Drug- ring cartel inside kirikiri prison uncovered

Emeka Ibemere

A high drug ring existing inside Kirikiri Maximum prison has been bust.

The deal got punctured when an agent who smuggle the illicit ‘wares’ for inmates-drug traffickers and barons in a business deal was picked up by prison officials at the entrance gate of the prison and transferred the agent to the authority in charge of drug control and reduction.

 Investigations show that the prison walls are not a boundary anymore and that drug barons have infiltrated prisons to courier drugs for money. There was a report that inside drug trading goes on daily basis in prisons.

Majority of inmates in Kirikiri prisons are drug traffickers and barons serving different jail terms.

Most of the drug incidents seizures are mainly marijuana, heroin and cocaine. There are cases of inmates in the prisons who develop mental illness due to drug abuse.

Checks also revealed that drugs reach inmates in numerous ways through visiting relatives, through the complicity of prison staff and by inmates who smuggle in drugs dropped off by associates at off-prison work sites.

Social workers who go to prisons disclosed that much of the prison drug trade is controlled by gangs and the attraction is the huge price sale of the drugs. The current price for cannabis behind bars in Nigerian prisons is sometimes 30% times the street value.

Who controls the gang-related drug activities in Prisons, sometimes led to prison violence and death.

It was gathered that most of the jail-breaks or riots caused by different gangs are not necessarily because the inmates are not well fed or taking care of but because of a drug deal gone bad. Some inmates are said to involve in narcotics deal.

Inmates obtain their drugs by adopting a smuggling tactics at which drugs passed from a visiting wife or girlfriend through a seemingly food.

Drugs are secreted in soup, stew, garri or other solid foods which are supposed to be exempt from thorough searches in prison reception or waiting rooms.

Mitchell Ofoyeju NDLEA Spokesman said that the anti-drug efforts have been effective inside the prisons. According to him, there was zero illicit trading in prisons

 Police cells haven’t been spared from the drug blight. It’s a common practice in every prison and police cells with inmates drug use and drug smuggling in almost every prison establishment.

Nigerian prisons Service (NPS), doesn’t make use of devices, which detect trace and drugs, apparently because the drug issue in prisons hasn’t been high. 

Most of the NPS clients are drug barons and traffickers and there are tendencies that they still run drugs while in their cell rooms. Other inmates are recruited in prisons as drug traffickers. Most of the inmates serving sentences are drug related cases and they have money to play around while in jail. There were reported cases of drug barons who still connect their gang in Europe with their mobile phones. With phones, the barons control their business and make their bucks.

It was gathered that in many Nigerian prisons visitors and corrupt staff have kept the level of inmate drug abuse and trafficking constant over the past years despite concerted efforts to reduce it.

A recent drug boom smuggling in cell has been facilitated with phones especially with inmates sometimes using phones to arrange drug deliveries.

Though no prison officials have been indicted in drug deals but the temptations are there that they could be lured into aiding and abetting drug running inside prison walls. 

The relaxed visiting policy at the Kirikiri Prisons and other prisons in Nigeria could be attributed to the continuous inflow of drugs inside the four walls of the prisons.

Most of the prison officials are not strict in knowing those visiting inmates as long as something-exchanged- hands. With a kind of policy where you ‘drop something for the officials at the gate’, the attempt to smuggle drugs inside prison is always going to be there.

Perhaps that was the mood of a 35-year-old caterer in Lagos, was in when she was arrested for attempted to smuggle cannabis hidden inside noodles to her boyfriend in prison. Her skilled mode of concealment disappointed her when the officials at the Kirikiri Prison, discovered the drug during routine examination of food items brought for inmates. The suspect, Oyinyechi Ezirim during interrogation said that her detained boyfriend directed her to a woman to collect two cartons of noodles where the cannabis was buried.

The Lagos State commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Aliyu Sule said that the suspect who was transferred to the State command by the prison authority would soon be charged to court for drug trafficking. “A 35-year-old single lady, Oyinyechi Ezirim was transferred by the Prison authorities for smuggling cannabis to inmates”, Sule added. “The compressed dried weeds concealed inside noodles tested positive for cannabis and weighed 4.1kg. She will soon be charged to court”. The street value of the drug is put at N300, 000.

