Crime & Court
NDLEA raids online drug trafficking cartel, nabs five in FCT
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that it has busted an alleged online drug trafficking cartel that sells drugged cookies, cakes, brownies, among other illicit substances to residents of Abuja, the nation’s capital.
NDLEA, in a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that the cartel uses the cyber space as its platform.
“As a result, five members of the organised drug criminal group were arrested during sting operations carried out between Friday 7th May and Saturday 8th May, 2021 by officers of the FCT Command of the Agency during which different brands of illicit drugs were recovered from them,” the statement said.
The suspects – Queen Nvene, Collins Ozoemena, Samson Peter, Chika Nvene, and Habila Musa – were said to specialise in clandestine production of drug-based cookies, brownies and other edibles; markets and sells same online, through their Twitter and Instagram handles.
They were also accused of selling all types of marijuana, Arizona, Colorado and Loud, among other illicit drugs, online.
The statement stressed, “While Queen Nvene, a graduate of Business Administration, produces drug cookies and brownies and sells same on Instagram, Collins Ozoemena sells all types of illicit drugs, especially Loud and skunk online.
“Samson Peter on the other hand, is the manager of SK express courier company, who manages motorcycles and dispatch riders to deliver illicit drugs from Collins and drugged edibles (cookies, cakes and brownies) from Queen and Chika, both sisters. Members of the cartel operate from different locations within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, but operate as a network.
“Their arrest followed online orders of drug-based edibles by undercover agents. Supplies of brownies and cookies were delivered and received from different SK Express dispatch riders at various times by narcotic operatives before the final sting operation.”
Mohammed Malami Sokoto, the FCT Commander of the Agency, explained that follow up raids of their various locations in Gudu, Kubwa, Lokogoma, Apo and Damangazo all in Abuja, led to the seizure of some illicit substances.
Items recovered from the suspects included 55 pieces of drugged cookies and brownies, 1.3 kilogrammes of skunk used as ingredient for making cookies and brownies, 0.9 grammes of ecstasy, popularly called molley, 300 grammes of skunk, 00 grammes of Loud and 300 grammes of skunk.
Other items recovered from the syndicate included : a dispatch motorcycle, various equipment for producing cookies and brownies, 10 telephone handsets and two laptops used for online drug trafficking transactions.
NDLEA said the suspects confessed to have a large platform of customers who order for drugs and drug-based cookies, brownies and edibles, on daily basis for parties and ceremonies, in and outside Abuja.
The suspects said they use the manager of SK Express courier company to deliver their products through motorcycle riders and power bikers popularly called droppers.
They further claimed they have been in the business for over three years.
Commenting on the development, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) lauded the FCT Command of the Agency, charging the officers not to rest on their oars.
“I’m particularly impressed with the speed with which the officers of our FCT Command disrupted the online drug trafficking cartel that has been ravaging the nation’s capital for over three years and I must commend them for their recent feats”, Marwa said.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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