The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 74-year-old grandpa, identified as Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, after a large consignment of cocaine was discovered in foil papers and balloons concealed in his luggage.
It was reports that the NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday, disclosed that its operatives at the departure hall of the Abuja airport arrested Emeka while attempting to board a British Airways flight BA082 to Heathrow, London, United Kingdom, on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
During a search of the septuagenarian’s luggage, blocks of cocaine weighing 11 kilograms were discovered concealed inside food items, including ground dry pepper, carefully wrapped in foil papers and balloons.
The statement further disclosed that in Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence in the early hours of Monday, March 9, arrested a woman, identified as Maryam Olalowo, at Ikad Hotel and Suites, on Etim Inyang Street, Victoria Island, while attempting to sell 89grams of cocaine and 20grams of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis.
“She was found with her three children, including an infant, at the time of the arrest. She confessed the illicit drugs belong to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, who was later taken into custody same day while his wife was immediately set free.
“Ibrahim confirmed ownership of the illicit drugs in his statement, while further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.”
Also, NDLEA operatives, in another interdiction operation, arrested two suspects: Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebetu Ero, Lagos Island, where they recovered 68,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 225mg after they had loaded the exhibits into their truck and were preparing to transport them to the Benin Republic on Monday, March 9.
A follow-up operation was conducted on Wednesday, March 11, at the Idumota market on Lagos Island, where the actual owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian, was arrested.
The statement stressed, “A search of his shop led to the discovery of a parcel already prepared for waybill delivery, containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg. Another raid at Idumota market on Friday, March 13, led to the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
“While a 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi was arrested at Bebeji area of Kano with 386kg skunk on Tuesday, March 10, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2kg skunk from a suspect, Isah Wako, 42, in Gwagwalada area of the FCT on Friday, March 13.”
The NDLEA operatives also raided the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon LGA, in Edo State, where a 33-year-old suspect, Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was apprehended and a total of 4,218.96kg of skunk was destroyed on two farms, with 16.5kg of the same substance recovered.
The statement further stated that no fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Saturday, March 14, during a joint examination of the shipments by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies.
The agency noted that the containers had earlier been watch-listed by NDLEA following credible intelligence on concealment of opioids in them.
While commending the officers and men of NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Edo and FCT 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) also 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.
A yet-to-be-identified man has been shot dead by two suspected assailants near the back gate of the Yaba College of Technology in Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred on Saturday evening while the victim was riding a motorcycle in the area.
A community source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the incident, said the assailants crossed the victim’s path before opening fire on him.
“The incident happened in the evening, and the attack was sudden. He was on a motorcycle when two masked men emerged from nowhere, shot him and fled the scene,” the source said.
A police source told our correspondent on Sunday that an investigation had commenced to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and identify those responsible.
“We received information about the incident and are working to establish what happened and identify those responsible. Although there are indications that the shooting is cult-related,” the source said.
The police source added that the deceased’s remains had been deposited in a morgue.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident but promised to provide an update.
However, she had yet to do so as of the time this report was filed.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has rearrested an 83-year-old woman, Uloma Uchechi Sunday for alleged drug trafficking, barely a year after she was convicted for a similar offence.
The octogenarian was arrested on Wednesday, October 7, at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, with quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.
According to the NDLEA, her arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that she operated a drug joint where criminal elements allegedly gathered.
The agency said Uloma was first arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at the same residence. See here
The two women were found with 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of fresh cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol.
They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They opted to pay the fines and were released.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the latest arrest was among a series of operations conducted by NDLEA operatives across several states, resulting in the seizure of large consignments of illicit drugs, the arrest of suspected traffickers and the recovery of firearms and ammunition in Plateau State.
In a related operation, operatives at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, arrested a South African national, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, over the alleged importation of 32.74 kilogrammes of Thai Loud, a potent cannabis strain.
The suspect was intercepted with 30 parcels of the substance concealed in two travelling bags after arriving from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight.
The NDLEA said she admitted to previously trafficking drugs through other African countries and attempting to expand her operations to Port Harcourt.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol, each weighing 250mg, in a shipment from Pakistan.
The consignment, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes, arrived aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight on September 29 and was placed under surveillance.
A joint examination of the nine cartons on October 6 uncovered the pharmaceutical drugs.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, operatives intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo shipment from the United Kingdom.
The shipment arrived on September 29, after which the agency began monitoring the consignment.
A clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30. Other suspects subsequently arrested were Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver; Adetunji Adebayo; and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader.
According to the NDLEA, Ajibola was arrested while attempting to collect one of the bags at a logistics company in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, while Adebayo and Dosunmu were apprehended when they arrived to collect the remaining five bags.
The agency said Ajibola identified a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the sender of his consignment, while Dosunmu attributed his own shipment to another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.
