Metro

NDLEA Arrests 93-year-old Grandpa, Medical Doctor Over Cocaine, Skunk Trafficking

Published

1 week ago

April 12, 2026

A 93-year-old great-grandfather and a 69-year-old medical doctor top the list of suspects arrested as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intensified their offensive actions and crackdown on drug cartels and their collaborators in intelligence-led interdiction operations across the country.

In one of such operations, a nonagenarian, Pa Friday Ahukanna Chigbu, was arrested at his home in Umuagbaigba, Amavo Nkwogu village, Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State on 7 April 2026.

The Director, Media and Advocacy of the NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that a search of his residence led to the recovery of 7.7 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.

The suspect claimed he had worked as a truck pusher but later learnt painting and tiling before going into the illicit drug business over a year ago. He also claimed he had been smoking skunk since 1959 before turning it into a business.

Efforts to unravel local collaborators of an international drug syndicate paid off following the arrest of an Ivorian, Gohouri Michael, at the Kano International Airport with 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49kg, and the subsequent arrest of a 69-year-old medical doctor, Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, in a follow-up operation in Ogun State.

Michael Gohouri (also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael) was arrested on 16 February 2026 during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan Malpensa via Addis Ababa.

Gohouri had arrived in Lagos from Milan, Italy, on 17 January 2026 and was shuttling from Lagos to Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano, where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. He was expected to be paid 5,000 euros upon delivery of the drugs in Milan.

Further investigation by the NDLEA revealed that Gohouri had a shadowy figure behind the scenes, giving him instructions on how to move the cocaine consignment through the airport. The hidden figure was eventually identified as Dr Chudi Daniel Ofomata, who was later tracked and traced to his residence at Teachers’ Land Estate, Magboro, Obafemi Owode LGA, Ogun State, where he was arrested on 27 March 2026 and flown to Kano on 7 April.

Recovered from him at the point of arrest were 63 grams of promazepam and seven ampoules of promethazine injection.

Three suspects, namely Azeez Sanni, Olayinka Oke and Adekunle Adeyemi, were arrested with 34 kilograms of skunk when NDLEA operatives raided Sango Under Bridge, Sango Ota, Ogun State, on 7 April, while 56.2kg of the same substance was recovered from a female suspect, Ayoka Akinwale, along the Onitsha–Owerri Road, Owerri, Imo State, on 11 April.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on 9 April arrested a couple, Abdullahi Umar and his wife Adama Umar, during a search of their home in Takuti village, Lapai LGA, where 118 kilograms of skunk were recovered from their kitchen.

No fewer than 42,290 tablets of Rohypnol, 82,700ml of codeine syrup and 10,000ml of pentazocine injection were recovered from a trailer loaded with vehicle spare parts coming from Nnewi, Anambra State, by NDLEA officers on patrol at Njimtilo along the Damaturu–Maiduguri Road, Borno State. The owner of the consignment, Eleje Ibeabuchi, was arrested in a follow-up operation.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on 7 April intercepted a Chisco Transport luxury bus marked AGU 442 XB heading to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 15 kilograms of Scottish Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the compartments of the bus. Two suspects, Kingsley Nsofor and Opara Ifeanyi, were promptly arrested.

In another interdiction operation in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday in the Mushin area intercepted a truck conveying assorted goods to Onitsha, Anambra State. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 26,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup and the subsequent arrest of two suspects, Adesunloye Dada and Chibuzor Chime.

A raid of the Tora Bora notorious drug joint in Abuja by NDLEA operatives on Saturday led to the arrest of eight suspects, namely Abubakar Muhammad, Ali Isiaka, Obed Moses, Ibrahim Musa, Attahiru Audu, Kabiru Buhari, Oloruntoba Samuel and Ellah Gyandi. A combined total of 11.516 kilograms of skunk was seized from the suspects.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives working on actionable intelligence on Saturday also intercepted two long trucks marked LUY 172 XC and LUY 281 XC, with bags of processed skunk concealed among cartons of beer along Warrake Road, Auchi.

One of the trucks was found to contain 3,900 kilograms of skunk, while the second had 3,345 kilograms, bringing the total weight to 7,245 kilograms. Five suspects arrested in connection with the seizure include Ibrahim Abu, Abu Abdullazeez, Jibril Jaminu, Andrew Moses and Ganiyu Abu.

The consignments were loaded at Sabongida-Ora in Owan West LGA and were heading to Abuja when they were intercepted.

The statement said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities equally continued across commands and formations of the agency all over the country in the past week.

While commending the officers and men of the various commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), also praised their counterparts across the country for ensuring a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

Metro

How Police Arrested Killers Of Arise TV Anchor, Sommie Maduagwu – Witness Tells Court

Published

17 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Editor

The trial of the eleven accused persons linked to the murder of Arise News journalist and anchor, Somtochukwu Maduagwu, during a robbery at her apartment, continued on Tuesday, with the third prosecution witness giving details of how arrests were made.

