Crime
63-year-old arrested for shipping drugs to daughter in Dubai
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have arrested a major importer of Loud variant of cannabis from the United States, Abibu Afis Sola and a 63-year-old grandfather, Afolabi Abideen Kolawole, who ships illicit substances to his daughter in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Sola was arrested with others at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos.
He was arrested in connection with a 19.30kg Colorado consignment from Los Angeles, USA, which was intercepted on June 30, at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) cargo import shed of the Lagos airport.
NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, yesterday, said a 37.1kg consignment of Loud intercepted on July 7 was also traced to Sola, while he was still being interviewed in custody.
But Kolawole, the 63-year-old grandfather behind an intercepted drug exhibit going to Dubai, on August 4, was arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, August 18 after more than four sets of arrests eventually unravelled him.
The grand pa confessed that he was responsible for the concealment and packaging of the cannabis inside the black native soap used as a mode of concealment.
He also admitted this was his second attempt at sending such illicit substances to his daughter, Barakat, in Dubai.
In all, a total of 2.32 million tablets and capsules of tramadol, pregabalin, hypnox, diazepam and exol-5 including 7, 353 bottles of a new psychoactive substance locally called Akuskura, meant for the seven states were seized from locations across Kaduna, Kogi, Sokoto, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In Kaduna State, a drug dealer Umar Sanusi was arrested on Friday, August 12, during a follow-up operation in Kano and brought back to Kaduna where his consignment of 50 cartons of pregabalin 300mg, containing 750,000 capsules, weighing 375kgs, earlier seized along Abuja-Kaduna expressway was counted and weighed in his presence.
The same day, operatives also intercepted along Abuja-Kaduna express road 7,068 bottles of a new dangerous substance of abuse called Akuskura meant for Kaduna, Zamfara, Gombe, Kano and Borno.
The recipients were arrested in Kaduna and Zamfara during follow-up operations. The following day, Saturday, August 13, 285 bottles of the NPS were recovered from a dealer, Abubakar Ahmad, along the same highway.
In Kogi State, about 696,000 tablets of tramadol and exol-5 among others loaded into a truck at Onitsha, Anambra State and heading to Maiduguri, Borno State, were seized along Okene-Abuja Expressway on Friday, August 19, while NDLEA operatives also recovered 300,000 tablets of diazepam from a suspect, Faruku Bello, 30, in Sokoto State on Wednesday, August 17.
Also, anti-narcotic officers of the agency in Abuja, FCT at the weekend, equally intercepted a bus loaded with 323, 200 tablets of tramadol 225mg and others at Onitsha, Anambra State heading to Nasarawa State. The driver of the vehicle, Osita Nwobodo, 45, who made fruitless bids to compromise the operatives have also been arrested.
A freight agent, Miss Njoko Elizabeth, 37, was also arrested for attempting to export 250grammes of tramadol and cannabis to Dubai through the NAHCO export shed.
The drug exhibits were concealed inside some gallons of palm oil and honey, which were packed among food items and hair attachments.
Also at the Lagos airport, 249,600 tablets of tramadol 225mg have been recovered from a shipment from India at Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) import shed of the MMIA.
The consignment, which arrived from India via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airline flight on August 4 was eventually evacuated on Wednesday, August 17 as an abandoned seizure.
SIMILARLY, an Italy-bound passenger, Oziengbe Ehighalua Andrew, 55, was on Friday, August 19, arrested with 600 grammes of tramadol 200mg, while attempting to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Italy, via Casablanca.
In the same vein, seven cartons of khat leaf with a total weight of 295kg have been seized at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport. The consignment came into Nigeria from Tanzania through Cairo on Egypt Air.
Operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI), in NDLEA, attached to courier firms have intercepted 11.36kg heroin and cannabis packaged for UAE, Netherlands and Omar. The drugs were concealed in dictionaries, fancy light and body cream.
In Niger State, 139 bags and 176 compressed blocks of cannabis loaded in Ogere, Ogun State and heading to Zaria, Kaduna State were seized by NDLEA operatives along Abuja-Kaduna road, Suleja, from a company vehicle while the driver, Sani Mohammed, 44, and his assistant, Abubakar Abubakar, 30, were arrested.
Also, raids carried out in Akala, Mushin area of Lagos also led to the arrest of Pelumi Goodness and Ola Funke, while over 1,171.75kg cannabis and 29 litres of codeine syrup were recovered.
Lawyers representing the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, have formally written to the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, requesting that an autopsy be conducted on the late Mary Habila before her remains are released for burial.
In a letter dated July 15, 2026, and acknowledged by the Ebonyi State Police Command the same day, Roy & Associates said they were acting on the instruction of the minister.
According to the petition, Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, who was on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27, 2026, in a staff residential building located within Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The lawyers stated that the deceased did not live in the same building as the minister, explaining that the building was reserved for members of Umahi’s staff and other personnel working with him. They further noted that on the night of her death, only Habila and another female occupant, identified as a physiotherapist, were in the building.
The legal team urged the police to ensure that a comprehensive autopsy is carried out by qualified forensic pathologists to scientifically determine the actual cause and circumstances of Habila’s death. They also requested that her remains should not be released to any person, including her next of kin, until the autopsy and all relevant investigative procedures have been concluded.
