Crime
NDLEA Recovers Drugs From Serving Senator
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it recovered illicit drugs from the personal house of Kwara South Senator, Oyeyola Ashiru, attributing the lawmaker’s recent outburst against the agency to this.
The Senator during plenary on October 15 said: “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency is corrupt and compromised…” calling for the establishment of another anti-drug agency.
But the chairman of the agency, Brig Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd), during a briefing on Monday, said the Senator’s outburst was borne out of vendetta rather than based on any altruistic motive or national interest.
Represented by the Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Marwa said the agency remains undeterred as it will continue to dismantle illicit drug networks including the one operating in the lawmaker’s house.
Babafemi was in the company of NDLEA Area Commander, Offa Area Commander, Kwara State, Ayodeji Olaoluwa and the Officer in charge of Special Enforcement, Kwara State Command during the briefing.
Responding to the accusation, Marwa said: “While acknowledging the great work of the Senate towards the upliftment of Nigeria and Nigerians especially their support for the ongoing concerted efforts towards the amendment of the NDLEA Act, the Agency however is duty-bound to respond to the unprovoked attack against it by Senator Ashiru during his contribution to the debate on a new bill for an Act to establish the National Institute for Drug Awareness and Rehabilitation on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.”
He said the agency waited for a whole week hoping the lawmaker will clarify his position on such a weighty allegation against it but failing to do that, it is left with “no option than to come out and set the record straight for the benefit of other distinguished members of the Senate, our local and international partners as well as the general public.”
He continued: “There is no doubt that setting up another agency is within the power of the Senate and if we are invited to contribute to the debate we will be willing to offer our opinion.
“While we cannot fault the power of the senate on that, yet for a member of the upper chamber to have made such an unfounded and unwarranted categorical statement against the agency led us to look inward to see what could have been responsible for such a carpeting general statement.
“What we found was shocking, and we concluded that his statement came from a place of vendetta and certainly not out of public interest or any altruistic motive.
“The personal house of the senator in GRA Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, had been raided in the recent past, where drugs and illicit substances were recovered while two of his aides: Ibrahim Mohammed and Muhammed Yahaya were arrested.
”Based on credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed that the senator’s house was being used as a drug joint for drug dealers and users, the house was raided by our operatives at 1:30pm on February 4, 2024 during which the two aides were arrested, while a third suspect escaped arrest.
“In another encounter with the senator, the Agency also received intelligence that some of his boys popularly known as ‘Omo Senator’ operating from his hometown, Offa, were equally dealing in illicit drugs. A raid was subsequently carried out on their joint in Offa where one of them, Oluwatosin Odepidan was arrested and illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and cannabis recovered from him on June 11, 2023.
“The bid to get the Agency drop the case against Odepidan including a visit to the Kwara State Command headquarters of the Agency in Ilorin by the Personal Assistant to the senator, one Omoluabi, was rebuffed as Odepidan was promptly charged to court and prosecuted.
“Though the culprit jumped court bail in 2023, he was rearrested in 2024 after the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest. He was eventually convicted and sentenced in June 2024.
“So, going by this backstory, it is deductible that these encounters that the Agency has had with the senator, must have been responsible for his outburst, and unfortunately, false allegation, the type that nobody within and outside of government has ever levelled against NDLEA before.”
The agency said despite the impression Senator Ashiru was trying to create about its image, the NDLEA has continued to receive accolades from local and international bodies for its successes in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
“Incidentally, the next day after Senator Ashiru made the statement, NDLEA in Lagos commissioned a new Marine Command Headquarters building donated by the Government of the UK.
“A similar facility at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport was donated last year by the same British government. We have had other facilities donated by United States INL and executed by UNODC in the past 12 months. We have been receiving various support from the governments of France, Germany and the US, among others.
“Suffice it to say that in the past three years, NDLEA has emerged as a regional leader among national drug law enforcement agencies. So, come to think about it, an agency so badmouthed by Senator Ashiru couldn’t have been attracting such international goodwill and commendation for being the ‘most corrupt government agency’ in Nigeria.
“Against the background of our encounter with people linked to him, we are wont to believe that Senator Ashiru’s invectives against NDLEA were borne out of vendetta and not any opinion made in the public interest.
“As an agency, we have been professional in our activities and interactions with citizens as we carry out arrests daily. In the past three years, we have made over 52, 000 arrests and got more than 9, 000 convictions, including three life sentences this year.
“And, as part of our mandate, we have engaged in over 7,000 awareness and sensitisation activities in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities; treatment and rehabilitation of more than 33,000 drug users including the last two persons arrested in the senator’s house; supported by governments, organisations and other stakeholders in the country and around the world.
“Outside this country, NDLEA has become a reference for drug law enforcement. Therefore, the statement by Senator Ashiru, made in the country’s hallowed chamber in the course of a legislative debate, and made to justify the creation of another agency is motivated by malice; it is a gross misrepresentation of fact; and it is defamatory to the image of NDLEA. We believe the well-meaning public; our stakeholders and our partners can see through such calculated mendacity.”
The NDLEA vowed it will remain undeterred by Senator Ashiru’s attack but will be relentless in ongoing effort to dismantle all illicit drug networks across the country including the one operating in the lawmaker’s house.
“So, if Senator Ashiru has a personal grudge against NDLEA, it shouldn’t be cloaked as a matter of public concern. His statement of October 15, 2024, uttered in the hallowed chamber of the Nigerian Senate, is a gross abuse of his position as a legislator of the Federal Republic to undermine an agency of government by wrong accusation calculated to erode public confidence in NDLEA and detract from its integrity. And we dare say that such will not deter us from our ongoing effort to dismantle all illicit drug networks including the one operating from the senator’s residence.
“NDLEA since January 2021 has been on a journey of reforms, and so far, we are glad with the progress we are making. We are grateful to the federal and state governments for the support we have been enjoying. We are equally grateful to the National Assembly for the huge support they give that has made possible the turnaround of NDLEA from a dormant agency to a vibrant government organ.
“We equally acknowledge the unprecedented collaboration with our partners, which has made our work easier. We have concrete results to show for our efforts, and those results cannot be wished away by anyone’s careless remarks,” he said.
Two police officers have been killed after suspected armed herders ambushed the convoy of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ayilamo, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The latest attack occurred on Monday evening, barely four days after another deadly incident in the community reportedly left four policemen and seven residents dead.
Community sources said the DPO had travelled to Makurdi on official duty and was returning to Ayilamo when his entourage came under attack.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were among newly deployed Mobile Police officers stationed in the area.
He said the officers were attacked at about 6pm while travelling from Ayilamo to escort the DPO back to the community from Makurdi.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, said two officers attached to the DPO’s entourage were killed in the attack.
“The DPO came to Makurdi to collect some things, and while returning to Ayilamo, he was attacked and lost two of his men in the attack,” Aondongu said.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Ayilamo, where repeated attacks have resulted in casualties among security personnel and residents.
The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.
The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.
Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.
The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.
A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.
Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.
The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.
Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.
The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.
The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.
At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.
Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.
“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.
The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.
Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.
“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.
The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
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