News
NDLEA arrests drug kingpin with Europe-bound wraps of cocaine in Lagos hotel
Luck ran out of a drug kingpin, Mr Charles Uwagbale as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA operatives swooped on him in his hotel room in Okota area of Lagos late on Friday when he was preparing a recruited courier to swallow 93 pellets of cocaine meant for distribution in Italy.
A statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi indicated that the kingpin who specialized in sponsoring young Nigerians to traffic Class A drugs to Europe especially Italy, was taken unawares by the NDLEA operatives.
According to him, the 48-year-old drug kingpin, Charles Uwagbale, had recruited Uju Dominic, 35, from his base in Italy with a deal to come to Nigeria, ingest 100 pellets of cocaine on Friday 21st July and return to Italy on Saturday 22nd July.
True to plan, Babafemi said, upon the arrival in Nigeria, the mule was lodged in Golden Heaven Hotel located at Enoma street off Ago-Palace way, Okota, Isolo, Lagos where Uwagbale brought 93 wraps of the Class A drug for him to swallow at about 23:45pm Friday night.
“They were in the process when NDLEA operatives who have been on their trail following credible intelligence stormed their hotel room, arrested both and recovered the drug exhibits with a total weight of 1.427 kilograms.
“Operatives of the Lagos state Command of the Agency who made the arrest and seizure had on Thursday 20th July raided Akala in Mushin area of the state where they recovered 37.5kg cannabis from the home of a fleeing suspect.
Meanwhile, He said, attempts to smuggle 98 cartons containing Five Million One Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand Nine Hundred (5, 122, 900) pills of Tramadol 225mg with an estimated street value of about N3.7 billion only into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, have been thwarted.
This he said was achieved through the robust synergy between men of the Nigeria Customs Service and NDLEA officers at the airport as well as those at the DHL cargo warehouse.
“Preliminary findings revealed that the consignments were imported from India and Pakistan, while some of the seized consignments had Freetown, Sierra Leone as final destination.
“In the same vein, NDLEA operatives in Bauchi state have recovered a total of Six Million Two Hundred and Sixty-Five and Eighty (6,265,080) pills of opioids from three suspects: Emmanuel Onyebuchi, 32; Uche Iyida, 33; and Chinedu Ezeanyim, 32 following their arrest alongside a truck driver and his assistant at Shopping Complex, Maiduguri Bye-Pass, Bauchi town on Wednesday 19th July and the subsequent follow up search of the residence of Iyida on Friday 21st July.
“No less than 999,500 tablets of Exol-5 were also recovered by operatives from a shop close to the market at Hong Road, Gombi, Adamawa state on Friday 21st July, while 46,000 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Paul Ajaegbu, 36, along Owerri – Aba road, Imo state on Monday 17th July.”
He said Same suspect had earlier been arrested, precisely on 9th February 2023, for the same offence.
In Ondo state, Babafemi explained that NDLEA operatives in their numbers stormed the Ofosu forest where they destroyed 29 hectares of cannabis farms on Thursday 20th July. The quartet of Osamezu George Chukwuemeka, 51, who owns the farm; his wife Kate Osamezu, 43; Agboola Wasiu, 37 and Mustapha Sanni, were arrested during the operation, while 118.5kg processed cannabis was recovered from the farm.
“In another raid of the warehouse of a suspect at Elegbeka, Ose LGA, not less than 107 jumbo bags of the same illicit substance weighing 1,132.5kg were recovered on Monday 17th July.
“While operatives in Sokoto state arrested a suspect, Charles Nwankwo, 50, with 610kg of cannabis in Tamaje area of Sokoto on Friday 21st July, their counterparts in Yobe also same day nabbed a fleeing suspect Shaibu Musa, 29, in Dawasa while he was offering them a bribe of N500,000 following the seizure of 36kg skunk in his house on Wednesday 19th July.
“In Edo state, operatives on Monday 17th July raided the Utese forest Ovia North East LGA where they arrested Victor Asukwo Jack, with 59 bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 640kg.
“His two cannabis farms measuring 1.489895 hectares and 2.445295 hectares were destroyed. Also, Endurance Chukwuma, 50, was arrested with seven bags of processed cannabis sativa weighing 68kg, while his cannabis farm measuring 0.254324 hectares was destroyed.
