…..Raids Lagos night club over drug party, arrests owner, Pretty Mike, others; Mosotho with ice in coffee tea pack at Enugu airport; 75-year-old grandpa in Abia; female distributor of Loud in Lekki, Ikoyi, VI and environs

A total of 70 parcels of cocaine factory packed in walls of cocoa butter formula body cream containers heading to London, United Kingdom have been uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with three suspects arrested in series of follow-up operations across Lagos.

The cocaine consignments weighing 3.60 kilograms were discovered on 14th October 2025 during examination of cargoes packaged as personal effects going to London, UK on an Air Peace flight. A cargo agent Lawal Mustapha Olakunle who presented the consignment for airfreight was promptly arrested while investigations stretching into two weeks led to the arrest of two principal suspects linked to the attempt to export the concealed Class A drug to the UK.
In a follow up operation on 18th October, a female healthcare worker Ogunmuyide Taiwo Deborah was arrested following which Mutiu Adebayo Adebiyi, the Chief Executive Officer of a travel agency, Mutiu Adebiyi & Co, was arrested at his 23 Ladoke Akintola Street, Ikeja GRA Lagos office on Monday 20th October.

In a similar development, attempt by a 35-year-old Lesotho national Lemena Mark to export 103.59 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a diabeta herbs coffee tea pack to the Philippines on an Ethiopian airlines flight from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA) Enugu on Wednesday 22nd October was thwarted by NDLEA officers who arrested him and recovered the illicit drug.

No fewer than 21,950 capsules of tramadol 250mg concealed inside a 100-litre water heater were recovered from a suspect Umar Abubakar, 40, who was arrested by NDLEA operatives at Bode Saadu, Morro local government area of Kwara state following credible intelligence on Tuesday 21st October.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives in the early hours of Sunday 26th October raided Proxy Night club at 7 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island where a drug party was going on. Over 100 suspects including the owner of the club Mike Eze Nwalie Nwogu alias Pretty Mike, were arrested and taken into custody for screening. Cartons of illicit substances including Loud, and laughing gas, were recovered from suspects at the party and the club’s store.

The raid followed intelligence about the drug party. NDLEA operatives who were embedded in the party between 11pm on Saturday 25th October however disrupted the gathering at 3am on Sunday 26th October based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
In Taraba, the duo of Auwal Musa, 26, and Salihu Bala, 22, were on Tuesday 21st October arrested with 450,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 at Dan-anacha checkpoint while conveying the consignment in a truck loaded with building materials from Onitsha, Anambra state to Mubi, Adamawa state.

While NDLEA officers on patrol along Okene/Lokoja highway, Kogi state seized 162.200kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, from a truck on Friday 24th October, operatives in Nasarawa state on Wednesday 22nd October recovered 128kg of same psychoactive substance from a suspect, Abubakar Muhammad, 55, in Keffi area of the state.

A mother of two Oyonumoh Glory Effiong who is a major distributor of Canadian and California Loud, both strong strains of cannabis in Lekki, Ajah, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and VGC areas of Lagos have been arrested by NDLEA operatives on Friday 17th October
during a raid at her Lekki home where 500 grams of the illicit substances were recovered.
In Ikorodu area of Lagos, NDLEA officers on Thursday 23rd October raided the home of a suspect Ogunyabo Adenigbigbe at Solomade estate where 275 litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant drink, cannabis and opioids, were recovered.

A 75-year-old grandpa Echendu Onuoka was on Wednesday 22nd October arrested at Ovum village, Obingwa LGA, Abia state with 4.7kg skunk seized from him while a 60-year-old grandma Aukana John was nabbed with 225 grams of same substance at Apanta village, in the same LGA.
While 150kg skunk was recovered during a raid operation at Lot camp, Ikun Akoko, Ondo state, two suspects: Bashir Mohammad, 50, and Samini Ahmed Tijjani, 35, were nabbed with 234.5kg of same substance at Yan aya , Saminaka in Lere LGA, Kaduna on Friday 24th October just as another set of suspects: Isah Usman, 50, and Salvation Okoler, 18, were arrested with 8,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and rohypnol along Abuja/Kaduna highway.
At the Seme border area of Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 22nd October nabbed Jacob Ojugbele with 55kg skunk at Ashipa area of Badagry while Amusa Oluwabukola was arrested with 121.3 litres of skuchies at Itoga Badagry.
In Zamfara state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Gummi-Anka road on Monday 20th October arrested a suspect Abubakar Ibrahim, 30, in possession of AK 47 riffle and 1,746 assorted calibres of ammunition, for AK 47 and GPMG rifles while moving them from Sokoto to Bagega forest, Anka LGA, Zamfara. Both the suspect and the exhibits have since been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Asabari Grammar School, Iluwa Isale Oke, Saki West LGA, Oyo; Government Day Girls Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi; St. Mark’s College, Nsude, Enugu; Kusaki Secondary School, Gboko North, Benue; Government Day Secondary School, Serti- Baruwa, Gashaka LGA, Taraba; Police Children School 2, Port Harcourt, Rivers and Hajara Ahmad International School, Tudun Wada, Kano state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, AIIA, Lagos, Kwara, Abia, Nasarawa, Kogi, Ondo, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Seme and Zamfara Commands for the arrests, and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

​The Police Service Commission (PSC) is engulfed in sorrow following the sudden and untimely death of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Matilda Ngbaronye, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of a key division in Lagos.

CSP Ngbaronye reportedly passed away on Friday after complications arose from a surgery she underwent at a private hospital in the state.

​The news was officially conveyed in a Sunday statement released by Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations for the Commission.

The statement captured the deep sense of loss felt across the police force and the PSC, emphasizing the profound impact of Ngbaronye’s service.

