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NDLEA smashes 2 drug cartels, recovers multi-billion-naira cocaine
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has smashed a cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple, Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, and recovered multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Tuesday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the seizures were made in two major operations following the arrest of the suspects in one of the intelligence-led raids.
He said that the duo were arrested on Saturday, May 25, by operatives of a special operations unit in NDLEA.
According to him, the interdiction was with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States.
Babafemi said that the suspects were arrested at Ibiye, a community near Badagry, while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana.
He said that at the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them.
“A swift follow up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC Extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun, led to the recovery of additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg.
“This brought the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms, “he said.
In separate raid by the special operations unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered.
The NDLEA spokesman said that the drugs were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.
Also, no less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid, weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin, at Idumota market.
“Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70 per cent overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S., “he said.
Babafemi said that two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu, 37, and Ogunfowora Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grammes of methamphetamine recovered from them.
Similarly at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, May 25, intercepted 15 parcels of Loud.
Babafemi, who described it as a synthetic strain of marijuana, said that it weighed 7.5kg and was concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325.
“The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles, including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
“A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of two suspects:one Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment.
“A bribe of N6 million offered to NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as exhibit for the prosecution of the case, “he said.
Reacting to the arrests and seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, NDLEA Chairman, retired, Brig.- Gen. Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the unit for their resilience in taking down drug cartels and barons.
Marwa equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners.
He urged all commands and formations of the agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive against the drug underworld.(NAN)
Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the federal capital territory (FCT), has kicked against the national assembly’s use of voice vote in approving the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers state.
On Thursday, the upper and lower legislative chambers approved Tinubu’s request for emergency rule in Rivers, using a voice vote.
The approval follows President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers and the suspension of Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the state assembly, over a protracted political crisis.
In a statement issued on Friday, Kingibe said the required two-thirds majority consensus “cannot be accurately determined by a mere voice vote”.
“As the senator representing the federal capital territory (FCT) elected on the platform of Labour Party, I, Ireti Kingibe, maintain a clear, firm and unequivocal stance on the recent declaration of emergency rule and the associated voting procedures conducted in the National Assembly,” the statement reads.
“I strongly oppose the use of voice voting for such critical, vital and constitutional issues. The Nigerian Constitution explicitly mandates that a state of emergency proclaimed by the President must be ratified by a two-thirds majority of all the members of each house of the national assembly.”
Kingibe said the senate standing order and house rules “mandate a roll call or electronic voting system to accurately determine numerical compliance for decisions of this magnitude”.
She added that the national assembly, as custodians of the Nigerian constitution, must uphold its duty of guiding the President’s decisions and ensuring that the rule of law prevails.
The senator also urge Nigerians to ensure they hold their representatives accountable for the decision on Rivers state.
“A two-thirds (2/3) majority is required for significant decisions like approving an emergency proclamation in the national assembly, and this level of consensus cannot be accurately determined by a voice vote,” she added.
“When a supermajority like two-thirds is needed, a recorded vote — whether through division voting, roll call, or electronic voting is necessary to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements.
“A voice vote is insufficient for determining a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly for an emergency proclamation. A formal recorded vote is crucial to confirm the exact number of lawmakers in support.
“National Assembly members are the direct representatives of the people, the voice of the people. Without a roll call or electronic voting, the people haven’t spoken and therefore cannot, should not and will not take responsibility for the President’s decision, as constitutionally required in matters of this magnitude.”
The federal high court in Lokoja has granted an interim injunction preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting or acting on petitions to recall Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Kogi central senator.
The court granted the order on Thursday following an ex-parte application for an interim injunction, supported by an “affidavit of extreme urgency”.
On Wednesday, videos circulating on social media appeared to show constituents signing documents as part of the recall process. A source in Kogi had confirmed that efforts to recall the senator were underway.
Court documents seen by TheCable showed that the application was filed by Anebe Jacob Ogirima and four other registered voters from Kogi central. They were represented by Smart Nwachimere of West-Idahosa, SAN & Co.
The court order prohibits INEC and its representatives from accepting or acting on petitions linked to the recall, which the applicants claim contain fictitious signatures.
The order also bars the electoral commission from conducting a referendum on the matter until the substantive case is resolved.
“That an interim injunction is granted restraining the defendant, staff, agents, privies or assigns from receiving, accepting or acting in any way whatsoever on any purported petitions submitted to the defendant by any person or persons whatsoever, containing fictitious signatures and names of purported members of the said district and conducting any referendum to initiate a recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as senator pending the determination of the motion,” the order reads.
The order of the court and the motion on notice are to be served on the defendant (INEC).
Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended from the senate on March 6 for “gross misconduct” following a seating arrangement dispute with Senate President Godswill Akpabio. She had earlier accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the Supreme Court by its judgment in the disputed national secretary position has affirmed former National Youth Leader, Sunday Udeh-Okoye as the authentic scribe of the party.
In a statement on Friday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said that the apex court’s ruling reinforces the principle that leadership decisions within political parties are internal matters beyond judicial interference.
He said Okoye’s emergence as National Secretary was in line with party regulations.
Ologunagba stated that following the nomination of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the November 2023 election in Imo State, the NWC, at its 576th meeting on October 11, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement.
“Today’s judgment of the Supreme Court reaffirms the standing position of the Party and emphatically settles the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the substantiative National Secretary of the PDP having been duly nominated, endorsed and ratified through the internal mechanism of the PDP statutory Organs and bodies in line with provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017),” the party said.
“For clarity, the NWC at its 576th meeting held on the 11th of October, 2023, directed the South East Zonal Executive Committee to nominate a replacement for Senator Samuel Anyanwu upon Senator Anyanwu’s nomination as the governorship candidate of the PDP to contest the November 2023 Governorship election in Imo State.
“Consequent upon the directive of the NWC, the South East Zonal Executive Committee at its meeting held on the 20th of October 2023 passed a resolution approving the emergence and forwarding of the name of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye to the NWC as the National Secretary of the Party.
“Accordingly, the NWC at its 577th meeting held on 7th of November 2023 pursuant to its powers under the PDP Constitution, duly received, deliberated upon, accepted and approved the emergence of Rt. Hon. SKE Udeh Okoye as the National Secretary of the Party, which appointment has also since been endorsed by relevant Organs and bodies of the PDP including the Board of Trustees (BoT), South East Zonal Caucus, the PDP Governors’ Forum and officially communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the general public.”