The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (retd.), has said arrests alone cannot defeat drug trafficking without a corresponding effort to seize and recover the proceeds of crime.

Marwa stated this on Tuesday while delivering a presentation titled, “Criminal Property and the Criminal Process: How Can We Make It More Effective?” at the ongoing 43rd Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime, organised by the Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

This was contained in a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi.

Speaking before an international gathering of judges, law enforcement chiefs, financial intelligence experts and academics, the NDLEA chairman said the success of the criminal justice system should not be measured solely by the number of convictions secured.

He said the process should also be assessed by its ability to make crime unprofitable.

According to him, “A trafficker who loses his liberty but retains his fortune has not truly been defeated. His wealth can finance another operation, support his associates and sustain the criminal enterprise.”

Marwa said the ultimate objective should be to deny criminals the proceeds of their crimes promptly and lawfully while preserving the value of seized assets.

He likened arresting a trafficker without dismantling his financial empire to “pruning a weed at the stem while leaving its roots undisturbed,” warning that illicit wealth could resurface under different names, front companies or jurisdictions.

The NDLEA boss outlined six strategies adopted by the agency to strengthen asset recovery, anchored on the NDLEA Act 2004, the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act 2022 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.

He cited the forfeiture of the Hook Hotel, a property linked to a fugitive drug suspect, as an example of the agency’s use of non-conviction-based forfeiture.

According to him, the property was sold for $4.2m, with the proceeds paid into the Federal Government’s forfeited assets account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Marwa said the development demonstrated that fleeing the country could not enable a fugitive to retain the benefits of alleged criminal activities.

He also disclosed that NDLEA investigators and prosecutors were now working together from the commencement of cases, a development he said had shortened the period between arrest and the securing of restraint orders.

The NDLEA chairman said the agency froze bank accounts containing more than $7m in the previous month and secured interim forfeiture orders covering multibillion-naira assets, including filling stations, multi-storey buildings and exotic vehicles allegedly linked to a fugitive methamphetamine syndicate.

On the case involving Nigerian businessman Amadi Simon, whom the agency described as a suspected drug baron, Marwa said three hotels linked to the suspect were placed under professional asset managers instead of being shut down.

He said the measure was aimed at preserving the value of the hotels as going concerns pending the outcome of the trial.

Marwa further highlighted the use of provisions relating to unexplained wealth and living beyond legitimate means as investigative triggers, as well as the interlocutory sale of perishable and depreciating assets to prevent their values from declining before final judgment.

He said the measures had been incorporated into Nigeria’s National Drug Control Master Plan 2026–2030, making financial disruption of drug trafficking organisations a sustained national priority.

The NDLEA chairman identified speed, preservation of value and institutionalisation as three principles guiding the agency’s asset recovery efforts.

He, however, acknowledged challenges, including delays in mutual legal assistance, limited forensic accounting capacity and the need to balance the rights of accused persons with the responsibility of the state to preserve assets pending trial.

Marwa called for faster international cooperation and stronger cross-border recognition of non-conviction-based forfeiture orders.

He reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to strengthen partnerships with foreign jurisdictions and institutions in efforts to dismantle the financial structures supporting drug trafficking.

Operatives of Mowe Division of the Ogun State Police Command, through an intelligence-led operation, have dismantled an illegal ‘baby factory’ syndicate at Abaren Village, Mowe.

The operation resulted in the rescue of two heavily pregnant women and four children, as well as the arrest of six suspects: Florence Ogbona ‘f’ (58), Magdalene Julius ‘f’ (63), Chidike Egwuonwu ‘m’ (40), Onyechu Chidike ‘m’ (35), Stephen Ogbona ‘m’ (39), and an attending nurse, Oseni Idaya ‘f’.

The command described the arrest of the members of this baby factory syndicate as a significant breakthrough in its ongoing fight against human trafficking and child exploitation.

The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday.

Babaseyi said, “The operation was carried out on 24th August, 2026, at about 8:00 a.m., when operatives acting on sustained intelligence stormed the syndicate’s hideout located at Toluwalase Street, Abaren Village, via Gbarinmole, a suburb of Mowe, as preliminary investigation revealed that human trafficking and illegal adoption activities had been occurring at the facility over time.

“During the raid, operatives safely rescued two pregnant victims: Ilesanmi Foluke ‘f’ (23), seven months pregnant, and Ejekwa Melody ‘f’ (20), eight months pregnant. Four young children, comprising two males and two females, were also recovered from the scene.”

He explained that further intelligence-led follow-up operations led officers of the command to a hospital within the Mowe axis, where another victim, Blessing Bright Effiong ‘f’ (26), had given birth to a baby boy on 20th August, 2026.

Babaseyi said that while the mother was receiving medical care, the whereabouts of the newborn child could not be accounted for, prompting the arrest of the attending nurse in an attempt to locate the infant.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, to establish the full extent of the syndicate’s activities, locate the missing newborn, and ensure the prosecution of every culpable suspect.

Babaseyi noted that the public would be kept informed as further developments unfold.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the operational efficiency and prompt response of the Mowe Division operatives over the illegal acts of those reported to be operating a baby factory.

Ojajuni reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to stamping out human trafficking, child trading, and all forms of violent crime across Ogun State.

The CP further urged residents to remain vigilant and continue to support the police by providing timely and credible information, assuring them that the command will sustain intelligence-led policing to ensure the safety and protection of all citizens.

Members of the public are encouraged to promptly report suspicious persons or activities through the following channels: Gateway Shield (Toll-Free): 0800 000 9111. Emergency Lines: 09164859299, 09154293464.

