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Businessman excretes 88 wraps of cocaine as NDLEA intercepts drugs in noodles at MMIA + Photos
. Recovers N6.2billion worth of codeine bottles at Onne Port; arrests 70-year-old grandpa, others in Ekiti, Ogun forests raids
A Vietnam-bound businessman, Paul Okwuy Mbadugha has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja after he tested positive to ingestion of cocaine.


The 54-year-old suspect was intercepted at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Monday 12th August 2024 during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Hanoi, Vietnam via Doha. After four days under excretion observation, Mbadugha egested a total of 88 wraps of the illicit drug with a gross weight of 1.710 kilograms.
In his statement, he claimed he’s a Lagos based businessman and was given the cocaine pellets to swallow by a friend at Isolo area of the state for onward delivery in Vietnam for a fee of $2,000.
In the same vein, NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos have intercepted a shipment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 800 grams concealed in noodles going to Congo. A follow up operation at the Alaba International market, Ojo area of Lagos led to the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Nnamani Sunday Sunny, who deals in GSM handsets.
Meanwhile, a large consignment of Loud imported from Canada have been recovered by NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport.
A suspect, Desalu Taophic Temitope, who arrived on board an Air France flight with six boxes was arrested by anti-narcotic officers during a joint examination by security agencies at the arrival hall.
A total of 65.80 kilograms of the psychoactive substance were recovered from four of the six suitcases. In his statement, Desalu said he and an accomplice currently at large were promised $10,000 upon successful delivery of the shipment in Lagos.
No less than Eight Hundred and Ninety-Two Thousand Four Hundred (892,400) bottles of codeine-based syrup worth Six Billion Two Hundred and Forty-Six Million Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (N6,246,800,000.00) in street value were recovered from five containers by NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state during a joint examination of the containers with men of the Nigeria Customs and other port stakeholders on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th August 2024. The bottles of the opioid were packed in 5,337 cartons with a gross weight of 133,860 kilograms and shipped in five containers from India.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies as well as community youths on Wednesday 14th August raided the Ise forest reserve, Saalaja camp, Ise-Ekiti, where 21,800 kilograms of cannabis sativa on 20 hectares of farm land were destroyed.
The following day, Thursday 15th August, NDLEA officers on patrol along Onitsha- Enugu road in Enugu intercepted a Sienna bus marked SKA-24 AG from which 200.2kg of cannabis was recovered and the driver, Okoro Emmanuel, 41, arrested.
While the duo of Joseph Apeh, 45, and Diamond Nnabuike, 21, were arrested with 145,400 pills of tramadol on Monday 12th August at Gadar Tamburawa, area of Kano, NDLEA operatives in Ogun state on Tuesday 13th August arrested 70-year-old Fidelis Egede and three others: Samuel Sylvanus, 31; Jato Samson, 33; and Francis Blessing, 28, when a cannabis plantation on six hectares was raided at Alaka village.
In Abuja, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kwali-Gwagwalada expressway on Tuesday 13th August intercepted a truck from which 30,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and three suspects: Ifeanyi Sunday, Jeremiah Paul and Edet Ubokobong arrested.
While operatives in Niger state on Thursday 15th August arrested Ifeanyi Chukwueze in Kontagora town with 28, 500 pills of tramadol concealed in a loudspeaker, their counterparts in Kogi state on Wednesday 14th August nabbed Abba Yakubu with 40,000 pills of the same opioid heading to Kontagora. Another suspect, Tochukwu Onah, 39, was arrested by NDLEA officers at Paparanda, Lokoja on Thursday 15th August, 2024, with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
Across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the week. Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture to students of College of Nursing Science, Awgu, Enugu state; traditional rulers in Umuahia North, Abia state; WADA advocacy visit to the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunleye 111, Ondo state; and WADA advocacy visit to the Dein of Agbor, Dr. Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi 1, Delta state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the NAIA, MMIA, PHPC, FCT, Kogi, Ogun, Ekiti, Kano, Enugu and Niger Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.
News
Defections Deepen as NNPP, PDP Lawmakers Switch Sides in Reps
Party realignments in the House of Representatives gathered further pace as more lawmakers crossed over to rival platforms, underscoring intensifying political manoeuvres ahead of the 2027 elections.
During plenary, presided over by the Speaker, a fresh batch of six members from the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the Peoples Democratic Party formally defected to the All Progressives Congress and the African Democratic Congress.
The shift was particularly notable within the Kano caucus, where four NNPP lawmakers abandoned their party to align with the ADC, signalling a significant shake-up in the state’s political configuration.
