Grandma, PhD Student Lead NDLEA’s Major Cocaine Busts as Agency Tightens Noose on Drug Syndicates

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on international drug trafficking networks with the arrest of a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother attempting to smuggle 13 kilogrammes of cocaine to the United Kingdom, alongside the dismantling of a Malaysia-bound cocaine syndicate allegedly led by a Nigerian PhD student studying abroad.

The high-profile arrests, announced on Sunday, underscored the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by drug traffickers and the growing involvement of elderly persons and highly educated individuals in transnational narcotics operations.

The agency also intercepted large consignments of tramadol hidden inside vehicle fuel tanks, seized hundreds of kilogrammes of cannabis and methamphetamine across several states, and arrested multiple suspects in coordinated operations nationwide.

The biggest airport seizure involved 67-year-old Mrs. Mary Barek, a Nigerian-British citizen employed as a caregiver in the United Kingdom.

She was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while preparing to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London.

NDLEA operatives who searched her luggage discovered 31 large wraps of cocaine ingeniously disguised as fresh plantain peels and packed among other food items. The illicit drug weighed 13 kilogrammes.

According to the agency, the suspect admitted ownership of the cocaine during interrogation.

In another breakthrough, NDLEA operatives dismantled an international drug syndicate attempting to smuggle cocaine to Malaysia through a shipment concealed inside the walls of cartons of Orijin Bitters.

According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, the operation culminated in the arrest of 45-year-old Nwabueze Onyeka, a PhD student at the University of Putra, Malaysia, who investigators identified as the alleged mastermind of the trafficking network.

The arrest followed the interception of 36 parcels of cocaine weighing 5.8 kilogrammes hidden inside nine cartons of the herbal alcoholic beverage that formed part of a consolidated cargo destined for Kuala Lumpur.

Babafemi said investigations initially led to the arrest of four suspects in Lagos, including a cargo agent, the driver who transported the consignment, a trader at the ASPANDA Market in the Lagos Trade Fair Complex, and another suspect who allegedly supplied the specially prepared cartons used for concealing the narcotics.

He stated that the trail eventually led operatives to Aziora community in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, where Onyeka was arrested while allegedly hiding in his village.

Beyond the cocaine seizures, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 43,980 capsules of tramadol concealed inside two modified vehicle fuel tanks along the Wukari-Zaki Biam Road in Taraba State.

The suspect, Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke, 30, was reportedly transporting the consignment from Onitsha in Anambra State when he was arrested.

In Kaduna State, anti-narcotics officers arrested two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, after recovering 1.7 kilogrammes of methamphetamine during a raid in Gwantu.

Another 231.7 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered in Ebonyi State from a 65-year-old suspect, Francis Eja.

In Plateau State, operatives arrested a 75-year-old suspect, Alhaji Babani, found in possession of 15 kilogrammes of skunk at Kurgwi in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area.

Similarly, in Gombe State, officers arrested two suspects, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, with 587 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 556 kilogrammes during an intelligence-led operation at Kuri village in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

Alongside the enforcement operations, the agency said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools and communities across Anambra, Enugu, Ogun and Kano States.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the commands for combining aggressive drug supply reduction efforts with sustained public education campaigns.

The latest arrests come amid growing concerns by security agencies over the use of increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques and the recruitment of unsuspecting couriers, elderly persons and professionals into international drug trafficking networks, as Nigeria continues to strengthen border controls and intelligence-driven operations against transnational organised crime.

Grandma, PhD Student Lead NDLEA’s Major Cocaine Busts as Agency Tightens Noose on Drug Syndicates

FG Evacuates 593 Nigerians from South Africa, Denies Extortion Claims

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has evacuated 593 Nigerians from South Africa following recent xenophobic protests, with plans to bring home about 700 more citizens in the coming days.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said the evacuation exercise underscores the government’s commitment to protecting Nigerians abroad and providing assistance to citizens affected by crises.

According to the ministry, the first batch of 258 evacuees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on June 11 aboard a special flight operated by Air Peace.

The returnees were received by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, on behalf of the Federal Government before being handed over to relevant government agencies for documentation and profiling.

The ministry explained that logistical challenges delayed the second evacuation flight, resulting in some Nigerians being temporarily accommodated at the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, where they were cared for by officials.

It added that a Nigerian philanthropist voluntarily paid the airfare for 66 stranded citizens, enabling them to return to Lagos aboard a South African Airways flight on June 24.

A second government-arranged evacuation flight arrived on June 30 with 269 returnees, bringing the total number of evacuated Nigerians to 593.

The ministry said the evacuation exercise is continuing, with three additional flights scheduled over the next few days to return all Nigerians who voluntarily registered for evacuation and have completed the necessary screening and clearance processes.

It disclosed that about 700 more Nigerians are expected to be repatriated, with the next batch of 271 returnees scheduled to arrive at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5:30 a.m. on Friday, July 3.