Pandemonium broke out in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, on Monday as members of rival transport unions clashed, leaving more than five persons injured and hospitalised.

PUNCH Online gathered that the violence, which disrupted activities around the Idi-Araba and Itakudimo areas of the metropolis, was said to have followed an alleged attack on the office of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, as residents and motorists fled the area when the situation escalated.

A resident, Mubaraq Bello, said the disturbance began when some youths arrived in tricycles, armed with cutlasses and other weapons, and moved towards the NARTO office.

“We were at home when we suddenly saw some youths alighting from tricycles with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons before moving towards the NARTO office. Some of them started throwing stones at the building, and that was when the situation became tense”, Bello told our correspondent.

A member of NARTO, Abubakar Olatunbosun, accused members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria and the Tricycle Owners and Operators Association of Nigeria of attacking members of his association.

Olatunbosun alleged that the attack occurred as NARTO members were heading to the Kwara State Police Headquarters to seek intervention over the dispute. “We were on our way to the police headquarters when we were attacked by members of the other unions. More than 100 tricycles belonging to our members have also been seized, and we are appealing to the state government to intervene before the situation gets out of hand,” Olatunbosun said.

He added that the association would not resort to self-help, insisting that its members had chosen to pursue redress through lawful means. “We respect the law, and we will not take the law into our own hands. Kwara has always been known as a peaceful state, and we do not want this matter to degenerate further,” he stated.

Two persons injured during the violence, Abdulwasiu Jamiu and Lukman Iyanda, also alleged that their tricycles were forcefully taken from them. Jamiu alleged that several tricycle operators were attacked and injured during the clash. “They attacked us, took away our tricycles and injured some of our members,” Jamiu said.

Iyanda, who was said to have sustained an injury to his hand, alleged that he was attacked while operating his tricycle at Itakudimo. “I was working with my tricycle at Itakudimo when I was attacked. My hand was injured during the incident,” he said.

The clash came amid growing tension over the operation of tricycles and the activities of transport unions in parts of the state.

The Financial Secretary of the Kwara State Tricycle Riders, Abdullahi Abdulraheem, in a video obtained by PUNCH Online, alleged that tricycles operating on major roads in the state were being seized following a directive allegedly issued by the Commissioner for Transportation, Aliyu Korasabi.

Abdulraheem said the alleged development had prevented many riders from carrying out their daily business and earning a living.

“We have chosen to work for our daily bread. We do not want to engage in theft, banditry or any other illegal activity, but we are being deprived of the opportunity to work. The seizure of our tricycles has become a serious problem for our members, whose livelihoods depend on this business,” Abdulraheem said.

He further claimed that a court had previously ruled that tricycle operators should be allowed to operate without harassment or interference. “We have a court order that allows us to operate without disturbance from any agency or authority, and we are calling on the Kwara State Government to intervene before this matter escalates,” he said.

Another tricycle operator, Mustapha Abdulateef, alleged that the rising cost of union tickets, police harassment and other challenges faced by riders had contributed to the decision of some operators to join NARTO.

“The cost of tickets we pay, coupled with police harassment and other challenges on the road, made some of us decide to join a union that we believe can better protect our interests. The government should allow tricycle operators to belong to any union of their choice,” Abdulateef said.

He also alleged that officials of the state Ministry of Transportation disrupted a meeting of riders and damaged office equipment, parked tricycles, mobile phones and other valuables. Abdulateef said NARTO had also been assisting unemployed youths to acquire tricycles through instalment payments, describing the arrangement as a means of creating jobs and supporting livelihoods.

“We are only trying to create opportunities for unemployed youths through the tricycle business. We have a court order recognising our right to operate independently, and we should not be intimidated or prevented from carrying out our legitimate business,” Abdulateef added.

However, the Kwara State Ministry of Transportation denied allegations of intimidation, bias and preferential treatment in the dispute, insisting that it had maintained a neutral position among the transport unions operating in the state.

The ministry, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Press Secretary, Alabere Ahmed, described the allegations as unfounded and an attempt to cast aspersions on its integrity.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Korasabi, also expressed concern over what the ministry described as a late-night visit by some NARTO members to its premises.

“I wish to reiterate that the Ministry of Transportation has no arrangement or special treatment for any transport union in the state. As a government, our sole mandate is to continue coordinating the operations of all transport sectors in a lawful and equitable manner”, Korasabi said.

The commissioner said the disagreement involving NARTO, the NURTW, RTEAN and TOAN had been addressed on several occasions by the ministry in the presence of relevant stakeholders and government officials. He said efforts to resolve the dispute amicably had yet to produce a final resolution, prompting NARTO to seek legal redress.

According to Korasabi, the matter is still before a court, which he said had directed the parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case. The ministry also denied carrying out the impoundment of tricycles reported earlier on Monday, saying the action was not undertaken at its instance.

It said the impoundment followed actions by other parties involved in the court case amid what it described as an initial disregard of the subsisting court injunction by NARTO. The ministry said the intervention of the police prevented the disagreement from escalating into a wider confrontation.

It added that the affected tricycles were taken into custody as a precautionary measure to prevent possible loss, damage or theft while the dispute remained unresolved.

The state government urged the public to disregard what it described as unsubstantiated allegations against the ministry and cautioned against demonstrations at government premises while the matter remained before the court.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to fair and equitable treatment of all transport unions, adding that it would continue to pursue peaceful engagement and an orderly transportation system in the state.

Source: punchng.com

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