NDLEA nabs ‘drug baron’ — 10 years after escaping arrest

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended Chidi Olife, a suspected drug baron, who had escaped arrest for unlawful importation of 5.250 kilogram (kg) of heroin, concealed in books from Karachi, Pakistan to Lagos since June 2010.

NDLEA, in a statement on Saturday, said Olife’s arrest was coordinated by Adeniyi Olumuyiwa, commander of NDLEA’s joint task force (JFN) and deputy commander of narcotics (DCN).

It said the operation on Olife was carried out following vital intelligence on the drug source; flight details; date and place of arrival; weight and mode of concealment; name; phone number; and address of the recipient of the consignment.

“The careful execution of the operation led to the arrest of Oladimeji Oladotun and Danjuma Idris while processing the documents for clearing the consignment. Both were the clearing agents hired by Olife, the owner of the drug,” the statement read.

“Upon being arrested, Idris was used to effect the arrest of Oke Ningo who Olife contacted to receive the consignment from the agents on his behalf, unfortunately, he escaped arrest at the point of receiving the drug as he suspected the person with the clearing agent to be an NDLEA officer.

“Subsequently, the house of Olife was traced to a street in Ajao estate, Lagos but before the JTF team could get there he had escaped with all members of his house due to the failed arrest of Ningo.

“The undaunted JTF team of officers placed surveillance on him. Their resilience yielded fruit 10 years after as Olife was eventually arrested.”

NDLEA said Olife is currently in its custody while a manhunt for Ningo, his criminal associate, continues.

Also, the anti-drug agency operatives in Adamawa state nabbed Rabiu Imam, a suspected drug dealer, on February 19, 2021, with Tramadol tablet 225 milligram (mg) weighing 45.4kg.

Idris Bello, Adamawa commander of NDLEA, said other illicit drugs recovered from Imam include: Tramadol capsules 100mg weighing 550 grams and Diazepam tablet 850 grams.

Bello said the drug trafficker was arrested in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi north local government area (LGA) of Adamawa, adding that the total value of the seized drugs was over N50 million.

- THECABLE

Policemen called me fraudster for having N1.85m in my car, petitioner tells Lagos panel

 

Oluwatosin Odebode, a businessman, has alleged that police officers beat him up, and labelled him as a fraudster for having N1.85 million in his car.

He stated this on Saturday, when he appeared before the Doris Okuwobi-led Lagos judicial panel, and alleged that the officers seized the money.

Narrating his ordeal, Odebode said it happened on December 17, 2017, after he closed from work at Ikeja, and was waiting for his friend to buy airtime.

“Suddenly, a vehicle filled with police officers double-crossed me where I parked, all of them pointing guns at me for no reason. They came down from the vehicle and approached me. Their team leader told me to wind down my glass which I did. He was so cruel to me, asking me different questions,” Odebobe told the panel.

“I was trying to remove my seat belt, but the next thing I saw was that the team leader landed blows repeatedly on my face. I was surprised, without knowing what was my offence. Blood was gushing out of my nose and the blood spilled on the steering wheel of my car. I have a picture.”

The petitioner alleged that the police officers stopped the beating him and proceeded to search his car, where they found the money.

“They found money in my car — N1,850,000 — and accused me that I told them earlier that there was nothing in my car. They hit me mercilessly. They didn’t allow me to talk, calling me unprintable names,” he said.

“They called me a thief, a fraudster, an armed robber. One of them hit me with the bottom of the gun, broke my head and jaw that night. I fell on the floor. They did not pity me. I was almost unconscious. I could not talk again. All my teeth had shifted from the gum of my mouth.”

Odebode said it took the efforts of his friend and passers-by to report the incident at area ‘F’ police station.

He also added that the divisional crime officer (DCO) directed that he be taken for treatment at Ikeja general hospital, but was referred to Igando general hospital, and then Isolo general hospital for treatment of his dislocated jaw.

Joseph Eboseremen, the police lawyer, during cross examination, insisted that it was thugs who brutalised the petitioner and not the police.

But the petitioner maintained that they were officers of the police force.

“They are police officers, about six of them, all in uniform. I can recognise police officers differently from thugs,” Odebode added.

After the hearing, the panel adjourned the matter till March 16, 2021.

- THECABLE

Wenger controversially picks between Fabregas, Vieira

 

Arsene Wenger has picked between two of Arsenal’s best midfielders to play under him: Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas.

Although Wenger praised both players, he picked Vieira ahead of Fabregas.

The legendary Frenchman made the choice while responding to a question from Andy Gray on beIN SPORTS.

Wenger said: “Well, Andy, they were both of my former players so that is very difficult.

“I always say and I said that in my book, the guy that gave me time and credit at Arsenal was Patrick Vieria because he was the first player I bought.