The latest movement adds to an already growing trend of defections within the lower chamber, as legislators continue to reposition themselves amid evolving alliances and internal party tensions.
Speaker Abbas read the letter of resignation from the NNPP lawmakers, which noted “persistent leadership crisis in the NNPP resulting in internal divisions,” as reason for aligning with the ADC.
“I find it imperative to align with a platform that guarantees inclusion and I hereby notify the House of my intention to join the African Democratic Congress,” the letter read in part.
Still in Kano, three members of of the NNPP, Rep. Umar Zakari, Rep. Umar Datti and Rep. Abdulhakeem Ado resigned their membership from the NNPP and joined the ADC, citing protracted leadership crises both at the sub-national and national levels.
In Zamfara State, Rep. Ahmadu Kabiru, member representing Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency stated his resignation from the PDP “with immediate effect due to irreconciliable differences.”
He therefore announced his decision to join the APC, pleading his readiness to “align with the transformatory policies of the President as contained in the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Also defecting from the PDP to APC is Rep. Chinedu Martins, member representing Ahiazu/Ezinihitte/Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State.
The lawmaker from Imo State confirmed that his switch to the APC had been concluded at ward level as far back as March 2026.
Following the steady stream of defections in recent months, the APC continues to dominate the House with a commanding 282 members. The PDP trails significantly with 30 seats, while the ADC has emerged as a growing force with 24 lawmakers.
Other parties hold smaller blocs, with the Labour Party at 10 seats, APGA with five, and the Accord Party controlling four. The Action Peoples Party and the Social Democratic Party each have two members, leaving the NNPP with just a single seat in the chamber.
News
BREAKING: Tinubu endorses six new appointments in education sector
President Bola Tinubu has approved a fresh set of appointments across critical institutions in Nigeria’s education sector, reinforcing leadership in examination bodies, technical education, and national library services.
The appointments were confirmed in an official statement issued by the Presidency on Wednesday.
New and Renewed Appointments
Among those appointed is Modupe Adeola Adelabu, who will serve as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Examinations Council.
Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi has been retained as Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, ensuring continuity in the management of the national examination body.
In the technical education space, Babatunde Salako has been appointed Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education.
Meanwhile, Idris Bugaje has been reappointed as Executive Secretary of NBTE for a second and final five-year term.
Polytechnic and Library Leadership
The President also approved the appointment of Bongfa Binfa as Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, N’yak-Shendam in Plateau State, where he will serve a five-year tenure.
Additionally, Chinwe Veronica Anunobi has had her tenure renewed as Director-General/Chief Executive of the National Library of Nigeria for a final five-year term.
Focus on Continuity and Stability
The mix of fresh appointments and renewals suggests a strategy aimed at maintaining stability while strengthening leadership across key education agencies.
Observers say such decisions are critical to sustaining reforms, improving institutional performance, and ensuring continuity in policy implementation within the sector.
News
PDP leadership tussle: Supreme Court takes major position
The Supreme Court has reserved its judgment regarding an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reinstate its national convention, which was previously nullified by the Court of Appeal.
The convention in question took place on November 15 and 16, 2025, at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A five-member panel of Justices, led by Justice Lawal Garba, announced that a date for the final ruling would be communicated to all parties involved.
This decision followed the adoption of written briefs by legal representatives for and against the appeal.
The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP is urging the apex court to set aside the lower court’s decision, which invalidated the Ibadan convention.
The faction maintains that the dispute is an “internal party affair, which is not justiciable,” and argues that all necessary legal procedures were followed during the event.
However, previous rulings from the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal favored aggrieved members, barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the convention’s outcomes and restricting access to the party’s national secretariat.
The legal trouble began in October 2025, when Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court stopped the convention from proceeding.
The judge ruled that the party had failed to conduct valid state congresses as required by the 1999 Constitution, INEC guidelines, and the PDP’s own constitution, stating that the party must comply with “relevant statutory provisions including the Electoral Act and Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties (2022).”
A second major blow came from Justice Peter Lifu, who ordered the party to halt the convention after a suit was filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido.
Lamido alleged he was unfairly excluded from the chairmanship race. Justice Lifu noted:“The evidence before the court established that Lamido was unjustly denied the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest the position of national chairman of the party, in violation of the PDP constitution and its internal regulations.”
On November 14, 2025—just one day before the event—Justice Lifu issued a final order restraining the party from moving forward, holding that the PDP had failed to “afford a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido the opportunity to prepare and contest as a chairmanship candidate.”
With the Supreme Court now set to have the final say, the PDP remains in a state of legal uncertainty as it awaits the verdict that will determine the legitimacy of its current national leadership.
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