Metro

NDLEA Intercepts Saudi, UK-bound Cocaine In Lipsticks, Property Title Documents

Published

6 months ago

July 6, 2025

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine consignments cleverly concealed in lipsticks and property title documents, bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia respectively.

A statement by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said the drugs were recovered from cargo shipments being prepared at a courier company in Lagos by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to the logistics firm.

According to the statement, 420 grams of cocaine were discovered factory-fitted in 84 pieces of female lipsticks destined for the UK, while another 280 grams of the same drug were hidden inside a property title document (Certificate of Occupancy) meant for shipment to Saudi Arabia.

Babafemi also confirmed the arrest of a notorious drug kingpin, Ajetsibo Emami, popularly known as ‘Warri Kinsman,’ on 28th June in Lagos after a three-day operation led to the dismantling of his drug trafficking network and the arrest of three additional suspects.

The operation uncovered 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 414.2 kilograms, hidden at a location in Ikeja. Intelligence had revealed Emami’s plan to transport the consignment to Lekki for distribution across Lagos and beyond.

In another major bust, a businessman, Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary Uchenna, and their daughters Stella and Ngozi, along with a family friend, Okoro Elijah, were taken into custody after it was uncovered that the family ran a major drug distribution network in Lagos.

The couple was initially arrested on 13th June by the Department of State Security (DSS) in Ojo and handed over to NDLEA with 277.5kg of skunk. While still in custody, further intelligence led to another raid at their home and storage facility on 1st July, where 231kg of the same substance was recovered.

Three more suspects — Ngozi Uchenna, Blessing Uchenna, and Okoro Elijah — were arrested during the raid, found to be operating the family business in the couple’s absence.

Meanwhile, on 2nd July, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos International Airport intercepted a frequent flyer, Aburemi Hysent, who specialises in conveying goods between Nigeria and Italy. He had concealed 7,660 pills of tramadol (225mg and 200mg) inside food items packed for export. He confessed he was promised €800 for successful delivery.

In another airport operation, 52 pieces of travellers’ cheques worth AU$17.7 million, concealed in children’s books and headed for Malaysia via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, were seized. A freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested in connection with the case. The suspect and the suspected counterfeit cheques will be transferred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.

At the Seme border in Badagry, operatives recovered 718 large balls of skunk weighing 359kg from a store in the Baba-Pupa area on Saturday. Along the Okene-Lokoja highway, another 10,000 pills of tramadol (225mg), co-codamol, and 1.050kg of Colorado (synthetic cannabis) were intercepted, leading to the arrest of Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji at Jabi Park, Abuja.

In Osun State, two suspects — Agunbiade Folusho and Suleiman Dasola — were arrested in Ajegunle, Osogbo, with 13,901 pills and ampoules of various opioids, while another suspect, Adebayo Adewale, was apprehended at a patent medicine shop in Ile-Ife with 48,205 pills.

A raid on a vulcaniser’s workshop at Akindeko junction, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, on 1st July led to the arrest of Wasiu Ajadi, Babatunde Jamiu Ojo, and Yusuf Sarafadeen, with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 850 tramadol pills, and three bottles of codeine syrup.

In Oke-Ila forest, Osun State, NDLEA destroyed 24,175kg of skunk found on a 9.67-hectare cannabis farm. Seven suspects — Bunmi Adedapo, Adebisi Sodiq, Babatunde Gani, John Sunday, Israel Odabe, Solomon Odabe, and Prosper Odabe — were arrested during the 3rd July raid.

In Borno State, 167kg of skunk was seized at Gamboru-Ngala. Another 452kg was recovered at Gadar Tamburawa along the Zaria-Kano road, with suspects Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad arrested.

Along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, 11,000 tramadol pills (225mg) were recovered from Sule Ibrahim Sadiq on 3rd July, while in Sokoto, 62-year-old Joseph Onungene was arrested with 4,800 tramadol pills.

In Kebbi State, NDLEA operatives raided Bakin Kasuwa in Yauri, seizing 312kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets. In Taraba State, Chigbo Okolo and Ishaku Musa were arrested with 49,930 tramadol capsules in Mallum, Ardo-Kola LGA.

