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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

A man identified as Abubakar Ijidai has allegedly attacked his ex-girlfriend and killed her mother in Dille District of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Borno State.

This was revealed in a post by security analyst, Zagazola Makama on X on Sunday.

According to the post, the attacker used a machete to assault 18-year-old Lami Azuba and her 38-year-old mother, Hauwa Azuba, around 3:00 p.m. on their farmland on Saturday.

Abubakar, who is from the same district, fled the scene immediately after the brutal attack, leaving the two women in a pool of blood.

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“Police officers from the Lassa Police Outpost later visited the scene and took the victims to the General Hospital in Lassa. Sadly, Hauwa was confirmed dead on arrival, while her daughter was referred to the General Hospital in Mubi, Adamawa State, due to the seriousness of her injuries,” Makama wrote.

Hauwa’s body was released to her family for burial according to Christian tradition.

Makama also said the police are still working hard to find the suspect and make sure he faces justice.

Less than three weeks after the gruesome murder of two undergraduates of the Ondo State-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), another student of the institution has reportedly been killed by her boyfriend.

The deceased, Joy Adeyemi, a student of the Department of Human Kinetics, was reported missing earlier in the week, but her body was later discovered locked inside her boyfriend’s room after neighbours noticed a foul odour emanating from the apartment.

According to reports, Adeyemi was stabbed to death on Tuesday by her boyfriend, who is said to be an indigene of the university community.

It was gathered that the suspect fled the community immediately after the incident, and his whereabouts remained unknown at the time of filing this report.

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According to a source, who explained that “the alleged killer is said to be an indigene of the town. The deceased was killed by her boyfriend on Tuesday and locked her inside his room.

“It was neighbours that raised the alarm to call attention of the students when they perceived bad odour from the room.

“We are yet to know the reason the guy killed that lady. The lady operates POS in that area, but since Tuesday, she had disappeared and nobody knew her whereabouts until yesterday, when the neighbours were perceiving a bad smell, from her room.

“The boy, after killing her, went away with the money she used for her POS business.

“It is high time the state government did something about the killings of our students by the indigenes of this town. If nothing is done, this may lead to a serious crisis in this community.

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“You remember that some weeks ago, two of our students were also kidnapped and killed. So something has to be done.”

The killing of Joy sparked outrage and protests among AAUA students and members of the local community, with students taking to the streets in the university town, protesting the killing of the girl.

The students, who were armed with placards and chanting slogans like “Stop killing us, AAUA students,” demanded intervention from state authorities and security agencies, highlighting concern over repeated student fatalities linked to local residents.

Speaking on the latest killing in the university community, the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee condemned the dastardly act and called on security agencies to bring the perpetrator to book.

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The students, in a statement by the Chairman and Secretary of the committee, Comrade Adekanye Adeboye and Oladele Emmanuel respectively, described the killings in the university as appalling.

The statement reads: “The National Association of Nigerian Students, Joint Campus Council, Ondo Axis is appalled and deeply saddened by the recent wave of killings targeting students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State.

“While the student community is still grappling with the tragic loss of two students who were brutally killed in the university, another female student fell victim to this senseless violence just yesterday.

“As a body saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the general affairs and welfarism of all Nigerian students, we strongly condemn these heinous acts and demand immediate action from the Ondo State Government and all security operatives responsible for safeguarding lives and property within the state.

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“The incessant killings are a clear indication of a security lapse that must be addressed urgently.

“In light of these tragic events, NANS issues a 24-hour ultimatum to the Ondo State Government and all relevant security agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of these crimes, implement robust security measures to prevent further attacks on students and ensure the safety and security of all students within the university and its environs.”

They demanded accountability and serious actions to protect the lives of their members, saying failure to comply within 24 hours “would leave us with no other option than to mobilise all student structures across the country down to Ondo State and stage a massive peaceful protest until our demands are met.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident and said three suspects had been arrested in connection with the case.

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Ayanlade said efforts were ongoing to arrest other perpetrators, and said, “we have arrested three suspects and we are making efforts to arrest other fleeing suspects while investigation is ongoing.”

In his reaction, the Head of Media and Protocols of AAUA, Mr Victor Akinpelumi, appealed to the students not to take the law into their hands and allow the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.

“We are only appealing to the students not to take laws into their hand and they should allow the police to do thorough investigation and I’m sure justice would be served on the perpetrators,” he urged.
(TRIBUNE)