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Two Brazil returnees excrete 116 wraps of heroin, cocaine in NDLEA custody

Posted on by admin50

 

By Ebinum Samuel

 

Businesswoman conceals 1.40kg meth in butt pad underwear as Agency intercepts illicit drug shipments in phone chargers, food items going to Europe, Hong Kong at Lagos airport; large consignments of skunk, opioid in Zamfara, Adamawa

 

Two Brazil returnees: Ofoma Sunday and Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu have excreted a total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine they ingested after days in observatory custody following their arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.

One of the suspects, 46-year-old Ofoma was arrested on Tuesday 16th September 2025 at terminal 2 of the Lagos airport upon his arrival from Laos, Brazil on an Ethiopian airlines flight. He was taken for body scan which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. Ofoma had left Nigeria for Brazil on 3rd September to courier the consignment to Lagos for a reward of $2,500 upon successful delivery.

A swift follow-up operation was conducted at Eliata Hotel in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos where Ofoma was instructed to meet Nweke Jude Chuckwudi who was designated to oversee the excretion of the drugs at the hotel and recover them. The 55-year-old Nweke was arrested in the process. A total of 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452 kilograms were egested in eight excretions by Ofoma.

Similarly, another Brazil returnee Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was arrested at the Lagos airport during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines passengers from Brazil via Addis Ababa on Friday 19th September. He was taken for body scan which confirmed illicit drug insertion. Under excretion observation, Ukachukwu expelled five big wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams.

In his statement, he confessed to have bought nine wraps of the class A drug in Brazil and inserted all into his anus, a process he claimed took him nearly two hours. During his transit through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he said he began to experience severe anal pain and decided to remove the wraps from his body. He stated that in an attempt to meet up with his connecting flight to Nigeria, he could only manage to reinsert seven wraps, after which he flushed the remaining two wraps in a toilet.

The suspect revealed that while on board his flight to Nigeria, he felt pressed and uncomfortable, which compelled him to use the lavatory. During the process, he expelled an additional two wraps, leaving him with only five wraps in his anus. He claimed to have been into clothing business before traveling to Brazil in 2017. In 2020, he moved to the United States, where he was arrested for immigration offence and was detained for over a year before being deported to Nigeria in 2022.

 

In March 2025, he returned to Brazil, where he currently works, having already obtained a Brazilian residence permit.

Meanwhile, a businesswoman Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa was on Sunday 14th September taken into custody after Aviation Security Officers of FAAN in collaboration with NDLEA operatives attached to the screening point of terminal 2 of the Lagos airport arrested her for concealing illicit drug in her underwear while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Qatar.

After a thorough search, two big parcels of white crystalline substance that later tested positive to methamphetamine with a gross weight of 1.40 kilograms were recovered from her butt pad underwear. During preliminary interview with Ebere, she claimed she trades in used clothing and also operates a POS business in Enugu where she was recruited into the illicit drug business.

At the NAHCO export shed of the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Monday 15th September intercepted a consignment of food items used to conceal 40 wraps of methamphetamine with a total weight of 2.30 kilograms heading to Hong Kong via Turkish Airlines. A 59-year-old suspect, Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, who presented the consignment as part of a consolidated cargo, has been taken into custody.

Another consignment of illicit drug packaged for Europe was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday 18th September. During a thorough examination of the shipment, seven pieces of phone charger going to New Zealand were found to contain 257 grams of cocaine.

In Adamawa, no fewer than 233,800 pills of tramadol were recovered by NDLEA operatives in three raids with two suspects arrested in parts of the state. A total of 195,600 pills of the opioid were recovered from an abandoned Toyota Sienna vehicle in Mayo Belwa area of Yola South on Wednesday 17th September, while a suspect Rita Zira was nabbed in Jambutu area of Jimeta Yola with 27,900 pills of tramadol discovered in her bedroom. Another suspect, Halilu Abubakar, 22, was arrested with 10,300 pills of same substance by NDLEA officers at Namtari checkpoint, Yola on Saturday 20th September.

No less than 109 bags of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1,099.4 kilograms were seized from a suspect Hammed Danladi Aliyu, 40, by NDLEA operatives supported by members of the Community Protection Guards (CPG) along Gummi-Daki Takwas road, Zamfara state while conveying the consignment in a Mitsubishi Canter truck marked LRN 568XB to a village called Company in Gummi LGA on Saturday 20th September.