He said a total of 273kg cannabis was earlier intercepted in a Toyota Sienna Vehicle marked RBC 451 CM on Wednesday 19th July at Ogida, Benin City, and a suspect, Lucky Oriakhi, 41, arrested.
The Director indicated that operatives also seized 48,380 pills of tramadol in a commercial bus marked KAK 66 XA along Ewohimi road, heading to Kabba, Kogi state and arrested the driver, Ibrahim John.
“In Nasarawa, two suspects: Abubakar Suleiman, 30 and Shehu Garba (aka Shagari), 29 were arrested along Keffi – Akwanga road on Tuesday 18th July in a Peugeot J5 vehicle loaded with 1,608.4 kilograms of cannabis sativa. The consignment was loaded in Edo state and meant for distribution in Bauchi state.
“While a total of 1,556.1kg of cannabis was recovered from two suspects: Jonathan Nuhu, 54 and Mohammed Abubakar, 18, following their arrest at Wudil area of Kano State on Thursday 20th July.
“76kg of same substance was seized from Yakubu Muhammad, 32, on Monday 17th July along Okene/Lokoja highway in a trailer coming from Port Harcourt to Kano.
“In the same vein, operatives in Ogun state on Wednesday 19th July, recovered 810 parcels of cannabis weighing 604kg from the house of one Adetunji Abiodun.
“Fresh bid to smuggle into Nigeria, another consignment of Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis, through the Tincan port in Apapa Lagos was again on Friday 21st July frustrated by NDLEA officers who discovered a total of 323 parcels of the illicit substance weighing 161.5kg concealed in one of the four used vehicles in a container marked MEDU 7519460 coming from Montreal, Canada, during a joint examination of the shipment.
“At least, three suspects are currently in NDLEA custody over the shipment while a bribe of N20 million converted to $22,900 offered operatives by the importers agents has also been recovered and documented as evidence.”
Impressed by the volume of arrests and seizures made by officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Bauchi, Adamawa, Ondo, Sokoto, Yobe, Edo, Imo, Kano, Kogi, Ogun, Nasarawa and Tincan Commands in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended them for jobs well done while he urged them and their counterparts across the country to continue the synergy with other security agencies and stakeholders in the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
…Declares a total dividend of N2.10 per share
Lagos, Nigeria, March 29, 2025: Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, released its 2024 full-year Audited Financial Statements, reporting a 210% growth in Profit Before Tax to N385.2 billion.
According to the Bank’s results released on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on Friday, 28 March 2025, Gross Earnings increased by 87.7% to N1,043.4bn, driven by 106.9% growth in interest and similar income to N950.6bn. The increase in Interest Income was led by a combination of improved yield on earnings assets and 51.6% expansion in earnings base to N6.3tn. This led to a Profit After Tax of N278.1 billion, representing a 179.6% annual growth.
Commenting on the results, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc said, “We are delighted with our 2024 full-year (FY) performance, which showed strong growth across key revenue lines, improved asset quality, and significant traction in our strategic business segments. Our impressive results led to a triple-digit increase (210.0%) in Profit Before Tax (PBT), rising from N124.3bn in 2023 to N385.2bn in 2024.”
A further review of the financial performance revealed that the bank’s net interest income increased by 127.1% to N629.8 billion, driven by a high-yield environment in 2024. To optimize its margin, the bank sustained its asset yields above funding cost by maintaining a high low-cost deposit profile at 92.6%. This led to an increase in its Net Interest Margin from 8.1% in 2023 FY to 12.0%.
Similarly, the bank continued to deepen its market share in both the corporate and retail segments, with customer deposits increasing by 47.9% from N4.0trn in 2023FY to N5.9trn. The increase was driven by strong double-digit growth across all deposit types. The Retail Banking Business gained significant traction with savings deposits increasing by 28.8% to N1.1trn, marking the 10th consecutive year of double-digit annual growth in savings deposits.
Despite the difficult economic terrain in 2024, the bank has continued to support the real sector of the economy by increasing its Net Loans & Advances from N3.1tn in 2023FY to N4.4tn in 2024FY.
“This remarkable performance demonstrates our capacity to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. In line with our commitment to them, we have declared a final dividend of N1.25 per share, bringing our total dividend for the 2024 financial year to N2.10 per share”, explained Onyeali-Ikpe.
Having consistently paid dividends since 2006, Fidelity Bank will pay investors a total dividend of N2.10 per share for the 2024 financial year, subject to shareholders’ approval at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 April 2024. The dividend will be paid on 29 April 2025 to shareholders whose names appear on the register of members as of 15 April 2025.
