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 Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed its departments to suspend services to 11 domestic airlines over unpaid financial obligations owed to the regulator.
The directive was contained in an internal memo dated 22 May, which instructed all NCAA directorates and regional offices to place the affected operators on a “no-pay-no-service” arrangement pending financial clearance from the Directorate of Finance and Accounts.
The memo was signed by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Olufemi Odukoya, and copied to the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and other senior officials of the authority.
Airlines affected by the directive include Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik Air, United Nigeria Airlines, Max Air, Rano Air, NG Eagle, ValueJet, Overland Airways, Umza Air and Caverton Helicopters.
The directive comes amid increasing financial pressure on domestic airlines due to rising aviation fuel costs, foreign exchange challenges, and high operating expenses across the sector.
Under the directive, affected airlines may be unable to access some regulatory services until their financial obligations are settled.
The move has also raised concerns within the industry over the possible impact on airline operations if the situation persists.
READ ALSO: NCAA grants Pioneer Airlines approval for non-scheduled flight operations
The NCAA relies on statutory charges and service-related payments from airlines to fund inspections, oversight responsibilities and other regulatory activities.
In recent months, several domestic airlines have faced operational disruptions linked to rising costs, aircraft maintenance challenges and limited fleet availability.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that some airlines, such as Rano Air, adjusted schedules and suspended routes amid the sharp rise in Jet A1 aviation fuel prices, which continued to pressure operators.
The latest directive further underscores the financial strain on Nigeria’s aviation sector, as airlines struggle to balance rising operational costs with declining passenger purchasing power.
From right: Winner and New 2026 CIIN Ambassador, Mr. Oduh Sunday; 2nd Runners-up, Ms. Odeniyan Oluwatosin Comfort and 1st Runners-up of the Ambassador Contest, Mr. Okunnu Abdulrasheed Adekunle at the Year 2026 CIIN Insurance Week Grand Finale in Lagos yesterday.
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Oduh Sunday of NEM Insurance Plc, yesterday emerged victorious in the 2026/2027 Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria Ambassador Competition, receiving a cash reward of N1.5 million and earning the title of the insurance industry’s newest ambassador.
The competition formed part of the major attractions at the grand finale of the CIIN Insurance Week and also represented one of the final official engagements of the institute’s current president, Yetunde Ilori.
Mr. Eddie Efekoha; Mr. Edwin Igbiti and Mrs. Yetunde Ilori.
Held from Friday, May 15 to Friday, May 22, 2026, the CIIN Insurance Week 2026 featured an extensive eight-day schedule focused on public interaction, professional discussions, learning activities, and celebrations within the insurance sector.
The Ambassador Competition evaluated contestants based on their understanding of the insurance profession as well as their capacity to carry out awareness initiatives.
Noor Takaful Insurance Limited staff, Okunnu Abdulrasheed Adekunle secured the first runner-up position and received N1 million, while another staff member of the same company, Ms. Odeniyan Oluwatosin Comfort, claimed the second runner-up spot with a cash award of N750,000.
In additional award categories presented during the event, the Police Service Commission was recognised as the Best Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA). Akunyili Samuel Chukwukadibia was honoured as the Best Insurance Student in the WAEC examination.
The award-winning student’s teacher, Mr. Awotoruvie Randy Kemi, also received recognition, while six secondary schools with outstanding student enrollment in insurance studies were celebrated.
The schools honoured included Ijaiye Ojokoro Senior High School, Badagry Senior Grammar School, Saint Peter’s College, Egba High School, Methodist Comprehensive College, and Ebenezer Grammar School.
Ogun State also received recognition as the state with the highest number of students enrolled for insurance studies in WAEC examinations.
Earlier in the programme, the InsurScenario Team emerged as champions of the 2026 CIIN InsurQuest Hackathon, defeating other competing teams including CoverBot, Mediclaim AI, Team Topsborg, Team Nexus, and The Risk Architects.
Now in its second edition, the hackathon attracted a broader mix of young innovators from across Nigeria and was designed to strengthen youth participation in the insurance sector while encouraging future insurance innovators.
The initiative exposed participants to practical industry problems and demonstrated how insurance can drive innovation, technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Over several weeks, contestants participated in masterclasses, hands-on workshops, and mentoring sessions aimed at building technology-based solutions for challenges affecting Nigeria’s insurance industry.
Supported by experienced professionals, the teams explored areas such as Inclusive Insurance, Data and Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience, as well as ESG and Sustainability, while developing working prototypes suitable for pilot implementation.
All teams presented their projects during the InsurQuest Demo Day held on May 21, 2026, at the College of Insurance and Financial Management, where the InsurScenario Team finished in first place.
Speaking during the grand finale and award presentation, CIIN president Yetunde Ilori described the programme as her final appearance at the event in her capacity as president. She explained that the Insurance Week was created to bring together all segments of the insurance industry, improve public participation, encourage professional conversations, and promote insurance education and awareness.
According to her, the event, now in its second year, has become one of the strongest collective initiatives by Nigeria’s insurance industry to improve public understanding, boost insurance adoption, and recognise excellence within the sector.
She urged her successor to sustain and build upon the initiative, expressing confidence that the annual programme could further strengthen insurance acceptance and operations in Nigeria, with the aim of increasing industry penetration beyond one percent in the near future.
The post NEM Insurance Staff Oduh Sunday Clinches 2026/2027 CIIN Ambassador Title appeared first on Business Today NG.
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