Delta Police Arrest Minor, Five Others Over Alleged Illicit Drug Sales

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested six suspected drug dealers, including a 15-year-old female minor, during a raid on a store allegedly being used for the sale and distribution of illicit drugs in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects were arrested by operatives of the Department of Operations during a routine patrol along Alegwe Street, off Owa Road, Agbor, following information received by the police about suspected drug-related activities in the area.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed the arrests in a statement, saying the operation formed part of the ongoing crackdown on the sale and distribution of illicit drugs across Delta State.

According to Edafe, the operatives were acting on what the police described as credible intelligence when they raided a store suspected to be used as an outlet for the distribution of prohibited substances.

Those arrested were identified as Anabel Haruna, 18; Terhemen Faith, 19; Kaityo Abigail, 23; Iorkee Eunice, 26; and Osomuri Emmanuel, 31, alongside a 15-year-old female juvenile whose identity was withheld because she is a minor.

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During the operation, the police said a search of a vehicle linked to the suspects resulted in the recovery of Tramadol, Rohypnol and other substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

The recovered substances have been taken into police custody as exhibits, while the six suspects remain in custody as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged activities.

The police said the investigation is also aimed at identifying and arresting other persons who may be connected to the suspected drug distribution network.

Edafe said the suspects would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigations and the completion of the necessary legal processes.

The operation comes as the Delta State Police Command intensifies efforts to tackle the distribution and abuse of illicit drugs, which authorities have linked to other forms of criminality and social disorder.

The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, CP Samuel E. Erale, has directed officers and personnel across the command to strengthen intelligence gathering and enforcement operations against individuals and groups suspected of dealing in illicit drugs.

Erale warned that the command would continue to target suspected drug trafficking and distribution networks operating in the state and would not allow Delta communities to become safe havens for criminal activities.

The Commissioner also called for sustained cooperation between residents and security agencies, urging members of the public to provide credible information that could assist the police in identifying suspected criminal activities in their communities.

The latest arrests highlight the continued concern over the circulation of controlled substances, particularly as law enforcement agencies across Nigeria intensify operations against the illicit drug trade.

The police said the investigation into the Agbor operation remains ongoing, with further arrests possible as investigators trace the source of the recovered substances and determine whether other individuals were involved.

Delta Police Arrest Minor, Five Others Over Alleged Illicit Drug Sales

‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos

They came from Agadagba community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. Not to trade. Not to visit. They came to Lagos to kidnap. And as you read this piece, the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended three members of a cross-state kidnapping syndicate that abducted a businesswoman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos State, collected N21 million as ransom before her release. The suspects—Semi Buawe, 35; Oluwatomi Obosi, 37; and Bamure Telemowei—were traced to their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The gang’s leader, identified only as ID, was said to still be at large and alleged to be connected to kidnapping incidents across multiple states, police sources said.

According to police investigations, the gang planned its operations in Ondo State, travelled to Lagos for the abduction in April 2026, and returned to the same Ondo community immediately after collecting the ransom. Police said this pattern highlights the increasingly cross-border nature of kidnapping in the South-West. The victim, whose identity has been withheld, was held captive for three days in a bush in the Ijedodo area before her family paid the ransom. The ransom package was unusual: the family paid N21 million in cash, along with a bottle of Eagle Schnapps, a power bank, and one kilogramme of frozen turkey. When the gang ran out of food during captivity, they allegedly used the victim’s phone to transfer N150,000 to a POS operator around Ijedodo and collected it in cash. Buawe told investigators that the victim initially refused to eat any food provided by her captors. “On the third day, she agreed to eat biscuit and that was the only thing she ate in three days”. The victim’s family initially offered N16 million as ransom, but the gang leader, ID, rejected it and continued negotiations until N21 million was agreed upon. The ransom was reportedly collected in dollars.

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Speaking after his arrest, 35-year-old Buawe, a sawmill worker by trade, admitted participating in the abduction. He revealed that he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010 but had attempted to leave the trade. “I am an indigene of Agadagba in the Ese-Odo Local Government area of Ondo State. I worked at a saw mill in Ondo State. I was staying in Lagos before but I returned to my hometown to be doing business there”. “I have been into kidnapping since 2010 but ID and I were not in the same gang. He came to me in April that he had a job in Lagos and that he wanted me to be part of the operation. Initially, I declined because I had decided that I wanted to quit kidnapping. He kept calling and begging me. Later he brought some of his friends to beg me and I agreed to join them. They said they needed my experience of the knowledge of Lagos, since I have lived in Lagos”.

