Metro

NDLEA Arrests Chinese Businessman, 80-yr-old Grandma With Colos In Moimoi Sachets

Published

4 months ago

July 27, 2025

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a Chinese businessman, an 80-year-old woman, and several others in a series of nationwide drug interdiction operations that led to the seizure of large quantities of synthetic and imported cannabis, opioids, and other illicit substances.

The agency made the arrests across multiple states between July 21 and July 26, 2025, according to a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja.

One of the suspects, a Chinese national identified as Liang Tak You, was arrested on Friday, July 25, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, apprehended Liang after he arrived from Bangkok via Dubai aboard an Emirates flight. He was found with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 26.1 kilograms.

In Calabar, Cross River State, 80-year-old Grace Ekpeme was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, with over 3 kilograms of cannabis at her residence in the Edet-Nsa area of Calabar South.

Also in Lagos, on July 23, NDLEA operatives intercepted Chidi Agbafo along the Epe-Ajah Expressway with 21.7 kilograms of Colorado cannabis, some of it disguised in moimoi sachets, and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup.

He was allegedly transporting the drugs to Warri and Oghara in Delta State.

At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, officers seized 101 kilograms of Canadian Loud concealed in 202 tins of food labeled “Bean Salad Mix.” The cannabis was hidden in two Toyota Sienna buses inside a container that arrived from Canada. The seizure was made during a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies on July 25.

On July 23, along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, NDLEA operatives arrested Usman Musa, who was traveling to Kano in a commercial bus with 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5.

In Maiduguri, Borno State, a woman identified as Binta Usman was arrested on July 23 with 30.1 kilograms of cannabis. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of her alleged accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, on July 25.

In Ondo State, three brothers, Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye, were arrested on July 26 after operatives raided a cannabis farm at Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, in Ose Local Government Area. About 2,500 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed, and 121.4 kilograms of processed cannabis were recovered.

In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided Asakpa community in Benin City on July 23 and arrested Bright Sunday Okon, 26, recovering quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine.

Other arrests and seizures include: 105.4kg of skunk from an abandoned car in Keffi, Nasarawa State; 6,400 tramadol pills from Bashir Abdullahi in Minna, Niger State; 113kg of cannabis from Jamiu Omolaja’s base in Ifo, Ogun State; and 10,910 tramadol capsules from Adamu Adamu along Gombe-Bajoga road.

NDLEA also said a consignment of skunk concealed in food items was intercepted in Kogi, with a follow-up leading to the arrest of Kindness Bala, 27, in Abuja, who planned to travel to Katsina and later Qatar.

The agency added that 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine, and 700 grams of cannabis seized from a truck in Ayingba, Kogi State.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the agency’s commands in Lagos, Cross River, Ondo, Edo, Borno, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi States for their efforts.

He also praised operatives nationwide for maintaining a balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction.

Metro

Sowore Arraigned Over Alleged Cybercrime

Published

11 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday arraigned politician and online publisher Omoyele Sowore before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged cybercrime offences.

Sowore, a former presidential candidate, faced a five-count charge accusing him of defaming President Bola Tinubu by calling him a criminal in posts on X and Facebook. The DSS claims that his actions violate the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, as well as the Criminal Code Act.

At the hearing, Justice Mohammed Umar granted Sowore bail on self-recognition. However, the court imposed strict conditions, barring him from making any statements capable of inciting the public or undermining national security. The judge warned that any violation of these conditions would lead to immediate revocation of his bail.

Justice Umar noted that Sowore, who previously contested for the presidency, was already under bail conditions with his international passport held by the court. He said these factors justified granting him bail without a monetary surety.

The arraignment on Tuesday came after two earlier attempts were unsuccessful. DSS counsel, Akinolu Kehinde (SAN), attributed the delays to legal obstacles introduced by Sowore’s defence team.

Sowore pleaded not guilty to all charges. His lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, also filed a fresh bail application during the proceedings, which the court considered before ruling.

Two other defendants — X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Inc. — are listed in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025. The DSS claims that these companies aided Sowore in publishing the posts allegedly containing defamatory statements against the president.

The case is the latest in a series of legal battles involving Sowore, who has in the past faced arrests and charges over his activism and online publications.

The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, under which Sowore was charged, criminalises the online publication of false statements that can harm individuals or public institutions. The law also empowers the government to hold social media companies accountable if they facilitate the spread of such content.

Sowore’s arraignment has drawn reactions on social media, with supporters describing the charges as politically motivated, while others argue that public figures must exercise caution in their statements online.

Metro

Alleged Cybercrime: Court Grants Sowore Bail

Published

12 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Justice Mohammed Umar of the Abuja Federal High Court, on Tuesday, granted former presidential candidate and publisher, Omoyele Sowore, bail on self-recognition, cautioning him to refrain from making any utterances that could incite the public against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Sowore’s bail followed his arraignment by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime.

In the five-count charge, Sowore is accused of allegedly making derogatory remarks about President Tinubu on his social media handles.

Sowore, who is the convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to him.

Earlier in the proceedings, his counsel, Marshall Abubakar, had raised a motion challenging the competence of the suit, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction.

The prosecution objected, stating they had only just been served with the processes and needed time to respond.

In a short ruling, Justice Umar held that the objection on jurisdiction was not ready for hearing because the prosecution was served that morning, adding that the defendant needed to give them adequate time to file a counter-affidavit.

He then directed that the charges be read to the defendant.

When the charge was read, Sowore pleaded not guilty; his counsel applied for bail on self-recognition. The prosecution, however, opposed the application, arguing that Sowore posed a flight risk.

Justice Umar, in ruling on the bail request, granted Sowore bail on self-recognition and adjourned the matter to January 19, 2026, for trial.

Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019, was accused of contravening the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Criminal Code Act by calling President Bola Tinubu a criminal

The two other defendants listed in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, are X Incorp (formerly Twitter) and Meta (Facebook) Incorp.

Metro

Delta: Suspected Kidnapper Killed In Gun Battle With Police

Published

18 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

A suspected kidnapper has been killed during a gun battle with operatives of the Delta State Police Command in collaboration with Community Volunteers in Obiaruku Forest.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer,SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.

“Operatives of the Command State Anti-Cult Unit (SACU), in collaboration with community volunteers, were on intensive patrol when they received credible intelligence that suspected kidnappers were mobilising within the Obiaruku forest to carry out an attack.

“Acting swiftly on the information, the operatives advanced towards the location to forestall the planned criminal activity,” the statement said.

According to Edafe, on approaching the area, the suspects opened fire from multiple directions in a bid to repel the team.

“The operatives responded with superior firepower, leading to the death of one suspect, while others escaped into the forest with various degrees of injuries.

“One AK-47 rifle with forty-two rounds of live ammunition, nine mobile phones, and charms were recovered,” the statement added.