A Nigerian national has been arrested in Bengaluru, India, for allegedly running a major drug distribution network, with authorities recovering MDMA crystals (ecstasy)worth about Rs 2 crore (over N290 million).

The arrest forms part of a wider crackdown on narcotics operations targeting both students and the general public in the city.

According to the Indian Express on Tuesday, the suspect, Samuel Ikkena, 44, was apprehended by the Yelahanka police in Bengaluru, Karnataka State, for allegedly running an MDMA racket disguised as a clothing business.

MDMA, also known as ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug often sold illegally for recreational use.

Ikkena reportedly “procured MDMA near Bannerghatta for Rs 50,000 (around N3.5 million) and sold it at higher rates through a structured illegal network.”

He arrived in India in 2012 on a business visa, initially trading garments in Delhi and Mumbai before moving to Bengaluru in 2025.

Police said investigators recovered 2 kg of MDMA crystals, valued at around Rs 2 crore (N140 million), along with 31.396 kg of cannabis (ganja), 220 g of hydro ganja, additional heroin, and a two-wheeler used for transporting the drugs.

Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh described the total contraband as “estimated at Rs 2.57 crore (N180 million), with a potential street value of approximately Rs 5.14 crore (N360 million).”

Ikenna’s arrest was part of a larger operation that led to 11 arrests, including two foreigners and eight locals, at locations across Bengaluru, including Yelahanka, Adugodi, Bharathinagar, Jalahalli, and Pulakeshinagar. The Adugodi police also arrested Baljit Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, and Arjun Joshi, a Nepalese national, for allegedly supplying heroin in the city.

Police said Joshi, who initially consumed drugs, began selling heroin after sourcing it from Baljit Singh. Authorities recovered 162 g of heroin worth Rs 55 lakh (N3.85 million) and three mobile phones from the duo.

Police said the accused procured drugs from both foreign and interstate suppliers and sold them at inflated prices. Investigators have registered cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and are working to trace the main kingpins behind the network.

A fresh wave of defections in the House of Representatives has given the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other parties more members as politicians intensify realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, read the notices of defection during plenary on Tuesday.

Twenty-seven lawmakers defected in what is one of the major political realignments in the Green Chamber, just less than one year before Nigerians head to the polls to elect their next set of leaders.

Fourteen of the defectors came into the APC. The eight lawmakers who joined the ADC were made up of five reps from the PDP,  two from the Labour Party (LP), and one from the APC.

Meanwhile, the Action Peoples Party (APP) got two lawmakers, one each from the PDP and LP. It was a similar story with the Accord Party, with two new House of Representatives members from the PDP joining the party, which now rules Osun State.

The lawmakers said their defections were due to an internal crisis in their former parties.

House of Reps Defectors

Below is a list of the lawmakers, the parties they defected from, and where they are headed: 

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that more than 840,000 foreigners are currently overstaying their visas in Nigeria, describing the situation as a significant migration challenge.

In a guest appearance on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by the column.ng ,he minister said the figure was obtained through the country’s recently upgraded immigration tracking system.

“Just as we have Nigerian overstayers in the UK, Nigeria is also facing the same challenge. As of this morning, through our upgraded system, we have about 848,290 visa overstayers in Nigeria. These are citizens of different countries residing in Nigeria,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo noted that irregular migration remains a global issue requiring international cooperation.

According to him, addressing visa overstays would help curb related crimes such as human trafficking and smuggling.

He stressed the importance of bilateral agreements, particularly in ensuring the “dignified return” of individuals who no longer have the legal right to remain in a country. However, he dismissed concerns that Nigeria could be pressured into accepting foreign prisoners.

“I have seen reports suggesting that prisoners would be brought into Nigeria. This government will not tolerate such. There is no way this administration will sign that kind of agreement,” he stated.

The minister explained that the recently signed Nigeria–UK migration agreement is based on reciprocity and applies strictly to Nigerian nationals.

Tunji-Ojo emphasised that the Federal Government has been transparent about the deal and that it does not include the transfer of foreign inmates.

He further clarified that the agreement differs from the controversial Rwanda asylum plan, noting that it excludes family members and that each case is treated based on specific legal conditions.

He also assured that Nigerians returned under the arrangement “would be treated with dignity” and in line with their fundamental human rights, adding that “no Nigerian stands to lose from the agreement.”

Meanwhile, the minister revealed earlier in March that the Federal Government has strengthened its capacity to track and apprehend visa overstayers.

He said this is being achieved through data collected over the past decade and the operations of the Nigeria Immigration Service’s Integrated Operations Centre and Network Operations Centre.

The development follows a migration pact signed earlier in March between Nigeria and the United Kingdom during President Bola Tinubu’s visit.

The agreement seeks to fast-track the return of Nigerian visa overstayers, failed asylum seekers, and convicted offenders in the UK, while enhancing cooperation on tackling visa fraud, cybercrime, and other transnational offences.