It will be recalled that the bank successfully completed the first phase of its capital raising exercise through a Public Offer and Rights Issue in 2024, which were oversubscribed by 237.92% and 137.73%, respectively. The positive result is a testament to the strength of the Bank’s franchise in the capital market. A total of N175.9bn was recognized as fresh capital in 2024 financial year from the exercise, which had a positive impact on its Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) at 23.5%. The bank plans to conclude the second phase by Q3 2025, ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s deadline, which will further strengthen its capital base and reaffirm its attainment of Tier 1 Bank status in the Nigerian Banking Industry.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial bank with over 9.1 million customers who are serviced across its 251 business offices and various digital banking channels in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
By Sunday James
The gruesome killing of 16 innocent northern hunters in Uromi, Edo State, over false accusations of kidnapping is yet another damning indictment of the failure of law and order in Nigeria.
Time and again, innocent lives have been lost to the mindless brutality of mob justice, a savage and inexcusable act that has become far too common across the country.
This is not an isolated incident. Nigeria has witnessed several tragic cases of jungle justice where angry mobs, fueled by misinformation and misplaced aggression, have taken the law into their own hands.
The Aluu Four incident in 2012, where four young university students in Rivers State were falsely accused of robbery, beaten, and burned to death in a horrific public spectacle, remains one of the most chilling examples.
In 2022, Deborah Samuel, a young student in Sokoto State, was lynched by fellow students over alleged blasphemy, an incident that sparked outrage but yielded little justice. In Lagos, several suspected petty thieves were set ablaze by mobs in broad daylight without any fair trial.
Across the country, from Anambra to Kano, Port Harcourt to Abuja, numerous cases of public executions by mobs continue to surface, often with little to no legal consequences for perpetrators.
The rise of mob justice is fueled by a cocktail of systemic failures that have left Nigerians disillusioned with formal justice mechanisms.
The breakdown of law and order, where the Nigerian police fail to deliver swift and transparent justice, has led to public distrust, encouraging citizens to take matters into their own hands. Rising insecurity, including the surge in kidnappings, banditry, and violent crimes, has left many communities in perpetual fear, triggering knee-jerk reactions to perceived threats. Ethnic and religious tensions have also played a major role, with deep-seated biases making certain groups more vulnerable to targeted attacks.
The proliferation of unregulated local vigilante groups and security outfits has further emboldened extrajudicial actions against innocent civilians. Additionally, the slow pace of criminal trials and the failure to punish perpetrators of jungle justice have normalized impunity.The Edo killings, like many before them, must not be swept under the rug.
The government must ensure immediate arrest, prosecution, and conviction of all those involved in this heinous act. Strengthening law enforcement agencies to curb vigilante excesses and restore public trust is paramount.
There must be massive public enlightenment campaigns to educate citizens on legal redress rather than mob action. Strict penalties must be enforced against communities and groups involved in jungle justice to deter future occurrences.The Nigerian government must wake up to its responsibility of protecting lives and ensuring justice for all.
If mob justice continues unchecked, no one is truly safe. This latest atrocity in Edo should be the final warning: justice delayed is justice denied. The killers must be held accountable, and a nationwide crackdown on jungle justice must begin immediately. Enough is enough. The rule of law must prevail.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has congratulated the Muslim Ummah across the country on the occasion of Eid-el-Fitr.
The celebration marks the successful completion of the holy month of Ramadan.
In a message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje rejoiced with Muslims for the spiritual renewal and discipline attained during the sacred month of fasting, prayer and devotion to Almighty Allah.
He urged the faithful to uphold the virtues of piety, selflessness, and compassion that Ramadan represents while also extending love and kindness to one another, especially to the less privileged in society.
The APC National Chairman further called on Muslims and all citizens to remain steadfast in promoting unity, peace, and national progress in the country.
He emphasized that the lessons of Ramadan—patience, sacrifice, and perseverance—are essential in fostering harmony and strengthening the nation’s democratic institutions.
The two-term Kano State Governor also urged the Muslim Ummah and Nigerians to pray for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to succeed in his efforts to lift the country from economic doldrums and resolve lingering security challenges.
He assured Nigerians of the APC-led government’s commitment to improving the welfare and well-being of all citizens, noting that Nigerians will not regret voting for President Tinubu after his first tenure.
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