 “I used to buy noodles for my boyfriend who has been in prison custody for one year. He promised to get married to me and we have been in courtship. Last week, he told me that a former inmate promised to send him two cartons of noodles. He asked me to contact the man on phone”, she disclosed. “When I did, the man referred me to his wife who gave me the noodles. Unfortunately, when I got to the prison, twenty packs of the noodles were found to contain hemp. That was how I found myself in this case”. Oyinyechi hails from Imo State and a certificate graduate of Imo School of Catering.

For one year, the suspect has operated in the drug deal, a business she claimed not to be aware of; Her boyfriend, whose name was not disclosed was alleged to be a drug dealer inside the prison wall since he was convicted in alliance with the ex-inmate who have finished his term but still runs the drug deal with his former mate in prison.

The inmate is alleged to be an illicit drug distributor and other inmates buy from him. It was gathered that a wrap of cannabis inside prison costs N200. Other high class drugs, like cocaine, and heroin, are costlier and it’s only for the rich inmates who could afford them.

There are indications that NDLEA was going to carry out an extensive investigation into the matter since the lady claimed that she wasn’t a first time offender in the deal.

She has been taking the carton of noodles inside the prison for one year without any official detecting her until last week when the bubble burst for her and her boyfriend. NDLEA source disclosed that for the lady to be quizzed by the officials, adding that the business may have gone sour.

The source, an expert in drug bursting claimed that in every drug deal, blackmail, betrayal and denial are part of the ‘game’, which working on the theory of conspiracy, officials may know the woman in the last one year

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade while commending the Prison authority said that the case would be thoroughly investigated.

“I commend the Prison authority for the arrest and prompt transfer of the suspect for prosecution. This case will be properly investigated. We shall get to its root and arrest other persons involved in the criminal act”, Giade warned. “Members of the public must be careful in their dealings and avoid getting involved in drug trafficking”.

Poor condition of the prisons, inmates and officials could aide drug trafficking inside prison walls. The case in point is the Kwale prison facility where the prison is near collapse without maintenance and security. Giwa-Amu Igbono, a lawyer and a senior partner, Stephen and Solomon Foundation, a Prison Ministry of the Knights of St. Mulumba, Lekki Sub-Council, has in the last three years visited numerous prisons in Nigeria and observed that anything could happen in prisons due to poor conditions of the facilities existing in the prisons.

He said. “Kwale prison is a national disgrace. Kwale prison is a centre that will encourage inmates into more criminality. Kwale prisons represents man’s inhumanity to man. Kwale prison is a pain if it meant to reflect reformatory systems of the judicial injustices”, he added.

“Kwale prison is an effort to embarrass Nigerian Prison Services (NPS). You have wonderful officers there working hard and wanting to as much as possible comply with the standing orders of the NPS, which provides for the welfare of the inmates. But how could they, when they don’t have one functional vehicle to take inmates to court. Officers in Kwale prison take inmates to court on a commercial motorcycle known as Okada”. According to Amu, officers take inmates to court on Okada, including those on capital punishment or death roll.

“I have seen it with my eyes. I have visited the place and I know the place. They don’t have functional pipe-borne water, no bore-hole, no power supply there. The walls of the prison are cracking by day. It is a security risk”.

 “Crime is ‘dynamic’, you will see inmates drawing on the wall with pencil and biro just to find out the edge of the joining blocks and see if they can remove the blocks and find a way of escape”, Amu disclosed further.  

According to Amu, the prison officers are poorly paid and could be lured to do anything to make both ends meet. “The arm-guards you have in prisons, you pay them N25, 000, a month, do they have bullet proof. Do you expect them to go and risk their life for N25, 000? The lowest serving officer in Nigerian prison earns N25, 000, monthly.

And you will expect that such a man will risk his life and you don’t think if he has an option of escaping a prisoner, he won’t do it. Are you telling me that as a PA on N25, 000 and was offered N5million to escape a prisoner, he won’t do it, so, we should not deceive ourselves”.

EFCC quakes over growing bankers in bank frauds

       

Management of Skye Bank will have every cost to give thanks to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for stopping an attempt by the bank staffers to fleece their customers’ funds through their syndicate operating outside the banking halls.

 Five persons, including staffers of the Skye bank were involved in the bank fraud racket and they have been arrested by the anti-financial crime body.

The suspected bank goons were alleged to have been picked up on suspicious transfer of a total of N5, 550,000.00(Five Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) from an account in Skye Bank.

