The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs Mary Barek, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The agency stated that the suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the airport on Saturday, June 28, while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.
According to a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a thorough search of the suspect’s luggage led to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine disguised as hands of plantain and packed alongside other food items.
Babafemi stated, “A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine, which were packaged to appear like hands of plantain, weighing a total of 13 kilograms.
“In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits.”
He also announced the arrest of a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, over an attempt to export cocaine concealed inside cartons of Orijin Bitters bound for Kuala Lumpur.
Babafemi said Onyeka was arrested in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 29 after investigators traced him as the alleged leader of a drug trafficking syndicate.
He disclosed that operatives had earlier intercepted 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms hidden within the walls of nine cartons of the herbal drink that formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Malaysia.
According to him, four suspects were initially arrested in Lagos during the investigation, including the cargo agent, Alalade Taiwo Azeez; the driver who conveyed the consignment, Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; a trader at ASPANDA Market, Trade Fair Complex, Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who allegedly supplied the cartons used to conceal the drugs.
Babafemi noted, “The efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze, who was hiding in his village, Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State, as the leader of the syndicate.”
In Taraba State, the NDLEA said its operatives arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area on Saturday, July 4.
The agency said 43,980 capsules of Tramadol were recovered from two vehicle fuel tanks specially modified to conceal the drugs.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid in Gwantu Local Government Area of Kaduna State on July 2, where they allegedly recovered 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In Ebonyi State, a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Ifara Eja, was arrested with 231.7 kilograms of skunk at Ikwo on July 4, while a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was apprehended with 15 kilograms of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau State on July 3.
The agency also reported that two suspects, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, were arrested in Gombe State on July 1 with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms at Kuri Village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands nationwide sustained the War Against Drug Abuse campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres, and communities.
According to Babafemi, the awareness activities were conducted at Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra State; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu State; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; and the FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano State, among other locations.
Commending officers involved in the recent operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining enforcement with public enlightenment.
Babafemi quoted Marwa as saying he “commended the officers and men of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures,” noting that “their drug supply reduction efforts, balanced with WADA sensitisation activities,” while charging them and other officers across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.
The Defence Headquarters says troops have rescued 36 abducted persons and killed several terrorists in fresh operations across the country.
The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday on military operations conducted between August 31 and September 3.
He said the operations targeted terrorists, kidnappers, arms traffickers, criminal networks and secessionist elements across various theatres.
Onoja said troops of Operation HADIN KAI sustained counter-terrorism operations in Borno and Yobe, neutralising terrorists and disrupting their logistics networks.
He said troops killed one terrorist on September 1 after detonating an IED along the Miyanti-Banki Junction main supply route in Bama, Borno.
According to him, troops recovered a rifle, ammunition and an IED initiator after the operation.
He said “Another terrorist was killed during an encounter at Lamusuri Crossing Point in Gujba, Yobe, with a rifle and ammunition recovered.”
Onoja said troops also intercepted a terrorist escapee around Sabsawa, Bama, on August 31 after he fled captivity due to hunger and hardship.
He said troops arrested a suspect in Konduga for conveying foodstuffs allegedly destined for a terrorist enclave in Bama.
According to him, troops also arrested a suspected former terrorist fighter turned informant in Damasak, Mobbar, on September 1.
He said several terrorist fighters surrendered between September 1 and 2, while suspected logistics suppliers, informants and spies were arrested.
Onoja said 21 women and children surrendered to troops in Mafa, Dikwa, on September 2 following clashes between rival terrorist factions.
He added that another terrorist escapee was intercepted near Amuda Bridge, Gwoza, while a suspected terrorist spy was arrested along the Kauwa-Kukawa Road.
Onoja said troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA sustained offensive operations against terrorists and kidnappers across Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara.
He said troops neutralised two terrorist kingpins and wounded another during a raid on suspected hideouts in Kogo, Matazu, Katsina, on August 31.
According to him, two motorcycles were also destroyed during the operation.
He said troops intercepted a vehicle in Kadage, Giwa, Kaduna, on September 2, containing 793 rounds of ammunition concealed in a sack of grain.
He said one fleeing suspect was neutralised during the operation.
Onoja said troops also ambushed terrorists riding motorcycles at Kwanar Jolof along the Shinkafi-Zurmi axis in Zamfara.
He said troops recovered “an RPG launcher, rifle, ammunition and other items, while several terrorists were killed.”
