 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from a warehouse in Masaka area of Nasarawa state on Saturday 16th March, NDLEA operatives in Edo state on Thursday 14th March arrested a suspect, Kole Samuel, 50, with 75kg of same psychoactive substance at market area, Otuo, Owan East LGA. Same day, operatives raided the Oloma-Okpe forest in Akoko Edo LGA where they destroyed 3,944.2075 kilograms of cannabis on 1.577683 hectares of farmland.

 

“With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country continued the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Government Day Secondary School, Michika, Adamawa; students and staff of Nana Aisha Secondary School, Damaturu, Yobe; students of Dee Unique International School, Abesan, Ipaja, Lagos and students and staff of Purple Crown Secondary School, Uwani, Enugu as well as a WADA advocacy visit to the paramount ruler of Alesa -Eleme kingdom, Emperor JD Nkpe 11, Rivers state.

READ  General Overseer arrested with 54 sticks of cannabis wrapped around his body on way to crusade faces life in jail

 

“While commending the officers and men of the Bayelsa, Adamawa, Osun, Bauchi, Nasarawa, Edo, Kano, and Ogun Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures thus creating a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”

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Court stops PDP from removing Damagum as acting chairman

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A federal high court in Abuja has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from replacing Umar Damagum as the acting chairman.

 

The suit, marked FCH/ABJ/CS/579/2024, was filed by Umar El-Gash Maina and Zanna Mustapha Gaddama on May 2.

 

The respondents in the suit are the PDP, the national working committee (NWC), the national executive committee (NEC), the PDP board of trustees (BoT), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

Delivering a ruling on the motion ex parte on May 3, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, made an interim order restraining the respondents from nominating anybody to replace Damagum as acting national chairman of the PDP, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

 

The defendants/respondents are hereby restrained in the interim from appointing, selecting, or nominating any person to replace Amb. Umar Illiya Damagum as national chairman or acting national chairman of the 1st defendant/respondent pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed, which is herein fixed against the 14th of May, 2024,” the judge ruled.

READ  2023: I'm Afenifere leader, we never endorsed Obi – Fasoranti

 

“The defendants/respondents, by themselves, agents, privies, or by any proxy, are hereby in the interim restrained from, according to recognition, any person other than Amb. Umar Illiya Damagum as acting national chairman of the 1st defendants/respondents or giving effect to or acting upon any document purporting to be signed by the national chairman or acting national chairman of the 1st defendant without the name and signature of Amb. Umar Illiya Damagum pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice already filed in court in the instant suit.

 

“The applicants are herein ordered to enter into a fresh undertaking to pay damages to the respondents (to be assessed by the court) if, at the end of the day, it is discovered that this order ought not to have been granted or that the honourable court was misled into granting the same.”

 

The court adjourned the case to May 14 for a hearing of the motion on notice.

READ  Two injured as ‘waste bin explodes’ in Abuja

 

Damagum became acting chairman of the PDP following the suspension of Iyorchia Ayu in March 2023.

 

Before the NEC meeting in April, PDP members loyal to Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president, had moved against Damagum over allegations that he was working for Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

 

Those demanding Damagum’s resignation also argued that there was a need for someone from the north-central to take over and complete Ayu’s tenure.

 

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UPDATED: Act of blackmail — FG says no official demanded $150m bribe from Binance

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The Federal Government has accused Binance of blackmail after the company alleged officials demanded $150 million in cryptocurrency payments as a bribe to settle the prosecution of its executives in Nigeria.

 

On Tuesday, Richard Teng, Binance’s chief executive officer (CEO), said some unknown persons in Nigeria demanded huge payments in digital currency to make their problems in the country “go away”.

 

Teng’s allegation followed the detention of Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa, and Tigran Gambaryan, the company’s head of financial crime compliance, in Nigeria, on February 28.

 

The two executives were detained as part of a probe bordering on Binance’s illegal operations in Nigeria and foreign exchange rate manipulations.

 

While criminal charges have been against Binance and Gambaryan, Anjarwalla fled detention on March 22.

However, Anjarwalla was reportedly arrested by the Police Service in April and the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) is working towards extraditing him to Nigeria.

READ  NDLEA arrests wanted drug kingpin, another Saudi-bound trafficker with cocaine hidden in sandals

 

In a statement by Rabiu Ibrahim, special assistant to the minister of information and national orientation, the government said the allegation by Binance is an attempt by the cryptocurrency exchange to launder its impaired image as an organisation that does not play by the rules and laws guiding business conduct in sovereign nations.

 

“In a blog post that has now been published by many international media organisations, in an apparent well-coordinated public relations effort, Binance Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng made false allegations of bribery against unidentified Nigerian government officials who he claimed demanded $150m in cryptocurrency payments to resolve the ongoing criminal investigation against the company,” the ministry said.

 

“This claim by Binance CEO lacks any iota of substance. It is nothing but a diversionary tactic and an attempted act of blackmail by a company desperate to obfuscate the grievous criminal charges it is facing in Nigeria.

 

“The facts of this matter remain that Binance is being investigated in Nigeria for allowing its platform to be used for money laundering, terrorism financing, and foreign exchange manipulation through illegal trading.

READ  NDLEA to file charges against pastor over ‘attempt to export 90kg meth’

 

“While this lawful investigation was going on, an executive of Binance, who was in court-sanctioned protective custody, escaped from Nigeria, and he is now a fugitive from the law. Working with the security agencies in Nigeria, Interpol is currently executing an international arrest warrant on the said fugitive.”

 

BRIBERY ALLEGATION PART OF ORCHESTRATED INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN

The ministry said the bribery allegation is part of an orchestrated international campaign by Binance to undermine the Nigerian government.

 

The ministry said Binance is facing criminal prosecution in many countries including the United States.

 

“Just a week ago, the founder and former CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, was sentenced to prison in the United States, after pleading guilty to charges very similar to what Binance is being investigated for in Nigeria. In addition, Zhao agreed to pay a fine of $50 million, while Binance is liable for $4.3 billion in fines and forfeitures to the US Government,” the government said.

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“We would like to remind Binance that it will not clear its name in Nigeria by resorting to fictional claims and mudslinging media campaigns. The only way to resolve its issues will be by submitting itself to unobstructed investigation and judicial due process.”

 

The ministry said the Nigerian government will continue to act within its laws and international norms and will not succumb to any form of blackmail from any entity, local or foreign.

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‘Act of blackmail’ — FG denies officials demanded $150m bribe from Binance

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The Federal Government has accused Binance of blackmail after the company alleged officials demanded $150 million in cryptocurrency payments as bribe to settle the prosecution of its executives in Nigeria. 

On Tuesday, Richard Teng, Binance’s chief executive officer (CEO), said some unknown persons in Nigeria demanded huge payments in digital currency to make their problems in the country “go away”.

 

More to follow…

READ  NDLEA reshuffles directors, creates new directorates
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