In Edo State, a raid in Ewere forest, Owan West LGA, led to the arrest of a wanted suspect, Alaba Monday, with 115kg of processed skunk. Three other suspects — Shamsu Abdullahi, Peter Egboko, and Justin John — were also arrested on another cannabis farm measuring 2.05 hectares.

In Cross River State, 78-year-old Mike Abeng was arrested with 14.49kg of skunk and tramadol in Ofudua, Obubra LGA. Others arrested during the same operation include Oyom Akam, Sylvester Odem, and Moses Ayo, all apprehended in Ovonum, Obubra LGA.

Metro

BREAKING: BIZARRE! Millions Lost As Delta Man Sets Own Shop Ablaze

Published

6 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified man suspected to have taken hard drugs on Tuesday night set his own furniture shop ablaze in the Saniko community, Agbarah-Otor, in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, our source said set the furniture shop containing modern furniture worth millions of naira ablaze, and chased anyone who attempted to intervene with matchett until he was overpowered by the community youths.

Our source who does not want his name in print narrated via the phone: “It actually happened this night. Nobody knows what fell on him to have set his own shop ablaze, but the belief his that he must have taken some hard drugs.

“The man should be in his 40s. He set the shop ablaze, and when people attention was drawn to it, they rushed there but he chased them with cutlass. He was chasing people with cutlass until the youth mobilised and overpowered him, and as I speak with you, he has been tied down, naked.

“I don’t know his name, and nobody has identified with him as a relation, but the point is, millions have been lost. All the modern furniture in the shops have turned to ashes. The shop is completely burnt down.”

Contacted on the phone, Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe said the Command was not aware of the incident.

He said: “Inasmuch he set his own shop ablaze, and nobody died, nobody will come to the Police to report it. And since nobody will come to report such an incident to the Police, it’s assumed the Police are not aware.”

Metro

Seven Journalists On Their Way To Colleague’s Marriage, FG Reacts

Published

12 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has expressed deep shock and sorrow over the tragic death of seven journalists who were confirmed killed in a lone road crash in the Gombe South area of Gombe State on Monday.

The incident occurred on Monday evening as the journalists were returning from a wedding ceremony in the Gombe South Senatorial District. They were said to have traveled in solidarity with a colleague from the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, who was getting married.

According to preliminary information from the Gombe State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Samson Kaura, the crash was fatal.

The Minister described the tragedy as a heartbreaking loss to the media community and the nation, noting that the journalists were committed voices who informed the public with courage, integrity, and professionalism.

“This is a harrowing moment. Nigeria has lost dedicated voices who informed, educated, and stood for truth. Their passing is a heavy blow to us all,” he said.

The Minister extended his condolences to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Gombe State Council, and especially to the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased. He prayed that God would grant them the strength to bear the painful loss.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones. May Almighty God grant them comfort and grant the souls of the departed eternal rest,” he added.

“We stand in solidarity with the NUJ and the entire media community at this difficult time. We must continue to work together to improve safety measures for those who serve the nation daily,” he said.

He assured that the Federal Government stands with the bereaved families and the media community during this moment of grief. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace.

Metro

VIDEO: Chaos As Last-minute Shoppers Overwhelm Lagos Balogun Market

Published

13 hours ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

Large crowds on Tuesday overwhelmed Balogun Market on Lagos Island as residents trooped out in their numbers for last-minute year-end shopping, crippling movement around the commercial hub.

A viral video making the rounds online showed extreme congestion within and around the market, with traders and shoppers barely able to move as they jostled for limited space in one of Lagos’ busiest trading centres.

The footage captured scenes of tightly packed walkways and stalled human traffic, as buyers scrambled to complete end-of-year purchases ranging from clothes and shoes to household items.

The gridlock is largely being blamed on Nigerians’ long-standing culture of last-minute shopping, often described as “panic buying,” where many delay festive purchases until the final days of the year.

Balogun Market, known for its wholesale and retail activities, traditionally experiences a spike in patronage toward the end of the year.

As of the time of reporting, no incidents had been confirmed, though the situation highlights the recurring challenge of overcrowding during peak festive periods in Lagos.

Watch the video below:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐦 𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭
Credit: X | dammiedammie
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