The defence spokesman said troops rescued six abducted victims transiting from Ayu Market in Mehinua, Wasagu, Kebbi, on September 2.
He said another 23 abducted civilians, comprising three men and 20 women, were rescued from the outskirts of Wuya, Anka, Zamfara, on September 3.
According to him, the victims had been held by their abductors for about three weeks and were evacuated for medical attention.
He said troops also rescued two abducted victims along the Dandume-Birnin Gwari Road in Sabuwa, Katsina, recovering two motorcycles.
Onoja said troops subsequently conducted offensive operations in Tsamiya, Gandaba Gabas, Karradai, Zamoria, Tumunna and Bilange Forest in Tangaza, Sokoto.
He said a “terrorist camp was destroyed, while military uniforms, identification cards and a rifle were recovered.”
He added that troops recovered a locally fabricated rifle near Maikujera in Rabah, Sokoto, believed to have been concealed by terrorists after an August 28 ambush.
In the North Central, Onoja said troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE engaged two suspected terrorists on a motorcycle along the Gbise-Igyudu Road in Katsina-Ala, Benue, on September 2.
He said one terrorist was killed while the other escaped, with troops recovering a pistol, rifle magazine, ammunition and charms.
Onoja said troops also compelled kidnappers to abandon two women abducted in Ajodomodo, Dekina, Kogi, leaving the victims unharmed in Agbodakodo Forest.
He said troops conducted clearance operations in Peva, Takum, Taraba, on September 3, targeting a wanted gang leader’s hideout.
According to him, “five gang members were arrested and ammunition and other items recovered, while the gang leader remained at large.”
Onoja said troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE arrested a suspected kidnapping informant in Sabon Gida, Sanga, Kaduna, on September 3.
He added that troops of Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD “rescued five male kidnap victims from farms along the Kotonkoro-Bangi Road in Mariga, Niger.”
He said troops also apprehended a “suspected terrorist fighter with gunshot wounds in Gaa Ali Awere, Ifelodun, Kwara.”
In the South-East, Onoja said troops of Operation UDO KA arrested two suspects in Mbosi, Ihiala, Anambra, on September 1 for allegedly providing medical treatment to secessionist elements.
He said troops also raided the Iva Valley Coal Mine in Enugu North on September 2, “arresting a suspected member of a secessionist syndicate.”
According to him, the suspect was allegedly involved in orchestrating attacks against security agencies.
Onoja said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, commended troops across all theatres for their gallantry and resilience.
He said Oluyede also commended the synergy between the military, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, local security groups and other stakeholders.
According to him, the CDS urged members of the public, traditional rulers and community leaders to continue providing credible information to security agencies.
He reassured Nigerians that the Armed Forces would sustain operations until peace, stability and security were restored across the country.
A former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Shehu Buba, is again facing allegations of supporting banditry as he struggles to clear his name.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH showed that Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District in the Senate, has since 2024 faced allegations of an alleged relationship with suspected bandits, accusations he has consistently denied.
The latest allegations came from a local resident simply known as ‘Hassan’, who accused the senator during an interview with social media influencer, ‘D English Alhaji Media’ (@DEngliishalhaji) of being one of the politicians aiding bandits in the area.
Hassan also alleged that individuals linked to notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, were brought to Abuja for specialised training, which was allegedly facilitated by an aide of the senator.
But Buba, in an interview published by Albarka Radio in Bauchi on Thursday, accused Hassan of being sponsored by some politicians to tarnish his reputation.
The senator disclosed that he had earlier submitted a formal petition to the Inspector General of Police, adding that four suspects had been arrested and would soon be charged.
According to him, Hassan, who he described as the primary suspect, had fled the country to Niger Republic, where he continued to run live Internet broadcasts allegedly funded by political opponents.
“Those sponsoring him cannot change destiny; if God says I will be, nobody can stop me using social media propaganda against me,” he said.
However, Saturday PUNCH was unable to independently confirm the police action on the matter as the Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, did not answer calls or respond to messages sent to him.
The senator’s phone numbers and that of his media aide, Sabo Muhammad, were switched off for hours, while messages sent to their lines could not be delivered on Friday.
When contacted for steps taken on the development in the state, the Police Public Relations Officer in Bauchi State, Nafiu Habib, said the command could not take a position on the matter in the absence of any formal complaint or petition from the parties involved.
