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NDLEA intercepts opioids, meth in carton walls, winter jackets, cream at MMIA (Photos)
. Recovers large consignments of illicit drugs in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, Adamawa raids
Desperate attempts by members of Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTOs) to move consignments of illicit substances especially methamphetamine and opioids concealed in walls of carton, winter jackets and body cream containers to countries in Europe have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja and a courier firm in Lagos.
Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested. One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka was going to Rome, Italy on Friday 20th March 2026 when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin light body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
In his statement, Ehianuka who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.
In another drug bust, NDLEA operatives at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on Wednesday 18th March intercepted a passenger Christian Agbonhese, who was attempting to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Milan, Italy. Upon a thorough search of his luggage, no fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan.
At a courier firm in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Monday 16th March intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped to Lagos from the United States. Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 18th March arrested a suspect Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed same day at Naibawa Gabas, with 95.5kg of same psychoactive substance.
Not less than 21, 737 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from a store at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos when NDLEA operatives raided the area on Wednesday 18th March, while two suspects: Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara were arrested same day on 3rd mainland bridge, conveying 8,380 bottles of same substance.
While 97.5kg skunk was recovered from the home of a suspect Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, on Monday 16th March, NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 18th March intercepted a commercial bus along Gwagwalada expressway in the FCT. A thorough search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in its body compartments. The bus driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was promptly taken into custody.
In Oyo state, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday 17th March arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan river.
Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria highway, Kaduna on Tuesday 17th March, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at same location on Friday 20th March. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives in Taraba state on Tuesday 17th March intercepted a suspect Aliyu Adamu, 26, along Takum-Jalingo highway while conveying 77,660 capsules of tramadol to Gombe.
In Adamawa state, no fewer than six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg tramadol in a truck in Yola on Tuesday 17th March. Suspects who are joint owners of the consignment include: Ramatu Aliyu; Jungudo Abdullahi; Najid Abdullahi; Musa Mohammed; Usman Abdulrahim and Musa Mohammed. They were all arrested in swift follow-up operations.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Girls High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; New State High School, Mushin, Lagos; Cornerstone Secondary School, Sankwala, Cross River; Community Secondary School, Ngwo-Uno, Udi, Enugu and St. John’s Academy, Ipokia LGA, Ogun state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa Commands for the arrests, and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced that members can now decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on their personal conscience.
The organisation made this known in a statement issued by its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York and made available on its website on Friday.
According to the statement, “the decision to accept red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood is a matter of personal conscience.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce adjustment to blood transfusion policy
It added that “each Witness must decide whether or not to donate blood for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions for use by another person.”
However, the organisation said its position on whole-blood transfusion had not changed.
“The long-standing refusal of whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, a core teaching based on the command to ‘abstain from blood’ (Acts 15:20), is unchanged,” the statement said.
International spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the organisation’s World Headquarters, Paul Gillies, said, “Blood remains sacred to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who continue to regard life and blood as precious gifts from God.
“We recognise that medical decisions involving blood components are a matter of conscience between each Witness and their God, Jehovah.”
The organisation said the adjustment “follows earlier updates regarding blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures.”
It added, “Since the Bible does not comment on such decisions, they are a matter of individual conscience. That same reasoning has now been extended to the four main components of blood.”
On medical care, the statement said, “Jehovah’s Witnesses love life and want the best available medical care. They do not practise faith healing, and they seek out doctors who can provide effective treatment in accord with their wishes, values and beliefs.”
Gillies said local congregations would not interfere in members’ personal decisions.
“Congregations do not involve themselves in personal decisions that rest with the individual conscience. We will continue to respect and support the personal decisions of our fellow believers.
“We are grateful, too, for the many skilled and compassionate physicians who provide quality medical care that respects our personal wishes regarding blood,” he said.
The organisation said Jehovah’s Witnesses number “over nine million worldwide, in congregations across more than 200 lands.”
Recall that the religious group had clarified its position on the use of a member’s own blood during surgery and other medical procedures.
The clarification allowed individual Witnesses to decide whether their blood could be removed, stored and returned to them during medical treatment, while the organisation maintained its position against receiving blood from another person.
Punch
The Nigerian Army has dismissed as fake and unverified a purported intelligence alert warning of planned Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks on schools, churches, mosques, NYSC orientation camps and other public institutions across the country.
Anele said the Army was aware of the circulation and had heightened vigilance across its formations and commands to prevent attacks on vulnerable facilities.
She described the purported intelligence as speculation and urged the public not to treat the document as an official Army security alert.
The response followed the circulation of a document purportedly signed by one A.M. Sodiq, which claimed that Boko Haram and ISWAP were planning coordinated attacks across several parts of the country.
The document listed churches, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations as possible targets and alleged that suspected ISWAP operatives had begun surveillance of selected locations.
It further claimed that the alleged attacks could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.
However, the Army disowned the document, maintaining that it did not originate from the institution.
The Army assured Nigerians that security formations remained on heightened alert and were taking necessary measures to protect schools, places of worship and other vulnerable public facilities.
MINNA, Niger State — An engine oil seller in Minna, the Niger State capital, has reportedly sustained serious injuries after allegedly being shot during a police operation to disperse protesters.
The victim, identified as Ibrahim Mohammed Dada, was reportedly standing outside his shop at Tunga Market when he was struck by a bullet.
Ibrahim’s brother, Yakubu Dada Mohammed, said the victim was not part of the protest and was attending to customers at his engine oil stall when the incident occurred.
According to him, Ibrahim was simply trying to earn a living and support his family when a police officer allegedly fired a shot that hit him in the head and severely injured his face.
«“He was not among those protesting. He was standing in front of his shop selling engine oil when one of the police officers fired a bullet that struck his head and badly injured his face,” Yakubu said.»
Ibrahim is currently receiving treatment at Minna General Hospital, where his condition was reportedly described as critical.
The incident occurred amid protests in Minna over the reported deaths of 37 miners who were allegedly in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Reports indicate that 65 miners were arrested on September 15 and 16, with 37 subsequently reported dead while in security custody.
The protests, which began on Thursday, continued into Friday as security personnel moved to disperse demonstrators. Security forces were reportedly accused of using tear gas and live ammunition during the operation.
However, the circumstances surrounding Ibrahim’s shooting have not been independently established.
The Niger State Police Command spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, appealed for calm and said the incident would be investigated.
The case has since heightened concerns over the conduct of security personnel during the ongoing protests.
Jehovah’s Witnesses announce fresh adjustment to blood transfusion policy
Army speaks on Boko Haram, ISWAP attack alert as fake
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