Metro

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

Published

5 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

Edo Final-year Student Dies In Sign-out Motorcade Crash

Published

3 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

It was learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

Metro

One Dies In Oyo Fire, Two Rescued

Published

3 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

One person lost her life in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

He said the fire resulted from a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande added that the firefighting operation was successfully carried out with the support of officers of the Federal Fire Service.

“The fire emergency was received at exactly 20:18 hours on Monday, December 8, 2025.

“On getting there, it was two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire.

“One person (female) was recovered, while two persons (males) were rescued alive. The fire also affected only two rooms, and the whole building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved by the officers of the agency.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials. The operation was jointly carried out with the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command,” he explained.

In a related development, a fire incident on Tuesday engulfed the Agric Business Development Agency at Total Garden in Ibadan.

A statement by the State Fire Service Chairman, Akinwande, said the agency received a telephone call through Mr Akinyinka reporting that fire had ravaged the place.

“The incident was reported at exactly 09:20hrs on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through a telephone call by Mr Akinyinka (the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency) to the office, reporting a fire at the above-stated address.

“The officers, led by ACFS Oyeniyi Taofeek, swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that electrical sparks from a solar inverter control board on the upper floor of the building resulted in the fire.

“The swift response and professional intervention of our officers prevented the situation from escalating into a fire disaster. The use of portable fire extinguishers was employed during the firefighting operation.

“No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved by the fire service. The fire incident was a result of electrical sparks from the inverter system,” the statement read.

The chairman, therefore, advised the public to always use correct cables and other electrical materials for their installations.

Metro

Three Die, Several Injured In Lagos-Ibadan Expressway Crash

Published

5 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A fatal crash on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday claimed three lives and left several others seriously injured, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has said.

LASTMA, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Wednesday, said the accident occurred near the Secretariat, heading towards the Otedola Bridge.

According to the agency, three vehicles were involved in the collision.

“Three vehicles were involved in the collision, resulting in three fatalities and several serious injuries.

“LASAMBUS [Lagos State Ambulance Service] personnel are on the scene, providing medical attention to the injured victims,” it stated.

Emergency responders from LASAMBUS were on the scene administering medical care to the injured victims, while LASTMA officers and personnel of the Nigerian Police Force were also present, managing traffic and maintaining order.

Efforts, according to LASTMA, are underway to clear the crash site and restore normal traffic flow.

Motorists were advised to exercise caution when approaching the area.