The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a social media drug network in Lagos, arresting two distributors who packaged cannabis as imported Christmas cookies.
The distributors, identified as Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, had imported Canadian loud, a potent strain of cannabis, along with branded sachets printed with cookie and snack labels to conceal retail quantities of the drug.
Cannabis concealed in cookie and snack sachets
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, said the syndicate operated via a whatsapp group used to take and dispatch orders.
“Following credible intelligence about the activities of the syndicate which operates and distributes through a whatsapp platform, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 22nd November 2025 raided their apartment at Ojulari street, Ikate area of Lekki.
“A large quantity of the designer sachets and 5 kilograms of loud were recovered from them at the point of their arrest,” the statement read.
A separate operation in Mushin on November 27 led to the arrest of Philip Ucheka, 38, who was receiving 110 pouches of Canadian loud weighing 55.6kg.
Philip Ucheka
Three vehicles tied to his distribution activities were also confiscated.
At a courier company in Lagos on November 27, a teddy bear shipped from Thailand was found to contain 100 grams of loud, while 548 tramadol capsules hidden in Vitamin C and magnesium bottles bound for the United Kingdom were recovered at another logistics company the next day.
Along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, NDLEA operatives arrested Wasiu Kareem, 55, with large quantities of 8,000 ampoules pentazocine injection, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 co-codamol tablets and 9,900 tramadol capsules.
On November 24, a raid on Ipe forest in the Akoko south east area of Ondo state led to the arrest of seven suspects and the recovery of 3,077kg of skunk.
The suspects are identified as John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor.
John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem and Gorge Okowor
Similarly, in Kogi state, operatives arrested Anthony Sylvester, 49, along the Okene-Lokoja highway on November 26 with 649kg of skunk concealed in a truck.
Anthony Sylvester
Officers at the NDLEA Seme special area command carried out a separate raid on a warehouse in Ashipa, near the Seme border, recovering 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5kg and arresting Abubakar Shuaibu, 33.
Abubakar Shuaibu
In Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested Tsalha Alasan, 47, with 137kg of skunk along the Zaria-Kano road on November 24.
In Bauchi state, three suspects; Godspower Appeal, Ernest Upong and Godday Chukwudi were intercepted with 322 blocks of skunk (209kg) at Fanshanu village in Toro local government area.
Godspower Appeal, Ernest Upong and Godday Chukwudi
A black Toyota Highlander (registration ABJ 533 EA) reportedly used to convey the drugs was also impounded.
On November 29, John Ekoja, 51, was arrested along the Abuja-Jos highway with 210.15kg of skunk.
John Ekoja
Along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, a couple identified as Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35 were arrested with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition hidden in a sack of maize.
Abdullahi Abubakar, Jamila Abdullahi
Another suspect, Awwal Sabiu, 20, was arrested on November 28 at the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate with 400 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kano, Kaduna, Seme and Bauchi commands for the coordinated operations.
He urged officers to maintain the agency’s balanced approach combining enforcement with community-focused education.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has rescued 15 persons, including foreign nationals, after uncovering a suspected human trafficking syndicate allegedly operating under the guise of an online marketing company in Nasarawa State.
The rescue followed an operation by the agency in Keffi and Karu local government areas based on credible intelligence about suspicious activities linked to fraudulent online marketing operations.
NAPTIP disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday via its X handle.
It said the operation was conducted on May 7, 2026, by officers of its Investigation Department and the Intelligence and International Cooperation Unit.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that fifteen (15) persons comprising four (4) female victims and eleven (11) male victims were found at the location. Among the male victims, three (3) were identified as Nigerians, while others are foreign nationals.
“Findings indicate that the suspects allegedly operated under the guise of an online marketing company to recruit and harbour unsuspecting persons in conditions suspected to be connected to human trafficking, cyber-related exploitation, and other organised criminal activities,” the statement read.
NAPTIP described the development as a serious security and humanitarian concern, citing the deceptive recruitment methods allegedly used by the traffickers and the vulnerability of victims to exploitation.
It said investigations were ongoing to uncover the full extent of the network and arrest other collaborators linked to the syndicate.
The agency also reiterated its commitment to combating human trafficking and urged members of the public to report suspicious recruitment activities and movements within their communities to relevant authorities.
Officers of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have apprehended suspected vandals in connection with the looting and theft of items from a truck involved in an accident along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
A statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, in Uyo on Monday said the suspects were arrested on Sunday, while vandalising and stealing from a truck that had fallen into a valley at the Afaha community located along the Highway.
According to the statement, the operatives, after credible intelligence, mobilised to the scene and arrested one Adamu Hamza, aged 19, and a native of Maiduguri, Borno State, who was found in possession of four suspected stolen truck tyres.
In a follow-up operation, they also arrested the tricycle operator, one Anthony James, who was allegedly used to convey the stolen items from the scene.
The statement reads in part, “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has recorded another operational breakthrough following the arrest of suspected vandals involved in the looting and theft of items from an accidented truck along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
“On 10th May, 2026, at about 22:00 hours, Operatives of the Command acted swiftly on credible intelligence received through a tricycle operator regarding the activities of criminal elements vandalizing and stealing from a truck that had fallen into a valley at Afaha along the Calabar–Itu Highway.
“Acting promptly on the information, Police operatives mobilized to the scene and successfully arrested one Adamu Hamza ‘M’, aged 19, a native of Maiduguri, in possession of four suspected stolen truck tyres, with the value yet to be ascertained.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of the tricycle operator, one Anthony James, who was allegedly used to convey the stolen items from the scene.”
DSP John, who disclosed that the suspects are currently in Police custody, noted that efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing accomplices connected to the criminal act.
She stated that the commissioner of police in the state, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, has warned all criminal elements to desist from looting accident scenes, and has also reiterated the command’s commitment to strengthening its surveillance and deploying intelligence-driven policing strategies to safeguard lives and property across the state.
She called on members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to the Police, urging them to remain law-abiding and security-conscious at all times.
Gunmen have opened fire on the head office of a local security outfit, codenamed OSPAC, at Erema Street in Omoku town, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, injuring one officer. OSPAC is the acronym for Onelga Security and Peace Advisory Committee.
It was gathered that the incident which occurred at about 8:10pm on Saturday night caused pandemonium as residents and passersby scampered for safety.
Though the reason for the attack could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the assailants rode on two cars, one of which was an ash-coloured Lexus Jeep.
Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the security outfit in Rivers State, Godknows Nkem, said its office is a place where people come to lodge various complaints.
Nkem, however, expressed surprise how the gunmen drove into the office and started shooting indiscriminately, leaving one of its personnel with an ankle injury.
He stated, “At that hour of the day, the gunmen drove in and started shooting sporadically. Nobody died, but one of our personnel sustained a bullet injury on his ankle. Our station guards later repelled the attack.
“The fear of OSPAC is the beginning of wisdom in the entire Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA and Rivers State at large. Just that for the past eight months we came on board, our welfare has not been catered for. We have been struggling to survive.”
The state OSPAC image maker however urged residents of ONELGA to be law abiding and go about their normal activities without fear and assured that the perpetrators will be fished out.
When contacted on Sunday afternoon, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the attack on the vigilante office, saying investigation is ongoing.
Agabe stated, “I can confirm the incident. No arrest for now because the incident happened late in the night, but investigation is ongoing to unmask the identities of the perpetrators with a view to bringing them to justice.”