​The Chairman of the Commission, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Hashimu Argungu (Rtd.), expressed his heartfelt shock and grief over the devastating news.

In his tribute, DIG Argungu praised the late officer’s dedication, describing her as a “committed and hardworking Police Officer who was devoted to the service of the Nigeria Police Force.”

This description highlights the high regard in which Ngbaronye was held by the Commission’s leadership and speaks volumes about her exemplary conduct throughout her career.

​CSP Ngbaronye’s passing leaves a void in the command structure of the Lagos State Police Command, where she was known for her effective leadership and commitment to maintaining law and order.

Divisional Police Officers hold crucial roles, serving as the primary link between the police force and the communities they serve.

Their day-to-day work is vital for crime prevention, swift response to emergencies, and fostering community trust.

Ngbaronye’s reported diligence in this role marks her as a dedicated public servant whose life was committed to the security and peace of the nation.

​While the statement from the PSC focuses on the tribute, the circumstances of her death following an unsuccessful surgery at a private facility add a layer of tragedy to the event.

This detail implicitly raises questions and highlights the vulnerability of officers who dedicate their lives to public service.

​The entire Police Service Commission, under the leadership of DIG Argungu, extends its deepest condolences to the family of CSP Ngbaronye, her colleagues, and the entire Nigeria Police Force.

The PSC’s tribute serves not just as a formal acknowledgement of her death, but as a sincere farewell to an officer who exemplified the qualities of commitment and hard work that the force strives to uphold.

Her memory, as a devoted and hardworking officer, will undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to her peers and subordinates.

The PSC prays for the repose of her soul and for the family to find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

​The final words of the Commission’s release reflect a somber realization that a valued member of the service has been lost too soon, underscoring the human cost of dedicated service to the nation.

CSP Ngbaronye’s legacy will endure through the positive impact she made during her time as a Divisional Police Officer.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, has apprehended a 60-year-old influential figure within the Orphanage Owners Umbrella Body of Nigeria.

The individual, who also founded the globally recognized Civil Society Organisation, the National Council of Child’s Right Advocates of Nigeria (NACRAN), based in Benue State, was taken into custody over allegations of extensive child trafficking, illegal adoption, and child sales.

In what officials described as a major breakthrough, operatives from NAPTIP’s Makurdi Command successfully rescued 26 children out of an estimated 300 who are believed to have been trafficked and sold across Benue, Enugu, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Abuja.

Authorities have launched an intensive manhunt to locate the remaining 274 victims as investigations continue into the full scope of the syndicate’s operations.

A 34-year-old woman suspected to be an accomplice, along with two additional orphanage operators from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Nasarawa State, were also detained after several trafficked children were traced to their care facilities.

This operation follows only weeks after NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, OON, publicly voiced her concern about the increasing reports of corruption and exploitation among some orphanage operators.

She had urged state ministries of women’s affair to closely monitor orphanages to ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards.

The latest arrests form part of NAPTIP’s renewed national clampdown on orphanage and childcare institutions, a directive issued by the Director-General in response to multiple reports of child trafficking and other illicit practices involving some shelter homes.

According to official records, the case began on May 1, 2025, when a distraught father reported that his four-year-old son had been handed over by the boy’s grandmother to an NGO without his approval.

Upon demanding his child’s return, the man was reportedly told that he would not be able to see the boy for three years.

His complaint triggered a NAPTIP investigation that exposed a sprawling child trafficking and illegal adoption network.

Preliminary findings revealed that the suspects exploited impoverished rural families in Benue State through a deceptive initiative named the “Back to School Project.” Under this scheme, they allegedly recruited children from conflict-affected communities in Guma Local Government Area including Daudu, Yelwata, and Ngban with false promises of educational sponsorship.

The children were then trafficked to states such as Abuja, Nasarawa, Enugu, and Lagos.

Community meetings were organized to convince local leaders and parents that the project was legitimate. Many guardians either signed misleading consent forms or verbally agreed to release their children, believing they would be reunited after three years.

Reports indicate that over 300 children were taken under this pretense, some without any parental consent at all.

The trafficked children, aged between one and thirteen years, were moved to orphanages in Abuja and Nasarawa, where they were allegedly sold to couples under the disguise of legal adoption for sums ranging from N1 million to ₦3 million per child.

Certain orphanages acted as temporary holding centers where children were kept before being handed over to buyers. Four such homes located at Kaigini, Kubwa Expressway, Abuja; Masaka Area 1, Mararaba (by Abaca Road); and another behind the International Market in Mararaba have been identified and are under investigation.

One complainant revealed he paid ₦2.8 million as an adoption fee and an additional N100,000 as a consultancy charge to a syndicate member. Investigators also discovered that several rescued children had their names and identities altered, making the tracing process difficult.

Responding to the shocking revelations, NAPTIP’s Director-General, Binta Adamu Bello, described the situation as both “unbelievable and mind-boggling.”

She stated, “Arising from the case at hand, I wish to say that issues of child trafficking and adoption are becoming a national crisis that requires urgent attention from all relevant stakeholders.

“A few weeks ago, based on credible intelligence, I expressed concern and alerted the state ministries of women affairs on the unpatriotic and illegal activities of some orphanage operators across the country.

“It is painful that some unpatriotic elements with recognised entities and status now use their social class to deceive already vulnerable people in crisis-prone communities, traffic their children most of whom narrowly escape death in the wake of communal or farmer–herder clashes, and sell them to desperate parents in the name of adoption, without the valid legal consent of the parents.

“This is unacceptable, and those already arrested in connection with this wicked act shall be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“Our children are not commodities to be displayed in orphanages and sold at will to the highest bidders. This must stop,” the NAPTIP boss fumed.