A 30-year-old Brazilian lady, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja for bringing into Nigeria a total of 30.09 kilograms of white heroin concealed in factory sealed coffee packs worth over N3 billion in street value.
The suspect who works as a private security officer in Brazil was arrested at the Abuja airport on Friday 23rd January 2026 upon her arrival on a Qatar Airways flight QR1431, following processed intelligence. After her arrest, a search was conducted on her two checked-in bags where 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee were found.
When the coffee bags were opened, rather than containing the beverage, what was found inside were white substances that later tested positive for heroin weighing a total of 30.09 kilograms, making it the single largest heroin seizure at the Abuja airport. During her preliminary interview, the suspect claimed she brought the white heroin consignment under the guise of coming to Nigeria for holidays.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 20th January intercepted two passengers: Adediran Adedoyin and Afatakpa Ochuko who were heading to Istanbul, Turkey, aboard a Turkish Airlines flight with a total of 3,990 pills of tapentadol 250mg and tramaking 225mg concealed in food items packed in their bags.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Marine Command of the Agency in the early hours of Thursday 22nd January intercepted a wooden boat loaded with 44 jumbo bags of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 1,848 kilograms at the Jakande beach in Lekki Lagos. The shipment had barely arrived from Ghana when NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence stormed the location around 1am, recovered the consignment and the boat.
Two suspects: Aminu Ali Baba, 20, and Abdulrasheed Abubakar, 28, were on Friday 23rd January arrested by NDLEA operatives in connection with the seizure of two bags containing 140 packets of explosives heading to Kano and Kaduna. The bags were intercepted in a commercial bus along Kaduna- Zaria highway, Zaria, while Aminu Ali Baba was arrested at Karota park in Kano and Abdulrasheed Abubakar nabbed at Mando park in Kaduna in swift follow-up operations. An intelligence-led raid at Kwangila, Zaria LGA Kaduna on Thursday 22nd January led to the arrest of Fatima Ibrahim, 42, and Adejimoh Ismaila, 44, with 120 kilograms of skunk recovered from them.
As part of efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illicit drugs to terror groups, NDLEA operatives in Borno state on Wednesday 21st January intercepted 179,590 pills of tramadol and diazepam concealed in sacks of charcoal and animal feeds in a public transport car coming from Potiskum, Yobe. A follow-up operation at Bulabulin, Maiduguri led to the arrest of the owner, Rabiu Imam, 32.
A female suspect Mrs. Eze Cynthia Chioma was on Friday 23rd January arrested in Mokwa, Niger state in a follow up operation by NDLEA operatives following the seizure of her consignment of 78,500 pills of tramadol same day at Bode Saadu, Kwara state in a truck coming from Lagos. Her husband currently remanded in prison and facing trial was arrested for the same drug trafficking offence last year.
In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 24th January arrested 72-year-old Afolalu Joseph at his 15 Aramoko road, Mushin, Ilawe-Ekiti and Abu Bunmi (alias Go Slow), 45, at New Jerusalem area, Erijinyan road, Ilawe-Ekiti for illicit drug dealing. A total of 62 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the duo.
A village head, Chief James Abamu and another suspect, Aboy Egah Abamu have been taken into custody by the Edo state Command of NDLEA following their arrest and prompt transfer to the Agency by soldiers of the Nigerian Army 4 Brigade, Benin city, after a raid operation at Lagos camp Ilushi in Esan South East LGA, where 681kg skunk and 181kg cannabis seeds were recovered from them on Wednesday 21st January.
While the trio of Abba Hassan, Anas Moh’d Auwal and Sadik Ismail were arrested in Sabon Gari area of Kano on Tuesday 20th January with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, the duo of Olajumoke Ridwan and Baruwa Ibukun were nabbed at Paris lounge, Ring road, Ibadan, Oyo state on Thursday 22nd January with 181.5 litres of skuchies, a mixture skunk and other illicit substances recovered from them.
