Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, for ingesting 98 wraps of cocaine while attempting to travel to Italy through Addis Ababa and France.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Cyril was arrested at the departure hall of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on Sunday, August 2, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930.
Babafemi said the suspect was subsequently placed on excretion observation, during which he expelled 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg.
The statement said, “The suspect who was nabbed at the departure hall of the airport on Sunday, 2nd August 2026 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET930, was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510 kilograms.”
Giving details of the investigation, Babafemi said, “Investigations revealed that Cyril had arrived Nigeria from Italy on 13th July 2026 and ingested the drug in a hotel in Awka, Anambra State before proceeding to Enugu to board his flight to Europe on Sunday 2nd August.”
The NDLEA spokesman added that the suspect admitted agreeing to traffic the drugs for money.
“In his statement, he claimed he has been doing business in Italy for years before agreeing to traffic the drug consignment for a fee of 3,500 Euros in order to raise money to relocate to Germany where his family is based,”Babafemi said.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives foiled attempts by traffickers to export 1.2kg of cocaine concealed inside 25 phone chargers to Saudi Arabia.
Babafemi said, “Attempts by some drug trafficking syndicates to export 1.2 kilograms of cocaine concealed in 25 pieces of phone chargers going to Saudi Arabia were thwarted by NDLEA operatives at a courier firm in Lagos.”
He added that another attempt to export cocaine to Italy was also stopped.
“A similar bid to send 500 grams of the same class A drug hidden in the false bottom of a backpack to Italy was equally aborted in another logistics company by NDLEA officers on Monday 3rd August,” he stated.
The agency also intercepted another shipment of cannabis from the United States.
According to Babafemi, “a consignment of 2.3kg Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, coming from the United States was intercepted in another shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday 4th August.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck heading north with 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice chaff.
Babafemi said, “NDLEA officers on patrol along Akure-Ilesha expressway on Tuesday 4th August intercepted a truck heading to the North with 1,633 kilograms of skunk concealed in bags of rice shafts.”
He disclosed that two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the consignment.
“Two suspects: Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, transporting the consignment were arrested,” he stated.
The agency also recovered 147kg of skunk from the Ita Ogbolu forest during a separate operation.
Babafemi said, “a total of 147kg skunk was recovered from Ita Ogbolu forest during a raid operation on Monday 3rd August.”
In Oyo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area, recovering more than 731kg of cannabis.
According to the statement, “In Oyo state, operatives acting on credible intelligence on Monday 3rd August raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire LGA, where they recovered 731.03 kilograms and arrested a suspect, Felicia Thompson, 57, while her partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka is at large.”
In Edo State, the agency said operatives, supported by soldiers, recovered 604.5kg of skunkduring another raid.
Babafemi stated, “In a similar operation in Edo state on Wednesday 5th August, operatives supported by soldiers recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West LGA.”
In Abia State, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old Chibuike Charles, a suspected drug joint operator, during a raid at Samec by Powerline base in Osisioma Local Government Area.
Babafemi said, “While a drug joint operator, Chibuike Charles, 31, was arrested during a raid at his Samec by powerline base in Osisioma LGA, Abia state where 7kg of skunk was seized on Thursday 6th August.”
In Lagos, the agency said it finally arrested a wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, after three months of searching for him.
According to the statement, “a notorious wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru was on Saturday 8th August nabbed at the fibre market drug jungle, Badagry, Lagos, after a three-month manhunt for him.”
The agency added, “As at the time of his arrest, 88.5kg of skunk was seized from him.”
At the Tincan Port Complex in Lagos, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, intercepted a consignment containing cannabis-infused confectioneries.
Babafemi said, “A total of 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cookies and gummies infused with cannabis weighing 309.4kg were discovered during a joint examination of a 40ft container by NDLEA officers, Customs and other security agencies on Tuesday 4th August at the Tincan port complex Lagos.”
He added that “a suspect, Larry Nnaji, has already been arrested in connection with the seizure.”
One hundred and thirty persons have been arrested after men of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI raided a suspected fraud compound in Ghana and arrested more than 130 people.
The FBI Director, Kash Patel, disclosed this in a post shared on his official X account on Thursday.
Patel said the operation, codenamed “Operation Blackout”, was carried out in the week as part of the FBI’s efforts to dismantle global scam centres.
