Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old South African woman, Qhina Beauty, with 36.65 kilograms of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, and a 62-year-old Nigerian-American grandmother, Anetor Gloria Ubong, with 9.45kg of high-grade cannabis, loud, imported from the United States.

A statement from Femi Babafemi, spokesperson of the anti-drug agency, says Qhina was arrested at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on October 7 while trying to board a Qatar Airways flight to South Africa via Doha. A search of her two travelling bags led to the recovery of 30 blocks of cocaine weighing 36.65kg, laced with dried pepper, wrapped in cello tape and packed into seven separate parcels.

During her interview, Qhina told operatives she arrived in Nigeria on 30th September specifically to pick up the consignment. She said she was recruited by another South African lady, who promised her R20,000 on successful delivery. She claimed she was introduced to two other members of the syndicate: one based in the United States and the other a Lagos-based car dealer.

Investigations later led to the arrest, on 14th October, of the 46-year-old car dealer Uchenna Victor Umunnakwe, who was intercepted at Apple Junction, Ago Palace Way, Lagos, after days of surveillance at his Shasha residence. He admitted receiving Qhina at the airport, lodging her at Santiago Hotel in Amuwo-Odofin, and later moving her to Cynarisso Hotel near the airport, ahead of her departure.

In another interdiction operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, 21st October, arrested a 62-year-old grandma Anetor Gloria Ubong, a realtor based in Richmond, Texas, who holds both Nigerian and US passports. Authorities arrested her after she arrived on a United Airlines flight from Houston. A search of her two checked-in boxes uncovered 18 parcels of loud, a synthetic cannabis weighing 9.45kg, concealed with gift wrapping paper in a box. She claimed her daughter and the daughter’s future brother-in-law delivered the box to her home in the US for onward delivery in Nigeria to her daughter’s fiancé, Jibola

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A 24-year-old Nigerian woman has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour for human trafficking after a trial at the Gender-Based Violence Court in Tamale, Ghana.

Mariam Yussif was convicted on October 22, 2026, following a police investigation into the alleged recruitment and movement of victims from Nigeria to Ghana for sexual exploitation.

The Northern Regional Police Command said Yussif and her 22-year-old sister, Precious Clement, were arrested at Yendi on August 17, 2026, over their alleged involvement in the operation.

Yussif was subsequently charged under Section 2(1) of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694), and appeared before the court on August 19. She pleaded not guilty and was remanded into custody while the case proceeded.

After several adjournments, the court concluded the trial and found her guilty, leading to the custodial sentence.

She has since been transferred to Tamale Central Prison to begin serving her term.

The police said no case was established against Clement, who was released.

The two victims connected to the case have also been repatriated to Nigeria and reunited with their respective families.

The outcome brings the prosecution to a close against Yussif, while the release of her sister underscores the need for individual responsibility to be established through evidence in trafficking investigations.

The Northern Regional Police Command said the conviction demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led operations, thorough investigations and effective prosecution in tackling human trafficking.

It urged members of the public to report suspected trafficking cases to the appropriate authorities, reaffirming its commitment to protecting vulnerable people and pursuing those involved in the crime.

The police have encouraged the public to remain alert to suspected cases and provide information that could help law enforcement agencies intervene and protect potential victims.

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Two former senior FBI officials have been charged with lying to Congress about their roles in matters involving Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election, according to US Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Pirro announced on X that Nikki Floris, 46, and Bradley Benavides, 56, surrendered on arrest warrants on Friday, October 23, She said the charges concerned their accounts of their work on the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.

According to Pirro, one of the former officials told Congress they had learned about the laptop inquiry through Wikipedia. Prosecutors allege that evidence instead showed involvement in shaping the public narrative surrounding the laptop before the 2020 election. Floris and Benavides each face one count of lying to Congress. They made their initial court appearances on Friday and are scheduled to return for a hearing on Tuesday, October 27.

US department of justice charges 2 former FBI officials with lying to congress about Hunter Biden’s laptop

Lawyers representing Floris denied wrongdoing, describing their client as a “patriot” who was being falsely accused “on the say-so of politicians.” The charges were announced shortly before the 2026 midterm elections. The allegations have yet to be proven in court.

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