The suspects, Ademola Okunlola, 36; Tajudeen Oluwanisola, 41; Kolawole Adams, 52; Temitope Pedro, 27; Bayo Olowoyo, 39 and Otunba Biodun Adebanjo, 56, were picked up in different locations in Lagos by operatives of the anti- graft agency for allegedly affecting the fraudulent transfer of N5, 550,000.00 from the account of one Ajani Kareem Musibau domiciled in Skye Bank Plc.

It was gathered that the fraudulent deal took place on March 3, 2014. One of the suspected fraudsters, Ademola Okunlola, a staff of Skye Bank, Ikeja Branch, Lagos, was said to have set the stage for the scam when he covertly used his camera phone to capture the photograph and signature specimen of Musibau.

He accessed his account and sent the details to another staff of the bank: Bayo Olowoyo at the Toyin Street, Ikeja branch.

The duo reportedly sent Musibau's photograph and signature specimen to a member of their syndicate who effected the money transfer into two accounts: N4.1Million (Four Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) was moved into Adebanjo Biodun Olusola's account with Wema Bank, Shagamu branch, Ogun State while N1, 450,000.00(One Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira only) was moved into another account operated by Temitope Pedro with Guaranty Trust Bank, Ikeja branch.

The suspects were arrested following a petition by the bank. EFCC said the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation was concluded. An EFCC official said there is growing concern of bank workers who fleece their customers of their hard earned money. The Commission asked depositors to know their account officers very well. The source, who pleaded anonymity, further disclosed that some of the bankers have betrayed the trust of their depositors and warned the banks to equally scrutinize their staffers before giving them employment. Ex-banker with a new generation bank in Lagos State said the rate of bankers in financial crimes these days is worrisome adding that its share greed and get-rich-quick-syndrome that are the cause of bankers stealing their depositors’ money which he said was unprofessional.   

On Wednesday October 23, 2013 EFCC arraigned a banker, Yagana Ibrahim Bukar before Justice Fatu Riman of the Federal High Court Kano on 10-count charge bordering on money laundering and theft.

The accused is said to have abused her position as account officer at Sky Bank Plc and stole N12, 626, 250 of depositors’ fund. She allegedly perpetrated the scam by posting the sum into three Sky Bank accounts belonging to her family members- Hajja Fanna, her sister; Grema Ibrahim Bukar, her brother and her child, Ummu Kulthum.  Reports said in order to conceal the illicit origin of the money, the accused allegedly used part of the money to open a provision store in the Kawo area of Kano Metropolis.

Yagana Ibrahim Bukarne of the charges read; “that you Yagana Ibrahim Bukar on or about 15th August 2011 in Kano within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court converted the sum N1, 166, 920 (One Million One Hundred and Sixty Six Thousand Nine Hundred and Twenty Naira Only) derived directly from participation in theft by depositing the said amount into the Sky Bank account of Hajja Fanna with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the resources and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 15(1) (a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. In view of the plea of the accused, the prosecution counsel, Nasiru Salele told the court to proceed with the trial, adding that his witnesses were ready to testify. But the defense counsel, Ma’aruf Yakasai pleaded with the court to admit his client to bail. Justice Riman adjourned the case to October 25, 2013 for ruling on bail application and fixed Monday October 28, 2013, for continuation of hearing. As if that wasn’t enough, a Justice at Kano State High Court sentenced a former banker with Mainstreet Bank, Hadiza Mustafa to five years imprisonment for diverting a customer’s N10m for personal use. Hadiza, who was arraigned by the EFCC alongside Mahmud Sule on a 10-count charge that borders on forgery and theft of depositor’s fund, was convicted on 9 of the counts.

The Justice sentenced her to 12 months imprisonment on count 2 and six months imprisonment on counts 3 to 10. She is equally to a pay a fine of N120, 000. The judge further ordered that Hadiza should pay the sum of N13, 000,000 (Thirteen Million Naira) in restitution to the bank. The sentences are to run concurrently.

Last year, the Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi, Lagos State, arrested an account officer with Guaranty Trust Homes, Adeola Olokojobi, in connection with an N50m fraud at the financial institution.

Before his arrest, Olokojobi was said to be working at the GT Homes, Saka Tinubu branch, Victoria Island.

Report said the SFU received a petition in October 2013, from a customer of the branch where Olokojobi worked before arresting him. The customer had alleged that Olokojobi was his account officer had “not been forthcoming with his account balances.”

A statement by the SFU said, “The petitioner also alleged that the balance given to him was at variance with his actual balance in the account.

