The arrest was disclosed by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Abuja, in a statement dated October 11, 2026.

According to the agency, NDLEA operatives arrested Uchechi at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State, on Wednesday, October 7, following intelligence reports alleging that she operated a drug joint frequented by criminal elements.

The agency said quantities of methamphetamine and Colorado, a synthetic cannabinoid, were allegedly found concealed around her waist with a wrapper.

Uchechi was previously arrested on May 17, 2025, alongside her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, at their residence in the same community. The agency said 50 grammes of methamphetamine, 522 grammes of skunk, 260 grammes of cannabis leaves and 12 grammes of tramadol were recovered during the operation.

According to the statement, both women pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each. They paid the fines and were released by the court.

In a separate operation at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, arrested a South African woman, Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie, over the alleged importation of 30 parcels of Thai Loud, a cannabis variety, weighing 32.74 kilogrammes.

The agency said the substance was concealed in two travelling bags. The suspect had reportedly travelled from Thailand through Doha aboard a Qatar Airways flight, QR1431.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, operatives also intercepted 354,000 tablets of tapentadol, 250mg, weighing 307.20 kilogrammes, in nine cartons shipped from Pakistan aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.

The shipment arrived on September 29 and was placed under surveillance before a joint examination on October 6 uncovered the tablets.

In another operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives intercepted 70 parcels of Colorado weighing 75.90 kilogrammes in six Ghana-Must-Go bags contained in a consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom.

The agency said a clearing agent, John Edrah, 54, was arrested on September 30, followed by Taofiq Ajibola, 54, an Uber driver, who was allegedly caught collecting one of the bags at a logistics company in Mafoluku, Oshodi.

Two other suspects, Adetunji Adebayo and Kazeem Damola Dosunmu, 48, a clothing trader, were also arrested in connection with the remaining bags.

The statement said Ajibola identified a UK-based associate, Lukman Sa’idu, as the sender of the drugs, while Dosunmu claimed his consignment came from another UK-based individual identified as Yusuf.

In Cross River State, NDLEA operatives arrested Adama Inuwa, 46, at Iyang Nkun village in Ikom Local Government Area on October 4. The agency said 181 bags of cannabis weighing 1,100 kilogrammes and 17.15 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds were recovered during the operation.

In Edo State, operatives intercepted a black Toyota Camry at Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area, on October 5, allegedly conveying 1,049 blocks of compressed cannabis weighing 702.83 kilogrammes.

Three suspects Monday Orji, 52, Monday Lawal, 40, and Precious Uduegele, 20 were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In a separate raid at Asoro, off Sakponba Road, Benin City, another suspect, Ojugo Mercy, 26, was arrested with substances identified by the agency as 989 grammes of Loud, 13 grammes of Colorado and 83 grammes of methamphetamine.

The joint operation reportedly took place as the security operatives moved in large numbers to areas suspected to be used for the sale and distribution of illicit drugs.

During the operation, residents were reportedly prevented from passing through some of the affected areas as the security personnel searched suspected hideouts.

Some NDLEA operatives were also seen carrying bags believed to contain various suspected hard drug substances recovered during the raid.

The presence of the security personnel caused tension in the area, with movement temporarily restricted as the operation continued.

Marwa said the fight against drug cartels could no longer be won through arrests and seizures alone, stressing the need to target the financial networks sustaining illicit drug businesses.

He gave the charge on Wednesday, while declaring open an Advanced Capacity Building Programme on Financial Investigations, Asset Tracing, Forfeiture, Recovery and Management of the Proceeds and Instrumentalities of Narcotics Trafficking and Related Organised Crime in Abuja.

In his welcome remarks, the NDLEA boss said the programme reflected a shared commitment to the understanding that drug trafficking is fundamentally an economic enterprise sustained by financiers, facilitators, money launderers and professional enablers operating behind drug shipments.

“If we arrest the courier but leave the financier untouched, seize the drugs but allow the proceeds to remain with the criminal enterprise, or secure a conviction without recovering the illicit wealth, we have addressed only part of the problem,” Marwa stated.
He observed that criminal organisations are increasingly exploiting technology, cryptocurrencies, complex corporate structures and legitimate businesses to conceal the ownership and origin of illicit wealth.

According to him, the agency’s response must evolve with equal sophistication to effectively dismantle drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said NDLEA investigators and prosecutors must be equipped to analyse complex transactions, trace assets across borders, establish beneficial ownership, exploit digital evidence and build strong financial cases capable of supporting forfeiture and recovery.

Gbajabiamila, who doubles as the Chairman of the Presidential Working Group, in a release, explained that since its inauguration, the Working Group has progressed from its initial organisational phase to substantive policy and legislative work, with the first drafting sprint on the proposed National Policing Bill now underway.
 

According to him, the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), chaired by Justice Mohammed Abdullahi Liman, JCA (rtd.), has been convened and has completed the first stage of its oversight mandate, providing the policy direction required to guide the legislative drafting process. Legal Drafters nominated by the Federal Ministry of Justice have also commenced work under the first drafting sprint, in line with the approved workplan and timetable of the Working Group.
 

He added that the national consultation process running alongside the drafting exercise has recorded substantial engagement from institutions, professional bodies, civil society organisations, security stakeholders, experts and members of the public.
 

The Working Group Chairman further stated, “Memoranda and position papers received through the consultation process are being systematically reviewed and analysed to ensure that relevant recommendations and perspectives are appropriately considered as work on the Bill progresses. The extension of the submission deadline, which was granted to provide stakeholders with additional opportunity to contribute to the process, expires at 5:00 p.m. (WAT) on Friday, August 21, 2026. The Working Group therefore reminds interested institutions, organisations, professionals and members of the public who are yet to make submissions that the extended window closes at the stated time.

