General
NDLEA Nabs Surinamese Over Cocaine in Body Spray
By Adedapo Adesanya
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 34-year-old South American male from Suriname, Mr Dadda Albert, for smuggling into Nigeria 117 parcels of cocaine concealed in extra-large latex condoms factory-packed inside bottles of 100ml body spray.
Mr Albert was arrested at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi, made the disclosure through a statement obtained by our correspondent on Sunday.
Mr Babafemi said, “The suspect claimed he departed his country, Suriname, located in the North Eastern coast of South America, on April 2, for Sao Paulo, Brazil, and he departed from Sao Paulo to Nigeria on Friday, April 7, onboard Qatar Airways flight in search of his long-lost Nigerian father, whom he called Omini.”
In the same vein, NDLEA operatives and other stakeholders at the Tincan seaport in Lagos intercepted 110 parcels of Colorado.
Mr Babafemi said the strain of cannabis, weighing 55kg, was hidden in a container bearing five units of used vehicles, marked MSCU 4972769, from Toronto via Montreal, Canada.
“The seizure was part of a total of 1,559.3 kilograms (1.5 tons) of the psychoactive substance seized during interdiction operations in five states in the past week,” he said.
Meanwhile, two suspects, Mr Nura Ibrahim, 40, and Mr Habibu Sadiq, 38, were arrested with 120 blocks of cannabis, weighing 148.7kg, along the Zaria-Kano road on Sunday, April 2.
Mr Babafemi also noted that not less than 418.5kg of the same substance and a Sienna Space bus used in conveying it were recovered on Thursday, April 6, at a notorious drug hub, Patey, Lagos Island.
Similarly, a suspect, Mr Azi Solomon, was arrested on the same day at the Ojota garage while attempting to move 23kg of cannabis to another state.
Two suspects, Mr Abubakar Abdulahi and Mr Stanley Tobias, were arrested on Friday, April 7, with 108,000 tablets of tramadol at Oyingbo motor park in Lagos mainland.
In Imo, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus, from which a total of 37,210 pills of opioids and 30 bottles of codeine syrup were recovered, and three suspects were arrested in follow-up operations.
Also, a total of 40.9kg of cannabis was seized from two suspects – Mr Haruna Adamu, 32, and Mr Salisu Ibrahim, 30, in parts of Taraba State, just as 502,840 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from another suspect, Mr Imrana Aliyu in Wukari, on Thursday, April 6, while 205.6kg was recovered from the home of a fleeing suspect in the Gida Dubu area of Bauchi metropolis.
The Sokoto State Command of the anti-narcotics agency also received 667.6kg of cannabis seized by men of the Nigeria Customs Service along the Illela, Niger Republic border.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr Tony Elumelu, expressed his displeasure over the way he was addressed by one of the company’s graduate trainees at an interactive session in a viral video.
The financial institution organised a Graduate Management Accelerated Programme graduation ceremony on Thursday, and the former banker was in attendance.
During a question-and-answer session, one of the graduating trainees stood and called Mr Elumelu by his first name, Tony.
“Good morning, Tony,” she said.
Mr Elumelu initially thought the lady meant to say Toyin, but she repeated “Good morning, Tony,” a development the UBA chairman was not happy about.
He quickly responded by saying, “No, you won’t call me Tony. You’ll call me Mr Elumelu or TOE. You won’t call me Tony, or Chairman. I don’t subscribe to that kind of… Oyinbo life, okay?”
Though without offering any apology for the error, the female graduate trainee subsequently corrected herself, saying, “Good morning, Mr Elumelu,” before proceeding with her question.
The video clip from the event has already generated mixed reactions, with many happy that the business mogul quickly rebuffed the lady.
They described her as rude, fearing she could lose her job for being disrespectful to the chairman of the organisation.
However, some others said calling colleagues by their first names in a corporate ecosystem is not new, as such happens in the banking sector.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has promised to return the payment of subsidies for premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, if he is elected President in 2027.
Mr Atiku is seeking to become Nigeria’s President next year. He is contesting for the position under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The presidential election is slated for January 16, 2027.
Answering questions in a trending interview on social media, the former second citizen of the country said the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu in 2023 has not done Nigerians any good.
According to him, the economy has been in shambles, noting that the subsidy removal is responsible for high living costs in Nigeria.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that the nation saved about N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025 from the policy, noting that over N10 trillion was made available to the 36 state governments and the 774 local government areas from the savings.
But the ADC presidential candidate was not impressed with this explanation, stressing that there is nothing to show for the purported gains of the policy.
“I initially did not oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy. But now that it has been removed, where is the money? Where has the subsidy money gone? Has it been used to improve healthcare, education or security?” he queried.
“If I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money,” he declared.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Army has arrested 18 suspected illegal miners at a mining site in Izom, Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, recovering equipment and N2.47 million in cash from the operation.
The suspects were arrested by troops of the 102 Guard Battalion during a routine operation in the area, where the soldiers reportedly discovered unauthorised mining activities.
Following the arrests, the army handed over the suspects and recovered items to the headquarters of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Mining Marshals in Sauka, Abuja, in line with established inter-agency procedures.
The operation is part of intensified efforts by security and regulatory agencies to curb illegal mining, which has been linked to revenue losses, environmental degradation and the unlawful exploitation of Nigeria’s mineral resources.
Reacting to the development, the Commander of the NSCDC Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja Attah, commended the Nigerian Army for what he described as a strong demonstration of professionalism and commitment to protecting the country’s mineral wealth.
“The Nigerian Army has once again distinguished itself through professionalism, discipline and patriotism. The swift arrest of the suspects and their prompt handover to the Mining Marshals reflect a commendable commitment to the rule of law and the protection of Nigeria’s solid mineral resources,” he said.
Preliminary investigations by the Mining Marshals indicated that the suspects allegedly operated without licences, permits or any affiliation with a registered mining company. Investigators also said they could not produce evidence of valid mineral titles or authorisation from the relevant regulatory authorities.
Items recovered from the mining site included motorcycles, pumping machines, crusher engines, communication devices and cash totalling N2,468,750.
Mr Attah said the Mining Marshals would continue to pursue individuals involved in illegal mining and strengthen intelligence-led operations against activities that undermine the formal mining industry and deprive government of legitimate revenue.
He added that the Corps, under its Commandant-General, Mr Ahmed Audi, remained committed to enforcing the provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act and protecting Nigeria’s mineral resources from unlawful exploitation.
The Mining Marshals said the investigation had been concluded and that the 18 suspects were being processed for prosecution under the relevant provisions of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.
