Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested one Mrs Mary Barek, a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine concealed in fake plantain peels through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

According to the agency, the suspect, who works as a caregiver in the United Kingdom, was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the airport on Sunday, June 28, while attempting to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, in a statement released on Sunday, said a thorough search of the suspect’s luggage led to the discovery of 31 large wraps of cocaine disguised as hands of plantain and packed alongside other food items.

Babafemi said, “A thorough search of her bags resulted in the discovery of 31 big wraps of cocaine which were packaged to appear like plantain hands, weighing a total of 13 kilograms. In her statement, the elderly woman admitted full ownership of the recovered cocaine exhibits.”

The NDLEA also announced the arrest of a 45-year-old PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, over an attempt to export cocaine concealed inside cartons of Orijin Bitters bound for Kuala Lumpur.

Onyeka was arrested in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on June 29 after investigators traced him as the alleged leader of a drug trafficking syndicate.

Babafemi disclosed that operatives had earlier intercepted 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms hidden within the walls of nine cartons of the herbal drink that formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Malaysia.

According to him, four suspects were initially arrested in Lagos during investigations, including the cargo agent, Alalade Taiwo Azeez; the driver who conveyed the consignment, Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; a trader at ASPANDA Market, Trade Fair Complex, Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, who allegedly supplied the cartons used to conceal the drugs.

Babafemi said, “The efforts eventually paid off, leading to the unmasking of Nwabueze hiding in his village Aziora, Ozubulu, Anambra State as the leader of the syndicate.”

In Taraba State, the NDLEA said its operatives arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari Local Government Area on Saturday, July 4.

The agency said 43,980 capsules of Tramadol were recovered from two vehicle fuel tanks specially modified to conceal the drugs.

Similarly, NDLEA operatives arrested Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, during a raid in Gwantu Local Government Area of Kaduna State on July 2, where they allegedly recovered 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine.

In Ebonyi State, a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Ifara Eja, was arrested with 231.7 kilograms of skunk at Ikwo on July 4, while a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, was apprehended with 15 kilograms of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau State on July 3.

The agency also reported that two suspects, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, were arrested in Gombe State on July 1 with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilograms at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands nationwide sustained the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.

According to Babafemi, the awareness activities were conducted at Girls Secondary School, Abagana, Anambra State; Government Technical College, Obe, Enugu State; Adeola Odutola College, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; and the FCE Staff Demonstration School, Kabuga, Kano State, among other locations.

Commending officers involved in the recent operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining enforcement with public enlightenment.

According to Babafemi, the NDLEA chairman “commended the officers and men of MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe Commands for the arrests and seizures,” noting that “their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitisation activities,” while charging them and other officers across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.”

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian loud, a strain of cannabis, from Toronto, worth N12,397,500,000 in street value.

Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s director of media & advocacy, in a statement on Sunday,  said operatives had been tracking and monitoring a container laden with the drugs for over four weeks.

He said that the container, which had 195 big sacks of Canadian loud, was eventually interdicted on June 23, 2026.

“A total of 4,959 kilograms of the illicit drug was recovered from the container during a joint examination of the shipment by officers of the Apapa strategic command of the agency, men of the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies, and ports stakeholders at the Apapa ports complex in Lagos,” the statement reads.

“The large illicit drug consignment which was loaded into a 40ft container comprising a Ford and a Nissan vehicle came under NDLEA tracking and monitoring system since 25th April 2026 when it arrived Toronto, Canada via truck, Montreal via rail on 29th April, Tanger Med Morocco on 11th May, loaded on another vessel on 23rd May before arriving Tincan port Lagos on 4th June and discharged there 5th June before the container eventually left Tincan and arrived Apapa port on Monday 22nd June.”

Similarly, officers of the agency in the Federal Capital Territory, in collaboration with their colleagues in Anambra state, unraveled a syndicate that plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers in motor parks.

“Their trick came to the fore when operatives in Abuja intercepted a consignment of methamphetamine in a Sienna bus coming from Nnewi, Anambra state, at Abaji, FCT on June 20, 2026,” the statement added.

“During a search of the bus, a waybill package was recovered containing whitish substances suspected to be methamphetamine concealed inside a black nylon bag, which was also put into another sack of clothes with the phone number of the receiver written on it.

“A follow-up operation conducted on the same day led to the arrest of the supposed receiver of the waybill, Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park.

“Peter, however, vehemently denied knowledge and ownership of the package in her luggage.”

NDLEA said that led to the swift arrest of the loaders of the Sienna bus in Nnewi, where one of them revealed that the drug package was put into the woman’s bag by him on the directive of Abdurrazak Isah, driver of the bus.

The agency said the loader’s revelations made the driver open up, mentioning one of his passengers, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the actual owner of the drug.