An Assistant Superintendent of Police and member of the Scorpion Squad, CID FCT Command, Mr Maxwell Eje, at Tuesday’s proceedings, told the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that the arrest of the accused persons began with Shamsu Hassan.

He said that the police discovered on September 30 that Hassan had fled to Zaria after the robbery at Unique Apartments in Katampe a day earlier, during which Miss Maduagwu jumped to her death from her three-storey apartment.

ASP Eje informed the court that Shamsu Hassan admitted to the crime and agreed to cooperate with the authorities to disclose the hideouts of others.

Hassan mentioned one Sani Surajo, who was receiving treatment at an unnamed hospital in Gosa, a suburb along the Airport Road in Abuja.

“Surajo was shocked at the sight of the security operatives of the Scorpion Squad at the hospital where he was receiving treatment,” the witness said.

“He too agreed to cooperate and assist with useful information on the whereabouts of others who took part in the robbery.”

The testimony of ASP Maxwell Eje did not get to the point of cross-examination, as Dennis Abu, counsel for the seventh to eleventh defendants, who also held brief for counsel to the first and third defendants, sought leave of the judge, Mohammed Idris, to attend a medical appointment.

This prompted an adjournment until Thursday, April 23, for the conclusion of the evidence-in-chief of the third prosecution witness and for cross-examination.

The prosecutor had earlier informed the court that he had two witnesses available at the start of Tuesday’s proceedings.

The FCT Police Commissioner had filed criminal charges against the 11 defendants bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and murder in connection with the September 29, 2025, armed robbery at Unique Apartments in Katampe, Abuja.

It was during the incident that Arise News anchor/journalist Somtochukwu “Sommie” Maduagwu and security guard Barnabas Danlami were killed.

The trial began on February 10, 2026, after earlier delays due to the absence of defendants and other issues.

The first prosecution witness, Sani Yusuf, a civil engineer and former resident of Unique Apartments, and the second, Fatou Toborteh, another former resident, have so far testified about the events of September 29.

Both described masked armed assailants raiding apartments but stated they could not identify any of the 11 defendants, who were masked during the attack.

The defendants are Shamsu Hassan, Sani Surajo, Hassan Isah, Abubakar Alkamu, Abdulsalam Saleh, and Suleiman Badamosi. Others are Zaradeen Mohammed, Musa Umar ‘Aka’ Small, Mashikur Jamil, Suleiman Sani, and Abubakar Usman.

Metro

Again, Truck Crushes Another Dispatch Rider To Death In Lagos

Published

17 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Editor

A dispatch rider has lost his life in a tragic road accident involving a truck at the Otedola Bridge axis in Lagos, occurring less than 24 hours after a similar crash was reported in the same corridor.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Adebayo Taofiq.

The fatal crash occurred along the Ogudu–Otedola Toll Gate stretch, inward the Secretariat, where a heavy-duty Volvo truck reportedly struck the motorcycle, killing the rider instantly.

LASTMA officials on routine patrol responded promptly by securing and cordoning off the accident scene to avert further incidents, especially given the high volume of traffic in the area.

Operatives of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, later took custody of the deceased’s remains, while personnel from the Alausa Police Division provided security during the evacuation.

The damaged motorcycle and the truck were subsequently cleared from the road with the aid of a towing vehicle, after which traffic flow was gradually restored.

However, the incident led to significant congestion, with gridlock stretching toward the Berger axis before normal movement resumed.

Reacting, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and urged all road users to strictly adhere to traffic regulations.

He emphasised the need for increased caution, particularly among drivers of articulated vehicles and dispatch riders, noting that the agency would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to curb road accidents and fatalities across the state.

“LASTMA remains resolute in its commitment to collaborating with relevant stakeholders in intensifying advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing road fatalities and fostering a sustainable culture of road safety across,” he said.

Metro

NAF Airstrikes Kill Several Terrorists In Sambisa Forest

Published

19 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force says the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI has executed precision airstrikes within the Yuwe axis of the Sambisa Forest, killing several terrorists on Monday.

The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ejodame said the military had sustained intense pressure on terrorist elements in the North-East.

He said the operation followed credible intelligence corroborated by Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, which confirmed the presence of active terrorist elements within fortified structures and bunkers.

According to him, NAF air assets engaged the targets with precision munitions, destroying the structures, neutralising multiple terrorists, and eliminating key logistics facilities, as confirmed by subsequent battle damage assessment.

He said, “The sustained tempo of air operations continues to degrade terrorist networks, leaving the terrorists increasingly exposed and disrupted, with mounting pressure forcing them into desperate and reactive actions.”

He quoted the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, as reaffirming the NAF’s resolve to sustain relentless, intelligence-driven air operations until terrorist elements were completely neutralised.

“We remain committed to the protection of our personnel, the security of our nation, and the safety of all citizens.

“The NAF will continue to intensify precision engagements across the theatre, maintaining decisive operational pressure while adhering strictly to rules of engagement and minimising civilian harm,” Aneke said.
(NAN)