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PHOTOS: NDLEA Busts Global Cocaine Ring, Nabs Three Lagos Kingpins, Traces Dubai Boss

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an international organised criminal group (IOCG) operating between Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia and the UAE, following a two-week, intelligence-led operation in Lagos.

It was understands that three leaders of the cartel were arrested after officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, intercepted a large cocaine shipment concealed in textile materials and “local charms” en route to Sydney, Australia.

The bust reportedly began on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, when NDLEA officers at the MMIA export shed intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney.

A thorough search uncovered 16 big blocks of cocaine (17.9kg) hidden inside lace fabrics and packed with charms “to provide spiritual cover against law-enforcement detection,” according to an NDLEA statement.

A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, identified as a syndicate member, was arrested immediately. The consignment carried an estimated street value of AU$5.3m (₦5.3bn).

Fast-tracked investigations unmasked two other leaders: Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke.

Ogunbiyi, described as the cartel’s Nigeria coordinator, was arrested on Wednesday, September 3, at a hotel in Ikeja GRA. A follow-up search at his Lekki residence yielded 21 parcels of Canadian Loud (10.90kg) and a double-barrel pump-action gun with cartridges.

A black Toyota Venza (FST 771 JQ) was also recovered at the point of arrest.

In a statement signed and issued Sunday, September 7, 2025, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, said operatives raided a house at 13 Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, used by the syndicate to package drugs for export. There, another leader, Shola Adegoke, was arrested.

According to him, a black Range Rover (RBC 459 EJ) parked in the compound was searched; 17 parcels of Loud (9.60kg) were recovered.

Investigators identified Adebisi Ademola Omoyele (alias “Mr. Bee”), currently “hibernating” in Dubai, UAE, as the cartel’s overall ringleader coordinating offshore operations.

Adegoke was jailed in the UK in 2021 for methamphetamine dealing and deported in 2024.

It was understands that Ogunbiyi served 14 years in the UK over a murder case before returning to Nigeria about eight years ago.

Airport, Seaport Hits: Tramadol, Codeine Seizures

At MMIA, Friday, September 5, operatives arrested Gabriel Michael, a Milan-based Nigerian, at Terminal 1 while boarding an Air France flight to Italy. He concealed 24,480 tramadol pills (100mg/200mg/225mg) and claimed he intended to sell them for €19,520.

At WACT, Onne Port (PHPC), Rivers State, on Thursday, September 4, a joint NDLEA–Customs examination uncovered 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a 40-ft container masked with 220 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares.

The shipment, watch-listed and tracked by an NDLEA special operations unit, has an estimated street value of over ₦1.1bn.

Abuja (FCT): Thursday, September 4, a dispatch rider, Joel Bernard (32), was arrested in Gwarimpa with 3.1kg of “Colorado” (synthetic cannabis).

Lagos (Ijesha, Surulere): Acting on intelligence, on Monday, September 1, operatives arrested Tunde Ayinla (47) and Olawale Omotare (54) while loading four distribution vehicles at 28 Ola Street. Recovered: 9kg Canadian Loud, 5kg Colorado, and 1,101 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud (611kg), total: 625kg.

Lagos (Ajegunle): Friday, September 5, a couple, Andy David (43) and Andy Esther (44), were arrested with 24.4kg of skunk at their residence.

Kogi: Musa Isah (45) was arrested with 53.400kg of skunk hidden in two cartons in the trunk of a Toyota Avensis (ABC 338 SS).

Edo (Auchi): Friday, September 5, Yunusa Zakari (23) was nabbed in a follow-up to an earlier 233kg skunk seizure in Kakau, Kaduna State.

Anambra (Onitsha): Wednesday, September 3, operatives arrested Ayouk Nelson (28) at 61 Bida Road with 11,000 tramadol pills.

Niger (Minna–Bida Road): Tuesday, September 2, a white Toyota Hilux was intercepted; search uncovered 30 bags of skunk (342kg). Driver Afolayan Ayodele (54) was arrested.

NDLEA Busts Global Cocaine Ring, Nabs Three Lagos Kingpins, Traces Dubai Boss [Photos]
NDLEA

In Taraba, NDLEA destroyed 18,750kg (18.75 tonnes) of skunk cultivated on 7.5 hectares at Joro-Ade village, Ardo-Kola LGA, on Tuesday, September 2. Farm owners Mako Zmar (55) and Sani Titus (45) were arrested.

The agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) outreach continued nationwide with sensitisation visits and lectures to:

Officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Lafia (Nasarawa);

Ward heads in Kano Municipal Council (Kano);

Members of the Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association, Awgu LGA (Anambra);

The Ohi of Ihima, HRH Alhaji Abdulraheem Ahmed Ogido, and Okehi LGA Council of Traditional Rulers (Kogi), among others.

Commending operatives of MMIA, PHPC/Onne, Lagos, FCT, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kogi and Niger Commands for the week’s arrests and seizures, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.) urged them and their colleagues nationwide to “intensify the ongoing balanced approach to drug control.”

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Crime

Tackle vandalism with innovation, NSCDC FCT urges officers

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The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, has called on newly trained personnel to take the fight against vandalism and infrastructure sabotage more seriously, urging them to apply the tactical skills acquired during their just-concluded training.

