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Update: Drug Trafficking : Police tackle some NDLEA Agency, of being on the payroll of some international drug barons , detains Abba Kyari, four others

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The Nigeria Police Force, on Monday, accused some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Akanu Ibiam Airport, Enugu, of being on the payroll of some international drug barons barely hours after the NDLEA declared the suspended Commander of the Police Intelligence Response Team, Abba Kyari, wanted for alleged drug trafficking.

Trouble started around 1pm when the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, held a press conference in Abuja, where he alleged that Kyari was a member of an international drug cartel.

Babafemi said Kyari, who was suspended by the police last August for his alleged links to international fraudster, Ramon Abass, aka Hushpuppi, attempted to sell part of the cocaine, which was seized from some drug dealers.

Babafemi said, “Some law enforcement agents, who should be partners in the pursuit of the President’s mandate, are at the forefront of breaking the law, as they aid and abet drug trafficking in the country.

“Today, we are forced to declare one of such law enforcement agents wanted in the person of suspended DCP Abba Kyari, the erstwhile Commander of the Intelligence Response Team at the Force Intelligence Bureau of the Nigerian Police Force.”

The NDLEA spokesman said on Friday, January 21, 2022, Kyari initiated a call to one of the agency’s officers in Abuja around 2.12pm, adding that when the officer returned the call two minutes later, the former IRT boss informed him that he was coming to discuss an operational matter with him after the Friday prayers.

Babafemi stated, “He (Kyari) appeared at the agreed venue of the meeting with the officer and went straight to the crux of the matter.

“The NDLEA officer’s team had intercepted and arrested some traffickers, who came into the country from Ethiopia with 25kg of cocaine. He (Kyari) proposed a drug deal whereby he and his team are to take 15kg of the cocaine and leave 10kg for the prosecution of the suspects arrested with the illicit drug in Enugu.

“In the meantime, the purloined cocaine will be replaced with a dummy worth 15kg. He asked the NDLEA officer to persuade men of the FCT Command to play along as well.”

Babafemi said the officer in question swiftly informed the NDLEA authorities about Kyari’s plan and the agency subsequently asked him to play along with the senior police officer.

He added that around 11.05am on January 24, Kyari and the NDLEA officer in question began communicating on WhatsApp and the officer expressed his willingness to accede to Kyari’s request.

Babademi added, “At this point, Kyari disclosed that the 15kg (already taken out) was shared between the informants that provided information for the seizure and himself and his men of the IRT of the Nigeria Police.

“He said the informants were given 7kg, while his team took 8kg, which was already sold. He then offered to pay the NDLEA team (that is the officer and the FCT commander) by selling, on their behalf, half of the remaining 10kg, thereby further reducing the original cocaine for the prosecution to just 5kg.

“At N7m per kilogramme, the proceeds from the 5kg would amount to N35m at the exchange rate of N570 per dollar, being the black market rate for the day, January 24, 2022. In effect, he would be delivering $61,400 to the NDLEA team.”

Babafemi also said Kyari put pressure on the NDLEA officer to wrap up the arrangement with the commander of the FCT Command to take custody of the drug and the suspects from his men, who were on the ground in Abuja.

He said at that time Kyari was speaking from Lagos, where he allegedly travelled for private business.

The NDLEA spokesman stated, “The next day, January 25, Kyari offered to send his younger brother to deliver the payment, while his men deliver the suspects, but our officer turned down the suggestion, insisting that he would rather deal with him in person and was therefore prepared to wait for him to return from Lagos.

“And by 5.23 pm, Kyari was in Abuja and met with the officer at the same rendezvous where they had the first meeting. In their discussion, he disclosed how his team received information from a double-crosser, who betrayed the traffickers to him, showing a sordid connection between law enforcement agents and the drug underworld; he narrated how acting on the tip-off, his team departed Abuja to Enugu and arrested the traffickers, removed parts of the consignment on his instructions and replaced same with dummies.”

