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Two Wanted Drug Barons Arrested, $4.8m Fake Currency Intercepted – NDLEA

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have taken into custody two wanted heads of transnational criminal organisations with a multi-billion-naira worth of illicit drugs.

The anti-narcotics agency also seized assets from the traffickers after weeks of intelligence-led operations within and outside the country.

This was made known on Sunday by the agency’s Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the headquarters in Abuja.

Babafemi stated that the duo, who concealed cocaine and heroin in their bellies, were arrested after its operatives intercepted consignments designated to Paris, France and Doha, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.



The statement read in parts, “Operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday 10th October succeeded in taking into custody, Hakeem Babatunde Salami, the arrowhead of “Tajudeen Babatunde Abioye Transnational Criminal Organisation” involved in the illicit trade of several narcotics including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and ephedrine between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe.

“He fled Nigeria to South Africa upon the arrest of a member of his syndicate, Suleiman Babatunde Oba at the Lagos airport on August 25 over an attempt to export 25.10kgs of ephedrine to South Africa.

“Hakeem Babatunde Salami was however smoked out of hiding through partnership with South African authorities and other intelligence and investigative mechanisms. While some of his luxury vehicles have been seized and his home in Surulere, Lagos, sealed, other members of the cartel are already in custody including Suleiman and Godwin Edet Mathew.”


Babafemi stated further, “In his statement, he claimed he was into the importation of building materials from China to Nigeria and used to sell gold in South Africa before delving into the illicit drug trade about two years ago.

“The head of another cartel, Okafor Ikechukwu Williams (aka Jantu) and his wife, Okafor Ifeyinwa Grace were also taken into custody on Thursday 5th October when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout at 9 Awa Street, Ago Palace, Okota area of Lagos, where they recovered 27.566 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in a blue box and two sacks, ready for export to Europe and Asia.

“Their Lexus RX350 marked ABJ 512 AY parked in the house was also seized during the operation. Their arrest followed weeks of intelligence gathering about the activities of the criminal network.”

According to the statement, “At the Abuja airport, operatives on Friday 6th October arrested a drug trafficker, Nwofor Ejiogu Charles, 45, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Doha. After a body scan revealed he ingested cocaine, he was placed under observation during which he excreted 75 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.653 kgs. At the point of his arrest, Nwofor who was the last passenger to board his flight offered to compromise an NDLEA officer with $3,000 to free him.

“The following day, Saturday 7th October, another trafficker, Nwufo Charles Okwudili, 45, was also arrested while attempting to board Lufthansa Airlines flight LH 0595 to Paris, France via Frankfurt, Germany. After being put through a body scanner, he was taken into a recovery room where he excreted 96 wraps of heroin he ingested with a total weight of 1.413 kgs.

“Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Okene -Lokoja-Abuja expressway on Tuesday 10th October, intercepted a commercial bus coming from Lagos to Kano. A search of the bus led to the seizure of four million, eight hundred and eighty thousand US dollars ($4,880,000), and fifty-seven million Céfa, (CFA57,000,000) suspected to be counterfeits.

“In Sokoto, the Federal High Court in the state capital presided over by Justice Ahmad Mahmud has sentenced an acting district head, Alhaji Umar Mohammed (aka Dan Bala) to five and a half years in jail on four counts of possession and dealing in 436.38 kgs cannabis and 7 kgs psychotropic drugs brought against him by NDLEA in October 2022.


“He was convicted and sentenced to two years on each of counts 1 and 2 with an option of a N1 million fine, and eight months on each of counts 3 and 4 without an option of fine.”

Furthermore, “Operatives in Edo state on Wednesday 11th October stormed the Orue forest, Owan West LGA where they arrested Happy Akashili, 37, and Solomon Uwesue, 40, in a hut located inside a cannabis farm measuring 2.367308 hectares which was destroyed, with 92 kgs already processed skunk recovered, while 49 kgs of same substance were also seized at Ogbeturu camp.

“The Commands across the country balanced their drug supply reduction operations with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities.

