The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has recorded significant successes in dismantling drug trafficking syndicates that recruit and exploit women for illicit drug operations across Nigeria.

The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), where he outlined the NDLEA’s strategy of targeting not only drug couriers but also the masterminds behind such operations.

Babafemi said the agency remains committed to dismantling networks that prey on women and other vulnerable groups by tracing the chain of command beyond those caught transporting illicit drugs.

“We don’t just stop at the level of the traffickers or the mules. We follow the chain to the top of the ladder to ensure that the big masterminds hiding behind various fronts to recruit women and vulnerable groups into these activities are brought to book. We have been very successful in doing that,” he said.

According to him, several investigations involving women recruited into drug trafficking have led to the arrest and prosecution of the syndicate leaders responsible for orchestrating the illegal operations.

Babafemi noted that the agency’s enforcement efforts are complemented by preventive measures aimed at discouraging women from becoming involved in drug-related crimes.

However, he acknowledged that cultural and religious factors sometimes pose challenges to the agency’s sensitisation campaigns.

He explained that such barriers can restrict direct engagement with certain groups of women during advocacy programmes, making it more difficult to educate them on the dangers and consequences of involvement in illicit drug trafficking.

Despite these challenges, the NDLEA official reaffirmed the agency’s determination to intensify its crackdown on drug trafficking networks while expanding public awareness initiatives to protect vulnerable groups from exploitation by criminal organisations.

Police in Ogun State have arrested a 32-year-old security guard, Abraham Anelka, following the alleged rape, criminal intimidation and attempted robbery of a 16-year-old girl in the Abule-Ijoko area of the state.

The arrest was confirmed in a statement released by the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi.

According to Babaseyi, detectives attached to the Agbado Division tracked down and apprehended the suspect following a formal complaint.

The incident was reported to the authorities on June 10 by a family member of the victim. The complainant alleged that on the night of June 9, the teenage girl was walking home when she was suddenly accosted by the suspect.

“The suspect, armed with a locally made single-barrel gun, allegedly threatened the girl before forcibly taking her to his residence at Abule-Ijoko, where he had unlawful carnal knowledge of her,” DSP Babaseyi stated.

Upon receiving the report, detectives launched a coordinated response that led to the prompt arrest of Anelka and the recovery of the firearm allegedly used during the commission of the crime.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the suspect assaulted the minor without her consent and further attempted to dispossess her of her personal belongings.

As part of the initial investigative procedures, law enforcement officials visited the scene of the incident. The victim was subsequently issued a medical form and taken to hospital for medical examination and treatment.

The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for a comprehensive investigation. The suspect remains in custody pending the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent prosecution.

Nine victims abducted by kidnappers along the Katsina-Kankara highway have been rescued by operatives of the Katsina State Police Command, while efforts are ongoing to locate two others who remain missing.

Security operatives responded to a distress call and effected the rescue following a kidnapping incident that occurred on Friday at Tashar Kanya Village in Kankara Local Government Area of the state.

DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the command’s spokesman, said in a statement that the incident occurred at about 2:30 pm when armed bandits blocked the Katsina–Kankara Road and intercepted a red commercial Volkswagen Golf III saloon car with registration number KMC 400 MK.

He said, “The vehicle, driven by a 40-year-old man identified as Aliyu, popularly known as Maitakabari, was conveying 11 passengers from Dandume to Katsina when the gunmen abducted all the occupants.”

Upon receiving the distress report, Aliyu said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kankara immediately mobilised a team of operatives, including personnel from the Violent Crime Rescue Unit (VCRU), to the scene, where they reportedly engaged the bandits in a fierce gun duel, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into surrounding bush due to the superior firepower and tactical manoeuvres of the police team.

During a subsequent search of the area, he said operatives successfully rescued nine victims unhurt. The rescued persons were identified as Abubakar Ibrahim, 28; Rakiya Ya’u, 30; Shamsiya Ahmad Mahamud, 18; Jumai Majarazu, 20; Salamatu Adamu, 30; Yusuf Halliru, 17; Harira Hamisu, 25; Umma Kabir, 17; and three-year-old Nusaiba Maharazu.

Aliyu stated that two persons, Buhari Kabir and the driver, Aliyu “Maitakabari”, are still missing, adding that a search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to ensure their safe recovery and the arrest of the fleeing suspects.

The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, Ali Umar Fage, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating criminal activity across the state while commending the professionalism displayed by the operatives.

He assured residents that the police would continue to intensify efforts to rid Katsina State of criminal elements and urged members of the public to support security agencies with timely and credible information.