He said, “We have not received any petition by anyone on the said allegation, so we don’t have a stake in the matter.”
Buba’s ally defends senator
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Buba’s ally and Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms, Mukhtar Gwarzo, defended the senator, urging relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the matter.
Gwarzo, who said he had known the senator for more than two decades, stated that the allegations were serious because they touched on national security.
He said the truth must be established “clearly and without fear or favour.”
However, Gwarzo said his personal knowledge of Buba over the years had given him confidence in his character.
“I have known him in quiet moments and in difficult seasons. I have watched his character under pressure. I know the values he carries, the discipline he lives by, and the quiet integrity that has guided his life,” he said.
Gwarzo argued that the senator he knew was different from the person portrayed in the allegations, noting that Buba’s previous responsibilities in the National Assembly demonstrated the level of trust placed in him.
“The man I know is not the man being painted in these stories. If he were the kind of person who would support, protect, or benefit from banditry and terrorism, he would never have been entrusted with one of the most sensitive positions in the National Assembly,” he stated.
The businessman, however, called for an investigation, stressing that he was not asking anyone to disregard the allegations or shield the senator from scrutiny.
He said, “I am not asking anyone to close their eyes. I am not asking for silence. Let every allegation be thoroughly investigated.
“Let the DSS speak clearly. Let the National Assembly examine the matter with the seriousness it deserves. Let the Hajj authorities explain the processes that were followed.”
Gwarzo added that anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law.
The latest accusation is not the first time Buba has been linked to allegations concerning suspected bandits.
Our correspondents gathered that the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, sent a petition to President Tinubu dated September 19, 2024, alleging that Buba, through an aide, Yahaya Ibrahim, registered and funded a suspected Zamfara bandit, Abubakar Idris, and one Zainab Gado, for the Hajj pilgrimage.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that Idris was subsequently arrested by the Department of State Services, which also probed the senator.
In the letter, the governor explained that DSS operatives in Bauchi State visited the Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board during the 2024 pilgrims’ operations.
They demanded the e-passports of Idris and Gado, both of whom were registered as intending pilgrims.
Gado’s passport had already been released and she had departed for the Hajj, while Idris’ passport was handed over to the DSS.
He was subsequently detained.
According to the report, Idris was suspected of involvement in banditry and kidnapping activities in Zamfara State.
Records available at the Pilgrims Welfare Board, the governor stated, showed that the two individuals were registered through Ibrahim, a senior legislative aide to Senator Buba.
The governor described the development as “deeply worrisome as it suggests the senator’s complicity in supporting, enabling and empowering bandits to cause mayhem and go unscathed.”
A spokesperson for the DSS when contacted by Saturday PUNCH said investigations into allegations against the senator “would be published at the appropriate time, please.”
Attempts to obtain confirmation of the petition from the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Mukhtar Gidado, and the state Commissioner for Information, Usman Shehu, were unsuccessful.
Neither official responded to calls and messages sent to them as of the time of filing this report.
The allegations have also attracted calls for greater scrutiny of the senator.
A former Minister for Youth and Sport, Solomon Dalung, called for an independent review of the allegations against Buba.
Dalung said the DSS should clarify the status of its investigation, while urging the National Assembly to consider an independent probe given Buba’s former position overseeing the country’s security and intelligence architecture.
He further called on the Hajj authorities to explain how Idris was registered and sponsored for the pilgrimage, saying the senator should either be publicly cleared if the allegations were baseless or held accountable if evidence of wrongdoing was established.
Dalung stressed that “political office, parliamentary status or personal connections should provide no shield against accountability.”
The Bello Turji allegation
It was learnt that in 2025, Sahara Reporters published a report in which the senator was accused of facilitating an alleged peace deal with wanted terror kingpin, Bello Turji.
The report generated controversies over Buba’s stance on the fight against terrorism.
However, Buba’s legal team petitioned the Force Criminal Investigation Department, accusing a group of individuals of criminal conspiracy, defamation, cyberstalking and bullying against the lawmaker.
In the petition dated September 9, 2025, and addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force CID, Buba’s counsel, Musa Ogah, named Hassan, Kibanna AA Square, Jabir Kaura, Ishaq Abubakar (Major), and others as responsible for what it described as a coordinated campaign to tarnish the senator’s reputation.