In Benue state, a female suspect Janet Iornongu was arrested at Yes Ikyuan village, Guma LGA with 210kg skunk, while a total of 254.5kg of same psychoactive substance was seized from Anita Job along Abaji -Toto road, FCT on Thursday 22nd January. A total of 39,800 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from two suspects: Hamisu Misbahu and Chima Obi at Alaba Rago, Mile 2 area of Lagos on Monday 19th January.
No fewer than 30,003 pills of tramadol, molly and other opioids as well as 20 litres of codeine syrup were seized from a suspect Chinyecherem Cyprian Ugwu by NDLEA officers along Sapele road Warri, Delta state on Thursday 22nd January, while Kayode Obameye, 57, was nabbed at Mobil roundabout, Akure, Ondo state with 1,500 kilograms of skunk recovered from him on Friday 23rd January.
Across all Commands and formations of the Agency nationwide, NDLEA officers continued their War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA), sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Taraba state command of NDLEA conducts WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Government Science Secondary School, Jalingo, Osun state command of NDLEA delivers WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Beloved Montessori Group of Schools, Ede, Osun state;
Owerri City Junior Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue; and Darawa Primary School, Dutsinma, Katsina, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, Marine, Borno, Jigawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Edo, Kano, Delta, Oyo, FCT, Benue, Lagos and Ondo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to maintain the current standard of professionalism in all their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
One of the kidnapped teachers of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Michael Oyedokun, has been killed.
Oyedokun was beheaded in a new video allegedly released by bandits on Sunday.
The video obtained by our correspondent on Telegram on Monday showed that the teacher was gruesomely killed after being tied and forced to speak.
The viral inhumane video has raised fresh concerns over the safety of the remaining victims.
This latest development has thrown the community into mourning as residents, families of the victims and native continue to call on security agencies and the Oyo State Government to intensify rescue operations to secure the release of those still in captivity before being killed.
Confirming the killing of the teacher, Dr Suleimon Olanrewaju, the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Seyi Makinde, in a statement on Monday, said the governor extended his condolences to the victim’s family and assured his government would explore both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to rescue others in the kidnappers’ den.
He also added that about six suspects related to the kidnapping incident have been arrested.
He equally sympathised with the family members of the tactical team of soldiers, Amotekun Corps and local vigilantes, who lost their lives in the rescue operation.
According to him, the operatives lost their lives when they ran into Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), planted by the abductors.
He stated that the wounded security personnel were responding positively to treatment and that the government would spare no cost in taking care of them.
He appealed to the victims’ relatives, religious bodies and other interested parties to exercise patience, promising that the government will rescue and reunite the victims with their families.
“So, please, there may not be quick fixes, but we will continue to endeavour to push ourselves to the limit to resolve this quickly.
“What we know right now is that seven teachers in all were abducted. And, unfortunately, we got a video this morning that one of the teachers, I understand, the mathematics teacher, was killed by the terrorists,” he stated.
Makinde, however, said the government has achieved some success with the operation, with some individuals already arrested in connection with the situation.
“Well, from the information available from the Commissioner of Police, about six individuals have been arrested within the locality.
“Some of them, we believe, are perhaps informants or people running logistics for the terrorists.
“Also, three individuals of interest have been arrested by another security outfit within the state,” he said.
PUNCH Online reports that the gunmen invaded the school on Friday, May 15, and abducted the principal, alongside other teachers and several students.
The attack, which happened some weeks after a failed kidnap attempt that left one traveler dead along the Ibadan-Ijebu road, has renewed concerns over rising insecurity in parts of Oyo State and across Nigeria.
Residents of Oke Egan in the Ilogbo-Eremi area of Badagry, Lagos State, were thrown into shock on Friday after the body of a sexagenarian woman, Victoria Adegoke, was found abandoned in a nearby bush.
PUNCH Metro learnt from community sources on Sunday that the deceased was allegedly found naked and was suspected of having been raped and strangled before her body was dragged into the bush.
