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NDLEA 10,000 Captagon Pills in Kwara Crackdown

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says its operatives have intercepted a consignment of the stimulant drug captagon in Kwara State, alongside other seizures recorded in separate operations across the country.

 

The agency said this comes barely five years after it recorded the first seizure of captagon in Africa at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The drug is believed to be a highly addictive amphetamine-type stimulant widely abused in parts of the Middle East.

According to the NDLEA, the drug produces intense euphoria, suppresses fatigue, and can keep users awake for days while reducing fear and increasing reckless behaviour.

The agency also linked its “production and sale to militias and large criminal groups linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria”, which it said use it as a “means of generating funds for weapons and combatants and for use as a stimulant to keep them fighting.”

The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement made available to The column.ng on Sunday, said, “The latest seizure of captagon, whose street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made on Tuesday, 21st April 2026, when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road, Kwara State, intercepted a trailer conveying passengers.

“A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, led to the recovery of 10 packs of Captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.”

In a separate operation at the same Bode Saadu patrol point on Friday, 24 April, NDLEA officers intercepted a trailer marked RMY-70XA.

“A search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer.

“A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure,” the statement added.

In Oyo State on 21 April, operatives intercepted a commercial bus with registration number MNA 963 ZY at Akinyele along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway while en route to Sokoto.

“A 33-year-old passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, was brought down from the vehicle and taken for a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs.

“The suspect, who claims to be a businessman in Sokoto, was subsequently placed under close excretion observation during which he excreted a total of forty-five (45) pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.043 kilograms in three excretions,” Babafemi said.

He added, “The decision to travel by road to Sokoto with the illicit drug in his stomach was to evade detection by NDLEA at the airport, while further investigation reveals that upon arrival in Sokoto, the suspect was to excrete the pellets, rest for a few days, and subsequently re-ingest the substances to continue the journey through the trans-Saharan routes, with Algeria as a transit point and possible final destination in Europe.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Benin–Lagos Expressway on Saturday, 25 April, intercepted a truck marked NLC 146 FC conveying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids.

Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were arrested in connection with the seizure of the consignment, which was reportedly heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.

In Lagos, a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, 40, was arrested at Mile 2 Expressway on Saturday, 25 April, while conveying 810 kilograms of Arizona, a strain of cannabis.

In Bauchi State, another suspect, Muktar Bello, 35, was arrested on Wednesday, 22 April, along Misau Road, Azare/Katagum LGA, with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5 kilograms.

NDLEA operatives in Ekiti State recovered 466.8 kilograms of skunk from the house of a suspect, Layit John Matthew, 56, at Ilaro Street, Isinbode-Ekiti. The agency said the drugs were intended for transportation to Yola, Adamawa State.

In Cross River State, about 20,000 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed on eight hectares of farmland in the Uyanga community, Akamkpa LGA, on Saturday, 25 April. The operation, supported by soldiers, also led to the recovery of 170 kilograms of processed cannabis.

In Niger State, 394 pieces of improvised explosive device components were seized from a suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, 26, along the Kontagora–Zuru Road.

He was reportedly transporting the materials in a Toyota vehicle with registration number KNT 617 AE to Shadadi, Mariga LGA. The suspect and exhibits are to be transferred to the relevant security agency for further investigation.

The agency also said its commands across the country continued sensitisation activities under its War Against Drug Abuse campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the week.

These included enlightenment lectures at Mallam Salisu Islamic School, Paiko, Niger State; Madarasatul Abdulrahman Bin Auf Litahafizul Quran, Kano; Sani Zango Daura Model Primary School, Katsina; and a community engagement in Badagry, Lagos State.

The Zonal Commander, Zone 4 Command, ACGN Bridget Viashiama, also led a WADA advocacy visit to the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the Kwara, Oyo, Edo, Cross River, Bauchi, Ekiti, Niger and Lagos Commands for their operations and urged them to sustain the momentum in both enforcement and sensitisation activities.

He described the seizure of 10,000 Captagon pills in Kwara as a significant blow to drug syndicates attempting to revive a trafficking route that had been largely inactive since the Apapa Port seizure five years ago.

Marwa said the interception was a warning against attempts to expand Captagon trafficking networks, adding that the drug is often linked to insecurity due to its stimulant effects.

“We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities. Our operatives remain on high alert across all frontiers to ensure this illicit trade finds no foothold,” he said.

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Court Arraigns Journalist In Benue

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A Benue State High Court, presided over by Justice Mary Abounu, has arraigned the Benue State correspondent of Aljazirah Newspaper, Henry Ibya, in Makurdi over alleged cyberstang.

