Crime
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted at the nation’s three major airports of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt large consignments of cocaine which Brazil based drug cartels tried smuggling into the country.
According to the spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi arrested were seven traffickers in the smashes.
A statement on Sunday by the spokesman said at the Port Harcourt International Airport, five suspects were arrested on Saturday 9th April. Three of them were arrested during the inward screening of passengers on board Qatar Airline flight QR1433 from Doha to Port Harcourt.
He said the three suspects departed Sao Paulo, Brazil on board same Qatar flight, en-route Doha to Abuja and Port Harcourt with a total of 24.96 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Babafemi sad the first is 51-year-old Udogwu Johnson who was arrested with 5.48 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in lotion plastic bottles sealed with candle wax. He claimed he agreed to traffic the drug for a fee of N1 million.
He said also arrested is Ezekwueme Valentine, 32, who was caught with 10.82 kilogrammes cocaine packed in 84 sachets concealed in seven duvets, while the third trafficker, Chiezie Ikechukwu Arinze, 35, was arrested with 8.66 kilogrammes cocaine hidden in 115 golden and silver colour 30ml breakable bottles factory packaged with lotion on top.
The fourth suspect, Uchechukwu Onwugbufor, 42, according to him, was arrested at the airport car park while waiting to receive one of the traffickers, Udogwu James and his consignment. He claimed he was contacted by someone in Brazil to receive Udogwu and lead him to Lagos for a fee of N100,000. Uchechukwu Onwugbufor was at the Airport with his neigbour, Nwogu Ezimadu, who is equally being investigated to determine if he is complicit in the crime or not.
He said at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a Psychology graduate of Imo State University, Owerri, Sebastine Kelvin, 30, was arrested with 74 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.454 kilogrammes on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight enroute Doula- Addis Ababa-Abuja last Wednesday.
He said the father of one who claims he is a motor spare parts dealer, said he lived in Cameroon for six years before going into the drug business to raise money to boost his trade. He added that he was introduced to the man who gave him the drugs at Addis Ababa by another person serving jail term for drug offence at the Doula Newbell Prison.
Also Read: Wamakko bags NDLEA Wider Ambassador Award
Babafemi said in Lagos, another Brazil based passenger, Uba Samuel was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, by NDLEA operatives last Friday on arrival aboard Ethiopian Airline flight from Sao Paulo via Addis Ababa to Lagos with sachets of cocaine weighing 633 grammes concealed in his footwear and toothpaste tube.
The suspect who claims to be a shoemaker and barber, while accepting ownership of the drug, said he used his shoe making knowledge to conceal the drug in his pair of sandals. Uba who is a regular traveller confessed he bought the drug to sell at a market in Abia.
In other clampdown, more illicit substances were recovered in raid operations in other parts of the country. In Gadaka village of Fika local government area, Yobe state, operatives arrested one Hassan Usman with a total of 22,110 tablets of Tramadol, D5 and Exol 5, while one Ali Mohammed was nabbed in a commercial vehicle coming from Kano to Maiduguri with 40 blocks of cannabis weighing 33 kilogrammes. Also arrested on the Kano-Maiduguri route was a driver Ibrahim Khalil Idris with 60 packets of Tramadol, all on Tuesday 12th April.
In Kogi state, 750 blocks of cannabis weighing 750 kilogrammes were seized from two suspects: Hassan Adamu, 25, and Abdulmalik Abdullahi, 24, along Okene-Abuja highway. The drug exhibits were concealed inside fabricated panels of a Ford bus.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) has commended the officers and men of the PHIA, NAIA, MMIA, Yobe, and Kogi Commands of the agency for disrupting desperate attempts by drug cartels to traffic dangerous drugs into Nigeria and across the country. He said the huge seizures at the airports will send a strong message to drug barons that Nigeria will no longer be their safe destination or transit route.
NDLEA intercepts cocaine consignments at Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt airports, arrests 7 traffickers
Crime
Nigeria: Boko Haram attacked Governor Buni’s home tomorrow, killing 36 soldiers and police officers
Nigeria: Boko Haram attacked Governor Buni’s home tomorrow, killing 36 soldiers and police officers
By: Our Reporter
At least 36 soldiers and mobile police officers were reportedly killed after Boko Haram insurgents launched coordinated attacks on two military formations in the Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, northeast Nigeria.
The attacks, which occurred around 1 am on Friday, May 8, 2026, targeted the Theatre Training Centre in Buniyadi and the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari.
Soldiers who survived the attacks said that the insurgents stormed both camps almost simultaneously, forcing troops into fierce gun battles that lasted several hours.
One of the soldiers narrated that the insurgents overwhelmed parts of the formations during the midnight assault.
“My camp was attacked by Boko Haram. In 27TF BDE Buni Gari, three soldiers were killed in action, and the attack started by 1:00a.m. The Boko Haram were attacking us and, at the same time, attacking our neighboring camp,” the soldier said.
“This is in Gujba Local Government in Yobe State, at Governor Mai Mala Buni’s hometown. The names of the two camps attacked are the Theatre Training Centre Buniyadi and the 27 Task Force Brigade Buni Gari.”
Another soldier at the camp also confirmed the development, saying, “The attack happened in two locations near our neighboring camp, which was the NSF. So we were in Bunigari, which is the governor’s town. The other camp is in Buniyadi. The two camps are very close.”
“So, unfortunately, we started hearing that Boko Haram was attacking Buniyadi last night around one o’clock a.m. They started attacking them. We were preparing to go and reinforce them. Before you know it, we started hearing gunshots in our own camp too.
“So we could not go and get involved with the Buniyadi camp. Those in Buniyadi are the ones in charge of training soldiers coming to the Northeast with the police. Those are the MOPOLs. They are meant for training those people. But we are not training anybody. We are in Gujba Local Government, which is the governor’s town.”
The soldier said that although his own formation lost three soldiers, the casualty figure at the training center was significantly higher.