One of the photographs obtained by PUNCH Metro on Sunday showed what appeared to be marks indicating that the victim’s hands had been tied by her assailants.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident, said Adegoke, believed to be in her 60s and a grandmother, was found around 6:10am on Friday.
He told our correspondent that the deceased had attended a programme at The Joy of Christ Ministry, popularly known as Ayo Jesu Church.
According to the source, Adegoke was allegedly ambushed by some hoodlums while returning home in the early hours of the day.
“The deceased is someone I know. Her daughter stays abroad. She went to church last Tuesday and had been there for some time because they were holding a programme that ended four days ago.
“She later stayed with one of her siblings who lives close to the church. It was while she was returning home around six in the morning that she was reportedly attacked.
“The suspects removed her clothes and underwear. They strangled her and also took her phone. Her ATM card and Bible were found at the scene,” the source said.
Another resident who identified himself only as Adeola described the incident as shocking, questioning why an elderly woman would be subjected to such brutality.
“She should be between 65 and 68 years old. Passersby found her body inside the bush and reported the matter at the police post in Ilogbo-Eremi.
“The police are aware of the incident and should be able to track the assailants through the woman’s stolen phone,” the resident said.
A community member, who also requested anonymity for fear of attack, described the area of the incident as notorious for violent crimes.
“The community is along the boundary between Lagos and Ogun states and is known for criminal activities. This is not the first time such a crime has happened here.
In fact, this would be about the fourth such incident reported in the area.
“The place is prone to violence, so people have to be careful. She was a grandmother, not a young woman. She was found naked, and it was when the police arrived that her body was covered. Her pants had been removed, which suggested she was raped,” the source added.
When contacted on Sunday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, did not respond to calls or a WhatsApp message sent to his line at the time of this report.
This is not the first time a disturbing incident has been reported in Badagry. In November 2025, the corpse of an unidentified man was discovered in front of a filling station in the Seme area of the town.
A yet-to-be-identified man was shot dead while several others sustained injuries during a violent clash that erupted at the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the Ikotun area of Lagos State on Saturday.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Sunday that the incident occurred during the party’s primary election held at a primary school in the Ile-Iwe, Egbe area of the community.
The APC on Saturday conducted primary elections for aspirants vying for seats in the House of Representatives across the country.
It was gathered that the exercise was ongoing peacefully before an argument allegedly broke out among rival supporters at the venue. This was said to have led to chaos and violence.
A resident familiar with the incident, who asked not to be identified for security reasons told our correspondent on Sunday that gunshots later rang out during the disruption.
The resident said, “The primary held in a primary school at the Ile-Iwe area of Ikotun Egbe. The exercise was ongoing when an argument suddenly broke out among some supporters.
“The situation later degenerated and people started running for safety. In the process, gunshots were heard and one person was hit. Some others were also injured during the confusion.”
Another resident, who identified himself simply as Taofeek, said the violence disrupted activities in the area as other supporters and delegates fled for fear of further attacks.
“We suddenly started hearing people shouting and running. Everybody became confused because nobody initially knew what was happening.
“After the gunshots, people started jumping fences and hiding in nearby houses. It was later that we heard that one person was killed while others sustained injuries,” Taofeek disclosed.
He further explained that the injured victim was rushed out of the venue but later died on the way to the hospital.
“The victim was rushed out after he was shot, but we learnt he later died. It created serious tension around the venue because many people were afraid,” he added.
A police source in the area told PUNCH Metro that additional security operatives were drafted to the scene of the incident before normalcy was restored.
“The moment the situation became violent, our men called for backup and the DPO and Area Commander moved to the venue to restore peace,” the police source said.
The police source, however, did not confirm if any arrest had been made.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos State, Abimbola Adebisi, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to his telephone line were not responded to.
Party officials were yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of press time.
Electoral and political violence have remained recurring concerns in Nigeria, particularly during party primaries, elections and rerun polls, with clashes among rival supporters often resulting in injuries, deaths and destruction of property.
