A Chinese businessman Liang Tak You and an 80-year-old grandma Mrs. Grace Ekpeme top the list of arrests made by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in nationwide interdiction operations leading to the seizure of consignments of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis hidden in moimoi sachets and Canadian Loud, another strong strain of cannabis concealed in canned food items imported from Canada.
Liang was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos on Friday 25th July 2025 based on actionable intelligence.
The suspect, who arrived Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai, UAE, on Emirates Airline flight, is a Chinese national, naturalised and based in Malaysia, but flew to Thailand where he picked two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of Loud weighing 26.10kg before heading to Nigeria via UAE.
Upon his arrival at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives who were tracking his movement from his port of departure allowed him to pass through necessary protocols before picking him up on his way out of the airport.
The octogenarian grandma Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was arrested at Edet-Nsa street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River state with over 3kg skunk in the early hours of Saturday 26th July following intelligence on her drug dealing activities.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 23rd July intercepted a suspect Chidi Agbafo along Epe – Ajah expressway while taking consignments of 21.7kg Colorado, some of which were packaged in moimoi cooking sachets and 3.8litres of codeine based syrub in a commercial bus to deliver in Warri and Oghara, Delta state.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a total of 101kg Canadian Loud factory packed in 202 tins of imported food item labelled ‘Bean Salad Mix’ and concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that came from Canada, were recovered.
The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies on Friday 25th July.
No fewer than 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered from Usman Musa by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja- Kaduna highway on Wednesday 23rd July when the suspect was travelling with the consignment of opioids in a commercial bus going to Kano.
In Borno, a 30-year-old lady Binta Usman was on Wednesday 23rd July arrested by NDLEA officers who recovered 30.1kg skunk from her house at Muna Moforo area of Maiduguri.
A follow up operation later led to the arrest of her accomplice Bala Abdullahi in the same area of the Borno state capital on Friday 25th July.
Three brothers: Nanna Ozirinye, Chizom Ozirinye and Maxwell Ozirinye were on Saturday 26th July arrested when NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis plantation at bending corner forest, Idoani, Ose local council area of Ondo State where they destroyed 2,500 kilograms of skunk on an hectare of land and recovered already processed 121.4kg of same psychoactive substance.
In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Wednesday 23rd July raided the Asakpa community in Benin city, where they arrested a 26-year-old lady Bright Sunday Okon and recovered various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona and skunk, all strains of cannabis as well as Methamphetamine from her.
While a total of 105.4kg skunk was recovered by NDLEA operatives from an abandoned Honda car marked ABC 204 KM in Keffi, Nasarawa state, their counterparts in Niger state on Monday 21st July arrested a suspect Bashir Abdullahi with 6,400 pills of tramadol 225mg at Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna, even as a notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was taken into custody and 113kg skunk retrieved from his enclave in Ifo, Ogun state on Thursday 24th July after a violent resistance and attack on NDLEA operatives by members of his gang.
A total of 10,910 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect Adamu Adamu (a.k.a Dankyado) by NDLEA officers on patrol along Gombe-Bajoga road, Gombe state on Saturday 26th July, while operatives in Kogi state on Thursday 24th July intercepted a consignment of skunk concealed inside garri, dried scent leaves, and other food items along Okene-Lokoja highway.
A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala who was planning to travel to Katsina state with the cargo and later to Qatar.
Similarly, operatives in Kogi on Saturday 26th July recovered 23,600 pills of tramadol, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in Ayingba area of the state.
The War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Komu/Babaode High School, Babaode, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo state; Beacon Christian Academy, Ngodo, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi; Government Day Secondary School, Araba, Illela, Sokoto; and Government Junior College, Agege, Lagos; while the Anambra state command of NDLEA paid WADA advocacy visit to the traditional rulers of Awka community, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Ezeuzu 11 and Ukpo community, Igwe Robert Eze, Okofia VI, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna and Kogi 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) 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.
Gunmen have killed an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka, and his friend, Adamu Abubakar, in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued late Monday by its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq.
According to the police, the attack occurred at about 7.30pm on Monday, October 26, 2026, in front of the cleric’s residence, when two armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on the victims.
“The victims were immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for medical attention, where they were unfortunately pronounced dead by the attending medical doctor,” the statement said.
The police said the Divisional Police Officer in Dutsin-Ma led a team of operatives to the scene after receiving a report of the attack.
The Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar Fage, has ordered the deployment of tactical and operational teams to the area, while an investigation has commenced to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
The command said the commissioner extended his condolences to the families, friends and followers of the deceased, as well as residents of Dutsin-Ma.
It added that the police would continue efforts to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice, assuring the public that further developments would be communicated.
This came barely a week after some gunmen killed a serving officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and abducted a businessman in Pushit community, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 9:30 pm on Monday, despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew recently imposed in parts of the area following repeated attacks.
A 34-year-old Nigerian man accused of involvement in a fraud and money-laundering scheme targeting elderly Americans has been arrested at an airport in the United States after fleeing the country for Nigeria in 2019.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island said Adetunji Abudu, from Lagos, was arrested at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, while attempting to enter the country from Istanbul, Turkey.
In a statement published on Monday, the office said Abudu was one of six defendants charged in a superseding indictment alleging that millions of dollars obtained through fraud schemes operated from Nigeria were laundered through bank accounts and businesses in the US.
According to the indictment, the schemes allegedly targeted elderly Americans through online romance scams, fraudulent sweepstakes, fake rental listings and sham online shipping transactions.
The statement said money obtained from victims was allegedly channelled through accounts and businesses in Rhode Island, Idaho and other locations, with significant proceeds ultimately sent to Nigeria.
It added that members of the alleged conspiracy also bought vehicles with proceeds from the schemes and shipped them overseas.
“Abudu fled the United States to Nigeria in 2019 after the FBI executed a court-authorised search of his residence in North Providence. Five of Abudu’s co-defendants, Dotun Olawale Alonge, Oluwaseyi Akintol, Samson Ikotun, Olabode Shaba, and Oladipup Shodipu subsequently plead guilty to money laundering conspiracy and received sentences ranging from time served to 42 months’ imprisonment,” the statement read.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney John P. McAdams and was investigated by the FBI, with assistance from the US Postal Inspection Service and police departments in Tallmadge, Ohio, and Moscow, Idaho.
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has condemned the killing of Islamic cleric, Sheikh Yahaya Masussuka, describing him as a proponent of peaceful coexistence and interfaith harmony.
Radda also called for a thorough investigation into the killing, urging security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible.
Masussuka was reportedly shot dead alongside his associate by unidentified gunmen riding on a motorcycle outside his residence in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area of Katsina State on Monday night, October 26, 2026.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Mohammed, the governor said he was shocked by the incident, extending his condolences to the cleric’s family, the Islamic community and others affected by the loss.
He urged security agencies to intensify efforts to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Those behind this heinous act must be brought to justice. I urge the relevant security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that the perpetrators face the full weight of the law,” Radda said.
The governor appealed to residents to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies and provide credible information that could aid the investigation.
He also warned against actions capable of heightening tensions or threatening peace in the state.
Radda described the late cleric as a religious leader whose teachings focused on the Qur’an, peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding among people of different faiths.
He added that Masussuka was known for speaking against violent extremism and radicalisation.
The governor urged the bereaved family to remain firm in their faith despite the loss.
“I urge the bereaved family to take solace in the will of Almighty Allah and remain steadfast in faith during this difficult period. May Allah grant them the strength and patience to bear this painful loss,” he said.
Radda prayed for Allah to forgive the deceased, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus and comfort his family, associates and the wider Muslim community.
