General
NDLEA Nabs Frequent Traveller with Cocaine, Foils Drugs Movement in Lagos, Edo, Others
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over the course of the past week, arrested a businessman, Mr Molokwu Nwachukwu, who frequents China, Dubai, Pakistan, and Vietnam, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos for concealing thirty-six (36) parcels of cocaine in different parts of his check-in bags, hand luggage and two pairs of slippers, while heading to Southeast Asia.
Mr Molokwu was arrested at the screening point of the MMIA Terminal 2 while attempting to board his flight to Vietnam on Wednesday, March 22.
A total of thirty-six parcels of whitish powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine with a gross weight of 1.00 kilogram were recovered from the handles of his bags and soles of two pairs of slippers in his luggage.
NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, disclosed that the suspect claimed he frequently travels to China, Dubai, Pakistan, and Vietnam, from where he imports baby wear that he distributes from his Onitsha, Anambra state base.
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport have thwarted an attempt by a suspect, Mr Chimezie Innocent Nwafor to export 2.10 kilograms of methamphetamine to Brazil.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of three more suspects linked to the consignment at Oyingbo market, Yaba, Lagos. They include Mr Ifeanyi Onu, Mr Simon Nwuzor, and Mr Omini ThankGod Peter. The meth consignment was moulded into 25 bars of local black soup called Dudu Osun and packaged in a carton for export to Brazil.
A similar attempt to export a cocaine consignment consisting of 300grams of raw cocaine and 200grams of phenacetin, a chemical agent used to adulterate and increase the volume of cocaine, concealed in packs of air freshener, going to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, was also foiled by NDLEA operatives attached to the SAHCO export shed at the Lagos airport on Monday 20th March.
A suspect, Mr Onyeze Obiora, has already been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Another bid by an intending passenger to Reggio, Italy, Mr Osasere MacDonald, to export 500grams of tramadol 225mg concealed inside a carton of Indomie noodles on Tuesday, March 21, was equally frustrated by vigilant officers who seized the drugs and arrested him.
On the same day, operatives of the Tincan Port command of the Agency also intercepted 107 kilograms of cannabis Indica popularly known as Colorado, hidden in a container bearing four used vehicles imported from Toronto, Canada.
A few days later, Friday, March 24, Apapa Command of Customs Service was able to apprehend and hand over to NDLEA two suspects: Ademola Adekunle and Dayo Olatunji, linked to the consignment.
Meanwhile, in Edo, operatives on the same day intercepted in Auchi, Etsako West LGA, a DAF trailer marked ZUR 378 XJ (Kebbi) with 69 bags of Cannabis Sativa weighing 700kg concealed under bags of fertilizer.
While the bags of fertilizer were to be delivered in Funtua, Katsina state, the cannabis consignment was to be dropped in Kaduna. Both the driver of the truck, Mr Babangida Mande, and his assistant, Mr Mandir Abdullahi, are already in custody.
Another suspect, Mr Ijarekhai Ogbewee, was arrested on Thursday, March 23 at Ishokha Quarters, Otuo, Owan East LGA, with 32kg of the same substance.
A suspected female drug dealer, Mrs Kudirat Bello, was nabbed in the Igbesa area of Ogun state on Monday, March 20, with different quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis, and rophynol along with N119,600 monetary exhibits.
Similarly, in Delta, 96 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 82kg concealed inside jumbo bags of cassava flour were recovered at Basket Market, Asaba, while a total of 164, 750 pills of opioids, mainly tramadol, were seized from two suspects, Mr Henry Abuchi, and Mr Daniel Ugwoke, in parts of Taraba state.
In another development, no fewer than 45 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 23kg were recovered along Okene – Abuja highway from Abubakar Muhammad in a Toyota Hiace bus coming from Lagos and going to Maiduguri on Tuesday, March 21 in Kogi state.
In Lagos, a total of 1,030.6 kilograms of cannabis were recovered from at least three suspects, Mr Bolaji Adesina, Mr Femi Ojo, and Mr Jamiu Useni, during raid operations in the Mushin area of the state.
Speaking on this, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mr Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of MMIA, Tincan, Edo, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Kogi, and Lagos Commands of the Agency for their vigilance and excellent working relationship with other security agencies in their areas of responsibility.
He charged them and their colleagues across the country not to rest on their oars.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the collapse of five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi–Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line.
This was attributed to severe acts of vandalism, as TCN disclosed that the structure collapsed after vandals removed critical structural bracing members.