Speaking on Monday at the passing out ceremony of 174 personnel who participated in a joint tactical capacity-building programme with the Nigerian Army Headquarters Garrison, Odumosu challenged the officers to bring visible change to security operations in the Federal Capital Territory.

“I charge you to go forth as worthy ambassadors of this Command, embodying discipline, excellence, and tactical operational efficiency in winning the trust of Nigerians and bringing to an end, the menace of vandalism of public infrastructure such as the streetlights, manhole covers, crash barriers, armoured cables, power and communication installations and a host of other assets in the FCT,” he said.

The training, which was themed “Enhancing Tactical Efficiency Through Modern Security Tools,” was aimed at equipping NSCDC personnel with skills to handle contemporary security threats.

Odumosu stressed that the threats facing the country — from banditry and kidnapping to cyber intrusions and drone-enabled crimes — demand more than just traditional methods of policing.

“The theme of this training is both apt and timely. It speaks directly to the urgent realities of modern-day security challenges confronting our dear nation and the urgent need to combat them, head-on,” he said.

He added that modern challenges require not only commitment and courage but also the use of advanced tools and up-to-date tactical knowledge.

“The skills acquired through this training will translate into stronger surveillance capacity, quicker response times, and improved protection of assets vital to our economic and social well-being,” he noted.

Odumosu praised the discipline and dedication of the participants, noting that their completion of the course is a sign of their readiness for higher responsibilities.

“By successfully completing this programme, you have demonstrated your readiness to adapt to new challenges and embrace innovation in service delivery,” he said.

He also told the officers that their training should not stop with them, urging them to share the knowledge with colleagues across the command.

“You are now custodians of specialised knowledge, and it is expected that you apply it with professionalism, discipline, and a strong sense of duty. You must also serve as multipliers of knowledge, cascading the training to your colleagues so that we can strengthen the operational capability of the corps as a whole.”

The commandant expressed confidence that the training would yield practical results, including an increase in arrests of vandals and a reduction in infrastructure-related crimes across the territory.

“I assure you that this unique training would be a catalyst for drastic reductions in reported cases of vandalism, theft of public infrastructure, and a surge in the arrests of vandals and other criminal elements within the FCT and its environs,” he said.

While commending the Nigerian Army for its role in the training, Odumosu described the collaboration as a model of inter-agency cooperation.

He also thanked the NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, for supporting the FCT command’s capacity development initiatives.

Just last month, the NSCDC FCT Command apprehended a truck suspected of transporting vandalised streetlight poles out of the city.

The vehicle, loaded with the items, was intercepted by the Command’s Critical National Assets and Infrastructure crack team during a routine 24-hour patrol around the Jabi area.

The truck, reportedly headed to Kano, was flagged down by officers, but the driver and his assistant fled the scene, abandoning the vehicle. The suspicious contents were later confirmed to be vandalised infrastructure, prompting the command to impound and tow the truck for further investigation.

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Crime

PHOTOS: Bandits ambush security operatives in Katsina, k!ll 8 and burn patrol vehicles

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Suspected bandits have ambushed operatives of the C-Watch security outfit in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State, k!lling eight persons and setting two patrol vehicles ablaze.

The incident happened late Friday night, September 5, 2025 when gunmen invaded Magaji Wando village in Dandume around midnight.

Residents said C-Watch operatives responded to a distress call and rescued eight villagers who had earlier sustained gunshot injuries during the attack.

However, on their way back, the operatives reportedly ran into an ambush by the bandits, who opened fire on them, k!lling the rescued victims and burning two patrol vehicles belonging to the security outfit.

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Crime

Nigerian Man, Oliver Ugwu Arrested For Duping Indian Woman Of N9m On Pretext Of Marriage

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Police have arrested a Nigerian citizen who had allegedly duped a woman from Ilkal town in Bagalkot district, Karnataka, India of Rs 5.5 lakh on the pretext of marriage.

Bagalkot SP Siddarth Goel said that Oliver Ugwu Okechukwu, 47, was arrested by Bagalkot CEN police in Mumbai on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Oliver, who stays in Mumbai’s Shivaji Nagar Bonkode Ganv, Khairane Thane, used to contact women after taking their details from the matrimony sites and cheat them.

He had befriended a woman (a divorcee seeking to remarry) from Ilkal who had uploaded her details on a matrimony site.

Introducing himself as Satya Amit, residing in London, Oliver promised to marry her.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Oliver called the woman saying he had arrived in India and the customs officers at the airport had seized the US dollars worth Rs 1 crore.

He sought her help, saying he needed Rs 5.5 lakh to get the seized amount back.

He also gave her a bank account number to credit the amount. Trusting him, the woman transferred the amount through RTGS to that account.

After this transaction, Oliver allegedly stopped contacting the woman. Realising that she had been cheated, the woman lodged a complaint with cybercrime police in Bagalkot.

SP Siddarth said police investigation had revealed that Oliver was operating through the account on a fake name.

On tracking his other transactions done through Phone Pay and Google Pay, police came to know that he was in Mumbai’s Uppar Khairana police limits.

Checking the CCTV footage at the shops where he had done transactions helped police identify him, the SP explained.

Police have seized four cellphones, a laptop, and a passport.

Oliver was produced before the court, which sent him to judicial custody.

Additional SP Mahanteshwar Jiddi, DSP Girish Bhojannavar and SI Rudrayya Hiremath were part of the team that cracked the case.

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