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NDLEA destroys N301bn worth of cocaine, heroin, opioids, others in Lagos (Photos)

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3 weeks ago

August 17, 2026

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. ‘We’ll continue to dismantle drug cartels and their financial spine,’ Marwa vows
. Gov. Sanwo-Olu, CG Customs Adeniyi, Naval Chief commend partnership with NDLEA on drug war

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has publicly destroyed 329,865.585 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs with an estimated street value of Three Hundred and One Billion, Fifty-Eight Million and Seventy-Six Thousand Naira (N301,058,076,000) only in a court-ordered exercise carried out in Lagos.
The exercise, conducted pursuant to orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, disposed of uncontested concluded cases and abandoned seizures. Of the total consignment, 246,864.535 kilograms were seized by the Lagos Strategic Command of the Agency between April 2025 and May 2026, while 83,001.05 kilograms came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, as well as the Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit, all operating within Lagos.
The destroyed illicit drugs comprised mainly cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis of different strains including Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as khat leaf.
Speaking at the event held at Navy Town in Ojo area of Lagos on Monday 17th August 2026, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) described the exercise as a bold demonstration of Nigeria’s resolve to protect its people and deny criminal enterprises the resources they need to thrive. He noted that behind every kilogram of narcotics destroyed lies a story of a young life at risk, a family torn apart by addiction, and communities endangered by drug-related crime and impaired driving.

Marwa said the destroyed consignment represented more than the elimination of contraband, stressing that illicit drugs weaken the labour force, raise healthcare costs, discourage investment and drain public resources that should go into education, healthcare and infrastructure. He added that every consignment intercepted by the Agency saves the country billions of naira in potential losses linked to addiction, crime and social dislocation.
The NDLEA boss also linked the trade in illicit drugs to Nigeria’s broader security challenges, noting that drug trafficking helps fund organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism globally, and that by seizing and destroying such substances, the Agency is strengthening the country’s national security architecture.

He commended the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his administration’s strategic backing for the Agency’s mandate, as well as the partnership of the Judiciary, the Lagos State Government, the military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.

Marwa paid tribute to NDLEA personnel across the country, particularly those serving in Lagos while acknowledging the risks and sacrifices they make in the course of their duty.
Issuing a stern warning to drug barons, traffickers, financiers, distributors and dealers, the NDLEA Chairman declared that their days of operating with impunity are over. “Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he said, vowing that the Agency remains resolute, relentless and uncompromising in pursuing and dismantling every criminal network and its financial spine.

He called on all Nigerians, parents, schools, religious and traditional leaders, and the media to become active stakeholders in the war against illicit drugs, stressing that the battle cannot be won by the NDLEA alone.

Speaking at the ceremony, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said “the scale of what has been destroyed today, about 300 tons of narcotics and psychotropic substances, is a huge and sobering reminder of the enormity of the threat that illicit drugs pose to our communities, our young people, and our collective future. It is also, in equal measure, a powerful testament to what becomes possible when law enforcement, the judiciary, and the government work hand in hand, not merely to enforce the law, but to uphold justice, protect society, and secure a better future for our people. It reminds us that when institutions unite around a shared purpose, the law becomes more than an instrument of enforcement.”
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, the governor assured that “Lagos State is unwavering in its resolve to confront drug abuse and trafficking, and we will not relent in our efforts to do this.”
In his goodwill message, the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi noted that the “NDLEA deserves all the accolades they have received from local and international partners”, adding that “It is not just about the size of what we are seeing but about the scope of what has been taken from operations conducted in our seaports, at our airports, at our land borders. This therefore represents a very strong message to drug dealers that they are no longer welcome in Nigeria.”

He noted that there’s a nexus between drug dealers and violent non-state actors because drug continues to provide the oxygen for their crime. “Bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, insurgents, terrorists, this is their oxygen and so the destruction that we are going to witness today is symbolic of two things: drug dealers are going to be losing investments worth billions of naira and we are going to be denying non-state violent actors the necessary oxygen that they need for their heinous crime and as we hope that we suffocate them, deny them access to this kind of thing, we believe that this will continue to be their lot. They will continue to invest and they will continue to lose their investments. I want to commend the chairman of NDLEA and in fact all our officers and men operatives throughout our commands who are responsible for this”, he added.
Speaking in the same light, the Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Idi Abbas represented by the FOC Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha assured of continued support for Nigeria’s drug control efforts being coordinated by NDLEA.

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BREAKING: Building Collapses In Abuja as FCTA Mobilises to Rescue Victims

Published

2 hours ago

September 7, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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A building collapsed in Wuse axis of Abuja on Monday as FCTA mobilises to the site with rescue barely one hour after it collapsed.

The incident occurred at about 9pm in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

Rescue operation is currently going on with men of the FCT Fire Service there.

Three ambulances have been stationed there too.

The FCTA Development Control had sealed up the building earlier in the day and asked the occupants to leave.

Details later….

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FG Moves to Align Economic Forecasts as EMT Targets Faster Growth

Published

3 hours ago

September 7, 2026

Gloria Ikibah

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By Gloria Ikibah

The Federal Government has moved to harmonise its economic projections after the Economic Management Team (EMT) approved the establishment of an inter-agency committee to align the key assumptions guiding the nation’s budget and economic planning.

The decision was taken on Monday in Abuja at the latest meeting of the EMT, the Federal Government’s principal platform for economic management and coordination.

The new committee will harmonise projections covering crude oil prices and production, exchange rates, inflation and non-oil revenue used by fiscal and monetary authorities.