“OPERATION BLACKOUT: This is the FBI’s global scam-centre fraud demolition. Another takedown this week out of Ghana,” Patel wrote.
He said the operation had so far resulted in nearly $10m in identified losses, 89 victims identified, more than 130 individuals arrested or detained, including victims who would be repatriated to their home countries, and more than 300 devices seized.
“Investigation is ongoing. These scam compounds target American citizens and destroy lives – and this @FBI is crushing them in every corner of the world. More to come,” he said.
Patel also gave an update on the overall Operation Blackout figures, saying roughly $17bn had been seized, hundreds of alleged scammers arrested and thousands of trafficked workers freed.
He added that more than 10,000 Americans had been warned before losing their money, while an estimated $670m in losses had been prevented.
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a suspect, Adewale Arojah, identified as a prophet’s son, for allegedly impersonating a renowned cleric on Facebook and defrauding multiple victims of over N18m under the guise of offering prayers and spiritual assistance.
According to a statement by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, on Thursday, the arrest followed a complaint lodged on October 3, 2026, by Muyiwa Akogun, popularly known on Facebook as “Prophet Dr. Muyiwa Akogun”.
The command said Akogun alerted the police after members of the public complained about “fraudulent activities being perpetrated in his name through a duplicated Facebook profile.”
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, Ilaro Division, immediately detailed intelligence and detective operatives to track down the perpetrator,” the statement said.
It added that “through sustained technological monitoring and intelligence-led analysis, the suspect was tracked to a nearby village in Ajegunle, via the Ilaro/Ibogun axis, where he was successfully apprehended.”
The police said the suspect confessed during interrogation to impersonating the cleric on Facebook.
“During a rigorous interrogation, the suspect confessed to impersonating the real Prophet Akogun on Facebook.
“He admitted to using the cleric’s identity to deliver fake prophecies and offer prayer services to vulnerable individuals, thereby defrauding victims residing both within Nigeria and in the diaspora,” Babaseyi said.
The command said preliminary investigations showed that the suspect allegedly targeted people seeking spiritual assistance through the prophet’s Facebook page.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect systematically targeted victims seeking spiritual assistance on the said prophet’s Facebook page, gains their trust and swindled them of funds amounting to over ₦18 million,” it said.
The suspect has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.
The command said the investigation would be used to ascertain the extent of the crime, identify potential accomplices, and ensure possible prosecution.
The command said the arrest was part of its efforts to tackle online fraud and identity theft in the state.
“The swift arrest highlights the Ogun State Police Command’s resolve to dismantle online fraud networks, curb identity theft, and deny cybercriminals safe space to operate across the state,” Babaseyi said.
The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Bode Ojajuni, commended the Ilaro operatives for what the statement described as their “vigilance, tactical discipline, and swift response”.
The CP also reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting residents from digital and physical threats.
The command advised members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with religious leaders and public figures on social media.
“The Command advises members of the public to exercise caution and due diligence when engaging with religious leaders or public figures on social media platforms,” the statement said.
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has summoned heads of security agencies in the state to a meeting following a spike in security breaches, particularly recent killings involving rival cult groups in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Samuel Ojo, disclosed this during an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, saying the meeting would be held on Wednesday.
Ojo said the meeting would deliberate on and address the killings by suspected cultists in the state.
He added that the meeting would also discuss measures to make forests in the state safer, in view of the recent killing of an ISWAP leader in Owo, Ondo State.
“We are holding a security meeting on Wednesday, by the special grace of God, to reassure our people and put our security agencies on their toes.
“What happened in Ondo is a lesson to those criminals hibernating in the forests.
We will not take it lightly with anyone using the forest as a hideout,” he said.
He further said, “Aside from that, we are also using the meeting to address the incessant killings by rival cult groups in the past weeks.
“We need to meet and discuss how to stop these killings by cult groups or any other violent crimes hiding under that canopy.”
The governor’s aide, who stressed the need to stop the killings to protect Osun’s corporate image, warned perpetrators of violent crimes to desist or face dire consequences.
“We need to stop it, so as not to give our state a bad name, because nobody knows what they are fighting for or why they are killing themselves,” Ojo said.
The PUNCH reports that two separate attacks by members of rival cult groups, which occurred in Osogbo, the state capital, between last Friday and Sunday, left two people dead and about five others injured.
In reaction to the latest cult attack, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, subsequently ordered tactical teams to raid suspected criminal hideouts in Osogbo.
