The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said its operatives have intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs and female clothes heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Democratic Republic of Congo at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, two suspects linked to the attempts to export the illicit substances have already been taken into custody.
This was made known on Sunday in a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.
Babafemi disclosed that one of the suspects, a cargo agent Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on 7th October 2025 following the discovery of 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in 10 pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he presented in a carton for airfreight to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
Another suspect in custody is 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot who is a UK-based Public Health Assistant. She was arrested on Sunday 12th October at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja following the discovery of frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg in her luggage while heading to Manchester, United Kingdom, on a Qatar Airways flight.
Attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday 16th October.
In Adamawa, a suspect Bello Buba was intercepted at an NDLEA check point in Namtari, Yola South LGA with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic car he drove all the way from Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria on Sunday 12th October.
Not less than 53,250 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 21.3 hectares of cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state, with 70 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 1,140kg recovered by NDLEA operatives during an operation that lasted between Sunday 12th and Monday 13th October. Suspects arrested include: Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20.
This followed the destruction of 17,400kg skunk on 6.96 hectares of plantation by NDLEA operatives at Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, Ondo state on Sunday 12th October.
In Oyo state, Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun,32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro,30, were nabbed with 596kg skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were arrested with 273kg of same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday 16th October.
While Joseph Andrew was arrested in possession of 88kg skunk on Wednesday 15th October by NDLEA operatives at Ona – Imeko, Ogun state, another suspect Festus Udoh, 42, was nabbed with 13,000 pills of opioids along Onitsha- Owerri road, Imo state. In same vein, a total of 74.5kg skunk was recovered from the store of a suspect Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo – Agu village, Enugu state on Saturday 18th October.
In Lagos, no fewer than 11 bags of skunk weighing 117kg were recovered from the base of a suspect Ramoni Olukowi in Mushin area on Saturday 18th October while a total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container earlier watch-listed by NDLEA coming from India during a joint examination of the shipment with men of Customs service and other security agencies at the Apapa port on Tuesday 14th October.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Ekiti, Adamawa, Oyo, Enugu, Ogun, Ondo, and Imo Commands for the arrests, and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country not to relent in their ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
UK police said Tuesday they arrested a 14-year-old schoolgirl in the northwestern English city of Manchester after two students and a staff member were wounded in a school stabbing.
The girl was arrested on suspicion of assault and was in custody for questioning, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
Three people were injured — a 14-year-old schoolgirl, a 14-year-old schoolboy and a 27-year-old man who is a member of staff — with what were believed to be stab wounds.
“All were taken to hospital; however, injuries are thankfully not believed to be serious, and all are stable at this time,” police said following the incident at the Co-op Academy north of central Manchester.
The school decided to go into lockdown following the attack, as emergency vehicles surrounded the building, the Manchester Evening News reported.
“Officers will remain at the school and within the area to provide a visible presence and community reassurance,” police chief inspector Jon Shilvock said.
The UK government is trying to clamp down on youth knife crime and the sale of banned knives and machetes, including on online platforms.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged in February over the suspected stabbing of two boys at a London school.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC) Kwara State Command, has arrested a 34-year-old man, Akinola Tosin, for allegedly defrauding a Point-of-Sale (PoS) operator using a fake bank transfer alert while also impersonating a member of the Nigerian Army.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASC 1 Ayoola Michael, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday, June 8, 2026 said the suspect was apprehended following a complaint from a POS operator in the state.
According to the statement, the suspect allegedly obtained N40,600 from the operator after presenting a fake debit alert as proof of payment.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect collected the sum of Forty Thousand Six Hundred Naira (#40,600) after presenting a fake debit alert to the POS operator, deceiving the victim into believing a successful transfer had been made,” the statement read.
“Further investigations revealed that the suspect had been impersonating a member of the Nigerian Army using a fake military identity card bearing his name, alongside military-related paraphernalia, which he allegedly used to gain public trust and facilitate his criminal activities.
“The suspect also confessed to previous fraudulent activities involving multiple victims, while further investigation uncovered a suspected accomplice, identified as one Feranmi Idoko Godwin, who is currently at large.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect and conclude investigations.
“Items recovered from the suspect include, 2 Opay ATM cards, 2 UBA ATM cards, 2 First Bank ATM cards, 1 PalmPay ATM card and 1 National Identity Card.
“The suspect will be prosecuted in accordance with the law upon the conclusion of investigations.
“The NSCDC Kwara State Commandant, Commandant Abbas Ndah Mohammed, reaffirmed the Corps’ unwavering commitment to combating crime and other forms of criminality, while urging members of the public to remain vigilant and verify electronic transactions before releasing cash, goods or other valuables.”
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned a self-styled native doctor, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo, and his wife, Awolegan Omolola Omotola, for an alleged contract scam to the tune of N1,098,961,500 (One Billion, Ninety Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand, Five Hundred Naira Only).
The couple were arraigned before Justice Abubakar Usman of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on a six-count charge bordering of obtaining money by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime contrary to Section 17(a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
Taiwo and Omotola were arrested when a widow, Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, a proprietor of a private school in Delta State, petitioned the EFCC alleging that the first defendant, Taiwo, approached her to finance a road construction contract purportedly awarded to him by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
Kenechukwu further alleged that a total sum of N1,980,000,000.00 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Eighty Million Naira Only) was paid into Taiwo’s account domiciled with Access Bank Plc.
Investigation further revealed that the couple invested the proceeds of the illicit activities in the acquisition of two properties in Ado-Ekiti, namely: Town Tavern Lounge, located at No. 1, Ikere Road, off Florence Court School, Ado-Ekiti, and a four-bedroom bungalow located on Florence Court, Irewolede Estate, Ado-Ekiti
The Commission had on Monday, May 25, 2026 secured the interim attachment of the two properties.
Count 2 of the charge reads:
“That you, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo and Awolegan Omolola Omotola, sometime between January 2024 and November 2025, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,098,961,500.00 (One Billion, Ninety-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) from one Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, which was paid to you through Olorunbukunmi Taiwo’s account number 0027303340 domiciled with Access Bank Plc, by falsely representing that same would be used to execute a road construction contract awarded to you by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), a pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”
When the charges were read to them The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.
Following their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, prayed the court to fix a date for trial and order the remand of the defendants.
Justice Usman adjourned the matter until Thursday, June 11, 2026, for hearing of the bail application, and commencement of trial. The judge also ordered the remand of the defendants in the EFCC holding facility.