While two suspects: Babangida Usman and Ismail Ibrahim were arrested with 14, 000 capsules of tramadol along Damaturu-Potiskum road, Yobe state, NDLEA operatives in Taraba on Wednesday 17th September 17 nabbed Anas Hamisu, 28, with three sacks of skunk that weighed 25.525kg, at Garba-Chede, Bali LGA.

In Edo state, two cannabis farms on 4.532025 hectares located at Atororo forest in Owan West LGA with an estimated yield of 11,330.0625kg were on Wednesday 17th September destroyed by NDLEA officers who also recovered eleven bags of processed skunk and seeds weighing 148kg. Suspects arrested at the plantations include: Mathew Onoja, 56; Moses Thomas Male, 18; and Friday Uchenjin, 38.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Sultan Abdulrahman College of Health Technology, Gwadabawa, Sokoto; Sarki Abdul Primary School, Dankama border town, Katsina; Government Secondary School, Gwaram, Jigawa; St. Mary Junior Secondary School, North Bank Makurdi, Benue; and Ummulkhair Islamiyya, Tudun Wada, Kano, while

Zone 11 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Enugu State First Lady Mrs. Nkechinyere Mbah, among others.

“These arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in our determined effort to dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in Nigeria and around the world, prioritizing those bent on targeting our productive youth population with illicit substances until they’re no longer able to inflict harm on our communities or misrepresent our country’s image in the global space”, said the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Adamawa, Zamfara, Edo, Taraba, and Yobe Commands for the various successful operations. He enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

On Donald Trump’s Decision to Increase U.S. Visa Fees For Skilled Workers By $100,000 (₦150 Million) -By Sylvester Udemezue

Posted on by admin50
    I have just read with keen interest the news report announcing that U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a massive increase in visa fees for skilled workers entering the United States, raising the cost by $100,000 (about ₦150 million).   While many may react with outrage or despair, I see in this decision an opportunity for sober reflection, especially for Nigerians. For too long, many of our citizens have adopted “japa” (mass emigration) as the most attractive response to the challenges of governance, insecurity, unemployment, and systemic failure at home. Understandably, people want better lives. But mass exodus is not, and cannot be, a sustainable solution to our national problems. History is replete with examples of countries that confronted deep crises but chose to fight for reforms from within rather than flee. Egyptians stood their ground during the Arab Spring. Algerians rose to challenge poor governance. The people of Tunisia, Nepal, and Yemen took destiny in their hands. They did not run away en masse; they confronted their realities until positive changes emerged.   Nigeria must learn this lesson. “Japa” may offer temporary relief, but it is essentially escapism. Those who leave often discover that life abroad is not without its own struggles, sometimes humiliating, sometimes demeaning. Many end up in second-class status, facing discrimination or limitations. And eventually, most still yearn to return home. But what home will they return to if the country is not rebuilt today?   This is why, on September 25, 2020, shortly after the Edo governorship election, I wrote an article titled “2020 Elections: Edo State As A Pacemaker Towards Realizing the Democracy of Our Dreams in a Perennially Troubled Country?” In it, I said:   “Nigerian youths, I salute you. You are not lazy; you are the leaders of Nigeria’s tomorrow… Amen. Your destiny is in your hands! The day you rise to say ‘enough is enough’ to these manipulative, exploitative, egoistic, corrupt, and inept politicians and leaders (and you can do it), that day will mark the beginning of Nigeria’s journey out of Golgotha. Your exploits on September 19, 2020, in Edo State, showed clearly that you are able and capable. You stopped election rigging; you resisted vote-buying; you curtailed electoral violence and exposed malpractices, just as you gallantly did in Edo State. That spirit of courage and resilience is the same spirit Nigeria urgently needs today.”   Those words remain true today. If our youths could summon such determination in Edo, they can do even greater things for Nigeria as a whole. Instead of lamenting Trump’s action, Nigerians should see it as a clarion call. If migration becomes almost impossible due to prohibitive costs, then we must stay back and focus our energies on fixing our country. Imagine if our youths (full of creativity and courage) could channel their focus away from Yahoo-Yahoo, Yahoo-Plus, drug abuse, and desperate attempts to escape, and instead spend even one month working earnestly towards reforming Nigeria. The results would be remarkable.   In truth, Trump may have done us an unintended favour. His policy should inspire us to embrace the urgent duty of national rebirth. Other countries may follow suit, and if they do, it will only hasten the moment when Nigerians finally turn inward to reform and reposition their own land.   Fellow Nigerians, let us take this as a wake-up call: you cannot cherish what you do not nourish. The destiny of our country lies in our own hands, not in foreign visas. The time has come to stay, to fight, and to rebuild our country, Nigeria.       Respectfully,   Sylvester Udemezue (Udems)   Proctor, The Reality Ministry of Truth, Law and Justice (TRM).   08021365545.   udems@therealityministry.ngo.   (20 September 2025)