“Some of these include WADA sensitisation lecture on Drug Use and Mental Health for students of 15 secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis at the University of Ibadan, Oyo state; WADA sensitisation lecture for students of Ascension College, Iworo Imeke, Badagry Lagos; WADA sensitisation lecture at Modern Comprehensive College, Amokwe, Udi LGA, Enugu; WADA sensitisation lecture for students of National Secondary school, Awka; Students of JIBWIS Islamic Science Secondary school, Herwagana, Gombe; students of Government College, Makurdi, Benue; students of Government secondary school (Boys), Kafin Maiyaki, Kano and students of JNI Special Model primary School, Gusau, Zamfara.

“While commending the efforts of the NAIA, MMIA, Kogi, Sokoto and Edo Commands of the Agency as well as the Special Operations Unit targeting the drug cartels, for jobs well done in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) assured that officers and men of the Agency will never let down their guards no matter the tricks and distractions orchestrated against it by criminal networks.”

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Crime

NDLEA Nabs Malaysian Returnee With Meth Hidden In Speakers

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 41-year-old alleged ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu (aka Richard) with two giant music speakers used to conceal four large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.700kilograms for distribution in Yola and Mubi in Adamawa state, and across the border into Cameroon.

The agency disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement made available to Channels Television on Sunday.

He said that Ndubuisi was arrested inside a commercial transport bus at an NDLEA check point at Namtari along Ngurore-Yola Road, Adamawa on Monday 7th April 2025, adding that he was found with two new music speakers used to conceal four packages of methamphetamine and monetary exhibit of N22,300.

Babafemi said that in his statement, Ndubuisi claimed that he returned to Nigeria to continue his illicit drug trade after serving out his jail term in Malaysia where he had been arrested, convicted and sent to prison for drug trafficking offences.

In another interdiction exercise, NDLEA said its officers in a joint border operation with Customs personnel at the Nigeria/Cameroon border, Mfum, Cross River state arrested a trans-border drug trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu, with 8,740 ampoules of assorted opioids, weighing 395kg.

“They include: 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl injection, 2,160 ampoules of morphine sulphate injection, 3,010 ampoules of phenobarbital sulphate injection, 2,160 ampoules of pethidine injection, and 330 ampoules of midazolam injection.

“In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Friday 11th April 2025 arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 250mg at Bachirawa area of Kano, while 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was nabbed in a follow up operation at Wazobia motor park, Gwagwalada FCT Abuja following the seizure of a consignment of 8,960 pills of tramadol by NDLEA officers on routine check along Gwagwalada expressway on Monday 7th April.

“Not less than 124 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in 11 jumbo bags were on Friday 11th April recovered from the boot of a Lexus car marked KTU 54 CU driven by a suspect, Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins, 58, along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state,” the statement added.

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Crime

Police, military rescue kidnapped DHQ officer, arrest four suspects in Abuja

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A joint security operation involving the Federal Capital Territory Police Command and the military has rescued a kidnapped naval officer, Lt. Cynthia Akor, attached to the Defence Headquarters and two civilians abducted from Mpape, Abuja.

The victims were taken on March 21, 2025, when armed men attacked the Maman Vatsa Estate gate, blocked Mpape Road, and opened fire on moving vehicles before abducting them.

The kidnappers later contacted their families, demanding ₦500 million for the naval officer and ₦200 million each for the civilians, according to FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Sunday.

“The FCT Police Command, in collaboration with the military, has successfully rescued a kidnapped naval officer, along with two civilians, who were abducted by armed criminals in Mpape, Abuja, on March 21, 2025.

“At approximately 7:35 pm on the said date, heavily armed assailants attacked the Maman Vatsa Estate gate, blocked Mpape Road, and opened fire on moving vehicles before abducting the three victims.

“Shortly after the attack, the kidnappers contacted the victims’ families, demanding a ransom of ₦500 million for the naval officer and ₦200 million each for the two civilians,” Adeh said.

Following a distress call, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), DCP Isyaku Sharu, coordinated a rescue operation involving the Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit, the military, the Department of State Services, and local hunters.