The petition claimed that the campaign was suspected to have been sponsored by some politicians uncomfortable with Buba’s rising profile in Bauchi South Senatorial District.
The counsel alleged that Hassan was the first to stalk and bully Buba online, accusing him via Facebook and WhatsApp of giving a Kaduna cleric, identified as Assadus Sunna, money in “Ghana-must-go” bags meant for bandits, and of distributing motorcycles to bandits rather than to constituents as claimed.
The petition urged the police to investigate and identify those it suspected of bankrolling the alleged perpetrators, warning that failure to act would embolden further attacks on public office holders.
The two heaps of fresh sand behind the three-bedroom bungalow in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, are all that remain of a tragedy that has left residents struggling to make sense of what happened.
Placed side by side behind the house, the heaps mark the graves of a husband and wife whose lives ended within hours of each other following a reported domestic dispute.
The house, built beside the Celestial Church of Christ, Iri Orun Parish owned by the couple, was deserted when our correspondent visited the community on Thursday. The church was also quiet and the stillness of the air in the environment was a pointer to the tragedy that has recently visited the neighborhood.
But for residents, the silence has not erased the horror of Monday, August 31, when Bidemi Odukoya, the Shepherd of Iri Orun Parish of the CCC, allegedly macheted his wife to death during a midnight domestic dispute before reportedly taking his own life.The incident reportedly occurred around 2am.
After allegedly attacking his wife, Odukoya, a father of three boys, reportedly fled the community and headed for the Coker junction, Ifo section of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, about 20 minutes drive away from Akiode community.
He was later alleged to have thrown himself in front of a moving truck, resulting in his instant death.Both husband and wife were buried beside their home on Monday evening.
For the residents of Akiode Ibogun, the incident remains difficult to comprehend, particularly because the couple had lived in the community for about nine or 10 years and were generally regarded as friendly and respectful.
The Baale of the community, Chief Taiwo Akiode, said the tragedy had plunged residents into deep mourning.
“This unfortunate incident is the first of its kind in this environment. It is a tragedy of monumental proportion that no one saw coming. It is something that you only come across in Nollywood films, those ones we watch on television. Nobody ever believes that such a sad incident could happen just at our backyard.
“It is even more puzzling and very disturbing with the kind of personalities involved, I mean the Shepherd and his wife. Both of them were very jovial and respectful. They behaved so responsibly and greeted me cheerfully whenever they were passing by.
“Since over nine or 10 years that they have been living with us, you don’t get to hear that the couple are troublesome or quarrelsome.
“So I find it difficult to believe that it is these same set of people that could be involved in such a brutal domestic fight that claimed their souls in a very disturbing manner, leaving everyone behind to wallow in wild bewilderment.”
Speaking on how he got to know of the tragedy, Akiode said some residents knocked on his door around 3am to inform him that the Shepherd had allegedly killed his wife.
He said the residents had first informed the police and were later instructed to alert him.
Akiode explained that “I was told that the Shepherd had killed his wife, that he macheted her. I could not believe my ears until we got to their residence and met the woman in a pool of her blood.
“There was a wound that looked like a machete cut and there was also a stool which we also heard that the man smashed on his wife’s head.
“The police later came around and took photographs of the scene. All this while, the Shepherd was nowhere to be found. The thought was that he had taken to his heels, having realised the weight of his grievous actions.”
The community leader said another report came around 7am that Odukoya had allegedly jumped in front of a moving truck at Ifo along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
“We thereafter sent some residents to go and confirm the report, which they did. The police at Ifo got involved and took it up from there,” he said.
According to Akiode, some people in Ifo told residents that Odukoya had been crossing the expressway repeatedly before sitting on the median.
“Some people at Ifo told us that when the deceased got to the expressway, he was crossing the expressway back and forth repeatedly. He later sat on the divider, after which he saw an oncoming truck and jumped before it and died.”
Akiode said the wife was buried around 5pm, while the husband’s remains were returned to the community later in the evening.
“The corpse of the husband, which was brought back to the community very late, maybe because of documentation and other things, was buried beside his wife past seven in the evening,” he added.
The Baale said that the community had yet to recover from the incident.
“These are what we usually hear on radio, that a man killed his wife or a wife stabbed her husband to death. It is never what anyone of us thought could happen within our vicinity.
“So it happened so unexpectedly that the horror reverberated across the community, leaving all of us to keep wondering what could have gone wrong.”