Anambra Police Arrests Robbery Kinpin On Wanted List, Recovers Pump Action Gun, Cartridges

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

 

The Anambra State Police Command according to its spokesman, SP Tochukwu ikenga confirmed that

Operatives attached to Rapid Response squad, Awkuzu at midday of 20th September 2025, and acting on credible intelligence, arrested one Kingsley Eze, male, aged 34 years, in Abagana. The suspect has been on the Police wanted list for alleged involvement in armed robbery.

 

During the arrest, one Magnum Pump Action gun, along with 12 live cartridges, were recovered from him.

 

The suspect is currently in custody undergoing interrogation and would be charged in court upon the conclusion of the investigations.

LASTMA CHIEF WARNS TRANSPORT UNIONS OVER UNAUTHORISED DEPLOYMENT OF ‘UNION STICKERS’ AS VEHICULAR REGISTRATION IDENTIFIERS ACROSS LAGOS

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

 

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has issued a resolute and uncompromising directive to members of transport unions and affiliated associations across the State, mandating the immediate cessation of the unlawful practice of affixing ‘Union Stickers’ upon private vehicles in lieu of legitimate registration numbers.

 

The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, decried this aberrant conduct as a flagrant contravention of established regulatory frameworks, constituting both a grievous security infraction and a gross subversion of lawful vehicular identification systems within the metropolis.

 

He underscored that, in alignment with the prevailing security architecture of Lagos State, every vehicle plying public thoroughfares must be duly registered and documented through the constitutionally empowered government agencies entrusted with vehicular regulation and enforcement.

 

Mr. Bakare-Oki further warned that the proliferation of such unauthorised identifiers imperils public safety, compromises effective law enforcement, and undermines the sanctity of statutory registration protocols.

 

He reaffirmed that the Lagos State Government will not condone any attempt by individuals or collectives to evade or erode established procedures through the deployment of illicit insignia.

 

In this regard, the General Manager disclosed that LASTMA, working in concert with security formations and other relevant enforcement agencies, will heighten surveillance across strategic corridors to ensure total compliance with extant laws.

 

He categorically stated: “Any vehicle discovered navigating the roadways under the guise of ‘Union Sticker’ identifiers, or other unauthorised symbols, shall be summarily impounded, and the culpable parties shall face full sanctions under the provisions of the law.”

 

While enjoining members of transport unions to conform strictly to lawful registration obligations, Bakare-Oki emphasized that such adherence is not merely a matter of administrative orderliness but also a paramount safeguard for the collective security and well-being of all Lagosians.

 

The Lagos State Government, through LASTMA, thus appeals for the unwavering cooperation of all stakeholders in sanitising the transport sector, assuring the motoring public that decisive enforcement measures will be rigorously sustained to protect lives, secure property, and uphold the integrity of traffic management across the State.

2 ladies, 1 other member of ‘one chance’ gang nabbed while trying to flee in Abuja

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The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the Federal Capital Territory has nabbed three suspected members of a ‘one chance’ syndicate operating in Abuja.

 

FCT Sector Commander, Mr. Felix Theman, confirmed the arrest during a press briefing on Friday.

 

According to him, the suspects—one male and two females—were apprehended around Wuse, shortly before the Zone 3 bridge, by a patrol team led by Deputy Route Commander (DRC) Moses Gimba.

 

“The team were alerted to the alleged one chance gang, having been alleged to have attempted pushing off their victim out of the vehicle they were using,” Theman explained.