The affected towers were N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, the organisation said in a statement on Friday.
It explained that the extensive damage was discovered during a routine joint line patrol conducted on August 9, 2026, by TCN linesmen.
Further inspection revealed that structural members from seven additional towers along the same transmission corridor had also been removed and stolen. The towers, J3, N8, N13, N14, N15, N18 and N19, are now structurally compromised and pose a risk of further collapse.
TCN condemned this act of sabotage and reiterated its commitment to working hard to maintain a robust and reliable national grid.
The statement said that to mitigate the impact on electricity supply, the network has been reconfigured to prioritise supply to Ekim transmission station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply.
TCN said it is mobilising an urgent intervention to complete the reconstruction of the affected sections of the line, with security agencies also notified to aid investigations and prevent further acts of vandalism along the line route.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, has urged all relevant government agencies to promptly initiate actions for the full implementation of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, following its signing into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill, sponsored by Speaker Abbas, was aimed at repealing the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, Cap. N133, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and establish the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports while safeguarding the interests of shippers, service providers, and users of regulated port services. With the President’s assent, it has now been enacted as an Act of Parliament.
The legislation represents one of the landmark achievements of the 10th National Assembly. It reflects the Speaker’s commitment to legislative excellence, institutional reform, and sustainable economic growth, according to a press statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Mr Musa Krishi.
The bill underwent a rigorous and inclusive legislative process, including extensive stakeholder consultations and a public hearing. It was passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently assented to by the President.
The Act provides a robust legal and institutional framework to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports by fostering transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency in port operations; protecting the rights and interests of shippers, service providers, and other port users; and aligning Nigeria’s port regulatory system with global best practices, thereby enhancing the ease and cost-effectiveness of doing business.
Despite receiving presidential assent, the Act has yet to be fully operationalised.
He warned that any further delay would undermine the legislative intent of the reform, prolong the exposure of port users to arbitrary charges and operational inefficiencies, and deny the nation the anticipated benefits of increased revenue, improved trade facilitation, and stronger investor confidence in the marine and blue economy sector.
The Speaker urged the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in collaboration with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, to take the necessary administrative, institutional, and financial measures for the prompt implementation of the Act.
He said this should include the formal transition to, as well as operational empowerment of, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to discharge its statutory mandate effectively.
The full implementation of the Act is critical to unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s ports, reducing the cost of doing business, strengthening trade competitiveness, and positioning Nigeria as the leading maritime and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.
The statement noted that the Speaker reaffirmed the 10th House’s commitment to exercising the necessary legislative oversight to ensure this landmark legislation, along with others assented to by the President, is fully implemented and achieves its intended goals for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), has partnered with Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, to provide funding and support for the next generation of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs.
The announcement coincides with International Youth Day 2026, whose global theme this year — Different Contexts, Common Aspirations — calls on institutions to close the gap between young people’s circumstances and their opportunities. The pilot is an early step toward NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youth within two years.
The NiYA and Cascador Founders Programme will begin with a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders, including entrepreneurs without formal business registration or established financial records.
Over four weeks, participants will undergo intensive training focused on business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation. At the end of the programme, the eight top-performing founders will receive non-dilutive funding of up to N5 million each from Cascador, alongside an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help them structure, manage and scale their businesses.
The funding and support will be presented at a Pitch Day organised by NiYA and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
The Minister for Youth Development, Mr s Ayodele Olawande, said the partnership would enable NiYA to move beyond training by helping young people transform ideas into investable businesses and achieve sustainable economic participation through business preparation and access to capital.
“The pilot is deliberately designed to test a model that can go beyond one cohort. If young founders can be identified early, prepared properly, connected to credible capital and supported to build stronger business systems, then access to opportunity becomes less dependent on background or existing networks. That is the larger objective: to build a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in which readiness, ideas and execution can increasingly determine who gets the opportunity to grow.”
The pilot will run in-person in Abuja with virtual touchpoints and 1:1 mentorship. All 20 graduates retain NiYA alumni status, with priority consideration for future opportunities.
NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions. What we’re building together now is the missing piece, a practical bridge from the ideation stage to real capital-readiness. When a Ministry so dedicated to its young people asked Cascador to help build that bridge, it was an easy decision,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
Ms Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, highlighted the partnership’s impact, saying, “This is what innovative capital deployment looks like: a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed. Partnerships like this open doors that neither of us could open alone.”
