50-Year-Old Drug Trafficker Dies in Custody after excreting 72 Wraps of Narcotics

A 50 years old suspected drug trafficker, Offiah Gozie Vincent, has been reported dead during the process of excreting 72 wraps of narcotics he allegedly ingested.

The late suspect, described as an importer was nabbed by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos last Sunday in connection with unlawful exportation of narcotics. Expressing regret over his death, the Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade said Vincent tested positive to drug ingestion with the aid of scanning machine at the central screening section during the outward clearance of passengers on a flight to Korea.

The NDLEA boss in a statement signed by the head of Public Affairs, Ofoyeju Mitchell, said the suspect excreted 72 wraps of substances that tested positive for methamphetamine weighing 1.115kg.

" In a post mortem examination carried out on the corpse Friday afternoon February 18, 2011 in a Lagos hospital, 43 additional wraps that got stuck were recovered from his stomach.

"This brought the total wraps ingested to 115. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had bought the drugs he ingested with the intention of selling when he gets to Korea unlike others who smuggle drugs for a fee. "

The late suspect was said to be a professional courier for ingesting 115 wraps and having $10,000 cash on him.

Offiah, who hailed from Anambra state, was said to have been very aggressive shortly after his arrest. "He claimed to have invested his last savings in the illicit drug trade with the hope of buying more goods.

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FIFA Threatens to Ban Nigeria again

World football governing body, FIFA, has threatened again to ban Nigeria over court cases instituted by the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF).

In a letter to the Nigeria Football Association, dated February 3 and signed by its secretary, Jerome Valcke, FIFA said that Nigerians should hold NANF responsible for any action taken against Nigeria over the numerous court cases.

FIFA said NANF does not qualify to contest the results of elections into the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) since the World Players' Union, FIFPRO, does not recognise it. It also said that since NANF is not a member of the NFA, it has no legal rights in seeking redress in court of law.

Consequently, it said, NANF cannot contest the results of the elections and should NANF "action before a court materialised in any judicial action against NFA, it would then bear all the responsibility in the eyes of the Nigerian public, if FIFA should take action because of interference."

NFA had reported NANF to FIFA on January 24, claiming that NANF is an illegal body not recognised by FIFPRO. It said in the letter that all efforts at settling the matter out of court have been rebuffed by NANF.

But the NANF president Harrison Jalla has asked FIFA to go hell,saying if it wants to ban Nigeria that is its business.

Jalla said in an interview on Tuesday that without a country known as Nigeria, there can be NFA. "Nigeria is not a lawless society, our laws not be obeyed, to hell with FIFA. We are asking for a change and people are running to FIFA. Is it now that we want to get them out of office that they just realised that NANF is an illegal body?

"They are just using the media to blackmail us, we will not be deterred. If FIFA want to ban Nigeria so be it. That is there business. Nigeria laws must be obeyed and I will not belong to the class of people who will trample on the laws of the land," he said.

Jalla added that NANF has been dealing with NFA during the time of Ikpeazu, adding that why did FIFA recognise NANF when it took up the matter of the former Ranger player, John Kromah who died in 2001 with it.

"We took up the matter with FIFA and when we did not get justice we went to CAS. Rangers FC and NFA were parties in the suit, then NANF was not an illegal body.

He said NANF is working with the Nigerian Police to ensure that the Federal High Court order of September 6, 2010 declaring the elections that brough Aminu maigari and others to NFF illegal was obeyed.

"The Police have been served the order and the Inspector General of Police is aware of it. In fact, the IG has asked the Commissioner of Police, Legal Unit, to advise him on the order," Jalla said.

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Killer Policeman to Die By Hanging

An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Talba Monday sentenced a police corporal, Obanla Julius to death by hanging for killing a motorist at a police check-point without justification.

In pronouncing the death sentence, the court said the prosecution had established and proven a case of culpable homicide.

"Julius is guilty as charged and I so hold respectively," the Judge said. Despite the plea by the accussed person's lawyer, C. N. Nosike, Justice Talba refused the plea for mercy by the accused's lawyer.

The judge said section 221 of the Penal Code did not avail him any room for discretion in matter involving the killing of an innocent person.

He said, "The court will fail in its duty, if it is incapable of imposing necessary punishment commensurate with the offence committed."

The judge noted that there had been incessant killing of innocent citizens of the country in the manner in which the police corporal killed his victim. The judge said, "I therefore sentence Julius to death by hanging".

In a one-count charge filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, Corporal Obanla Julius was charged with culpable homicide under section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Niger for killing one Shagari Haruna at the Federal Housing Authority road junction at Kubwa on May 2, 2002. Julius made a confessional statement in which he described how Haruna was killed.

He said the deceased was driving a Honda Car and was ordered to stop for checking at about 12:30am but failed to stop. He said he was infuriated by the attitude of the deceased following which he shot him to death with his A.K. 47 rifle.

The Judge said, "There is no better evidence to show who and what caused the death of Shagari Haruna. Exhibit A was admitted in evidence where he confessed that he killed Shagari. It was made voluntarily. And it has passed the admissibility test of evidence.

"Beside, it was the intention of the accused to kill the deceased." The court noted that a statement deposed to by the policeman in charge of Kubwa police station Mr. Baba Shehu partly corroborated what Julius stated in the court.

Shehu explained that the accused was posted to take charge of the A.P. Filling station situated directly opposite the Kubwa FHA road junction.

While he, Shehu was patrolling, he met Julius at the FHA road junction where he was not supposed to be and asked him to leave for his duty post.

Not quite some minutes after he drove away from that spot, he heard a gunshot which prompted him to return.

On getting to the scene of the incident, he inquired about the gun shot and none of the policemen said anything until Julius owned up to his action.

He explained that within the vicinity, the body of the deceased lying in a pool of his blood could be found.

Shehu said he asked Julius the reason for shooting the deceased but said it was because he ordered him to stop and refused.

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