Business
How NDLEA intercepts Chinese grandma with 31.0Kg of drug consignment at Lagos airport
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—-A 63-year-old Chinese grandma Ting Hung Kiong has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following her attempt to smuggle large consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis into Nigeria.
The female Chinese national who naturalised in Malaysia was arrested on Sunday 17th May 2026 upon her arrival in Nigeria from Thailand via Dubai, UAE, aboard an Emirates Airline flight. She was intercepted by NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Investigation revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria via the UAE with two large travel boxes containing the synthetic cannabis consignment weighing 31.0 kilograms.
During an interview, the 63-year-old suspect who claims she works as a caregiver in Malaysia stated that her daughter sponsored her trip from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria.
She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand, before she was handed the illicit consignment at the Thailand airport to deliver in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, another major shipment of illicit drug consignment has been recovered at the import shed of the Lagos airport. Following close monitoring of the consignment by NDLEA operatives since its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, the 29 large cartons containing One Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten (1,825,710) tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, worth Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand Naira (N2,190,852,000) were eventually handed over to the NDLEA by the Customs Service on Friday 22nd May 2026.
In another successful interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Wednesday 20th May intercepted a suspect Onyeka Valentine Emeka during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. When placed under observation, the suspect excreted a total of 185.36 grams of cocaine.
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide was on Wednesday 21st May arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja via Addis Ababa to Milan Malpensa, Italy.
A search conducted on his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg; Tramadol 200mg and Tapentadol 250mg. The opioids were concealed using foil paper and hidden inside a carton, in a suitcase, obviously to evade detection.
In yet another operation at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) concealed in bicycle luggage carrier heading to Netherlands; 66 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in soap container going to the United States and 18 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed in body cream container heading to the United Kingdom.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided Igwe community in Owan East LGA where a total of 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg and cannabis seeds weighing 9kg were recovered.
While a suspect Isah Sani, 30, was nabbed with 196,000 pills of exol-5 on Wednesday 20th May along Zaria/Kano road, Kano state, NDLEA officers at Seme border, Badagry area of Lagos recovered 59kg skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry on Tuesday 19th May.
Another operational success was recorded in Ekiti state where NDLEA operatives on Saturday 23rd May raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi community, Ikole-Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk, while 54-year-old suspect Ogundana Adebayo Julius was arrested in connection with the seizure.
With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Command Day School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; Girls Secondary School, Amenyi, Anambra; Matazu Model Primary School, Matazu LGA, Katsina; C&S Primary School, Majidun, Ikorodu, Lagos; Alufo High School, Apugo, Enugu; Aramoko District Commercial Secondary School, Aramoko Ekiti; and Government Girls Secondary School, Kurna, Kano state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, NAIA, AIIA, Edo, Ekiti, Seme, and Kano Commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.
The post How NDLEA intercepts Chinese grandma with 31.0Kg of drug consignment at Lagos airport appeared first on Business Today NG.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has warned mining companies operating in Nigeria that failure to comply with their Community Development Agreements (CDAs) could lead to sanctions, including the revocation of their licences.
Mr Alake gave the warning on Saturday during the ministry’s 2026 Ministerial Retreat in Abuja.
He said although the government has made significant progress in reforming the solid minerals sector, greater emphasis would now be placed on accountability and ensuring that host communities benefit from mining activities.
“Our reforms have restored confidence, attracted serious investors and made the sector a key part of Nigeria’s economic diversification. Now, our focus is on accountability,” he stated.
The minister stressed that companies must honour the agreements reached with their host communities.
“Mining companies that fail to honour their Community Development Agreements will face sanctions, including the revocation of their licences,” he said.
He added that, “Host communities deserve to benefit from the resources in their land, and there will be consequences for those who ignore that responsibility.”
Community Development Agreements are legally required arrangements between mining companies and host communities, outlining commitments on social amenities, employment, infrastructure and other development projects.
READ ALSO: Alake calls for united African front to capture greater value from global mineral economy
Illegal mining
Mr Alake also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to tackling illegal mining across the country.
According to him, the ministry will strengthen the operations of the Mining Marshals while adopting practical and innovative measures to improve security in the sector.
“I also reaffirmed our commitment to ending illegal mining by strengthening the Mining Marshals and embracing practical, innovative ideas that will make the sector more secure and more beneficial to all Nigerians,” he said.
The minister said the government’s ongoing reforms are aimed at building a more transparent, secure and investment-friendly mining sector capable of contributing more significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification.
PZ Cussons Nigeria attributed its robust profit growth for the year ended 31 May 2026 to proceeds from asset disposal rather than to its regular sources of income that had shaped its financial performance in the past, according to its latest earnings report.
Net profit for the consumer goods company advanced nearly fourfold to N49.1 billion, thanks to profit on the disposal of fixed assets, which delivered N38.7 billion, compared with N6.5 million a year earlier.
The maker of home and personal care products, which also distributes consumer electronics, highlighted the sale of three properties and the facilities previously used by PZ Wilmar Limited, a former joint venture partner, as key drivers.
Last June, PZ Cussons announced it had offloaded its 50 per cent interest in PZ Wilmar, an enterprise set up for the production of palm oil and other edible oils, to Singapore-based Wilmar, which, until the closure of the deal, held the other half of the total shares.
The deal was for a cash consideration of $70 million.
“Proceeds will be used to reduce gross debt and, as a result, the group’s key credit and bank covenant metrics are materially improved,” PZ Cussons said at the time.
Revenue for the period under review climbed by 22.5 per cent to N260.5 billion. The company attributed the growth to the strength of its business, the equity of its brands, and the discipline of execution.
Foreign exchange gain stood at N11.8 billion, in contrast to a loss of N7.8 billion one year prior, softening the blow that spikes in selling and distribution expenses and administrative costs would have had on operating profit, which rose by 307.2 per cent.
READ ALSO: PZ Cussons releases full year results, records N260.46bn revenue
Profit before tax increased by 364.1 per cent to N77.3 billion, while profit after tax rose to N49.1 billion from N10.1 billion.
“The business grew volumes in both the electrical and consumer business, leveraging investment in our brands and sharpening our route-to-market capabilities,” the board of directors said in a statement on Friday.
“The result has been market share gains by our major brands, increased household penetration, and robust volume uplift contributing to overall revenue growth,” it added.
PZ Cussons, which logged negative shareholder funds in 2024 and 2025, recorded a positive net asset position this time around at N70.6 billion.
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