Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil-based Nigerian businessman over alleged attempt to smuggle 6.10 kilograms of liquid cocaine concealed in shirts and towels into the country.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesman, who disclosed this on Sunday in a statement, said the suspect, 41-year-old Abugu Oliver Ikechukwu, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, upon his arrival from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Babafemi said a thorough search of the suspect’s luggage uncovered 14 shirts and towels impregnated with liquid cocaine, which had been dried and carefully ironed to evade detection by security operatives.

“Abugu was arrested upon arrival from Brazil on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. A detailed search of his luggage revealed 14 towels and shirts soaked in liquid cocaine, dried and neatly ironed,” Babafemi said.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly told investigators that he had lived in Brazil for more than 14 years, where he operates an African restaurant. He claimed he travelled to Nigeria to visit his wife and purchase food items for his business.

The NDLEA spokesman also disclosed that the agency’s operatives arrested two persons living with disabilities in separate anti-narcotics operations in Abia and Rivers states.

He said a 60-year-old woman, Chidimma Sunday, was apprehended with 1.8 kilograms of skunk in Umuna Autonomous Community, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State after being intercepted by a local vigilante group and handed over to NDLEA.

In Rivers State, a 28-year-old suspect, Abubakar Usman, was arrested during a raid in Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, with various illicit substances, including skunk, methamphetamine, tramadol, swinol and diazepam.

The agency’s operations extended to several other states, leading to major drug seizures and arrests.

In Delta State, operatives arrested 36-year-old Onya Jude with five gas cylinders used to conceal 2.8 kilograms of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, at Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area.

Two suspected drug traffickers, Jamilu Idris, popularly known as Jama, and Aminu Abdullahi, alias Momo, were also arrested in Gombe State with 2.738 kilograms of skunk.

Babafemi further revealed that a female suspect, Ngozi Gaius, was arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road with 6,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg, while operatives in Kwara State intercepted 304 kilograms of skunk concealed in 600 compressed blocks inside a Toyota Jeep.

In one of the largest seizures recorded during the week, NDLEA operatives raided the warehouse of a suspected drug dealer, Ali Adamu, in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State, recovering 1,121.5 kilograms of cannabis sativa packed in 63 jumbo bags.

Similarly, operatives on patrol along the Gwagwalada Expressway in the Federal Capital Territory arrested Emmanuel Nnadi and recovered over 30,000 tramadol pills, pregabalin capsules, molly tablets and hundreds of bottles of codeine-based syrup.

Babafemi added that a massive consignment of Ghana Loud weighing 1,102 kilograms was also recovered around Alaba International Market in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands across the country continued to intensify the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, communities, workplaces and traditional institutions.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the arrests and seizures across the affected commands.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested an Aviation Security officer, Inspector Ali Baffa, and two suspected accomplices at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport over an alleged attempt to smuggle unprocessed gold bars valued at more than ₦4.4 billion out of Nigeria.

The Kano Zonal Directorate of the EFCC disclosed this in a statement posted on the commission’s official social media platforms on Friday.

According to the anti-graft agency, “Baffa was apprehended on Thursday during a routine surveillance operation at the airport.”

The commission added that the aviation security officer concealed 22.2 kilograms of gold bars in his trousers with the intention of handing them over to passengers travelling to overseas destinations.

The EFCC said further investigations led to the arrest of Aushabu Nasidi, who was allegedly linked to the supply of the gold bars.

The agency added that assorted foreign currencies were recovered from Nasidi, including Saudi Riyals, Turkish Lira, Kuwaiti Dinar, Philippine Peso, Australian Dollars, Chinese Renminbi, Algerian Dinar, Hong Kong Dollars, Hungarian Forint and Sudanese Dinar.

Investigators also arrested Mukhtar Muhammad Dan Zaria, who allegedly delivered the gold bars to Nasidi.

During interrogation, the EFCC said Dan Zaria confessed to smuggling about 40.2 kilograms of gold between June 1 and June 11, 2026, using the same method.

The EFCC said the three suspects remain in custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

Nigeria has intensified efforts to curb the illegal export of solid minerals, particularly gold, amid concerns over revenue losses and the activities of smuggling syndicates.

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Security and anti-corruption agencies have in recent years recorded several arrests linked to the unlawful movement of gold and other mineral resources through the country’s airports and border routes.

A married woman, simply identified as Oluchi, has been tracked to a hotel in Delta State after she faked her abduction and demanded N50m from her family.

According to reports, the children of the woman, including her daughter who is based in Canada, had pleaded with the public to help them raise money, even as the kidnappers reduced the ransom to N20m.

They had told the police that their mother was kidnapped at the Ikpoba Hill area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

It was gathered that a police investigation led its crack team to Delta State, where the supposedly kidnapped woman was found with her lover in a hotel.

According to reports, a source who pleaded anonymity, said, “Police traced the number of the man to a hotel in Ubiaroko, Delta State.

“They met the man and the kidnapped woman inside a hotel. They called the husband, and he was happy. It was at the station that the police broke the news to him. The wife begged the husband not to tell her children what actually transpired.”

Also, in an online video, the woman’s daughter, Anita, who is based in Canada, said her mum’s action had shattered the family.

She vowed that the family would allow the law to take its course.

According to her, “My mum has been released. She is involved in this kidnapping case. I only did what I did to save my mom. The family is in shock. This is not right. This has shattered my family. My dad has some health issues. This is so unfortunate. What did I do wrong?

“My reputation has been ruined. I am short of words. I am so mad. I have no hand in this. I never knew. I only wanted my mother back home. The law will take its course. I am sorry this is happening. I only did what any daughter would do. My family has been shattered.

“We were told that my mum has been released. We didn’t pay the kidnappers. The money is intact. We are going to make a refund. We involved the police from the beginning.

“We now know it was not a real kidnapping. They said my mom is involved. They are having a relationship. The guy was traced. They had agreed to take what we already raised to N20m.”

The Harmony Ladies Club, a social club Anita belongs to, in a statement on its WhatsApp group forwarded to journalists, dissociated itself from the staged kidnapping.

It expressed deep disappointment, shock, and embarrassment at Mrs Oluchi’s actions.

The statement read, “When news of her alleged abduction broke, the club acted swiftly in good faith. Out of sisterhood, love, and a sense of community responsibility, we rallied immediately.

“Our members provided extensive emotional, logistical, and financial support during what we believed was a life-threatening crisis, carrying the heavy burden of anxiety alongside her family.

“It is with a profound sense of betrayal that we have now discovered, through investigations, that the entire kidnapping incident was staged by Mrs Oluchi herself.”

The spokesperson for the state command, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident and said four persons had been arrested in connection with it.

“I can confirm the incident and also let you know that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident,” she stated.