“The team were alerted to the alleged one chance gang, having been alleged to have attempted pushing off their victim out of the vehicle they were using,” Theman explained.

 

The suspects, who were driving a Volkswagen Passat, ash in colour, attempted to flee when sighted by the FRSC patrol team. Theman said the officers gave chase as the vehicle sped off but was eventually trapped in traffic.

 

At Zone 4 traffic light near the AEDC office, the suspects abandoned the car and tried to escape on foot.“The two female members were unable to run and were caught, while the male suspect jumped across a wall of a building in an attempt to escape, but was also arrested. They were all brought to base by the FRSC patrol team, including their vehicle,” Theman said.

He noted that the Commissioner of Police was immediately notified and directed the Divisional Police Officer of Wuse Division to take custody of the suspects for further investigation.

 

“Though the suspects denied being a gang of one chance members, they admitted to being a gang of 419. The suspects have been handed over to a team of policemen from Wuse Division,” he added.

 

Theman also urged Abuja residents to be wary of unpainted taxis and remain cautious when boarding vehicles. He assured that the Corps would continue working to ensure safer roads and improved security across the FCT.

Police kill three kidnap kingpins, foil abductions in Abuja

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The Federal Capital Territory Police Command have killed three notorious kidnap kingpins in a gun battle, rescued victims and recorded major breakthroughs against robbery and drug syndicates in Abuja.

 

The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ajao Adewale, disclosed this while briefing journalists on Friday at the Command headquarters.

 

Adewale described the operations as proof of the police’s resilience, strong inter-agency collaboration, and community support.

 

He said the officers stormed a kidnapper’s hideout in Zinda Forest near the Nigerian Army Estate, Kurudu, on September 18, engaging the gang in a fierce shootout.

 

The gang leader, Abdullahi Umar (alias Duna), and his lieutenants, Buba Ahmadi (Killer) and Habi Sule (Mai-Kudi), were killed.

 

Recovered items included two AK-49 rifles, magazines loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, ATM cards, phones, charms, and ₦10,000 cash.

Investigations linked the gang to multiple abductions in Guzape, Karu, Kurudu, and parts of Nasarawa. Their plot to abduct a resident of Federal Housing Estate, Karu, was foiled by the raid.

 

NDLEA mourns death of Cross River Commander Ogbonna Maurice

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By Ebinum Samuel 

 

Marwa commiserates with deceased’s family

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the sudden death of its Cross River State Commander, CN Ogbonna Maurice Uzoma.

The report of his death was brought to the attention of the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) in Maiduguri, Borno state where he was attending a retreat for Heads of Agencies, organized by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The late Commander was recently appointed and posted to take over leadership of the Cross River State Command of the Agency. He resumed on 18th August 2025 and took a temporary accommodation in a hotel in Calabar pending when he settles into a befitting accommodation.

CN Ogbonna has been up and doing at his new Command and was billed to lead his officers on some scheduled engagements at 10am on Thursday 18th September 2025 but when his officers didn’t hear from him by 9am, they went to his hotel room in company of the hotel staff while several knocks at his door and calls to his telephone line went unanswered.

Attempts by the hotel staff to open or force the door open from outside failed, after which one of the hotel attendants had to go through the ceiling aperture to enter the room and open the door from inside, where they found the Commander’s lifeless body. The Police Command in the state was promptly alerted after which the Commissioner of Police personally visited the scene while the police continue with investigation of the cause of death.

To assist police investigation, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the Agency has since directed the Zonal Commander, Zone 14 Command of NDLEA, ACGN Mathew Ewah to relocate to Calabar.

While commiserating with the family of the deceased senior officer, Marwa said the Agency stands with the family in this trying moment, and prayed that God will comfort them and grant the departed eternal rest.

Troops capture key suspect linked to notorious ‘Full Fire’ gang

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Troops under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have apprehended a suspected top-ranking member of the gang led by notorious wanted criminal, Akiki Utivi, widely known as “Full Fire.”

Security analyst Zagazola Makama reported that the suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday at Takum Junction in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.

The arrest, carried out by troops of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Wukari, followed what sources described as reliable intelligence on the suspect’s movements.

“Wuaiyolna, who hails from Atereyange in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, was nabbed while allegedly monitoring troops’ activities in Wukari to facilitate planned attacks and kidnappings by the gang.

