A 75-year-old grandpa Uchelue Ikechukwu was among six suspects arrested with illicit substances in raids by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in parts of Anambra state just as 30-year-old Alfa Andrew was taken into custody following the destruction of 178, 750 kilograms of skunk on his 71.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Mayodoga forest, Sardauna local council area of Taraba state.
While Uchelue was nabbed at Umudioka, Dunukofia local government area of Anambra with 26.7kg skunk on Thursday 28th August 2025, Eneh Makuo; Emmanuel Chiemeli; Uwakwe Matthew; Chukwujekwu Ehirim; Ifeanyichukwu Olisa and Odoh Chukwuma, were arrested with various quantities of opioids and skunk at Nkwelle and Amichi areas of the state.
In his case, Andrew was arrested with a Dane gun on Tuesday 26th August when NDLEA operatives supported by personnel of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard and Vigilante, stormed his 71.5 hectares of cannabis farm located at Mayodoga forest, Mayosabere ward in Sardauna LGA, Taraba State, where they destroyed 178, 750 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.
No fewer than 104,900 capsules of tramadol concealed in the driver compartment of a fuel tanker, suspected to be an illicit consignment going to insurgents in parts of Borno state, were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate in Kaduna on Friday 29th August while a suspect Hassan Buba was immediately taken into custody. Another suspect Kabir Sulaiman, 45, was nabbed with 34.150kg skunk by NDLEA officers at Gwargwaje – Zaria check point on Saturday 30th August.
Following intelligence and surveillance, NDLEA operatives in an interdiction operation on Saturday 30th August arrested a major supplier of illicit opioids in Borno state, 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh shortly after he received his supplies from Onitsha, Anambra state. Recovered from his apartment at Chescon, Pompomary area of Maiduguri include 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg; 7,940 tablets of rohypnol and a cash of Seven Million Nine Hundred and Ninety-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred Naira (N7,999,200.00) only in N200 new notes.
In Nasarawa state, NDLEA operatives on Thursday 28th August arrested a suspect Abubakar Dauda, 36, with 79,040 pills of tramadol and diazepam at Abacha park, Mararaba Karu. This followed the arrest of Babangida Tungura, 47, in Lafia, with 30,410 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol as well as 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup concealed in a deep freezer from Asaba, Delta state on Tuesday 26th August.
A 23-year-old suspect Mohammed Ali was on Wednesday 27th August arrested in a follow up operation at Ngorore, Adamawa State following the interception of his way billed consignment of 15,000 capsules of tramadol concealed in sacks of animal feed at the Gombe mega park.
In Kano, the duo of Ashiru Garba, 20, and Aminu Abdu, 22, were arrested on Tuesday 26th August along Kano-Hadeja road, with 1.5kg skunk and 25,000 pills of exol-5 while two other suspects: Ali Muhammad, 37, and Muhammad Maishanu, 42, were nabbed by NDLEA officers on Thursday 28th August along Zaria-Kano road, Gadan Tamburawa, with 8,080 bottles of a New Psychoactive Substance and 25.7kg skunk in their possession. No fewer than 250,000 tablets of exol-5 were seized from a suspect Alhasaan Musa, 25, in Zango area, Ungogo LGA, Kano by NDLEA operatives on Saturday 30th August.
A suspect Hamisu Abdullahi was on Monday 25th August arrested in a follow up operation in Yola, Adamawa state after NDLEA operatives on patrol along Mararraba Lamurde intercepted a golf saloon car marked GME 253 HP driven by Sani Suleiman and coming from Gombe state loaded with sacks of pepper, used to conceal 79 blocks of skunk weighing 58kg belonging to Hamisu.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Ewu-Auchi road, Etsako West LGA intercepted 64,250 pills of opioids mainly tramadol in a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra state and going to Okene, Kogi state, while a suspect Mohammed Halidu, 36, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
Two suspects: Elves Odogwu, 45, and David Jeremiah, 35, were arrested on Wednesday 27th August when NDLEA operatives raided Queen Elizabeth, Aponmun Reserved Camp, Ondo in Ondo state where 117.5kg processed cannabis and seeds were recovered from them. A total of 164 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the base of a suspect Michael Ayodele in Mushin area of Lagos where he was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Saturday 30th August.