According to the letter, the request is intended to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation, eliminate speculation, and ensure that the true cause of death is conclusively established before burial.
Panic erupted at the permanent site of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) after the headless body of a middle-aged man was discovered on a farmland within the university premises on Wednesday.
The discovery was reportedly made in the early hours of the day, sending shockwaves through the university community.
A 300-level student of the institution, Pius Atok, told journalists that the deceased was neither a student nor a member of staff of the university.
“The body was found this morning on a farm around the university community. From what we gathered, the victim was neither a student nor a member of staff of the university,” he said.
A senior university official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations showed the victim was a farmer known within the area.
“We have investigated and found the victim is neither a student nor a staff member of the university. He is known to people around the area because he usually goes there to farm. We believe he came very early this morning, as he normally does,” the official said.
The official added that the circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear but suggested the attackers may have deliberately targeted the victim.
“What actually happened is still unclear, but from the nature of the attack, it appears those responsible came specifically to kill him and made away with his head,” the source added.
According to the official, the university’s Information Directorate is handling the matter and will issue an official statement through the institution’s communication channels.
The victim’s family has been notified, while arrangements are underway to evacuate the body. Security agencies are expected to investigate the incident.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 property linked to a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a judgment delivered in Abuja on Wednesday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had established the reasonable suspicion required by law to justify the forfeiture of the assets.
The judge ruled that Malami, his family members and companies linked to the properties failed to dislodge the commission’s allegation that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Before delivering the substantive judgment, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications, motions on notice and applications to show cause filed by the respondents, describing them as “wanting in merit.”
She held that the issue before the court was not the ownership of the properties but the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire them.
“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the property,” the judge said.
She added that the respondents had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, Justice Abdulmalik granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture.
The court, however, discharged the interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the property.
The anti-graft agency had, in January, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at N212.8 billion, alleging that they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former AGF.
Following the publication, Malami, his wife, Nana Hadiza Malami; his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami; and several companies linked to the assets challenged the interim forfeiture order.
They argued that the property were lawfully acquired and contended that the EFCC failed to establish any nexus between the assets and the alleged unlawful activities.
The respondents further maintained that the commission relied on speculation rather than credible evidence and neither proved that the property were proceeds of crime nor identified any specific criminal offence from which they were allegedly derived.
After the court resumed from its annual vacation, the case was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik for hearing and determination.
At the hearing, counsel for the EFCC argued that investigations showed the property were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and held in the names of individuals and companies acting as fronts for Malami.
The commission also submitted that, under the law governing civil forfeiture proceedings, it only needed to establish reasonable suspicion and not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
After the parties adopted their final written addresses in May, the court reserved judgment.
The judgment, initially fixed for July 6, was deferred twice before Justice Abdulmalik finally delivered the ruling on Wednesday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Command disclosed that a combined team of police officers and other security agencies had been mobilised to the area immediately after receiving reports of the attack.
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said security operatives had already recorded a breakthrough, revealing that one of the abducted students had been rescued.
She added that efforts were being intensified to secure the release of the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
According to the police spokesperson, the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, accompanied by the Brigade Commander and the Kogi State Security Adviser, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd.), had departed for the community to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and coordinate ongoing security operations.
The Command assured residents that further details would be made public as investigations progress and more verified information becomes available.
The latest attack adds to growing concerns over the security of schools and examination centres across the country, particularly as candidates continue to sit for this year’s NECO examinations.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled an alleged kidnap plot targeting prominent personalities in the state and arrested a suspected leader of a three-man fraud syndicate accused of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public in Anambra and Enugu states.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed the development in a statement, attributing the breakthrough to operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, in Oyi Local Government Area.
According to Ikenga, police operatives on the evening of July 11, 2026, foiled the suspected kidnap attempt, rescued a victim, and arrested 66-year-old Kenneth Nnaji for his alleged involvement in a criminal syndicate specialising in obtaining money under false pretences in Awka.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is allegedly a member of a three-man gang that has been defrauding unsuspecting members of the public through elaborate schemes across Anambra and Enugu states.
“The suspect, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to his involvement in the criminal enterprise and provided useful information on the group’s modus operandi,” Ikenga stated.
He explained that members of the syndicate allegedly disguise themselves in branded overalls and caps while posing as representatives of reputable companies.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly obtain goods from prospective victims under the pretext of collecting samples before directing them to another location, claiming larger quantities of the goods are available for purchase at heavily discounted prices. The victims are then allegedly defrauded through the scheme.
Ikenga said the suspect identified other members of the syndicate as Christopher (surname yet to be ascertained), Jacob Musa, and Joseph (surname yet to be ascertained), all of whom remain at large.
He added that efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, urged members of the public to remain vigilant and verify the identities and credentials of individuals claiming to represent companies before engaging in any business transactions.
He also directed the investigating team to conduct a comprehensive investigation, arrest all fleeing suspects, recover the proceeds of the alleged fraud, and ensure the prosecution of all those found culpable in accordance with the law.
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