A Chinese businessman Liang Tak You and an 80-year-old grandma Mrs. Grace Ekpeme top the list of arrests made by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in nationwide interdiction operations leading to the seizure of consignments of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis hidden in moimoi sachets and Canadian Loud, another strong strain of cannabis concealed in canned food items imported from Canada.
Liang was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos on Friday 25th July 2025 based on actionable intelligence.
The suspect, who arrived Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai, UAE, on Emirates Airline flight, is a Chinese national, naturalised and based in Malaysia, but flew to Thailand where he picked two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of Loud weighing 26.10kg before heading to Nigeria via UAE.
Upon his arrival at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives who were tracking his movement from his port of departure allowed him to pass through necessary protocols before picking him up on his way out of the airport.
The octogenarian grandma Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was arrested at Edet-Nsa street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River state with over 3kg skunk in the early hours of Saturday 26th July following intelligence on her drug dealing activities.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 23rd July intercepted a suspect Chidi Agbafo along Epe – Ajah expressway while taking consignments of 21.7kg Colorado, some of which were packaged in moimoi cooking sachets and 3.8litres of codeine based syrub in a commercial bus to deliver in Warri and Oghara, Delta state.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a total of 101kg Canadian Loud factory packed in 202 tins of imported food item labelled ‘Bean Salad Mix’ and concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that came from Canada, were recovered.
The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies on Friday 25th July.
No fewer than 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered from Usman Musa by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja- Kaduna highway on Wednesday 23rd July when the suspect was travelling with the consignment of opioids in a commercial bus going to Kano.
In Borno, a 30-year-old lady Binta Usman was on Wednesday 23rd July arrested by NDLEA officers who recovered 30.1kg skunk from her house at Muna Moforo area of Maiduguri.
A follow up operation later led to the arrest of her accomplice Bala Abdullahi in the same area of the Borno state capital on Friday 25th July.
Three brothers: Nanna Ozirinye, Chizom Ozirinye and Maxwell Ozirinye were on Saturday 26th July arrested when NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis plantation at bending corner forest, Idoani, Ose local council area of Ondo State where they destroyed 2,500 kilograms of skunk on an hectare of land and recovered already processed 121.4kg of same psychoactive substance.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Wednesday 23rd July raided the Asakpa community in Benin city, where they arrested a 26-year-old lady Bright Sunday Okon and recovered various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona and skunk, all strains of cannabis as well as Methamphetamine from her.
While a total of 105.4kg skunk was recovered by NDLEA operatives from an abandoned Honda car marked ABC 204 KM in Keffi, Nasarawa state, their counterparts in Niger state on Monday 21st July arrested a suspect Bashir Abdullahi with 6,400 pills of tramadol 225mg at Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna, even as a notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was taken into custody and 113kg skunk retrieved from his enclave in Ifo, Ogun state on Thursday 24th July after a violent resistance and attack on NDLEA operatives by members of his gang.
A total of 10,910 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect Adamu Adamu (a.k.a Dankyado) by NDLEA officers on patrol along Gombe-Bajoga road, Gombe state on Saturday 26th July, while operatives in Kogi state on Thursday 24th July intercepted a consignment of skunk concealed inside garri, dried scent leaves, and other food items along Okene-Lokoja highway.
A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala who was planning to travel to Katsina state with the cargo and later to Qatar.
Similarly, operatives in Kogi on Saturday 26th July recovered 23,600 pills of tramadol, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in Ayingba area of the state.
The War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Komu/Babaode High School, Babaode, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo state; Beacon Christian Academy, Ngodo, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi; Government Day Secondary School, Araba, Illela, Sokoto; and Government Junior College, Agege, Lagos; while the Anambra state command of NDLEA paid WADA advocacy visit to the traditional rulers of Awka community, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Ezeuzu 11 and Ukpo community, Igwe Robert Eze, Okofia VI, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna and Kogi Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
Operatives of the Bauchi State Police Command have arrested two suspects over their alleged involvement in a case of criminal conspiracy, housebreaking and armed robbery in Gadau community of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Nafiu Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, saying the suspects were arrested following an intelligence-led investigation into the incident.
