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The Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT has handed over 18 bags of cannabis sativa weighing about 756 kilogrammes to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

The handover took place on Friday at the NNS Beecroft parade ground, Apapa, Lagos State.

The Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, while addressing journalists at the base, disclosed that the illicit consignments were recovered during separate intelligence-led operations conducted within the command’s operational area over the past few months.

He further described the handover as another significant milestone in the Navy’s sustained campaign against maritime crimes.

“Five bags of suspected cannabis sativa were intercepted at Abule Osun on April 7, 2026. Another two bags were recovered at Ikare Island on April 13, while 11 bags were seized at Alpha Beach on July 15, bringing the total recovery to 18 bags weighing approximately 757 kilogrammes,” he said.

Adams-Aliu further explained that the integrated surveillance platform combines long-range cameras, sensors and other sophisticated technologies capable of tracking activities even in areas beyond the physical reach of naval patrol boats.

“These successful operations were made possible by the Nigerian Navy Western Regional Control Centre, popularly known as Falcon Eye, an advanced maritime surveillance system that provides extensive monitoring across Nigeria’s coastal waters.

“It underscores the vigilance, professionalism and operational readiness of personnel of NNS BEECROFT in protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain.”

Adams-Aliu said the achievements further validate the technological transformation championed by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, whose vision prioritises intelligence gathering and advanced surveillance capabilities.

Pledging deeper collaboration with sister security agencies, particularly the NDLEA, he reaffirmed that NNS BEECROFT, under the Western Naval Command led by Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha, will sustain intelligence-driven operations against drug traffickers and other maritime criminals.

Deputy Commander, NDLEA Marine Command, Commander Narcotic Luka Yerima, receiving the exhibits on behalf of the Commander, NDLEA Marine Command, Commander Narcotic Morrison Udo, commended the Nigerian Navy for its unwavering partnership in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned former Skye Bank chairman Tunde Ayeni on the amended N15.6 billion fraud charges before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja.

The commission re-arraigned him on Thursday before trial judge Jude Onwuegbuzie, following the latest amendment of the charges.

Thursday’s re-arraignment makes it the third time Mr Ayeni has entered a plea to the charges. The

EFCC first arraigned him on 4 May, after which the court remanded him in prison pending the determination of his bail application. It then re-arraigned him on 22 June and again on Thursday.

According to a statement by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, “The defendant pleaded ‘not guilty’ when the charges were read to him.”

The EFCC is prosecuting him on 18 charges of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and diversion of up to N15.6 billion belonging to Skye Bank.

EFCC stated that one of the charges alleged that Mr Ayeni, while serving as chairperson of the board of the defunct Skye Bank Plc, now Polaris Bank Limited, directed the transfer of N3.11 billion from the bank’s suspense account to Misa Limited’s account with Zenith Bank in November 2014.

Another charge alleged that he directed the transfer of about N5 billion from the bank’s suspense account to Greenwich Registrars’ account with Union Bank in December 2014.

The commission alleged that the two transactions amounted to criminal breach of trust and were punishable under the Penal Code.

Mr Ayeni pleaded not guilty to the charges.

After the arraignment, the EFCC ‘s lawyer, Abba Muhammed, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), informed the court that the prosecution was ready to proceed with the trial and that its first prosecution witness was present in court.

However, Mr Ayeni’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, also a SAN, opposed the immediate commencement of trial. He argued that the prosecution had not filed the summary of the witness’s statement.

The prosecution responded that the summary of the witness’s statement had been filed alongside the second amended charge.

The judge “held that the prosecution had complied with the requirements,” EFCC’s statement said.

Judge Onwuegbuzie subsequently fixed 20, 22 and 23 July for continuation of trial.

Thursday’s proceedings marked the third time Mr Ayeni had entered his plea to the charges.

The serial arraignment of the defendant on the same charges followed EFCC’s repeated amendments of the charges.

Recall that the EFCC first arraigned Mr Ayeni on 4 May on 17 charges alleging the diversion and misappropriation of N15.6 billion belonging to the defunct Skye Bank. He pleaded not guilty.

The anti-corruption agency later amended the charge to 18 counts after filing additional proof of evidence. The amendment led to Mr Ayeni’s re-arraignment on 22 June, when he again pleaded not guilty.

Mr Ayeni served as chairperson of the board of Skye Bank until July 2016, when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) removed the bank’s board and management during a regulatory intervention over the lender’s deteriorating financial condition.

Two years later, the CBN revoked Skye Bank’s banking licence and transferred its assets and liabilities to Polaris Bank, a bridge bank established by the regulator.

Mr Ayeni did not continue with Polaris Bank after the intervention.

The EFCC’s case arose from its investigation into transactions allegedly carried out while Mr Ayeni chaired the bank’s board.

