NDLEA Seizes N3.4bn Drugs, Arrests Fake Police Officer in Nationwide Crackdown

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, alongside about 6,000kg of cannabis, in a series of operations across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The agency said the seizures had an estimated street value of more than N3.4 billion, while its operatives also arrested a man accused of impersonating a senior police officer while allegedly transporting illicit drugs.

The operations were conducted in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe and Imo states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, according to a statement issued by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

One of the biggest seizures occurred at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, where NDLEA operatives intercepted 603.75kg of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis.

The consignment, according to the agency, was valued at about N1.811 billion.

The 40-foot container carrying the drugs reportedly originated from Montreal, Canada, and arrived in Nigeria on September 12.

Following intelligence received by the NDLEA, the container was placed under surveillance before a joint examination by NDLEA personnel, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on September 16.

The Canadian Loud was allegedly concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded into two Toyota Sienna vehicles inside the container.

In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested 49-year-old Innocent Ekpe along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba on September 16.

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The agency said Ekpe was found with 292.48kg of skunk, allegedly concealed inside a silver Toyota Sienna bus.

According to the NDLEA, preliminary investigation indicated that Ekpe allegedly presented himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and used a forged police identification card to evade security checks while transporting illicit drugs.

A 39-year-old alleged accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai at an auto-repair workshop along Agbor Road in Benin City.

The agency alleged that the workshop was being used as a cover for storing illicit drugs.

Officers recovered 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine and a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.

Another major seizure was recorded in Niger State, where NDLEA operatives intercepted more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, in addition to codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets.

The drugs were allegedly concealed in eight sacks being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

Two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested along the Abaji-Abuja Highway on September 18 in connection with the consignment.

The agency also reported an earlier interception on September 15 along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.

Three suspects — Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18 — were arrested during the operation.

The NDLEA said officers recovered two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol and magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Onyeka Ofor at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on September 18 and recovered 48,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg.

The agency also intercepted seven cartons of cannabis weighing 59kg at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Luke Ugokwe.

Another suspect, Ibrahim Hudu, 43, was arrested at Apongbon, where NDLEA officers recovered 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas.

In Gombe State, operatives recovered 154,480 capsules of tramadol from two suspects identified as 27-year-old Sabi’u Umar and 19-year-old Hassana Muhammad.

NDLEA personnel in Imo State also arrested 25-year-old Ifesinachi Godwin along the Owerri-Onitsha Road with 43.85kg of skunk, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during an operation targeting a cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, Ondo State.

The NDLEA said about 5,000kg of cannabis was destroyed on the two-hectare farm, while 48kg of dry and fresh cannabis was recovered as exhibits.

The agency said the latest operations demonstrate its continued efforts to disrupt the production, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs across Nigeria.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-led enforcement activities.

The suspects remain under investigation, and the allegations against them have not been established by a court.

NDLEA Seizes N3.4bn Drugs, Arrests Fake Police Officer in Nationwide Crackdown

Oyo: Police Arrest Serving Air Force Personnel Over Alleged Robbery, Abduction

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a serving Nigerian Air Force personnel over an alleged armed robbery and abduction in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The arrest was made on September 17, 2026, as police operatives investigated the reported incident, according to the Force’s latest operational update.

A blue Toyota Camry allegedly used during the operation was also recovered by the police and taken as an exhibit.

The police did not disclose the identity, rank or unit of the Air Force personnel, nor did they provide details about the alleged victim or explain the circumstances under which the robbery and abduction occurred.

The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Ibadan, for further investigation.

The arrest was among several security operations recorded by the police in Oyo State and other parts of the country between September 17 and 20.

In a separate development in Oyo State, police operatives arrested three suspected members and associates of a kidnapping syndicate.

One of the suspects was arrested on September 18 at Kanbi Village in Atisbo Local Government Area following what the police described as credible intelligence.

Two other suspects were also arrested for allegedly concealing or facilitating the activities of the kidnapping group.

The police said the investigation into the three suspects was also being handled by the SCID in Ibadan.

The two Oyo cases are separate in the police operational summary, and there was no indication that the Air Force personnel arrested over the alleged robbery and abduction was among the three suspects linked to the kidnapping syndicate.

The latest arrests form part of wider police operations targeting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, sexual offences and other criminal activities across several states.

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The Force reported arrests and recoveries in Oyo, Kogi, Kano, Delta, Cross River, Nasarawa, Gombe and Bayelsa states during the period under review.

In Kogi State, police detectives arrested a suspect following a fatal shooting at Ohunene Community in Ajaokuta Local Government Area and recovered a barrel gun allegedly linked to the incident. Another suspect was arrested in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area, following a reported missing-person case.

In Kano State, a female suspect was arrested in connection with the death of her husband at Katsalle Quarters in Rogo Local Government Area.

Delta State police reported separate arrests involving alleged sexual offences, including cases involving minors. Officers also arrested three suspects during a raid on a suspected criminal black spot at Umusadege, Kwale, in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, where the suspects were allegedly linked to drug trafficking and cult-related activities.