“And Fabregas was an exceptional football player and still is because he is still playing.”

- DAILY POST

5000 Nigerians escaping herdsmen become refugees in Benin Republic

 

Nearly 5,000 Nigerians, displaced by Fulani herdsmen, have arrived at Beninese villages in Pobè, a border commune located about 100 km from Cotonou.

The Nigerian refugees are made up of 2,163 men and 2,314 women.

They have taken refuge in the commune of Pobè in the past one week, PANA has reported.

“A total of 688 households are affected by this massive displacement of Nigerian citizens after the inter-community clashes between the Fulani herdsmen and the Yoruba in the border area,” according to a publication of the communal communication unit.

Welcomed in the Igana district, they have been visited by the political and administrative authorities who reassured them of the arrangements made for their safety and to offer them better living conditions.

“I can assure you, you are our brothers and sisters, you are our parents, you are our friends. So your safety will be assured. That is why the police are already mobilised for you,” said the mayor of Pobè, Adebayo Simon Dina.

The National Civil Protection Agency, the Beninese Agency for Integrated Border Management, the World Food Programme, UN Children’s Fund, Care Benin-Togo, the Police, Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Affairs, are some of the organisations that have already visited the displaced persons.

- PM NEWS

Onaiyekan: Bandits will take over Nigeria if govt continues to dialogue with them

 

John Onaiyekan, former Catholic archbishop of Abuja, has criticised the approach of dialoguing with bandits.

The cleric warned that there is “a large gang of criminals that are almost taking over our country” as a result of the government’s failure to address insecurity.

He was speaking on recent happenings in parts of the country, particularly in Niger where bandits abducted dozens of children from a school during an attack on Wednesday.

The incident is the latest in a series of attacks against schools, travellers and villagers in northern parts of the country.

In some cases, dialogue is employed to secure the release of hostages, sometimes through the help of prominent persons such as Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric who has met with bandits on several occasions.

Speaking after an ordination ceremony in Minna, Niger state capital, on Saturday, Onaiyekan warned that the government will soon be overpowered if it does not take stringent actions to end the banditry.

He said: “We should not be living in a country where you are always with your heart in your mouth when you are moving from one place to another; where children cannot study in peace in their schools and where bandits — whatever you call them — come from nowhere and cart away 20, 30 children and their teachers into the bush and sit somewhere and boast, calling for dialogue.

“And even government agencies talking about reaching out. It is not the right thing to do. It is about time we have a government that takes care of its people.

“This is nothing political; it has nothing to do with PDP, APC, and it has nothing to do with Islam or Christianity. Not even with our tribal differences. We have a large gang of criminals that are almost taking over our country. The government should either do it or allow others to do it.

“If the government cannot secure the lives of the people, they should call for a kind of national cohesion. They should stop pretending that they are the ones ruling. In some countries when these incidents happen, it gets to a stage where the government will call for national unity where everyone comes on board to proffer solutions.

“If the government continues this way, it will get to a stage where non-state actors will take over.”

He also criticised “people who claim to be our leaders” who, during elections, “forced us, begged us and cajoled us to put them in power”.

“Now that they are in power, do your work for goodness sake,” he added.

- THECABLE

Tension in Delta as gunmen shoots another man dead

 

Gunmen on Saturday evening shot dead one Okiemute Sohwo at Akintola street in Sapele, Sapele Local Government Area.

Details as to why he was shot were still sketchy at the time of this report.

It was gathered that the deceased was shot dead in front of his residence.

The incident has caused total silence in the area as a combined team of Policemen and Soldiers were seen on patrol.

When contacted for comments, the Acting Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Odafe Bright promised to respond to queries by our correspondent.

- DAILY POST

Report: Boko Haram hoists flag in Marte LGA of Borno

 

Boko Haram insurgents have hoisted their flag in parts of Marte local government of Borno State, military sources said.

In a report by Channels TV, the insurgents repeatedly attacked the local government within the week.

On Friday, they stepped up their attacks, by storming neighbouring Dikwa local government.

However, they were repelled by a combined effort of the air component and ground forces of Operation Lafiya Dole in a battle that lasted hours, sources said.

Many residents of Dikwa fled into bushes to take refuge, amid the cross-firing.

The insurgents also laid an ambush for the reinforcements deployed from the theatre command headquarters located in Maiduguri.

The attack on Marte came barely two months after the Borno state government resettled 500 households in New Marte.

The casualty figure for the attack is still unknown.

But some soldiers injured from Marte have since been evacuated to Maiduguri for treatment

The Chief of Army Staff has commended the troops of the Nigerian Army who repelled the attack on Dikwa, saying the soldiers gave a good account of themselves.