“An internal investigation conducted by GT Homes into the account revealed that Olokojobi in April 2013 forged an instruction, transferring N15m from the petitioner’s account, to an unknown account.

“The bank also discovered other various fraudulent withdrawals made by the account officer from other customers’ accounts in his care through fake transfer instructions. It amounted to over N50m. “He said the funds were used to finance his political campaign, a proposed pure water company and purchase of an uncompleted building at Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

“Olokojobi in his confessional statement said he had fraudulently withdrawn monies amounting to N50, 640,748 from the account of the customers by transferring funds into the accounts of fictitious customers and subsequently withdrawing same.”

The suspect joined GT Homes in 2009.

He, however, denied that he had fraudulently transferred over N50m, insisting that instead, it was N27m. He said, “I didn’t have to forge the instructions from GT homes customers. “All I did was manipulate them. What happens is that they usually send instructions to the account officers by email, requesting

that some money be transferred to an account of their choice. All I simply do is add another million or two to the sum the customer requested. “It went unnoticed all this while because after using the money to do some business transactions, I always paid it back. I was into several businesses; I would buy land and resell for profit. “I got into trouble with this one because I withdrew N15m at once from a customer’s account; I didn’t take it bit by bit, but I meant to pay it back.

In fact, I had already started doing so before I was caught and arrested. But the police are not right in saying that the money I had withdrawn from customers amounted to N50m; it is N27m.”

Earlier this year, a contract staff attached to the Item Street branch of Diamond Bank Plc, Owerri, Mr. Daniel Chibueze Meshach presently battling court prosecution for allegedly masterminding an armed robbery operation in the state.

Daniel Meshach, 27, from Isingwu Ofeme-Ohuhu in Umuahia North council area of Abia state and two others were arrested by men of the ‘Ambush Squad’ of the Imo state police command after a fierce confrontation with the Police as they tried to escape the scene of crime after successfully robbing their victim of cash and valuables at Umurim, Nekede, in Owerri West Council area of Imo state.

Lamenting his fate, the banker confessed to the crime. He agreed he planned the operation and picked the victim of the robbery himself, apparently through privileged information. He blamed his involvement in armed robbery on peer pressure and pleaded to be given a second chance.

Also arrested and paraded alongside the banker was one Emmanuel Chisom, a student of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, who confessed to supplying three firearms for the robbery operation.

Chisom denied being the current leader of a dreaded campus cult group as alleged, noting that he was deposed last year, as leader of the Vikings confraternity, after what he termed a ‘mutiny’. It is widely believed that apparent cult involvement may have drawn the banker into crime. Two locally made pistols were also recovered from them. However, the Imo state Police command has assured that the banker and his gang would soon be charged to court on completion of investigations into the matter.

It would also be recalled that Marilyn-Joan Obiora, a senior staff of Diamond Bank, was prosecuted by the EFCC at the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State. Obiora’s stunts were exposed in a petition by Stephen Inegbu, the bank’s zonal security supervisor in Port Harcourt. His petition was inspired by the bank’s inspection unit, which discovered that Obiora, abetted by four other staff of the bank, made fraudulent withdrawals totalling N125.6 million in three instalments. Obiora and colleagues withdrew N26 million, N91.6 million and N8 million. Like Obiora, the duo of Ebele Okoh and Charles Amadi, also of Diamond Bank, also faced allegations before the Karu Chief Magistrate’s Court, Abuja. Okoh and Amadi of the bank’s Zone 4 branch in Abuja were accused of withdrawing N250, 000 from a customer’s account. Police prosecutor, Garba Mohammed, explained that Okoh and Amadi scanned the signatures of some customers, with the intention to use them for withdrawals. The suspects did not go far in their scheme before they ran out of luck. By then, they had withdrawn N250, 000 from the account of one L. A. Mittee through one Amaechi Josiah, who is also being tried for alleged theft in the same court.

members of US Army’s Strategic Studies Group and the office of the Security Cooperation US Consulate in Lagos

(1)  COURTESY VISIT: On 29/4/2014 at about 1030hrs, members of US Army’s Strategic Studies Group and the office of the Security Cooperation US Consulate Lagos namely Cornel William McFadden, LT. Commander Sean Hays, Command sergeant Major Daniel Hendrex and Mr. Michael Baily paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja. They were received by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police Umar A. Manko mni and his management team. They discussed the role of the police in the state, strategy adopted by the command to deal with issues of terrorism, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief and civil disturbance in a city like Lagos. They also discussed the command’s close ties with the office of the Governor of Lagos State, Local Non-Governmental Organizations and other National agencies and modality for deployment of officers and men serving in the command.