In what appears to be the single largest seizure of Loud and Colorado, two strong strains of cannabis, in Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Friday 29th August raided Nova street, behind New Creation School, Ado-Ekiti where 5.3 kilograms of Loud and Colorado as well as 2.5grams of Methamphetamine were seized from a 42-year-old drug kingpin Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu (a.k.a Atiku).
Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week. Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture to secondary school students in Onitsha during their annual holiday lessons at Ezechima Primary School, Onitsha, Anambra state; youths of Anglican Church Diocese, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; WADA advocacy visits to HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi, the Akran of Badagry, Lagos State; the MD/CEO of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho and his management team in Lagos; the First Lady of Ogun state, Her Excellency Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun; and the Olofin of Isheri, HRM Oba Suleiman Adekunle Bamgbade Ayodele 111, Lagos, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, and Edo, 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) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.
An Ibadan-based cleric, Kayode Amusan, popularly known as Agbala Gabriel, has been accused of sexual misconduct and mishandling donations raised for sick individuals.
The allegations have triggered intense debate on social media, where the pastor had built a reputation as a compassionate cleric known for mobilising financial support for vulnerable people.
For years, the cleric cultivated an online image as a pastor committed to charity and humanitarian work.
Videos of him praying for struggling families and appealing for donations to support the sick frequently circulated across social media platforms, earning him admiration from many Nigerians.
However, that reputation has recently come under scrutiny following a series of allegations circulating on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.
One of the controversies involves a woman identified as Morenikeji, who reportedly suffered from a spinal condition and whose medical case had previously attracted public donations.
In a viral video, Nollywood actress, Foluke Daramola, said she had earlier helped raise funds for the woman’s surgery before learning that the family later approached the cleric for assistance.
According to her, she withdrew from the fundraising effort after discovering the new arrangement.
Daramola said, “I initially raised money for the woman’s surgery, which wasn’t enough. But as soon as the family took her to Agbala Gabriel’s care, I withdrew.
“Later, I got to know that Gabriel abandoned them and failed to provide the support of a good accommodation and surgery he promised.”
The woman’s daughter also alleged in the same video that she eventually removed her mother from the cleric’s care due to concerns about how the situation was being handled.
While the controversy surrounding the medical fundraiser was still gaining attention online, another allegation surfaced.
A blogger known as Iyalaje Courtroom claimed during a live broadcast that the cleric had mismanaged donations and engaged in sexual relationships with women in his church.
According to the blogger, one of the women identified as Bolu, who was reportedly a former backup singer in the church, became pregnant for the pastor and later gave birth to twins.
The blogger alleged, “She was about 23 when the relationship started and she is now 25.
“Agbala Gabriel initially denied the pregnancy, but after pressure, he later accepted responsibility and rented a house for the lady and the twins.”
A charity advocate, Princess Adeyinka, also claimed that she intervened when the matter first surfaced. She alleged that the cleric initially refused to accept responsibility for the pregnancy.
“Agbala Gabriel impregnated Bolu and refused to take full responsibility initially. I went to him myself to beg him to take responsibility when I first heard about it, which he denied initially but later took responsibility,” she said.
As the accusations continued to spread across social media, supporters and critics of the cleric clashed online. While some defended his years of charity work, others demanded greater transparency regarding the allegations.
Responding to the claims, Agbala Gabriel denied wrongdoing.
He told Saturday Punch, “This is how they try to bring ministers of God down.
“All ministers who became famous faced this kind of lies. We see men of God like Pastor Adeboye, and other famous pastors being dragged on social media every day. This is just how they do on social media, making false allegations.”