Akiode said it was only after the tragedy that he heard claims that the couple frequently fought.
“It is after their death that some people were saying that the couple were fond of fighting, but like I said earlier, I never heard anything like that.
“These people were quite nice. You will even think that they were siblings. They cut a picture of a loving couple that I would never have, in my wildest imagination, thought could cause all of this anguish.”
The community leader said the incident should make couples more tolerant and patient in dealing with marital disagreements.
“It is worrisome that this could happen between husband and wife. It calls for lots of sober reflection. We should know that even if we disagree as couples, it should not be to the extent that life will be lost.
“We should see ourselves as partners and we must build our relationship on genuine love. We should also not wait for things to degenerate if we are having challenges with our marriage. We should seek help and counselling before things get out of hand.”
The youth leader of the community, Seun Adelana, while speaking to journalists, alleged that the crisis that claimed the lives of the couple was rooted in infidelity.
He said, “Allegations of infidelity from both the husband and wife were said to have been the major reason responsible for this sad event.
“The husband was said to have been alleging that the wife was dating another man, and some people also said that the shepherd was dating another woman. So, this is what we gathered led to the altercation, which made the husband kill the woman,” Adelana added.
However, a neighbour of the deceased couple, Mrs Oluwatoyin Oseni, gave a different account of their relationship.
Oseni, who could barely hold back her tears, said the couple frequently engaged in domestic fights, some of which allegedly left the late woman injured.
“Sincerely, Mummy Daniel and her husband, who we fondly called Iri Orun, have always engaged in domestic fights. Recently, I had to help take care of the wife after their usual fight.
“There was even police involvement, after which we thought that the misunderstanding had been settled. It was after the tragedy of Monday, August 31, that we got to understand that both husband and wife had reportedly not been on speaking terms since June as a fallout of their regular squabble,” Oseni said.
She recalled that it was Daniel, the couple’s 14-year-old first child, who woke her around 2am after he realised that his father had attacked his mother after which she and another neighbour rushed to the couple’s home.
“By the time myself and one other neighbour got to the residence of the couple, we discovered the lifeless body of Mummy Daniel with a broken head, all covered in blood, on the floor.
“We later got to hear that the Shepherd used a machete and wooden stool to smash the head of his wife. We also saw Daddy Daniel with a cutlass in his hand.
“As I was asking him why he would go to the extent of killing his wife, he calmly said that he too was as good as gone. But because he was holding the cutlass, we could not move closer,” she added.
Oseni said Odukoya later went inside the house, but the neighbours did not know that he had left the community.
“He later went inside the house, but we never knew that he had escaped that midnight from the community to go and kill himself at Ifo along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway,” she said.
The neighbour lamented the tragedy had been particularly painful because she had repeatedly advised the late woman to seek peace in her marriage.
She said, “Nobody knows that such a huge calamity could befall us here. These are what we hear on radio or watch on television. Nobody could have thought that such would happen in our community.
“I have particularly been weeping since this incident occurred because I have always told Mummy Daniel to try and be patient and give peace a chance because I am always troubled by the couple’s persistent fight.
“But she would always tell me that she can’t leave her children behind, particularly her last born, who is seven years old. But sadly, everything has ended this terrible and painful way.”
The Asiwaju of Ibogun Akiode, Chief Oluwasegun Adeboye, also expressed sadness over the deaths.
The 76-year-old community leader said residents were finding it difficult to believe that the Shepherd and his wife could have been involved in such a tragedy because they were regarded as peaceful people who related well with others.
He said residents only began hearing more about the couple’s alleged marital problems after the incident.
“It was after the tragedy that we began to hear that they were given to frequent fights and all that.
“We even heard that they have already taken their case to court and they were asked to go back home and see if they could amicably resolve their differences, after which they return to the court for the next course of action.”
“According to what we heard, they were supposed to have returned to court again on Wednesday, but everything has ended on Monday, two days earlier,” he stated.
The community leader said some residents had also attributed the tragedy to spiritual forces.
“Some of us also believe that what happened might not be unconnected with some diabolical powers; it goes beyond the ordinary. We are only praying that the devil will not have a foothold in our homes,” he added.
When contacted for reaction, ASP Opeyemi Oluborode, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, said the police was already investigating the incident.
He said, “The command is very much aware of the case. The case file is currently being transferred to the SCID for diligent investigation into knowing the actual facts surrounding the sad incidents”.