In Cross River State, police operatives tracked and arrested a suspect following the circulation of a video allegedly showing a cult-related firearm discharge in Calabar.

In Nasarawa State, police recovered a white Toyota Camry allegedly involved in a fatal road traffic incident at Gudi, Akwanga Local Government Area.

Gombe State police also recovered a blood-stained machete from the scene of a suspected culpable homicide at Duggari Hills in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

In Bayelsa State, a murder suspect was moved to the SCID in Yenagoa for protective custody following unrest at Ebedebiri, Sagbama Local Government Area. Tactical teams were subsequently deployed to the community to restore law and order.

For the Oyo State Air Force personnel, the police investigation remains ongoing. The recovered Toyota Camry is being treated as an exhibit while detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged robbery and abduction.

Similarly, the three suspects arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping syndicate remain under investigation.

The allegations against all the suspects have not been established by a court, and the investigations are expected to determine whether they will face criminal charges.

Oyo: Police Arrest Serving Air Force Personnel Over Alleged Robbery, Abduction

Osun Police Warn Against Planned Cult-Linked Protest, Investigate Recent Killing

The Osun State Police Command has warned against a planned protest allegedly organised by a group identified as the “Congress of Cultists”, which the command said intelligence linked to the Neo-Black Movement (NBM), also known as Black Axe.

The police described the group as “faceless” and warned that anyone attempting to use the proposed protest to cause disorder, threaten lives, destroy property or disrupt public peace would face appropriate action.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Osun Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Ojelabi, the command said it had received intelligence about the planned gathering and would not allow any group to exploit the situation to engage in criminal activities.

The command said its operatives, in collaboration with other security agencies, would respond decisively and appropriately to any action capable of threatening public safety and security in the state.

The police did not disclose the proposed date, venue or expected number of participants. It also did not announce any arrest specifically linked to the alleged planned protest.

The command instead urged individuals and groups with grievances to use lawful channels of redress, warning against violence, reprisal attacks and self-help.

The warning over the alleged protest is a separate development from the police investigation into a recent killing in Osogbo, although both developments have heightened security concerns in the state.

In the separate incident, Adejuwon Adekunle, popularly known as “Asa”, was shot dead near a recreation centre in the Dele Yes Sir community, Osogbo, in the early hours of September 15.

According to the police, armed men arrived in the area and opened fire, during which Adekunle was shot.

He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

The police said preliminary findings suggested that the Osogbo killing might be cult-related, but stressed that the circumstances surrounding the incident had not been fully established.

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The identities and whereabouts of the suspected attackers were not immediately known, and the command said no arrest had been made at the time of its latest update.

Following the killing, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Zungura, directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.

The police said investigators were working to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and identify those responsible.

The command has appealed to residents who have credible information about the incident to assist the investigation, assuring them that information provided would be treated confidentially.

The recent Osogbo killing followed another separate violent incident in Ile-Ife, where Accord Party chieftain Olalekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as “Emir Ajagungbade”, was shot dead at the Mayfair Motor Park.

Another corpse was subsequently recovered within the motor park, according to the authorities.

The Ile-Ife incident was reportedly linked to a dispute over leadership of the motor park, and the state government directed security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible.

Governor Ademola Adeleke also ordered the immediate vacation of the affected motor parks by rival groups and announced the reintroduction of a Park Management System as part of measures to restore order.

That incident is being investigated separately from the Osogbo killing and the alleged planned cult-linked protest.

Against this backdrop, the Osun Police Command has continued to urge residents to remain vigilant and avoid activities capable of escalating tensions.

The Commissioner of Police also called on parents, traditional rulers, religious leaders and community leaders to caution young people against joining cult groups or participating in activities that could threaten peace and security.

The command advised residents to report suspicious movements and criminal activities to the nearest police station or other security agencies.

The police further warned suspected cult members and other criminal elements against using recent incidents as an opportunity to carry out reprisal attacks, cult violence or other criminal activities.

While the command has linked the proposed protest to an alleged cult group, it has not publicly established that the planned gathering is connected to the recent killing in Osogbo.

Similarly, the police have described the Osogbo killing only as suspected cult-related, pending the outcome of their investigation.

The distinction is important as security agencies work to establish the facts behind the separate developments.

The alleged protest concerns a warning issued by the police over a proposed gathering, while the Osogbo case concerns an ongoing criminal investigation into the death of Adekunle.

The police have urged residents not to take the law into their own hands and have appealed for cooperation as investigations continue.

For now, the command has not disclosed further details about the organisers of the alleged protest or confirmed whether the gathering will proceed.

It has, however, made clear that any gathering or activity that results in violence, destruction of property or a threat to public safety will attract security intervention.

The command said its priority remains the protection of lives and property, maintenance of public order and the investigation and prosecution of individuals found to have violated the law.

Osun Police Warn Against Planned Cult-Linked Protest, Investigate Recent Killing