A joint operation by the IGP’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team, the Surveillance Unit from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has led to the arrest of twelve Nigerian nationals suspected to be involved in organised cyber fraud and human trafficking-related activities.
The IGP’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team, in a statement on Friday, said six other suspected Nigerian nationals are currently at large for illegal migration-related offences contrary to the laws of the Republic of Ghana.Nigerian Culture Showcase
The targeted operation which took place on Thursday, March 12, 2026, was led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Malaika Jibril Alhassan, from the Police Headquarters and Superintendent Mr Francis Baidoo, from the Amasaman Sector Command of GIS.
A search conducted at the premises led to the retrieval of the following suspected cybercrime tools including twenty-five laptop computers and seven mobile phones.
During the operation, the suspects attempted to obstruct enforcement by releasing German Shepherd dogs against the officers.
Consequently, reinforcement from the Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team and the Surveillance Unit from the CID Headquarters helped ensure smooth operation.
Preliminary investigations indicate the suspects were engaged in the following offences: Internet Fraud (Online Scams), Identity Theft, Email and Phishing Fraud, Mobile Money (MoMo) Fraud, Cyber Extortion and Blackmail, Credit Card and ATM Fraud and Electronic Forgery.
The offences identified fall under the following legal instruments:
“The operation demonstrates the growing nexus between cybercrime networks and transnational migration activities,” the statement read.
“Effective intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration between the Ghana Police Service and the GIS remain critical in disrupting such criminal enterprises.
“The Ghana Police Service remains committed to intelligence-led operations, inter-agency coordination and collaboration and strict application of the law to safeguard national security and maintain the integrity of Ghana’s digital and migration space.”
Troops of the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army have foiled an ambush by suspected criminals while responding to a communal dispute in Odonget Community, Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The Army disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, signed by the Major Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Headquarters 13 Brigade Nigerian Army, Lt. Yemi Sokoya.
According to the statement, the incident occurred on March 12, 2026, after troops deployed at Ochon and Alesi received credible information about rising tensions linked to a communal disagreement in Odonget Community.
Sokoya said the troops “acted swiftly to prevent a breakdown of law and order” by mobilising to the community, where they carried out patrols and a show of force that helped to calm the situation and restore normalcy between the concerned parties.
However, while returning to their respective locations after stabilising the area, the soldiers discovered that their route had been deliberately blocked by unidentified persons.
“During efforts to clear the obstruction, the soldiers came under a coordinated ambush by unknown gunmen, leading to a fierce exchange of fire,” the statement said.
He added that following a contact report from troops on the ground, reinforcements from the 245 Battalion were immediately deployed with armoured and tactical support vehicles to counter the attack.
“The prompt response enabled the troops to successfully repel and clear the ambush,” Sokoya stated.
He said that during the engagement, troops “neutralised four of the armed attackers, while several others escaped.”
The Army spokesman said one soldier sustained injuries during the incident and was immediately evacuated to Jennifer Hospital in Ochon, Obubra Local Government Area, where he is currently receiving medical treatment.
Sokoya further stated that in the aftermath of the incident, troops had commenced cordon-and-search operations in suspected communities linked to the attackers to track down the fleeing criminals and prevent further security breaches.
He added that a curfew had been imposed in the affected area “to forestall further breakdown of law and order and to deny miscreants the freedom to operate.”
The Commander, 13 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Patrick Alimikhena commended the bravery and professionalism displayed by the troops in confronting the attackers.
He also reassured residents of Cross River State of the Nigerian Army’s “unwavering commitment to protecting lives and maintaining peace within its Area of Responsibility.”
The Army urged members of the public to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies and provide credible information that would assist ongoing operations aimed at apprehending the perpetrators.
“Members of the public are encouraged to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies, and provide credible information that will assist ongoing operations aimed at apprehending the perpetrators,” the statement added.