The gang had no specific target when they arrived in Lagos. ID instructed them to go to Ijedodo to look for any rich man. “We were walking, when ID suddenly stopped in front of a very beautiful duplex. He concluded that the owner of the house must be very rich. He went inside the house with one other member of the gang, Alfred, while Oluwatomi and I watched over the environment. Later he came out with a woman and we headed straight into the bush in the same area”. When the woman started shouting for help, a passerby tried to intervene, but ID brought out a gun and shot into the air, forcing the man to retreat. Buawe admitted that he was almost running away but ID cautioned him. Buawe said he received N1.5 million from the ransom and collected one of the victim’s two phones. “I did not even use the money for any tangible thing because the amount was small”. He later fell out with the gang leader after they returned to Ondo State. He gave the victim’s phone to a Hausa bureau de change operator who is yet to pay him, he said in regret.

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For the second suspect, Oluwatomi Obosi, his descent into the underworld began not with a gun, but with a mother’s prayer and a grandfather’s advice—a desperate quest for love that led him straight into a kidnapper’s den. With a voice heavy with regret, 37-year-old Tommy, as he is fondly called, said his mother advised him to be serious with relationships and marry. His grandfather reinforced the message, urging him to return to their hometown in Agadagba, Ondo State, to look for a decent girl and raise money for a proper marriage. In Agadagba, Tommy found a lady and proposed, but she insisted he must first secure the consent of her elder sister—a condition that would prove catastrophic. “It was in the process that I was introduced to ID, who was the leader of our gang. He was the husband of my girlfriend’s sister. When ID discovered I lived in Lagos, he told me about the kidnapping plan. He said he wanted me to be translating Yoruba language to other members of the gang, whenever the gang abducted a Yoruba victim. I only agreed to follow them for the operation because I needed money to marry as soon as possible”. Obosi received N2.5 million, which he believed was enough to start his new life. However, ID later collected N200,000 from each gang member after they returned to Agadagba. Today, the man who only wanted to make his mother proud and honour his grandfather’s wish sits in a police cell, his dreams of marriage shattered and his future uncertain.

Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader. The suspects, she added, were currently in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations. The police urged members of the public with useful information about the fleeing gang leader, ID, to report to the nearest police station. “There will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State,” Adebisi said.

‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Minors Sold for ₦2m Each by Fake NGO Official

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has announced the rescue of 15 minors who were allegedly trafficked and sold for ₦2 million each by a fake official of a civil society organisation, the National Council of Child Rights Advocate . The victims, taken from communities in Nasarawa State, were recovered across multiple states in a coordinated intelligence-led operation that also led to the recovery of stolen rifles and vandalised telecommunications equipment .

The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this at a news briefing on Friday at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja . He said the rescue was carried out during a major crackdown on criminal syndicates involved in human trafficking, vandalism and other forms of criminality . The Corps also said stolen rifles and vandalised telecommunications equipment were recovered during the operation .

According to Afolabi, a member of the syndicate represented himself as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate and deceived parents into handing over their children . The suspect operated under the guise of running an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, using promises of free education to lure vulnerable, less privileged parents into releasing their children .

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“Under the guise of operating an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, he lured willing, less privileged parents into releasing their children with promises of free education,” Afolabi said .

He added that the operation was carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) , headed by Commander Dandaura Appollos . Afolabi said the investigation followed a petition regarding missing children in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and uncovered a syndicate allegedly headed by one Anderson Archibong .

The suspect allegedly took 16 children from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona LGA in January 2026 and sold them to buyers in different parts of the country for ₦2 million each . Through advanced field tracking, technical intelligence and multi-state tactical sweeps, operatives tracked down the buyers who were from different locations in the country .

According to Afolabi, three of the victims were rescued separately in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered through coordinated operations along eastern transit routes . Efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining child and apprehend other members of the syndicate .

Afolabi further disclosed that three suspected buyers had been arrested in connection with the case . The suspects were identified as Joy Julius, Ngozi, and Eze Lazarus—comprising one man and two women—and they have allegedly confessed to their involvement in the trafficking operation .

The NSCDC spokesperson said that the Corps maintains a zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking and other forms of criminality . Upon completion of the corps’ investigation, all suspects found culpable will be prosecuted in courts of competent jurisdiction . The NSCDC Directorate of Legal Services has been directed to immediately initiate prosecution against all arrested suspects .

The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, commended the CG’s SIS for what he described as tactical coordination and operational efficiency .

The development has exposed how promises of education and better opportunities can allegedly be used to gain the trust of struggling parents before children are transferred to traffickers or buyers . The Corps has urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking to security agencies .

In a related development, the CG’s SIS also dismantled a syndicate allegedly involved in the vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure across Delta and Kano states, and recovered three stolen service rifles as part of separate operations targeting illegal arms diversion and internal corruption .

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Minors Sold for ₦2m Each by Fake NGO Official