The ministry also dismissed allegations circulating on social media that officials at the Nigerian mission in South Africa demanded money from citizens seeking evacuation.

It stressed that all special evacuation flights are fully funded by the Federal Government and that no returnee is required to pay for transportation.

“The insinuations and false allegations that some staff of the Nigerian Mission were requesting money before enlisting our nationals for the evacuation flights are totally false, fake news, and should be discarded,” the statement said.

The ministry commended the collaboration among relevant government agencies in executing the evacuation exercise, describing the operation as evidence of Nigeria’s commitment to safeguarding its citizens overseas.

It reiterated that the protection of Nigerians abroad remains a central pillar of the country’s foreign policy, adding that the government is determined to ensure that citizens affected by crises receive the necessary support, dignity and care.

“The lives of Nigerians living abroad matter, and we are trying our best as a Ministry to give them a sense of belonging,” the statement added.

FG Evacuates 593 Nigerians from South Africa, Denies Extortion Claims

Conflict, Funding Cuts Push Northern Nigeria Hunger Crisis to Worst Level in Nearly a Decade, WFP Warns

By: Michael Mike

Escalating conflict, shrinking humanitarian funding and worsening access constraints have pushed northern Nigeria into its most severe hunger crisis in almost a decade, with more than 17 million people now facing acute food insecurity, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned.

The UN agency said the deteriorating security situation, particularly in the North-East, is forcing families from their homes and farms, disrupting humanitarian operations and leaving millions without life-saving food assistance.

According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis, more than 17 million people across nine conflict-affected northern states are experiencing crisis, emergency or catastrophic levels of hunger—an increase of nearly two million people compared to the previous assessment.

The report painted an especially grim picture in Borno State, where renewed insurgent attacks coupled with the suspension of food assistance in some areas have left more than three million people acutely food insecure.

Of that figure, over 750,000 are experiencing severe hunger, while more than 10,000 people have slipped into catastrophic hunger—the highest level of food insecurity and one often associated with famine-like conditions.

Although those facing catastrophic hunger represent a relatively small proportion of Borno’s population, WFP warned that the figures signal a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.

“What concerns us most is how this crisis is expanding,” said Kinday Samba.

“For years, insurgent attacks and violence were largely concentrated in parts of northeast Nigeria. Today, they are spreading across a much wider area and forcing people from farmland, driving displacement and restricting humanitarian access, meaning hunger is quick to follow.”

The agency said insecurity has significantly reduced access to vulnerable communities, with the number of locations partially inaccessible to humanitarian workers doubling in recent months.

An additional 15 areas are now considered difficult for WFP personnel to reach because of insecurity.

Humanitarian supply chains have also come under increasing pressure as attacks and illegal checkpoints disrupt the movement of relief materials along major transport corridors, leaving air transport as the only viable option in several locations.

Beyond insecurity, WFP identified severe funding shortages as a major factor worsening the crisis.

While an estimated 6.2 million people are now food insecure across the three insurgency-ravaged North-East states, the agency said it currently has sufficient resources to assist only about 740,000 people.

That leaves approximately 5.5 million people—many of them women and children—without essential food and nutrition support.

The figure represents a sharp decline from the 1.3 million people WFP assisted during the peak of the 2025 lean season.

The agency warned that the suspension of food assistance in several displacement camps is pushing desperate families toward dangerous coping mechanisms.

Communities have reported cases of people joining armed groups in exchange for food or income, highlighting the growing link between hunger, insecurity and recruitment by violent extremists.

WFP also raised alarm over increasing reports of exploitation and gender-based violence, particularly affecting women and children, following reductions in humanitarian assistance.

“When people lose access to food, the risks of displacement, exploitation and instability increase. Yet resources are at their lowest at the time they are needed most,” Samba said.

The new assessment also indicates that Nigeria’s food crisis extends well beyond conflict-hit northern communities.

Nationwide, an estimated 36.2 million people are now experiencing food insecurity, reflecting the combined impact of persistent insecurity, inflation, climate shocks and economic pressures that continue to erode household purchasing power and agricultural production.

The worsening humanitarian outlook comes as aid agencies struggle with declining donor support amid multiple global crises competing for limited humanitarian resources.

WFP warned that without urgent intervention, hunger, displacement and instability could intensify further across northern Nigeria and spill over into neighbouring countries.

To sustain emergency food assistance, nutrition programmes and humanitarian logistics over the next six months, the agency said it urgently requires 89 million US dollars in additional funding.

It appealed to international donors and development partners to step up support, warning that failure to act could reverse years of humanitarian gains and deepen one of West Africa’s most protracted crises.

Conflict, Funding Cuts Push Northern Nigeria Hunger Crisis to Worst Level in Nearly a Decade, WFP Warns