“Upon receiving the distress report, DCP Isyaku Sharu, in collaboration with military authorities, mobilised a joint operation led by the Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit and comprising personnel of the Nigerian military, DSS, hunters, and members of the local Hunters’ Group,” Adeh said.

She added that the search-and-rescue mission covered Mpape, Gidan Bawa, Anguwan Mu’azu, and Yelwa Hills, extending into Nasarawa State.

“An intense search-and-rescue operation was conducted across Mpape, Gidan Bawa, Anguwan Mu’azu, and Yelwa Hills, covering areas in the FCT and Nasarawa State,” she said.

Acting on intelligence, security operatives stormed a Fulani resettlement in Anguwan Mu’azu and Yelwa Hills between 2 am and 5:30 am on March 23, where four suspects were arrested, and the victims were rescued unharmed.

“Acting on credible intelligence, between 2 am and 5:30 am on March 23, 2025, operatives traced the suspects to a Fulani resettlement in Anguwan Mu’azu and Yelwa Hills, Nasarawa State, where four suspects were arrested, and the victims were rescued unharmed.

“Additionally, the sum of ₦3.2 million, suspected to be ransom money from previous kidnapping operations, was recovered from the suspects,” Adeh stated.

She noted that the rescued individuals are receiving medical care at the Nigerian Army Clinic and are in stable condition.


“Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to track and apprehend the remaining suspects currently at large.

“Security deployments have also been reinforced in Mpape and surrounding areas to prevent future occurrences, as members of the public are advised to go about their daily activities without any apprehension,” she added.

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Ogun Amotekun raids human trafficking camp, arrests 16 sex workers

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Operatives of the Ogun State Security Network Agency, otherwise called Amotekun Corps, on Wednesday raided a sex trafficking camp in Ifo Local Government Area of the state, leading to the arrest of 16 suspects.

Recall that the suspects were apprehended at their place of business, Railway Line Hotel, located along Old Bank Road in Ifo.

The suspects are Anabell Udo, Ubong Rejoice, Edaefe Sharon, Godwin Bassey, Okon Lovett, Eden Miracle, Monday Angel, Marvelous Samuel, Edet Nice, and Asukwo Gift.

Others include Effiong Joy, Effiong Blessing, Asukwo Faith, UK Saviour, Andrew Ella, and Eden Joy.

The state commandant of the corps, Commander Alade Adedigba, while parading the suspects at the command’s headquarters in Abeokuta, said they are between the ages of 12 and 29.

Adedigba disclosed that the suspects were arrested at about 6:15 am on Wednesday following an intelligence report received on Saturday.

The commandant revealed that 14 of the girls were trafficked from Akwa Ibom, while the others came from Cross River and Delta states.

He said, “We received intelligence reports on the 8th of this month, and based on that, we have been processing the intelligence. At about 6:15 am today, we were able to arrest 16 of them, ranging between 12 and 29 years of age.

“They were all arrested at a venue, Railway Line Hotel, Old Bank Bus Stop, in Ifo town. The main suspect is Mrs Eden Joy. She was the one who trafficked all these individuals, but in her statement, she mentioned that the owner of the hotel, one Mrs Okutoro Yemisi, aged 60, is her boss.”

According to the commander, during interrogation, the victims confessed that when they were brought from their various locations to Ifo, they were made to swear an oath while naked, with parts of their hair cut for rituals, which was why they felt unable to escape.

Some of the items recovered included a sum of N819,600, various types of drugs, a carton of condoms, energy enhancers, and packs of tissue paper, among others.

The suspects also revealed that tissue paper used by their clients was collected and kept by their boss.

“These victims also made us understand that most of the tissue paper used by customers is usually kept and handed over to the trafficker for some other purposes, ” Adedigba said.

“So, for those who patronise individuals like this, you need to be very careful for your own safety and security.”

While lamenting that the suspects are young people who should be in school but are instead held in a hidden location for financial gain, he warned that the state would not tolerate any form of lawlessness, indiscipline, or anything that could threaten security.

He appreciated members of the public for their support and timely information, adding that the suspects would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for further investigation

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