 As the consultation window closes, the Working Group will intensify its focus on the next phase of the drafting process, while sustaining the pace established during the opening weeks of its seven-week assignment. The Group expresses appreciation to all institutions, organisations, professionals, experts and members of the public who have submitted memoranda and position papers and contributed to the national consultation exercise. The inputs received constitute an important part of the process of developing a robust legislative framework capable of responding to Nigeria’s contemporary policing and internal security requirements. The proposed National Policing Bill is being developed to provide the constitutional and legislative framework for a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services, with appropriate institutional safeguards, accountability mechanisms and oversight arrangements. The Working Group remains committed to a rigorous, inclusive and time-bound process that will produce a comprehensive legislative proposal for consideration by the President and subsequent transmission to the National Assembly.”
 

With the submission window for memoranda and position papers now closing, the Working Group is set to shift its attention fully to the next phase of the drafting process, continuing to work within the seven-week timeline set for the assignment. The proposed National Policing Bill, once developed, is expected to be presented to the President for consideration before transmission to the National Assembly for legislative action.

The defendants are three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerians, including Anochili Innocent, Juan Carlos Meza Torrero, Nemecio Martinez Felix, Jesus Lopez Valles, Nwankwo Sunday Christian, Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, Igwe Abuchi Remijus, Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, Omonughwa Kingsley Orike and Emeka Nwobum. They are facing an 11-count charge over the alleged production and trafficking of methamphetamine at a clandestine laboratory in Iloti Village, Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants were involved in the production and possession of 2,419.48kg of methamphetamine, as well as the acquisition and transportation of precursor chemicals used in its manufacture.

At the bail hearing, defence counsel Benson Ndakara urged the court to release the defendants, arguing that their continued detention was unjustified. He said the defendants were presumed innocent until proven guilty and were prepared to provide reliable sureties and comply with any conditions imposed by the court. The defence also raised concerns about the health of some of the defendants, arguing that their medical conditions required special attention.

Opposing the application, NDLEA counsel Buhari Abdullahi urged the court to refuse bail, saying the substantive trial was already before Justice Musa Kakaki, where the defendants had been arraigned and their pleas taken. He said an order had been made for an accelerated trial and that the prosecution had already called its first witness.

Abdullahi argued that the international composition of the defendants increased the risk of flight, noting that three of them are Mexican nationals. He added that Anochili, whom the prosecution described as the alleged financier and organiser of the operation, holds dual Nigerian and Mexican citizenship.

The prosecutor also rejected the defence’s health concerns, saying the defendants had not established that their conditions could not be managed by medical facilities at the correctional centre. Abdullahi further disputed the defendants’ claim that the property where the laboratory was discovered was intended for legitimate businesses such as poultry farming, piggery and wine production. He told the court that NDLEA investigations showed that the facility had allegedly been established and equipped specifically for the illicit production of methamphetamine.

According to the prosecution, equipment, chemicals and materials allegedly linked to the production of controlled substances were recovered from the site, including Phenyl-2-Propanone (P2P), a precursor used in methamphetamine production. The NDLEA also alleged that precursor chemicals, including toluene, P2P, phenylacetic acid, acetone and hydrochloric acid, were transported from Lagos to the forest laboratory in Ogun State.

The agency said it would rely on physical, documentary, forensic and laboratory evidence to prove its case.

The defendants have denied the allegations and are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The matter has been adjourned to September 2, 2026, when Justice Aluko is expected to rule on the pending bail applications, while the substantive trial before Justice Musa Kakaki continues on an accelerated basis, with the prosecution having already called its first witness in that proceeding.

Justice Akintayo Aluko, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned the matter until September 2, 2026, to rule on the bail applications.

 Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, disclosed that two suspects have been arrested in connection with the consignment: Afolabi Kazeem Micheal, a socialite known as KC Luxury, and Lawal Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics company involved.

 According to Marwa, the intercepted cocaine is valued at $27.7 million, translating to roughly N39 million. He explained that following the seizure, the agency collaborated with the courier firm’s management, a partnership that ultimately led investigators to Micheal and Kehinde.
 

The NDLEA boss further noted that Nigeria continues to be exploited as a transit route for narcotics destined for the United Kingdom, various parts of Europe, and Asia.
 Marwa revealed that KC Luxury was picked up at the Lagos airport just as he attempted to leave the country. At the time of his arrest, the socialite reportedly had in his possession €7,750, £2,800, N100,000 in cash, along with high-end jewelry. Investigators also uncovered a fleet of exotic cars at his upscale residence on Banana Island, Ikoyi.
 “This cartel leader did not walk into our custody voluntarily,” the NDLEA boss said.
 “On the night of 13th August 2026, upon credible intelligence that he intended to flee the country on a business-class flight to Paris, our operatives moved decisively and apprehended him at the boarding gate of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, just as he attempted to escape the reach of the law.
 

“To those who believe they can hide behind luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles, and social media personas while trafficking poison into our communities and across our borders, this Agency will find you.
 

The NDLEA Chairman used the occasion to issue a stern warning to others in the trade, declaring that operatives would pursue traffickers “to the departure gate if we must,” regardless of their wealth, connections, or how far they tried to run insisting that luxury lifestyles and social media fame offer no protection from the agency’s reach.

“It does not matter how well-connected, how wealthy, or how far you attempt to run. As this case demonstrates, we will track you to the departure gate if we must.”