The commission alleged that billions of naira were diverted from the bank’s suspense account to companies linked to the defendants in breach of the bank’s operational policies and regulatory guidelines.

Mr Ayeni has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

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At least two Nigerian men and one other have been jailed in the United Kingdom after defrauding eight victims of more than £4 million (₦7.4 billion) worth of cryptocurrency by impersonating police officers and convincing them to transfer their digital assets into what they falsely claimed were secure police accounts.

The Metropolitan Police disclosed the convictions in a statement on its website, saying the trio orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme that relied on fake police websites and a complex money laundering network to steal and conceal the victims’ funds.

The convicts were identified as Anthony Ikenwe, 29, Hamza Bashir, 23, and Kevin Nwamma, 25.

According to the police, the men telephoned victims while posing as police officers, falsely warning them that their cryptocurrency accounts had been compromised.

The victims were persuaded either to provide account details or transfer their holdings into what they believed were secure police-controlled accounts.

However, the funds were immediately stolen and laundered through an elaborate financial network.

“The three men called their victims claiming to be police officers, told them their cryptocurrency was at risk and persuaded them to either provide account details or transfer the funds to what the victims believed were secure police accounts,” the Metropolitan Police said.

“In fact, the highly organised gang had designed convincing looking police websites, and the victim’s cryptocurrency was immediately stolen and laundered through a complex financial network.”

The investigation began in January 2025 after several victims reported the fraud to the police.

Detectives said they employed blockchain analysis, communications data, financial records, cryptocurrency exchange records and internet service provider data to uncover the criminal operation.

Investigators also identified common aliases, telephone numbers, fake websites, cryptocurrency wallets and spending patterns linking what initially appeared to be separate fraud cases into a single organised criminal network operating across multiple jurisdictions.

The Metropolitan Police said officers uncovered evidence that the defendants had financed lavish lifestyles with the proceeds of the fraud despite having little or no legitimate income.

According to investigators, the group purchased luxury cars, designer clothing, Rolex watches and embarked on expensive holidays using stolen funds.

Police said one of the defendants had a recorded annual income of just £444.

Detective Inspector Geoff Donoghue of the Metropolitan Police’s Cryptocurrency Team described the investigation as highly complex.

“This was a highly complex investigation into a group of calculated manipulators who exploited victims’ trust by pretending to be police officers and spent other people’s money to fund their extravagant lifestyles,” Donoghue said.

“The Met’s Cryptocurrency Team painstakingly traced millions of pounds, combining a wide range of investigative techniques to dismantle a significant criminal network.”

He warned that law enforcement agencies now possess the capability to track cryptocurrency-related crimes.

“Criminals should be under no illusion – policing is evolving alongside technology.

“We have the capabilities to trace and seize high-value assets, and we will do everything in our power to identify those responsible for these fraudulent crimes and bring them to justice,” he added.

The defendants were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Ikenwe, of Bata Mews, East Tilbury, received six years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering, with both sentences to run concurrently.

Nwamma, of Clarendon Road, Watford, received identical concurrent sentences of six years for conspiracy to commit fraud and five years for money laundering.

Bashir, of Beverley Way, Wimbledon, was sentenced to three years and nine months for conspiracy to commit fraud and three years for money laundering, also to run concurrently.

Police said coordinated raids carried out on November 20, 2025, across seven addresses in London and Essex led to the arrest of all three suspects.

During the operation, officers seized about 40 mobile phones, cryptocurrency assets, luxury goods and other digital devices.

Investigators recovered approximately £1 million directly linked to the victims’ stolen funds, while forensic examinations of seized phones and computers uncovered extensive evidence of the conspiracy.

According to the Metropolitan Police, Ikenwe and Nwamma pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences, including four counts of converting criminal property.

Bashir initially denied involvement and proceeded to trial before changing his plea to guilty on the eighth day after prosecutors presented what police described as substantial evidence against him.

The investigation also uncovered more than £1 million in cryptocurrency linked to digital wallets controlled by Ikenwe.

Police further discovered that the group purchased a vehicle worth nearly £60,000 using cryptocurrency and held approximately £500,000 in cash inside a safety deposit box in Dubai.

Investigators also traced luxury holidays to Thailand, Japan, Paris, Mykonos, the Maldives and the Seychelles, as well as regular spending at high-end retailers including Harrods, Hermès and Louis Vuitton.

Luxury goods worth more than £26,000 were recovered during police searches.

Investigators additionally linked criminal proceeds to Nwamma after tracing transfers from cryptocurrency wallets containing stolen funds into bank accounts connected to his luxury chauffeur and transport business.

The Metropolitan Police said investigations are continuing in collaboration with UK and international partners to identify other individuals involved in the conspiracy and recover additional criminal assets for the benefit of victims.