“He was also found with a motorcycle, which he claimed he brought to sell in Wukari,” the source said.

Military authorities hailed the operation as a significant blow to the “Full Fire” network, which has long terrorised communities in Taraba and Benue States.

They added that while the security situation remains “calm but unpredictable,” troops’ morale and combat readiness are still high.

Abuja hospital gives update on suspected Ebola patient who returned from Rwanda

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A suspected viral haemorrhagic fever case reported at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja has tested negative.

Dr Ibrahim Wada, Founder and CEO of Nisa Medical Group, said on Friday in Abuja that the patient, a 32-year-old man, was promptly isolated after showing fever, bleeding, and other worrisome symptoms.

According to Wada, the hospital immediately notified the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), which conducted tests to determine whether the case was linked to viral haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, Marburg, Dengue, or Lassa fever.

“I have just confirmed that the test result turned out negative. The index case came in yesterday, and with the symptoms presented, NCDC was immediately contacted and the patient isolated. I can confirm that the result of the test carried out by NCDC has come out negative,” he said.

He added that both the hospital management and the NCDC Director-General are expected to release official statements later today to provide further updates to the public.

PlatinumPost reports that the patient, an estate developer identified by the initials O.I., had a 10-day history of fever that did not respond to treatment, along with nosebleeds, vomiting blood, and passing bloody stool.

Preliminary information from the FCT Chief Epidemiologist indicates that the man recently traveled to Rwanda for tourism. He reportedly began experiencing symptoms while in Rwanda, where a physician recommended testing for Lassa fever.

He returned to Nigeria on Thursday via Rwanda Air and proceeded directly to Nisa Premier Hospital. Medical records show that he had visited multiple hospitals in Rwanda over the past three weeks and received antibiotics without improvement.

Following his admission, the FCT Rapid Response Team was activated to investigate the situation, and relevant public health authorities were notified. Samples were collected for laboratory confirmation at the designated national reference centre.

Meanwhile, hospital management has been instructed to maintain strict infection prevention and control measures to prevent any potential transmission. Health authorities have urged residents to stay calm, assuring the public that surveillance and control measures remain in place.

Recall that the World Health Organization describes viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) as a group of illnesses caused by viruses that damage blood vessels and can result in severe bleeding. Some VHFs may present with milder symptoms, such as body aches and fatigue. Examples include Ebola, dengue, Marburg, and yellow fever, which are most commonly found in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America.

ANAMBRA POLICE ARRESTS 10 SUSPECTED CULTISTS, RECOVER FIREARM AND AMMUNITION

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  By Ebinum Samuel     The Anambra State Police Command in its ongoing onslaught against cultism and violent crimes, through Police Operatives attached to the Special Anti-Cultism Squad (SPACS) Enugu ukwu in the early hours of today 18th September, 2025 acting on credible intelligence, stormed the residence of Ndefoh Chijoke ‘M’, aged 23 years in Ogbunike village, Oyi local government, a strong member of the Aye Confraternity (Black Axe), who was sighted in the company of other suspected cultists. Upon a search of him, an Ontario CA American-made pistol with one live round of ammunition was recovered from the suspect.   Also, in a follow-up on the information obtained on the spot from the suspect, 9 (Nine) other suspects were arrested. They include: Obuh Onyedika ‘M’ 27yrs, Obuh Confidence ‘M’ 19yrs, Mbanusi Nnaemeka ‘M’ 22yrs, Godwin Udebeh ‘M’ 31yrs, Chizoba Onuake ‘M’ 19yrs, Ohazunike Martins ‘M’ 23yrs, Ndife Chidorie ‘M’ 23yrs, Nwosu Chinecherem ‘M’ 22yrs, and Caleb Nwafor ‘M’ 26yrs. The suspects are currently undergoing screening and profiling, after which those found culpable will be charged in court.     The spokesman for the Command , SP Tochukwu Ikenga disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu fwc MNIPS PhD commended the swift action of the operatives and reiterated the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive raids, intelligence-led operations, and community collaboration to rid the State of cultism, firearms proliferation, and other violent crimes.   Investigation is ongoing, and further developments will be communicated.   Meanwhile, other parts of the State remains calm as counter-terrorism and crime prevention operations continue.