. Nabs trans-border drug trafficker with 8,740 ampoules of fentanyl injection, others

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu (aka Richard) with two giant music speakers used to conceal four large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.700kilograms for distribution in Yola and Mubi, Adamawa state, and across the border into Cameroon.

Ndubuisi was arrested inside a commercial transport bus at an NDLEA check point at Namtari along Ngurore -Yola road, Adamawa on Monday 7th April 2025. He was found with two new music speakers used to conceal four packages of methamphetamine and monetary exhibit of N22,300.
In his statement, he claimed he returned to Nigeria to continue his illicit drug trade after serving out his jail term in Malaysia where he had been arrested, convicted and sent to prison for drug trafficking offences.

In another interdiction exercise, NDLEA officers in a joint border operation with Customs personnel at the Nigeria/Cameroon border, Mfum, Cross River state arrested a trans-border drug trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu, with 8,740 ampoules of assorted opioids, weighing 395kg.

They include: 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl injection, 2,160 ampoules of morphine sulphate injection, 3,010 ampoules of phenobarbital sulphate injection, 2,160 ampoules of pethidine injection, and 330 ampoules of midazolam injection.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Friday 11th April 2025 arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 250mg at Bachirawa area of Kano, while 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was nabbed in a follow up operation at Wazobia motor park, Gwagwalada FCT Abuja following the seizure of a consignment of 8,960 pills of tramadol by NDLEA officers on routine check along Gwagwalada expressway on Monday 7th April.
Not less than 124 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in 11 jumbo bags were on Friday 11th April recovered from the boot of a Lexus car marked KTU 54 CU driven by a suspect, Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins, 58, along Mokwa-Jebba road, Niger state.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA Commands across the country continued to balance their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities in the past week. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of New Era Secondary School, Nteje, Anambra; Promise Land College, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos; Cherryfield College, Jikwoyi, FCT; Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Ogbomoso, Oyo state; Nurul Faruq Islamic Academy, Gombi, Adamawa state, while the Kwara state command paid a WADA advocacy visit to Oloro of Oro kingdom, Oba Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye Titiloye Olufayo II, among others.

While commending the efforts of the officers and men of Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Kano and Niger State Commands of the Agency for job well done, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) tasked them and their compatriots nationwide not to rest on their oars but continue to raise the bar in their offensive action against drug cartels with an equal measure of drug demand reduction efforts.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Enugu Governor Peter Mbah has expressed deep grief over the passing away of former Super Eagles skipper and coach, Christian Chukwu, describing him as a football icon, titan, and phenomenon.

Reacting to the development on Saturday Mbah said: “I received with a deep sense of loss the passing away of Chairman Christian Chukwu. It is a personal loss to us as Ndi Enugu, his home state, and indeed to Nigeria as a nation and Africa as a continent.

“Christian Chukwu was a national icon, a football titan, field marshal, and phenomenon. His exploits as a footballer united the country across ethnic divides and creed.

He was patriotism personified, serving the nation and Africa unreservedly both as a player and coach of the highly successful Rangers International Football Club of Enugu and Super Eagles of Nigeria, which he captained to victory as Green Eagles at the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON. He also coached the Harambee Stars, Kenya’s senior male national team, among others.

“Chairman, as he was fondly called, gave his all not only to the nation but to the rest of Africa. He wrote his name in gold in the annals of the history of Nigerian and African football.

Our dear legend has gone the way of all mortals, but the fond memories and the pride he gave Ndi Igbo and Nigeria as a whole will be cherished forever.

“My heart goes out to his family, Ndi Enugu, the Nigerian sports community and the entire nation over this irreplaceable loss. May the good Lord grant his soul eternal repose.”

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

No fewer than seven people lost their lives on Saturday following the detonation of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.

The deadly incident occurred along the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, a notorious route that cuts through the Sambisa Forest—an area long plagued by insurgent activities.

The victims were part of a convoy of vehicles being escorted by the military from Damboa to Maiduguri.

According to eyewitness accounts and local sources, the explosion struck as the convoy—organized to provide safe passage through the volatile region—was underway. Several other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Maiduguri for urgent treatment.

The Maiduguri-Damboa Road serves as a vital link between the state capital and several local government areas in southern Borno, including Chibok and Gwoza.

For years, the route remained closed to civilian traffic due to persistent terrorist threats. However, under the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum, the road was reopened, with military escorts deployed to accompany travelers twice weekly after clearing the area for explosives.

Saturday’s attack raises fresh concerns about the safety of the corridor, despite consistent military presence. The blast also comes just days after Governor Zulum publicly raised alarm over renewed Boko Haram activity in the state, highlighting the persistent threat the group poses to peace and development in the region.

Authorities are yet to release an official statement on the incident, while investigations and security operations in the area continue.