Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested an Ivorian and a Nigerian medical doctor over their alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking.

The agency said the Ivorian suspect, Gohouri Michael, 41, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport during the outward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa.

According to a statement on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, Gohouri was found to have ingested 82 wraps of cocaine, weighing 1.49kg.

“Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on January 17, 2026, and was shuttling between Lagos and Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room.

“He is expected to be paid 5,000 euros when he delivers the drugs in Milan. Further investigation by the NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scenes, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport,” the statement read.

Babafemi said further intelligence uncovered a suspected coordinator behind the operation, leading to the arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Ofomata, in Ogun State.

He said NDLEA operatives tracked the doctor to his residence in Magboro, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026.

“Further investigation by the NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scenes, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport.

“The hidden figure behind Gohouri was eventually discovered to be Dr Chudi Ofomata, who was later tracked to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State, where he was arrested on March 27, 2026, and flown to Kano on Tuesday, April 7.

“Recovered from him at the point of arrest were 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection,” the statement added.

The arrests were part of ongoing efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks and their collaborators.

In another operation in Lagos, Babafemi said operatives intercepted a luxury bus belonging to Chisco Transport with registration number AGU 442 XB, recovering illicit drugs concealed within it.

“In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Tuesday, April 7, intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.

“A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the compartments of the bus. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were promptly arrested,” he said.

The NDLEA also recorded multiple arrests and seizures across several states.

In Abia State, NDLEA operatives on April 7, 2026, arrested a nonagenarian, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, at his residence in Osisioma Local Government Area.

According to him, a search of his home led to the recovery of 7.7 kilograms of skunk.

“The suspect claimed he had worked as a truck pusher, later learned painting and tiling, and eventually went into the illicit drug business over a year ago. He also claimed he had been smoking skunk since 1959 before turning it into a business,” Babafemi said.

In Ogun State, Babafemi said three suspects were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk, while in Imo State, a 26-year-old woman was apprehended with 56.2 kilograms of the same substance.

In Niger State, he said a couple was arrested after 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their home.

“In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, April 9, arrested a couple, Abdullahi Umar, 32, and his wife, Adama Umar, 25, during a search of their Takuti village, Lapai LGA home, where 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their kitchen,” he said.

Similarly, in Borno State, operatives intercepted a trailer conveying large quantities of Rohypnol tablets, codeine syrup, and pentazocine injections, leading to the arrest of the consignment owner.

In a separate operation in Mushin, Lagos, Babafemi said officials seized 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup and arrested two individuals.

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The Nigerian Police Force has questioned a report by Amnesty International, claiming that at least 1,100 persons were kidnapped across Nigeria within three months.

The police described the figure as unverified and not cross-checked with security agencies.

Reacting to the report on Sunday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Anthony Placid, challenged the source of the data, insisting that the organisation did not consult the police before publishing its findings.

“What is their source of information? They didn’t consult the police or cross-check with us.

“We have our records. And they didn’t check with us. If they didn’t consult us, then you should know better. Ask for the source of their report,” he said.

Amnesty International had, in a statement, called on the Federal Government to urgently tackle worsening insecurity, particularly in northern Nigeria, where it said mass abductions have become rampant.

The organisation stated that between January and April 2026, at least 1,100 people were abducted, mostly in rural communities and among internally displaced persons.

It added that victims are often subjected to abuses such as torture, starvation, rape, and forced participation in violent acts.

According to Amnesty’s Nigeria Director, Isa Sanusi, the scale of abductions is alarming and may even be underreported in some instances.

In a statement posted on its X handle on Sunday, the organisation said, “President Bola Tinubu and his government must urgently address the country’s horrifying spate of abductions targeting rural communities and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the northern part of the country, as at least 1,100 people have been abducted in three months – from January to April 2026.”

It noted that victims are often subjected to severe abuses, including torture, starvation, rape and forced involvement in violent acts.

“Apart from killing people, gunmen are now on a rampage of abductions – largely for lucrative ransom. Some stay months at the mercy of gunmen in punishing situations.

“Estimates of the number of abductions by gunmen and armed groups across Nigeria vary, and some of the commonly cited figures vastly understate the scale of the problem,” said Sanusi.

The group cited several incidents across states, including a February 3 attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, where 200 people were reportedly killed and 176 abducted.

It also referenced the abduction of 150 people in early April in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, and the kidnapping of over 100 displaced persons by Boko Haram fighters in March near Mafa in Borno State.

According to Amnesty, more than 400 people were abducted in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, on March 3, while 57 people were kidnapped in Niger State in January.

“On March 30, 18 passengers in a commercial vehicle travelling from Abuja to Sokoto were abducted along Mayanci in a part of Zamfara State.

“On February 19, 2026, 92 people were abducted by an armed group in Zamfara State. A total of 42 people were abducted in Anka Local Government Area, and another 50 were separately abducted in Tsafe Local Government Area.

“On January 18, 2026, gunmen carried out a mass abduction by attacking three churches at Kurmin Wali village in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State during a morning worship service. At least 166 people were abducted. It was reported that they were released later,” it added.