- PM NEWS

Nigeria records 662 fresh COVID-19 cases as toll hits 150,246

 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has confirmed 662 fresh cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of recorded infection in the country to 150,246.

The public health agency made the announcement on Friday night while giving an update on its official website.

According to the new figure published on its website, the country has also recorded 10 new fatalities due to COVID-19 complications. Total number of deaths has risen to 1,813.

The agency also announced 677 community recoveries in Lagos, Kaduna and Imo States. So far, no fewer than 127,500 patients have been successfully treated and recovered from the dreaded virus.

The report reads: “662 cases of #COVID-19;

Lagos-167
FCT-116
Ogun-45
Kano-44
Akwa Ibom-35
Edo-34
Rivers-27
Kaduna-23
Osun-23
Kwara-22
Taraba-22
Oyo-20
Ondo-19
Plateau-14
Abia-11
Imo-11
Nasarawa-7
Niger-6
Bayelsa-5
Delta-5
Enugu-3
Ekiti-2
Jigawa-1

150,908 confirmed
127,500 discharged
1,813 deaths

“Our discharges today include community recoveries in Lagos (535), Kaduna (73) and Imo State (69), managed in line with guidelines”.

- DAILY POST

How Hushpuppi ‘laundered funds’ for North Korean hackers

 

The United States Department of Justice has revealed how Ramon Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi, laundered millions of dollars for North Korean military hackers indicted in a chain of global cyberfraud.

Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in June 2020 but later extradited to the US following a series of money laundering and cyber fraud activities involving hundreds of millions of dollars traced to him.

The internet celebrity has been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering before a US court. His trial billed to commence in October was suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

But in a fresh document released by the justice department, Hushpuppi was again indicted for conspiring with Ghaleb Alaumary, a Canadian-American, who works with three North Korean computer programmers accused of stealing more than $1.3 billion and cryptocurrency from financial institutions and companies across the world.

“Federal prosecutors today also unsealed a charge against Ghaleb Alaumary, 37, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, for his role as a money launderer for the North Korean conspiracy, among other criminal schemes. Alaumary agreed to plead guilty to the charge, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2020,” the US department said.

“Alaumary was a prolific money launderer for hackers engaged in ATM cash-out schemes, cyber-enabled bank heists, business email compromise (BEC) schemes, and other online fraud schemes. Alaumary is also being prosecuted for his involvement in a separate BEC scheme by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. In relation to the case filed in Los Angeles, Alaumary has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

“With respect to the North Korean co-conspirators’ activities, Alaumary organized teams of co-conspirators in the United States and Canada to launder millions of dollars obtained through ATM cash-out operations, including from BankIslami and a bank in India in 2018.

“Alaumary also conspired with Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, aka “Ray Hushpuppi,” and others to launder funds from a North Korean-perpetrated cyber-enabled heist from a Maltese bank in February 2019. Last summer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles charged Abbas in a separate case alleging that he conspired to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from BEC frauds and other scams.”

- THECABLE

Stevie Wonder to relocate permanently to Ghana

 American icon and undisputable music genius, Stevie Wonder has opened up on his plan to relocate permanently to Ghana over racial injustice in the United States.

Stevie Wonder made this revelation on Oprah Winfrey’s show, ‘The Oprah Conversation’.

He said he is tired of racial injustice in America and doesn’t want his descendants to beg for respect and value.

In his words, “I want to see the nation smile again, and I want to see it before I move to Ghana.”

“I’m going to do that. I’m going to move permanently to Ghana.”

“Because I don’t want to see my children’s children’s children’s have to say ‘Oh please, like me. Please respect me. Please value me. What kind of sh*t is that?” he told Oprah.

The 70 years-old music legend added that he wants the world to become a better place where there is no racial injustice.

He said: “I want the world to get better. I want us to get beyond this place. I want us all to go to the funeral of hate. That’s what I want.”

See the clip of his conversation below.  

- PM NEWS

WERE NI YIN SIR !! Lai: FG won’t pay ransom to abductors of Kagara schoolchildren, staff

 

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says the federal government will not pay ransom to secure the release of the abducted students and members of staff of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger state.

The minister said this on Saturday, while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

On Wednesday, gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the school, and kidnapped several students, members of staff, and some members of their families.

Abubakar Bello, governor of the state, had said 27 students, three staff and 12 family members were kidnapped from the school.

The minister said the federal government will not allow any form of criminal activities in any parts of the country, noting that the government has a duty to look at the underlining causes of some of these criminalities in other to address them.

“The government has put in place, all along, various strategies to contain banditry, to fight insurgency, to fight kidnapping. Some of these measures are kinetic, some are not kinetic. We didn’t get here overnight and that is why it is difficult to get out one day,” he said.