Over Two Tonnes of Cannabis Seized in Cross River, Edo, Ondo
In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, raided Iyala Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on Sunday, October 4, arresting a 46-year-old suspect, Adama Inuwa.
The operation led to the recovery of 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds.
In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 5.
The vehicle was allegedly conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes.
Three suspects — Monday Orji, 52; Monday Lawal, 40; and Precious Uduegele, 20 — were arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a separate operation in Benin City, operatives arrested Ojugo Mercy, 26, at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, with 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.
In Ondo State, a 21-year-old suspect, Happy Endurance, was arrested at her hideout in the Shasha area of Akure on October 5, following surveillance by NDLEA operatives.
The operation led to the recovery of 29 bags of cannabis weighing 290 kilogrammes.
On the same day, another raid at an apartment in Oba-Ile, Akure, resulted in the arrest of Tunde Adebayo, 42, with 35 bags of cannabis weighing 351 kilogrammes.
In Orile, Lagos, operatives on October 6 arrested Musbau Balogun Adekunle with 32.51 kilogrammes of skunk and 52.65 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, bringing the total seizure to 85.16 kilogrammes.
Tramadol, Diazepam Seized in Taraba, Kano
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, arrested Abdulrasheed Mohamed, 31, and Abubakar Saidu, 37, at Chanchanji village in Wukari Local Government Area on Friday, October 9.
The suspects were allegedly found with 166,200 tablets of tramadol, each weighing 225mg, with a combined weight of 107 kilogrammes.
In Kano State, a stop-and-search operation along the Kano-Maiduguri Road on the same day led to the arrest of Yahaya Musa, 32.
The agency said 24,990 capsules of tramadol, 50,000 tablets of diazepam and 22,000 tablets of Exol-5 were recovered from him.
In Kaduna State, operatives on patrol along the Zaria-Kaduna Expressway arrested Mohammed Musa, 29, with 31 jumbo bags and 775 blocks of skunk weighing a combined 1,027 kilogrammes.
Rifles, Ammunition Recovered in Plateau
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives recovered firearms and ammunition during a raid on the residence of Christian Chukwudi Uju, 45, at Rukuba Road, Jos, Plateau State, on Thursday, October 8.
The agency said the suspect was found with 47 grammes of methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, 199 live cartridges, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and one round of 9mm ammunition.
The recovery adds a firearms dimension to the series of drug-related operations carried out by the agency during the period.
Rifles, Ammunition Recovered in Plateau
Beyond the arrests and seizures, the agency said its commands and formations continued public enlightenment activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
The sensitisation exercises were conducted in schools and communities across Oyo, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano, Lagos and Ogun states, among other locations.
Beneficiaries included students and staff of Progressive Grammar School, Tede, Oyo State; Ehugbo Technical College, Afikpo, Ebonyi State; Baptist High School, Lambata, Niger State; and Ipara Senior and Junior Community Secondary School, Badagry, Lagos State.
Other institutions reached included Madarasatul Tarbiyatul Islamiya in Tudun Wada, Kano State, and Manbahu Ridwanullah Nursery and Primary School in Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Speaking on the operations, NDLEA chairman and chief executive officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd.), commended personnel of the Lagos, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Port Harcourt International Airport, Taraba, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Cross River, Ondo and Plateau commands.
Marwa urged officers across the country to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to drug control, combining intelligence-led enforcement with public education and preventive measures.
The agency said the operations formed part of its ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks, intercept illicit substances and reduce the circulation of dangerous drugs across the country.
The Abia State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers and rescued an 18-year-old victim, Ifeoma Obinna, in Umuimo Community, Osisioma Ngwa.
The spokesperson for the command, DSP Maureen Chioma Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, 8th October 2026.
According to the PPRO, the suspects, Chidozie Rainbow Hezekiah,65, Brave Rainbow, 21, Innocent Otodirichu,21, abducted the victim and demanded N5m ransom from her mother.
Chinada added that two daggers and the victim’s phone were recovered while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang.
“Sequel to a distress call received at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit on 04/10/2026, that an unknown caller called Mrs. Obinna and demanded the sum of N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira) if they wanted to see their missing daughter,” the statement read.
“Leveraging on actionable intelligence, the above suspects were apprehended by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Abia State Command, in Umuimo Community, Osisioma Ngwa.
“The victim was rescued and exhibits recovered, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other gang members of the syndicate.
“The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, reiterates the Command’s commitment to combating kidnapping and other forms of criminality in the state.
“He further assures members of the public that the Command will continue to leverage actionable intelligence, community partnerships, and other operational strategies to ensure the safety and security of residents.
“Members of the public are therefore encouraged to remain vigilant and provide the Police with useful information by reporting to the nearest police station or contacting the Command through its dedicated hotlines.