(2)  ARREST OF KIDNAPPER/RESCUE OF VICTIMS:- On 1/5/2014 at about 1500hrs  policemen attached to Ojo Division acted on a tip-off and arrested one Iheanachor Collins ‘m’ of unknown address at CTU Point Iyana-Iba with three (3) male children allegedly abducted from one Iyabo Lawal ‘f’ at Ojo area of Lagos. The children were rescued and handed over to their parents.  The case is now under investigation at Ojo Division.

(3)  FIRE INCIDENT: - On 1/5/2014 at about 0600hrs, a Mercedes Benz Tanker with Reg. No. KRD 725 XE loaded with 33,000 litres of Diesel (AGO) overturned along Admiralty Road by Wale Olateju Crescent, Lekki. The tanker caught fire and burn four cars parked along the road. The fire was put out by combined efforts of policemen, fire fighters and the chairman of Lekki Residents Association. Value of properties destroyed is not yet unknown and no life was lost. The incident is under investigation at Maroko Division.

(4)  SUDDEN AND UNNATURAL DEATH: - On 1/5/2014 at about 1600hrs one Etim Edet ‘m’ a staff of Nigeria Brewery Plc Lagos was allegedly found dead with his wife and five children on their beds at his residence at Bagido area of Ijede. No sign of violence was seen on their bodies. The deceased’s were suspected to have died from generator fumes. The decomposed corpses have been removed to Ikorodu General Hospital mortuary for autopsy.  The incident is under investigation at Ijede Division.

NGOZI C. BRAIDE DSP.

POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,

      LAGOS STATE COMMAND,

      IKEJA.

Police DAILY PRESS BULLETIN

(1)  FIRE INCIDENT: - On 2/5/2014 at about 0200hours, fire gutted Idera Oluwa Mosque Marina Car Park, Lagos. The fire was put out by policemen and fire fighters mobilized to the scene. The cause of fire and value of property damaged is yet to be estimated. No life was lost and the case is under investigation at Lion Building Division.

 

(2)  ARREST OF ARMED ROBBERS: - On 2/5/2014 at about 0530hours, policemen attached to Aguda Division had a gun duel with three man gang of armed robbers operating on motorcycle with Reg. No. QZ 166 MUS. The hoodlums attempted to snatch a vehicle from the owner at Adetola Street, Aguda. In the process one Sodiq Yekini ‘m’ of No.28, Alhaji Linulagba Street, Orile and Idris Adebayo ‘m’ of No.9 Oyediji Street, Ajegunle were arrested. One locally made revolver pistol and one live ammunition were recovered from them. The case is under investigation at State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba.

 

(3)  ARREST OF SUSPECTED ROBBERS:-   On 2/5/2014 at about 1300hours, policemen attached to Oko-Oba Division responded to a distress call at Olaniyi Road New Oko-Oba and arrested two armed robbers namely Alao Asees ‘m’ and Musa Kolapo ‘m’ both of no fixed address. Items recovered from the robbers are one cut to size pistol, three live cartridges, one expended cartridge and their operational motorcycle with Reg. No. FFF 66 QC. The case is under investigation at Oko-Oba Division.

 

(4)  SUDDEN AND UNNATURAL DEATH - On 3/5/2014 at about 0800hours a yet to be identified male corpse was allegedly found along Ajijedun Street, Ijeshatedo Surulere without any mark of violence on the body. The corpse has been removed to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja mortuary for autopsy. The case is under investigation at Ijeshatedo Division.

 

(5)  ARREST OF SUSPECTED CHILD TRAFFICKERS: - On 3/5/2014 at about 1200hours two suspected female child traffickers namely Eniola Olayinka of No.1 Agric Road, Ikorodu and Iyabo Elemoro of No.11, Adesanya Street Erepoto Epe were arrested. The suspects allegedly trafficked one Tuliat Shafiriyu ‘f’ aged 14yrs old outside the country for prostitution. Effort is being made to secure the return of the victim.  The case is now under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba.

 

 

 

NGOZI C. BRAIDE DSP.

POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,

     LAGOS STATE COMMAND,

     IKEJA.