Business
NDLEA intercepts South African lady with 3-year-old son as cover to traffic heroin
A 38-year-old South African lady, Ms. Will Jessica Ann has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja after she was found to have concealed 14 large blocks of heroin weighing 5.75 kilograms in her luggage, using her three-year-old son as a cover to beat security checks and evade thorough screening.
The suspect was arrested by NDLEA officers on Monday 6th July 2026 during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha to Abuja. Though she initially denied travelling with check-in bags, but after operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recounted and admitted ownership of the bags adding that she forgot she checked in the two bags.
She claimed to have travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja. Intelligence leading to her arrests indicates she is a member of a transnational drug trafficking organization along with her husband/partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager, based in Cambodia from where they operate their drug network along the Cambodian-South African axis.
In another successful interdiction operation, NDLEA officers at the terminal 2 arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos on 28th June 2026 intercepted a commercial motorcycle operator popularly known as ‘Okada rider’, 48-year-old Onyechere Daniel Chinadu following his arrival from Madagascar via Addis Ababa aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight.
A thorough search of his back pack, which he had checked in, led to the discovery of 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed within cloths in his bag. In his statement, Onyechere claimed he has been working for 15 years as an Okada rider at Oke-Afo area of Lagos before his Uganda based friend recruited him into drug trafficking.
He said he ingested the recovered pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before embarking on his planned journey to Madagascar to deliver the drug consignment. He however said that upon arrival in Madagascar, he was denied entry by Immigration authorities. As a result, his friend and sponsor, Ozor Igo, based in Uganda rerouted his flight to Lagos, where he was eventually arrested by NDLEA officers.
The suspect was unable to state the exact number of pellets he had ingested in Uganda and as a result, he was placed under excretion observation for a period of three days. Between the date of his arrest and 1st of July, he was able to excrete 13 pellets in addition to the initial 87 wraps recovered from him, bringing the total number to 100 wraps of methamphetamine with a gross weight of 1.715 kilograms.
At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a total of 8,287 nylon bags of Canadian Loud weighing 4,143.5 kilograms worth over N10.3 billion in street value were discovered in a container imported from Canada during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs personnel and other security agencies on Friday 10th July 2026.
The discovery followed weeks of targeted tracking and monitoring of the shipment since its departure from Montreal, Canada, by operatives of the Maritime Intelligence Unit of NDLEA in close collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command of the Agency. Meanwhile, an attempt to export a 2.5kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in a gas compressor going to Cyprus through a courier company in Lagos has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation(DOGI).
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 for students and staff of Nnodo Secondary School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Government Girls Secondary School, Sabon Gida, Sharada, Kano; Royal Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti; and Community Secondary School, Idofa, Ogun, while the leadership of Zone 14 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara at Government House Port Harcourt, among others.
While commending the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, NAIA, MIU, and, Apapa Commands of the Agency 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 not to rest on their past laurels.
The post NDLEA intercepts South African lady with 3-year-old son as cover to traffic heroin appeared first on Business Today NG.
The Office of the Tax Ombud said it is strengthening its capacity to handle disputes arising from digital asset taxation as part of efforts to improve fairness and transparency in Nigeria’s tax system.
The Tax Ombud and Chief Executive of the Office of the Tax Ombud, John Nwabueze, disclosed this on Thursday at a media parley in Lagos, where he outlined the office’s achievements and future priorities.
According to him, the office has expanded the capacity of its accountants and legal experts to handle complex tax matters, including disputes involving digital assets, should such cases arise.
He also said the office plans to establish offices in all six geopolitical zones to improve taxpayers’ access to its services.
Mr Nwabueze said the Office of the Tax Ombud has enhanced access to its services through a digital complaints portal, a case management system, a toll-free call centre and SMS callback services, making it easier for individuals and businesses to lodge complaints and obtain timely resolutions.
According to him, the office received more than 20 ‘genuine’ complaints within its first three months of operation, most of them involving state revenue services.
“Within three months, the Office received over 20 genuine complaints, most of them involving state revenue services.
“Of these, eight have been successfully resolved, all within the statutory 14-day resolution period, with provision for an additional seven days where necessary,” Mr Nwabueze said.
The Tax Ombud said the office is also expanding engagement with professional bodies, the media, revenue authorities and other stakeholders, while preparing a nationwide public awareness campaign to address issues such as multiple taxation.
“The Office has expanded the capacity of its skilled accountants and legal experts to handle complex tax matters, including disputes relating to digital asset taxation, should such cases arise.
“We are also enhancing accessibility at the grassroots through plans to establish offices across all six geopolitical zones,” the tax ombud CEO said.
He further noted that multiple taxation, particularly at the state and local government levels, remains a major concern, adding that the federal government is working with relevant stakeholders, including the Joint Revenue Board, state governments and local government authorities, to develop lasting solutions.
ALSO READ: Oyedele unveils Tax Ombud website, digital portal to strengthen taxpayer protection
Mr Nwabueze said the Office of the Tax Ombud was established to provide impartial mediation between taxpayers and revenue authorities, promote voluntary tax compliance and strengthen public confidence in Nigeria’s tax administration.
“Multiple taxation is an endemic issue that we are determined to address by engaging all relevant stakeholders, including the Joint Revenue Board, state governments, and local government authorities.
“Through collaboration and policy engagement, we are working towards sustainable solutions,” the Tax Ombud stated.
He called for support in terms of public awareness of its services, noting that many taxpayers are still unaware of their rights and the avenues available for resolving tax disputes.
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BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has revoked the certificate of registration for Royal Exchange Prudential Life Insurance PLC over its failure to meet the statutory minimum capital requirement under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
The cancellation, which took effect on Plc August 3, 2026, The regulator also ordered the immediate winding up of the firm’s operations.
The action was executed under the legal powers granted to the regulatory authority by the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIRA) 2025.
According to a notice signed by Deputy Commissioner (Technical) Decent Jankara, titled “Notice Of Cancellation Of Certificate Of Registration Of Royal Exchange Prudential Life Insurance Plc”, the regulator appointed Titilayo Akinlawon (SAN)as Receiver and Provisional Liquidator to oversee the winding up of its affairs.
The notice added that “The appointed Receiver is mandated to take control of the company’s affairs, liquidating its assets and settling its outstanding liabilities in strict accordance with NIRA 2025 regulations and extant insurance guidelines.”
“Relevant stakeholders and financial institutions have been instructed to cooperate fully with the Receiver during the official takeover and winding-up proceedings.”
This development comes days after NAICOM announced the completion of the insurance sector recapitalisation exercise and published a list of 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that met the July 31, 2026 compliance deadline.
The post Recapitalisation: NAICOM Revokes Royal Exchange Prudential Life Insurance License appeared first on Business Today NG.
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