“Onyebuchi was then picked up at Utako, FCT, during another follow up operation. The illicit consignment weighed 467.7grams,” the statement said.

Babafemi said that the agency would continue its sensitisation and enlightenment programmes across schools, worship centres, including the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) enlightenment lectures for students and staff of workplaces, and communities.

He said that the agency’s WADA lecture were taken to schools across, Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.

The Ogun state police command says its operatives have arested three suspects, including a former security guard, over the murder of a former Ogun State Television broadcaster, Olakitan Oyesiku, and her security guard, Pelumi Adetayo.

The state Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, disclosed this during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, on Thursday.

The police boss said the arrests followed intensive intelligence gathering, technical tracking operations and forensic analysis conducted by detectives investigating the double murder.

Oyesiku and Adetayo were found dead at the retired broadcaster’s residence in the Owode-Egba area of Ogun State on June 21, while her Lexus RX 330 vehicle was reported missing from the premises.

According to Ojajuni, a report was received at Owode-Egba Police Station at about 4 pm on June 21 concerning suspicious circumstances at Oyesiku’s residence.

“Preliminary information indicated that the front door of the residence had been partially damaged while the security house within the compound was found locked, prompting immediate police intervention,” Ojajuni said.

He explained that detectives who responded to the scene discovered Adetayo’s lifeless body inside the security house, while Oyesiku was found lying in a pool of blood in the living room of the main building.

“The crime scene was scientifically processed. Preliminary investigation further revealed that a Lexus RX 330 vehicle belonging to the deceased was missing from the compound, raising suspicion of robbery and murder,” he added.

The police boss stated that the missing vehicle was recovered on June 22 through intelligence-led and technical tracking operations.

Ojajuni revealed that a handwritten note recovered from the crime scene played a crucial role in the investigation.

“Although the ignition key had been removed and the registration number plates detached from the vehicle, detectives recovered the vehicle’s registration plate concealed underneath one of the seats, which enabled investigators to positively identify and confirm the vehicle as the property of Madam Olakitan Oyesiku.

“One critical piece of evidence recovered from the scene was a handwritten note apparently left behind by the perpetrators. The note was subjected to forensic examination and analysis, which generated valuable investigative leads that significantly aided detectives in identifying and tracing those responsible for the crime,” he stated.

According to him, further intelligence gathering led to the arrest of the principal suspect, Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, 22, on June 24 at a construction site in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, where he was working as a labourer.

The police commissioner added that subsequent operations led to the arrest of Sakirudeen Abdulraheem Ayoola, 27, a security guard, and Sobu Obafunsho, 36, a bricklayer.

Ojajuni disclosed that Philip confessed to the crime and admitted recruiting the two other suspects.

He said, “Further follow-up operations by detectives of the command led to the successful arrest of Sakirudeen Abdulraheem Ayoola and Sobu Obafunsho, thereby bringing into custody all identified suspects directly linked to the criminal conspiracy.

“During interrogation, Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip made a confessional statement, admitting his involvement in the murder of Madam Olakitan Oyesiku. He further disclosed that he had recruited Sakirudeen Abdulraheem Ayoola and Sobu Obafunsho to participate in the crime.”

According to the police commissioner, the suspect told investigators that he planned the attack over grievances stemming from the period he worked as a security guard for the deceased.

“The suspect stated that the murder of Madam Olakitan Oyesiku was intended to ‘teach her a lesson,” Ojajuni added.

He said the suspects carried out the attack on June 20, first overpowering Adetayo and using him to gain access to the residence.

“According to the statement, they first overpowered the security guard, Pelumi Adetayo, and used him to gain access to the residence. Upon gaining entry, they attacked Madam Olakitan Oyesiku and subsequently murdered the security guard.

“After committing the crime, the suspects fled the scene with the deceased’s Lexus RX 330 vehicle, which was later recovered through intelligence-led and technical tracking operations at the Onikolobo area of Ogun State,” the CP said.

The commissioner further disclosed that detectives recovered several exhibits linked to the crime, including a broken hammer, a cutlass, a plank and a black pen.

“Following the suspects’ confessional statements, detectives conducted further searches at locations linked to them. During the operation, a broken hammer, a cutlass, a plank, a black pen and other relevant exhibits connected to the investigation were recovered,” he said.

Ojajuni stressed that although the suspects had made useful statements and substantial evidence had been recovered, investigations were still ongoing.

“The Ogun State Police Command wishes to emphasise that while the suspects have made useful statements and substantial evidence has been recovered in the course of the investigation, all suspects remain entitled to due process under the law.

“Investigation is ongoing to consolidate all available evidence and ensure diligent prosecution of all suspects connected with the crime,” he added.

The police boss assured residents that the command remained committed to ensuring justice for the victims and bringing all persons connected with the killings to book.