General
NDLEA Nabs Widower, Divorcee With Cocaine Enroute Lesser Hajj
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a widower, Mr Ariyibi Ahmed Olaseinde and a divorcee, Mrs Akanbi Silifat Tunrayo, for attempting to export 14.4 kilograms of cocaine concealed in lace and ankara fabrics through the lesser hajj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia.
The duo were arrested by operatives of the drug agency at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
Mr Ariyibi was intercepted on Thursday, April 20, at the screening point of MMIA Terminal 2 during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers travelling from Lagos via Doha to Medina, Saudi Arabia.
When his carry-on bag was checked, four sets of white lace material with linings of substance that tested positive for Cocaine weighing 11.50kg were discovered.
The suspect, who claimed to be a widower and an advertising practitioner, said his original plan was to ingest the drugs but had to change his mind after failed attempts to swallow bitter cola, which he was using to practice the process.
He was expected to be paid N1.8 million upon successful delivery of the consignment in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The previous day, Wednesday, April 19, NDLEA officers at the Terminal 2 of the airport also arrested Mrs Silifat Tunrayo Akanbi with 2.90kg cocaine during outward clearance of Qatar Airways passengers from Lagos via Doha to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A search of her hand luggage led to the discovery of six sheets of cocaine weighing 2.90kg concealed in ankara fabrics.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a divorcee and a trader who used to hawk clothes around the Awoyaya area of Ajah, Lagos.
Based on information in her statement, a follow-up operation that lasted through the night into the early hours of Thursday, April 20, was carried out, during which the person who recruited her, Mr Adebayo Adeola Wasiu, was arrested at No 28, Olateju Street, Mushin, Lagos.
It was revealed that Mr Adebayo is the managing director of B&T Travel Agency.
In the same vein, NDLEA officers attached to courier companies have intercepted two drug consignments consisting of ecstasy and skunk going to the United Arab Emirates, while the pills of ecstasy were concealed in a gold colour wedding gown, the skunk was hidden in a microcontroller.
This is even as a 400-level Marine Engineering student at the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa state, Mr Kelvin Ogenedoro, was arrested for dealing in 600 grams of skunk. He was nabbed at the university’s gate in a follow-up operation following the interception of the consignment in a commercial bus along Tombia-Amassoma road.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, a convicted drug dealer, Mr Sunday Ishaku Emzor (aka Lalas), who was convicted and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2010 for drug offences, was on Thursday, April 20, arrested for drug dealing.
He was arrested at Hayin Gada, Imburu Numan LGA where he went to supply 1.650kg of cannabis to an undercover operative. His Yellow Press Cub motorcycle, used for supplying illicit drugs and cash of N78,120 suspected to proceed with the illegal business, was recovered from him at the point of arrest.
On the same day in Kaduna, operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a truck conveying 110 bags and 200 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 1.223 tons (1,223kg) in Zaria while the truck driver, Mr Adekunle Olanrewaju, 32, and his assistant, Mr Tunde Jamiu, 20, were arrested.
In Edo State, a 42-year-old man with disabilities, Mr Lucky Aigberenmolen, trading in illicit drugs in his wheelchair, was arrested in a raid of drug joints in parts of the state.
While Mr Lucky was nabbed at Ekpoma, Esan West LGA, with 1.3kg of Cannabis Sativa and 10 litres of Monkey Tail, another suspect, Mary David,46, was arrested at Ugbegun, Esan Central LGA, with four litres of Monkey Tail and Osagiede Stephanie, 19, at Ekpoma, with various quantities of Colorado, Methamphetamine, and Molly. A 50kg of cannabis stored in a bush ready for distribution was also recovered in the Irrua area of the state.
Similarly, two suspects: Mr Adeshina Olalekan and Mr Christopher Joel, were arrested at Lektop Hotel, Igbeba, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, with 39 litres of Skuchies, as well as various quantities of tramadol, and rophynol, operatives in Imo State intercepted a female suspect, Mrs Ijeoma Anyiam Loreza, 40, at Orogwe, Owerri North with 70 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 30kg.
In a similar vein, a suspected drug dealer in the Okitipupa area of Ondo state, Mr Mathew Obateru, 42, has also been taken into custody after different quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Colorado and Loud were recovered from him.
The case was not so different in Taraba, where a suspect, Mohammed Usman, was arrested on Monday, April 17, in connection with the seizure of 10,009 pills of tramadol.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