 

The trial judge had sought the prosecution’s response to the defendant’s argument that the journalist was reliable and should be granted bail.

The absence of the prosecution counsel in court did not stop the proceedings, as the defendant’s counsel, Tom Uja, Esq., notified the court of his bail application for his client.

He stated that the prosecution had taken the journalist to two other courts in the state on the same charge and that his client had never failed to appear in court whenever required.

Although the prosecutor’s absence did not affect the judge’s decision to proceed and grant bail, which was also believed to be in the interest of justice, the matter was adjourned until November 5, 2026.

One Terna Abuul, said to be the Director of ICT at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, reported Henry Ibya to the Nigeria Police Force, Benue State Command.

The director had accused the journalist of allegedly reporting mismanagement in the institution’s ICT department.

According to Abuul, Ibya’s report accused him of wrongdoing.

On the strength of the said report, the journalist was arraigned before the High Court in Makurdi.

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64 Dead, 80 Injured As Two High-Speed Trains Collide

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At least 64 people have been killed and dozens seriously injured after two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid, in one of Spain’s deadliest rail disasters in more than a decade.

 

The Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed the death toll as emergency crews continued rescue operations at the crash site. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains involved, according to a regional government spokesperson.

The BBC reports that the collision of the two trains involved a Renfe high-speed train and an Iryo service operating on the Madrid-to-Seville route. Aerial images analysed by the broadcaster showed parts of the Renfe train leaving the tracks, while carriages of the Iryo train also derailed.

The cause of the collision had not been officially confirmed. However, Spanish media cited preliminary accounts suggesting that the Renfe train struck the Iryo service, which may have been stationary following a problem on the tracks.

The scale of the disaster prompted a major emergency response involving ambulances, helicopters, rescue teams and police officers. At least 80 people were reported injured, with about 50 believed to be in serious condition and 15 in critical condition, according to regional officials.

Several victims were transported to hospitals in nearby areas, while others were taken to Madrid for treatment. Hospitals in Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcázar de San Juan reportedly suspended planned surgeries to accommodate casualties from the crash.

Blood transfusion centres in Madrid and Toledo also appealed for urgent donations to meet a possible surge in demand.

Survivors described scenes of panic and severe destruction. One passenger, Sebastián Herrero, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he felt a powerful impact that threw him into the seats ahead. He said injured passengers had broken noses and arms, while smoke spread through the carriages.

Another passenger, Iñaki, told El País that the impact sent him rolling across the floor. After escaping, he saw injured people and bodies around the wreckage.

BBC Verify also examined images and videos appearing to show a section of railway track piercing through a Renfe carriage, with approximately 10 metres of rail protruding through its roof.

The disaster has revived concerns about railway safety in Spain, which suffered another deadly high-speed rail accident near Córdoba in which 46 people died. The country’s previous worst rail disaster occurred in July 2013, when 80 people were killed in a derailment near Santiago de Compostela.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was shocked by the crash and remained in contact with the transport minister. The Spanish royal family also expressed condolences to victims’ relatives and praised emergency workers.

Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed 24 Copa del Rey matches in solidarity with the victims, while most political parties suspended campaign activities.

Rescue and recovery operations continued as authorities worked to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.

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Police Arrest Suspected Eiye Cultist, Recover Two Pistols, Cartridges In Ogun

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Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Squad of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 26-year-old suspected cultist and recovered two locally made pistols, three live cartridges and a battle axe in the Atan area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council of the state.

 

The suspect, identified as Okiki Muhammed Adewusi, popularly known as “Baba Obo”, was arrested in the Ore area of Atan on October 26, 2026, following intelligence received by operatives of SWAT Base 7, Abule Iroko, Sango-Ota.

The Police Spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the arrest in a statement in Abeokuta yesterday.

According to Babaseyi, a search of the suspect’s residence after his arrest led to the recovery of a locally made pistol and three live cartridges.

He added that preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had allegedly admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

Babaseyi said information obtained from the suspect led to a follow-up operation at about 6.30 a.m. on October 27, 2026 during which operatives recovered a second locally made pistol and a battle axe from a separate location.

The recovered items have been secured as exhibits, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects believed to be involved in the activities and recover additional weapons.

The police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the case.

The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the SWAT operatives for their vigilance, professionalism and effective use of intelligence.

Ojajuni reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks, curbing cult-related activities and tackling the illegal possession of firearms across the state.

He urged residents to provide timely and credible information about suspected criminal activities, assuring them that the Command would act on actionable intelligence to protect lives and property and maintain public safety.

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