According to Kyari’s plan, once the 5kg cocaine has been tested in the presence of the suspects and confirmed positive, there will be no need to test the remaining ones, being dummies.

“He also brought with him the money from the sale of the 5kg share of the NDLEA team, a total of $61,400. Our officer, however, preferred to take the money inside his car. Well, the car was wired with sound and video recorders,” Babafemi added.

He subsequently played a video to journalists showing a man believed to be Kyari discussing with the NDLEA officer in Hausa language.

The NDLEA spokesman said after the operation, the agency invited Kyari, but he refused to show up, adding that he was subsequently declared wanted.

Babafemi said, “The suspects and drugs were delivered to us on February 8, but the last part of the process, which is yet to be completed, is the debriefing of Kyari.

“Having failed to honour the official invitation, the NDLEA has no option but to declare DCP Abba Kyari of the Nigeria Police Force wanted right from this very moment.

“With the intelligence at our disposal, the agency believes strongly that DCP Kyari is a member of a drug cartel that operates the Brazil-Ethiopia-Nigeria illicit drug pipeline, and he needs to answer questions that crop up in an ongoing drug case in which he is the principal actor.”

Moments after Kyari was declared wanted, however, the NPF, through the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, issued a statement, which stated that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had ordered an investigation into the matter.

The police noted that Kyari, who is still on suspension, continued to run operations with the IRT, which resulted in the arrest of some drug dealers.

According to Adejobi, the drug dealers in question were allowed to bring in cocaine through the Enugu airport with the connivance of NDLEA officials.

The Force subsequently called on the NDLEA to also arrest its officials on the payroll of drug barons.

The statement read in part, “In line with standard administrative procedures of the Force, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered a high-level, discreet and in-house investigation into the allegations.

“The interim investigations’ report revealed that two international drug couriers identified as Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus, both males, were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, on January 19, 2022 upon their arrival from Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET917.”

The police stated that the arrest led to the recovery of a substantial quantity of powdery substance suspected to be cocaine from the two.

Adejobi added, “The two arrested drug couriers confirmed that the modus was for the transnational drug barons to conspire with the NDLEA officers on duty and send them their pre-boarding photographs for identification, seamless clearance and unhindered passage out of the airport with the narcotics being trafficked.

“The two arrested drug couriers also confirmed that they had been enjoying this relationship with the NDLEA officers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport since 2021 and had in this instant case January, 19, 2022, been identified and cleared by the NDLEA officers as customary, having received their pre-departure photographs and other details prior to their arrival in Enugu, and were on their way out with the narcotics when they were apprehended by the police.”

The police explained that although the case and the two suspects were subsequently transferred to the NDLEA on January 25, 2022, the findings of the in-house investigation ordered by the IG established reasonable grounds for strong suspicion that the IRT officers involved in the operation could have been involved in official corruption, which compromised ethical standards in their dealings with the suspects and the exhibits recovered.

According to the statement, the police investigation report also indicted Kyari, who has been on suspension for his alleged involvement in a different fraud case being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

“It is to be emphasised that DCP Abba Kyari’s involvement in these allegations occurred while his suspension from service was subsisting,” the statement read.

The NPF subsequently arrested all the police officers involved in the case, including Kyari, and handed them over to the NDLEA for investigation.

The four other officers arrested were identified as Sunday Ubuah, ASP Bawa James, Inspector Simon Agrigba and John Nuhu. Another officer, ASP John Umoru, is said to be at large.

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Update : FG, States, LGs Share N1.894trn February Revenue from Federation Account

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The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N1.894 trillion among the three tiers of government as federation allocation for February 2026.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the distribution was made from a gross revenue of N2.230 trillion generated during the month.

From the amount shared, the Federal Government received N675.086 billion, the 36 states received N651.525 billion, while the 774 local government councils got N456.467 billion. Oil-producing states also received an additional N110.949 billion as derivation revenue, representing 13 per cent of mineral proceeds.