According to the statement, a 28-year-old resident of Gadau Town reported the incident to the Gadau Divisional Police Headquarters on July 3, stating that the robbery occurred on June 8 at about 3:00 a.m.
The statement partly read, “On 3rd July, 2026, a 28-year-old complainant, male, resident of Gadau Town, reported at Gadau Division that on 8th June, 2026, at about 0300hrs, five unknown hoodlums armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons broke into his residence.”
It added, “According to the complainant, the hoodlums forced open his bedroom door, intimidated him and his wife with machetes, tied them up, and carted away valuables. Items stolen include one Jincheng motorcycle, five Android mobile phones, 10 sets of wrappers, the sum of ₦1,000,000 cash, one cap, and three wristwatches, all valued at about ₦4,000,000.”
The police spokesperson said detectives immediately visited the scene and launched an intelligence-led investigation, which led to the arrest of two suspects.
“Upon receipt of the report, police operatives visited the scene and commenced an intelligence-led investigation. As a result of diligent follow-up, two suspects were subsequently arrested.
“They are Salisu Umar, 20, of the same address, and Sadiq Shehu, 20, of Azare, Katagum Local Government Area. They underwent preliminary investigation at the Divisional Headquarters,” Habib stated.
He further revealed that during an identification parade, the complainant’s wife identified one of the suspects.
“During an identification parade conducted, the complainant’s wife recognised and pointed out Sadiq Shehu as one of the persons who entered her room and forced her to open the main gate for the other accomplices,” he said.
The statement added that the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, commended the Divisional Police Officer and his team for the arrest and directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.
He added that the commissioner assured residents that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects, stressing that all those found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The police also urged members of the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information that would assist security agencies in tackling criminal activities across the state.
Troops of the 7 Division Garrison of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), have arrested a suspected impersonator accused of posing as a soldier to rob residents in the Shuwari area of Maiduguri, Borno State. Africans& Diaspora
The suspect, identified as Abdulazeez Mohammed, was apprehended at about 2:00 p.m. on July 1, 2026 following credible intelligence on his activities within the Shuwari General Area.
Security sources on Monday, July 6 said the suspect allegedly dressed in military camouflage to gain the confidence of residents before stealing mobile phones and other valuables from homes in the area.
Acting on the intelligence, troops of the 7 Division Garrison, supported by members of the CJTF, swiftly mobilised to the location and arrested the suspect without incident.
The suspect is currently in military custody and is undergoing further investigation to determine the full extent of his activities and whether he is linked to any criminal syndicate.
Security authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report anyone suspected of unlawfully wearing military uniforms or engaging in suspicious activities, noting that impersonating members of the Armed Forces is a criminal offence punishable under Nigerian law.
The 25-year-old man who was arrested while dressed in military camouflage at Kashim Ibrahim University, Maiduguri, is being investigated for possible links to criminal intelligence gathering.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama on Monday that the suspect, identified as Mubarak Mohammed, was apprehended at about 4:30 p.m. on July 1, 2026 at the university’s Njimtilo campus after his appearance in a desert camouflage uniform aroused suspicion among troops.
According to the sources, the suspect claimed during preliminary questioning that he was a newly admitted student of the university and had borrowed the military uniform from a civilian friend to attend the institution’s Career Week programme.
However, the claim quickly unraveled during interrogation.
The sources said the suspect was unable to communicate in English, failed to produce a valid student identity card, and could not access the university’s student portal on his mobile phone to verify his admission status.
Troops subsequently contacted the university management through the institution’s Systems Manager, who confirmed that the suspect was not a registered student of the university.
The university official also informed the troops that only final-year students were participating in the Career Week activities, contradicting the suspect’s claim that he had attended the event as a newly admitted student.
Security sources said the suspect is being investigated over suspicions that he may have been gathering intelligence under the guise of a soldier.
He remains in the custody of the 73 Battalion for further investigation.
Military authorities reiterated their warning against the unlawful use of military uniforms, noting that impersonating members of the Armed Forces poses a serious security threat and could be exploited by criminal and terrorist elements.