The move followed a joint budget retreat and a technical validation workshop which identified inconsistent assumptions among government agencies as one of the factors contributing to budget under-performance.

The committee will also address inconsistencies in the way major economic indicators are reported by government agencies to external stakeholders and the public.

The EMT also reviewed developments across the economy, including agriculture, trade and investment, manufacturing and Nigeria’s preparations to host major continental trade events.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, representing the strongest quarterly growth since the third quarter of 2024.

The meeting was also informed that the nation’s external reserves had risen above $54 billion in early September, the highest level in nearly 18 years, according to data of Central Bank of Nigeria.

The naira has also strengthened, trading in the N1,300s to the US dollar in early September, alongside the increase in foreign reserves.

The EMT noted that FTSE Russell had reclassified Nigeria from “Unclassified” to “Frontier Market” status, with the new classification scheduled to take effect from the market opening on September 21, 2026.

The reclassification marks Nigeria’s return to the index after about three years and is expected to improve the visibility of Nigerian equities among international investors.

The team was further briefed that public debt remained below 40 per cent of GDP, while Nigeria’s sovereign credit outlook from Moody’s had moved from stable to positive.

It also noted the disparity between Nigeria’s nominal dollar GDP and its purchasing-power-parity (PPP) economy, which is estimated at more than $2.2 trillion.

The EMT said the figure demonstrated the potential for Nigeria to achieve a $1 trillion nominal economy by 2030.
EMT Strengthens Coordination
The team approved a revised Terms of Reference that expands its responsibilities to include macroeconomic performance reviews, stronger fiscal and monetary coordination, monitoring of priorities under the Renewed Hope Agenda and periodic assessment of the Federal Government’s financing needs.

Under the new arrangement, the EMT will meet monthly, with at least two strategic sector reviews to be conducted at each sitting.

The Ministry of Finance was also designated as the coordinating custodian for national economic data as part of efforts to improve the reliability and consistency of official statistics.
Line ministries and agencies will remain responsible for their respective datasets, which will serve as inputs into coordinated public releases.
Agriculture Gets Fresh Push
The EMT also examined measures aimed at increasing agriculture’s contribution to the government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

The strategy includes reducing post-harvest losses, expanding processing and mechanisation, improving export compliance and ensuring that capital releases are made early enough ahead of planting seasons.

The team also reviewed financing options for agriculture, including the planned recapitalisation of the Bank of Agriculture and the introduction of a new credit window for smallholder farmers.

Government is targeting an increase in agriculture’s share of private-sector credit to 10 per cent by 2030.
Nigeria Prepares for CANEX, IATF
The EMT further reviewed preparations for Nigeria to host the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) in November 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) in November 2027, both in Lagos.

The events are expected to attract exhibitors, international buyers and, in the case of IATF, African heads of state, with organisers projecting significant trade and investment opportunities.

The Ministry of Finance was directed to coordinate funding and customs facilitation for the events in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

The two ministries are expected to produce a consolidated action plan with clearly assigned responsibilities for the participating ministries.

Speaking on the decisions reached at the meeting, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, said the new measures will improve the credibility of government’s economic planning.

“Today’s decisions tighten the link between the numbers we plan with and the actual outturns. A single, harmonised set of assumptions across the fiscal and monetary authorities means fewer surprises in the budget and more credible planning for investors and all Nigerians,” he said.

The EMT said the measures were part of broader efforts to improve economic coordination, strengthen investor confidence and accelerate growth in strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy.

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El-Rufai Family Gives Defence Minister Seven Days to Prove Southern Kaduna Killing Claim

Published

4 hours ago

September 7, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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The family of former Kaduna State Governor and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has given the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), seven days to provide evidence backing his allegation that the former governor planned killings in Southern Kaduna while in office or publicly retract the claim and apologise.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on Monday, September 7, 2026, in Abuja and signed by Hon. Mohammed Bello El-Rufai on behalf of the family.

The family said it was reacting to comments allegedly made by Musa during a live appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired by Channels Television on September 3.

According to the family, the Defence Minister alleged during the programme that El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna while serving as governor of Kaduna State.

Describing the allegation as grave and unsubstantiated, the family said Musa did not present any evidence during the broadcast to support the claim.

The statement read in part: “The family of Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), former Governor of Kaduna State and Opposition Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has noted with serious concern the allegations made by General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), Minister of Defence, on 3 September 2026 during a live television broadcast of Politics Today on Channels TV.

“During the programme, General Musa alleged that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai actively planned killings in Southern Kaduna while serving as Governor of Kaduna State.”

The family said while Musa was entitled to his opinion, allegations of such magnitude should be backed by credible evidence.

“While General Musa (retd.) is entitled to hold and express his personal opinions, the El-Rufai family is equally entitled to demand that such serious allegations be substantiated with credible evidence,” it said.

It consequently challenged the minister to produce evidence supporting the allegation or withdraw it publicly through the same platform where it was made.

“In the absence of such evidence, we call on him to publicly retract the allegation through the same medium on which it was made,” the family said.

The family gave Musa seven days from the date of the statement to either substantiate the allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology.

“Accordingly, General Musa (retd.) is hereby given seven (7) days from the date of this statement to either provide evidence in support of his allegation or issue a full public retraction and apology.”

The family further warned that it would pursue legal action if the minister failed to comply within the stipulated period.

“Failure to do so will leave the family with no option but to pursue all appropriate legal remedies available under the law in response to these unsubstantiated allegations,” it added.