The statement further disclosed that N77.302 billion was paid to revenue-generating agencies as the cost of collection, while N259.078 billion was allocated for transfers, interventions and refunds.

The ministry explained that gross revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) for February stood at N668.450 billion, compared to N1.083 trillion distributed in the preceding month, indicating a decline of N414.710 billion.

From the VAT revenue, N26.738 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N22.593 billion was set aside for transfers, interventions and refunds.

The remaining N619.119 billion was shared among the three tiers of government, with the Federal Government receiving N61.912 billion, the states N340.515 billion and local government councils N216.692 billion.

Similarly, the gross statutory revenue of N1.561 trillion recorded in February was lower than the N1.957 trillion received in the previous month, representing a decrease of N395.138 billion.

From the statutory revenue, N50.564 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N236.485 billion was allocated for transfers, interventions and refunds.

The balance of N1.274 trillion was distributed as follows: the Federal Government received N613.174 billion, states got N311.010 billion, and local governments received N239.776 billion, while N110.949 billion was allocated as derivation revenue to oil-producing states.

New tax regime designed to boost growth, ease burden on Nigerians — Experts
The ministry noted that revenue from oil and gas royalty as well as excise duty recorded significant increases during the period.

However, it added that collections from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Companies Income Tax (CIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Stamp Duties (SDT) and Value Added Tax (VAT) declined substantially during the month under review.

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Contempt of Court: How Onwukwem and Associates Ended Up in Jail in Lagos

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In what looked like a syndicate, a Lagos Lanlord, Mr. Lawrence Onwukwem and his gang, who specialise in swindling innocent Nigerians through properties in their care, have run into trouble and earned jail terms for fraud and illegal eviction of a couple, Mr. Olusola Alabi and his wife, Mrs. Olufunmilola Alabi, who rented an apartment from them and were summarily frustrated.

Like a thief whose time of reckoning has come, Onwukwem, alongside his accomplice; Mr. Davies Ijele, Mr. Sodiq Kazeem, and Ms. Peace Igbo, who operates under Green Birch Tech Ltd, was recently jailed for six months each by a Lagos Chief Magistrates’ Court, sitting in Eti-Osa for contempt of court.

The imprisonment of the defendants is due to the contemptuous order of the court. The court held them in contempt, which they displayed all through the court proceedings.

In the charges, marked MISC/MCE/07/2023, the court invoked Section 44(1)(a) of the Tenancy Law of Lagos State 2011 as amended against the Defendants by convicting the Directors of the 1st Defendant (including the 2nd Defendant, Mr. Lawrence Onwukwem (Managing Director) and Mr. Isaiah Davies ljele) and one Sodiq Kazeem, the Estate Manager and one Ms. Chidinmma Igbo, all of the 1st Defendant, for forceful ejection of the Claimant/Applicant for the three (3) Bedroom flat and one (1) Room Boys Quarters with appurtenances situate, lying and being at Block A, Flat 3, No. 96B, Ladipo Omotosho Cole Street, Lekki I, Eti-Osa, Lagos State held by the Claimant/Applicant as a yearly tenant of the 1st Defendant/Respondent by unlawfully trespassing into the said Apartment, forcing the door open, and removing the Claimant’s furniture and electronics, beddings, refrigerator, air conditioners and gas cooker with gas cylinder, etc. and changing the keys to the entrance door, without any Lawful authority of any Order of any Court of competent jurisdiction, whilst the Claimant’s Suit No: MISC/MCE/07/2023: and the 1st Defendant/Respondent’s Suit No: MCE165/CIV/2024 were pending before the Court.

Delivering the judgement, the Chief Magistrate, Kikelomo Olaiya Doja-Ojo, on June 5, 2025, said that Lawrence Onwukwem, Hon. Davies Ijele, Mr Sodiq Kazeem and Ms Peace Chidinma Igbo, were to be sentenced to six months in correctional centre for continuously flaunting the order of the court while also mandated to pay the sum of N250,000 each to the court.