The organisation also quoted a resident of Woro community in Kwara State who recounted the ordeal, saying, “They (attackers) didn’t just kill; they stole our life away.

“They abducted 176 people, including my second wife and my three daughters. One of them is only two years old. I have seen the video they posted on social media.

“I heard my wife’s voice. I saw my people. It has been almost two months now, and they are still in that forest.”

Amnesty International warned that the wave of abductions is forcing families into extreme hardship, with some selling all they have or resorting to community fundraising to pay ransom.

“In almost all cases of these abductions, people were also killed, homes and shops looted and razed.

“In some cases, families must dispose of everything they have to pay ransom, while villages often crowdsource to rescue their people.

“Those who could not pay are sometimes either killed, disappeared or tortured more.

“What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is a crisis of abduction that increasingly endangers lives,” Sanusi said.

Amnesty further noted that the fear of abduction is disrupting education in affected areas, with children withdrawn from school and underage girls pushed into early marriages to avoid being targeted.

The organisation also accused authorities of failing to meet their constitutional and international obligations to protect citizens.

However, the police maintained that any credible report on crime statistics must be verified with official records, underscoring the need for collaboration between civil society groups and security agencies.

The development comes amid renewed concerns over insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria, even as President Bola Tinubu recently reassured Nigerians of continued government support for the Armed Forces in the fight against insurgency and banditry.

Killings underreported – Olawepo-Hashim

A former presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has raised concern over what he described as the underreporting of mass killings across Nigeria, warning that growing global silence reflected a dangerous devaluation of human lives.

Hashim said the persistent attacks in several parts of the country pointed to a worsening security crisis, failing to attract the attention it deserves, both locally and internationally.

In a statement issued on Sunday and made available to The PUNCH, he lamented that the true scale of the killings was being “dangerously underreported and increasingly normalised.”

He cited recent attacks in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State, where more than 40 persons were reportedly killed within the past week.

According to him, local sources indicate that the casualty figure may be higher as fresh bodies were discovered, with homes also being razed during the attacks.

He added that the same community had earlier suffered another assault that claimed at least seven lives, describing the situation as persistent and largely unchecked.

“What we are witnessing is a pattern of mass killings that fail to sustain national outrage or global attention,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He also drew attention to similar attacks in Kwara State, particularly in Kaiama, Baruten and Ifelodun, where between 20 and 50 people were reportedly killed in recent weeks.

The politician who recently dumped the Peoples Democratic Party noted that the victims included five forest guards, adding that many of the incidents barely received coverage beyond local reporting channels.

Across the North-Central region, he said the scale of violence remained alarming, citing repeated killings in Benue State and Plateau State.

He disclosed that Benue recorded between 50 and 100 deaths within weeks, while Plateau witnessed coordinated night attacks that left between 30 and 80 persons dead.

Olawepo-Hashim further stated that Niger and Nasarawa states also recorded fatalities ranging from 20 to 50 and 10 to 20, respectively.

He said, in total, between 130 and 300 people may have been killed within a short period across the affected regions.

Describing the situation as alarming, he said the killings were being met with “selective attention and dangerous silence” by the global community.

Olawepo-Hashim criticised the muted response of institutions such as the United Nations and the African Union.

“There is a growing perception that Nigerian lives have been so devalued that even routine expressions of condolence are no longer made,” he said.

The Nigerian Navy has arrested two vessels, MT Mkpodu and MT Westaf AF, carrying over 939 metric tonnes of suspected stolen crude oil worth more than N4 billion.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that 26 crew members were also arrested during the operation.

The Commander, Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Adm. Olugbenga Oladipo, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the development in Calabar, Cross River State, on Sunday.

He said the arrest underscores the Nigerian Navy’s continued commitment to combating crude oil theft and other forms of economic sabotage.

The commander said the operation was made possible through credible intelligence received at midnight on April 8.

He said the vessels were apprehended at a wellhead within the Calabar/Akwa Ibom Joint Operations Area, where they were allegedly involved in crude oil theft.

He added that MT Mkpodu was arrested while siphoning crude oil.

According to him, the operation was carried out in cooperation with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff.

“The Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff provided us with all the necessary assets used in carrying out this operation.

“Following the arrest, Nigerian Navy Ship SHERE and a Nigerian Navy 410 Helicopter were deployed to the scene.

“The helicopter provided real-time aerial imagery of the vessels, while Nigerian Navy Ship SHERE took custody of the two vessels at the offshore location,” he said.

According to him, Nigerian Navy Ship OSE and personnel of the Forward Operating Base IBAKA facilitated the transfer of the arrested vessels and crew members to the Navy jetty in Calabar.

Oladipo said a similar arrest of another vessel, MT Steliosk, was made on April 10.

He said the arrests demonstrate the commitment and proactiveness of the Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Navy in curbing crude oil theft in Nigerian waters through inter-service and inter-agency collaboration.

In his remarks, the Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Naval Command, Rear Adm. Chidozie Okehie, commended the commander for his support and assured the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, of their commitment to making more arrests of criminals in the area.