“Bandits all over the world work with psychology of people. Deliberately, they target women and children because this is what will attract a lot of global outcry. That is exactly what bandits do all over the world.

“And that’s what happened during the Daptchi girls abduction and the Kangara school boys abduction. But the question is what does government do?

“When I say we didn’t get here overnight, what I meant is that be it farmer-herders crisis, be it banditry, be it kidnapping, it crept up gradually over many years and there are certain factors which are beyond the human capacity that led us here.

“Whatever you see that is causing the farmer-herders crisis is largely a scramble for dwindling resources, for water, for grazing land.”

Sheikh Ahnad Gumi paying Kagara kidnappers 

- THECABLE

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi need better teammates – Wenger

 Former Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger has said that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi need better teammates in their respective clubs.

The legendary manager noted that both Juventus and Barcelona are overly reliant on the two superstars.

While Juventus fell 2-1 to FC Porto in Portugal, Barcelona suffered a 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16 with both Ronaldo and Messi leading their various teams.

Messi fired Barcelona into the lead from the spot-kick, but a Kylian Mbappe-inspired hat-trick sealed a successful comeback for the French side.

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Wenger pointed out that Juventus’ reliant on Ronaldo showed that the “players around him just aren’t good enough.

“It’s a problem that [Juve] are only relying on Ronaldo.

“It’s the same for Messi. If the team is overly reliant on Messi, it’s because the players around him are not good enough.”

Juventus will welcome Porto to Turin for the second leg on March 9 but before then, they will play four Serie A fixtures.

In the same vein, Barcelona will have to play four La Liga matches and their second-leg Copa del Rey semi-final clash with Sevilla before travelling to Paris for the second leg tie on 10th March.

- DAILY POST

BOY BOY !!! Sarkin Fulani speaks Yoruba better than I do, herdsmen not criminals – Gov Abiodun

 

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has said that the Sarkin Fulani in Yewa North speaks Yoruba better than he does, stressing that herdsmen are not criminals.

Gov Abiodun said this while addressing newsmen at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.

DAILY POST reports that the governor was at the Presidential Villa to present a report on the recent headsmen crisis in Ogun State to President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Abiodun, the killings in Ogun were not by Fulani herdsmen, but by bandits, whom he said were cattle rustlers.

He said media houses were not helping matters, wondering why someone would be in a hurry to spread fake news.

“The Fulanis have lived with us in Ogun State for hundreds of years peacefully.

“The Sarkin Fulani from that particular corridor speaks Yoruba better than I do.

“One of the problems we have realised is ethnic profiling. Criminals are criminals. Our people have had a problem with drawing the line between peaceful Fulani people who are traditionally herdsmen and bandits, who are cattle rustlers.

“The media houses are not particularly helping us. It beats me why somebody will be in such a hurry to spread fake news. We don’t have any country apart from Nigeria. There must be stiff penalty for people propagating fake news because fake news is threatening the unity of this nation.

Abiodun disclosed that the state is now enjoying relative peace, as he commended the northern governors who were in Ogun State for a peace talk.

It would be recalled that about 12 persons were said to have been killed by suspected herdsmen in Yewa axis of the state over the last one week.

- DAILY POST 

Fulani herdsmen on rampage, shoot seven farmers dead in Edo

 

Edo State Police Command has confirmed the killing of seven persons, including farmers, in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, by gunmen suspected to be criminal herdsmen.

The victims were killed on Wednesday, at Ugboke, Oshodi, Okokodo, Ariyan and Yoruba camps, major farming communities in the local government area.

An indigene of the area, Mrs. Janet Ighodaro, who spoke to journalists in Benin on Thursday, alleged that the suspected herdsmen took over the popularly-known Yoruba camp, as a base to launch attacks into other communities in the state.

She further alleged that she was lucky to have escaped stray bullets during the attacks, after which she ran for safety to take refuge with her family in Benin City, the state capital.

Mrs. Ighodaro added that four of the victims were returning from their farm when they were shot and killed on the spot.

She lamented the absence of security operatives in the farming communities, adding that when the police were contacted, they stopped at Okhokhua, a neibghouring community, and refused to go further into the bushes.

She added that they requested that the villagers should bring the dead bodies to them in their location.

She therefore called on security agents to come to their rescue as a matter of urgency.

When contacted on phone, the State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident and said efforts were being made to arrest the perpetrators.

“The state police command is aware of the incident that happened within the jurisdiction of Ekhiadolor divisional police command.

“The DPO and his operatives visited the crime site and evacuated the bodies and moves are on to ensure that the place is calm and lives return to normalcy.

“Also, the police is carrying out its investigation to effect the arrest of the criminal herdsmen who perpetuated the dastardly acts.

“The command is bent on using every legal means to fish out the criminals,” Nwabuzor added.

- PM NEWS