“The claimant is to be restored back to possession. All her belongings removed are to be returned to her immediately,” the CTC read.

Meanwhile, since the court judgement, the couple claimed that only Kazeem is already serving the jail term at Ikoyi Correctional Centre, while the other three have since gone into hiding.

Reacting to the judgement, the couple said that disputes arose following an alleged breach of the tenancy agreement by the landlord, prompting Mrs. Alabi to seek legal redress in court.

The couple said that while the tenancy matter was still pending in court, Mr. Onwukwem and his partners unlawfully broke into the apartment, removed their properties valued at N25million, and subsequently rented out the flat to another tenant.

When this reporter reached out to Mr Lawrence and Ijele for comments, their telephone lines were unreachable.

However, Igbo denied allegations that she was arrested and charged to court for failing to produce Mr Kazeem.

She refuted claims that she stood as surety for Kaeem , insisting that she never signed any legal documents in that capacity.

“They have spoilt my name and career. I don’t know how to reach them. They have issue with a particular person and why involving me instead of meeting those concerned directly. I know nothing about it,” she said.

“For the record, I didn’t sign in as a surety…I was working as a secretary and HR for the firm. I was not a lawyer in that instance. I was in law school in 2021”

She, however, acknowledged that steps have been taken to address the matter, including efforts to obtain a remand order.

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Breaking : UK Tightens Security With Road Closures, No-Fly Zones for Tinubu’s Visit

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Britain will impose airspace restrictions and deploy armed police officers in Windsor next week as President Bola Tinubu arrives for a state visit hosted by King Charles III.

Tinubu is expected to begin the visit in the company of his wife Oluremi Tinubu on Wednesday, March 18, with a reception at Windsor Castle.

Thames Valley Police in a statement on its website on Wednesday, said it is working with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Royal Household and other security partners.

The force said airspace restrictions over Windsor Castle, which are in place permanently throughout the year, would be extended on Wednesday, March 18, to cover the period from 7am to 11.59pm.

Chief Superintendent Adrian Hall of Thames Valley Police’s Joint Operations Unit said the air restrictions formed part of a broader security operation for the visit.

“The air restrictions are just one part of our robust security operation for the state visit of Nigerian President Tinubu next week, with many measures you will see and others you will not..

“As a force, we have a vast amount of experience in policing Royal events in Windsor and significant planning, and preparation has gone into this event,” Hall said.

He said the force would take a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions, warning that any breach would constitute a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and could lead to arrest.

“We will be taking a strong stance in enforcing the restrictions; anyone who breaches them will be committing a criminal offence under the Air Navigation Order and could be arrested.”

The police chief said officers with specialist capabilities, including search teams, the Mounted Section, road policing, and armed units, would be deployed across Windsor, alongside neighbourhood policing and Project Servator resources.

“We will also be deploying numerous police officers to Windsor with specialist capabilities, including our search teams, Mounted Section, Roads Policing and armed units, while our neighbourhood and Project Servator resources will also be on the ground engaging with the public,” he said.

The authorities will also deploy an extensive closed-circuit television network, hostile vehicle mitigation barriers, and other undisclosed security measures for the event.

Hall said, “We will also be using the extensive CCTV network in Windsor, Hostile Vehicle Mitigation barriers, and many other security measures that you may not be able to see to make sure the event runs safely.”

He urged members of the public to support the security operation by remaining vigilant.

“The public plays a critical role to support us so we encourage them to report any suspicious activity or anything that does not seem quite right by calling 101 or speaking to one of our officers. If there is an immediate threat or emergency, then call 999,” Hall added.

Road closures and parking restrictions will take effect from Tuesday, March 17, with possible temporary disruption to roads in and around Windsor during the visit.

Thames Valley Police said it was being supported by the Civil Aviation Authority and National Air Traffic Services to enforce the flight restrictions. Persons with legitimate reasons for drone flying were directed to email [email protected].

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