“But in our 27 Task Force Brigade, we lost three soldiers. There are casualties at the training center too,” he added.
“Information sharing on the platform shows that the training center has more casualties. Thirty-three people were killed: 17 mobile police officers that came for training were killed in action; 10 soldiers that came for training were killed in action, while six soldiers permanently deployed there were also killed in action. Yesterday was bloody.”
The total casualty figure from both attacks currently stands at 36, based on information obtained from military sources.
Nigeria: Boko Haram attacked Governor Buni’s home tomorrow, killing 36 soldiers and police officers
Crime
Berom Man condemns five youths caught manufacturing weapons, says act same as terrorism
Berom Man condemns five youths caught manufacturing weapons, says act same as terrorism
By: Zagazola Makama
A Berom man has condemned the alleged arrest of five youths reportedly caught manufacturing firearms, describing the act as terrorism and urging communities to refrain from supporting unlawful armed activities.
He made the remarks in a two-minute video circulating online.
He said the arrested youths were allegedly found manufacturing guns and assembling ammunition on their own, adding that such actions should not be justified under the guise of community protection.
According to him, any claim of self-defence by individuals or groups must be known to community leaders and relevant government authorities, rather than being carried out secretly by a few persons stockpiling arms.
He argued that the development amounted to terrorism and should be treated as such, insisting that the youths involved must be properly investigated to determine who they were producing the weapons for and how they were being used.
The speaker also cautioned against ethnic interpretations of the incident, noting that criminal acts should not be defended on communal or religious grounds.
He further urged members of the Berom community and other groups to openly condemn the act, warning that protests or calls for the release of suspects could be seen as complicity.
He stressed the need for full legal action against those involved, adding that communities must avoid creating what he described as “another armed group in the name of fighting insecurity.”
Below is the full transcription of his statement:
This pictures you are seeing are pictures of five Berom youths that were apprehended yesterday manufacturing guns. This is another level of terrorism that I have been talking about. Another different level of terrorism.
They have now learnt how to assemble ammunitions by themselves. I will come out and say it. Because I swear nobody sent them. In the other video that I made I said if you say that you are getting weapons to protect your community, the community head should know. The government should know, not a few individuals will just start to stockpile arms and then you will say that you are protecting your community. No, this is terrorism. These people are terrorists and there are no two ways about it.
Now you see, they have now started calling them Berom terrorists. One Berom man will be angry. Sincerely speaking, I am Berom too. But I must tell you, you should not be angry because you are being referred to as Berom terrorist, you should be angry because these are your children caught in this act. You have no right to be angry that they are calling Berom terrorists, Berom militia. This type of attitude. We have been telling you to speak to these children, stop the revenge attacks, we told you to tell these children to stop doing things that would get them into the net of the authorities like this. Because when they get caught, they will be used as an example. Now these things will be flying all over the world just to prove that the Berom people too are doing terrorism.
If anyone comes out now to say that the people of Berom are terrorists, will you say that they are not terrorists? Will you say you don’t engage in terrorism? Because definitely that is what they are doing. Ethnic profiling, we did it too. We are also coming out to say Fulani militia. Why are we saying it? Because of what they are doing. Now our children are also being caught.
If we know what is better for us, be it a Muslim, be it a Christian, it is better for us to come out and add our voice and tell the world that what the children are doing is bad. Because the truth is it is not right. And now that they have been caught like this, I am begging you because of God not to hear that our people have come out for protest because it will be very shameful. It will show that you have a hand in this.
Anyone who comes out to protest, anyone who speaks that they should be released or do anything, I swear he is complicit too in the crimes and he should be arrested and also added into their team and asked since when did you start producing weapons, who are they manufacturing them for, what are they being used for. There should be serious interrogation and they should face the full wrath of the law. All of them have no excuse whatsoever.
When they come out you will say because they are being terrorized so we are being terrorized, so then you will start making guns without anybody monitoring you. It is an act of terrorism and I hope that this thing will stop and I hope and pray that people will come out and call this out. And I keep saying we cannot create another terrorist organization in order to fight terrorism.
And you see as a Christian or a son of Berom, if you don’t come out and condemn this, if they continue like this as time goes on we are going to be the victims of this stupidity.”
Berom Man condemns five youths caught manufacturing weapons, says act same as terrorism
Crime
Eight kidnapped victims regain freedom in Kaduna
Eight kidnapped victims regain freedom in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
Eight kidnapped victims abducted from their farmlands in Kaduna State have regained freedom after spending several weeks in captivity.

Security sources said the victims arrived at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Tantatu in Kajuru Local Government Area at about 9:00 a.m. on May 7.
The sources disclosed that the victims were among persons abducted on April 12 from farmlands near Kankomi village.

According to preliminary investigations, the victims were released from a terrorist camp located within Rijana Forest on May 6 before making their way to the troops’ location.

The sources said the victims were subsequently handed over to local authorities in Chikun Local Government Area for further care and necessary assistance.
Security agencies said efforts were ongoing to intensify operations against criminal groups operating within forests and rural communities across Kaduna State.
Eight kidnapped victims regain freedom in Kaduna
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