Crime
POLICE ARREST EX-PRESIDENTIAL AIDE OKOI OBONO-OBLA OVER ALLEGED FORGERY AND FRAUDULENT ADMISSION INTO LEGAL PROFESSION
The police in Cross River State have arrested a lawyer and former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla, over allegations of forgery and the fraudulent acquisition of admission, professional qualifications, and entry into the legal profession. Mr Obono-Obla, who served as Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired the Special Presidential Investigation Panel on the Recovery of Public Property, was arrested on Thursday.
In a statement issued Thursday, the police spokesperson in the state, Eitokpah Sunday, said the arrest followed a petition submitted to the commissioner of police, Punch Newspaper reported. “The Cross River State Police Command wishes to address misleading reports circulating on social media alleging that Mr Obono-Obla was kidnapped or taken by unknown persons in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area,” the statement read. “The command states unequivocally that Mr Obono-Obla was lawfully arrested by police operatives on 19 February 2026, at about midday along Abuja Park, Ugep, pursuant to a petition submitted to the Commissioner of Police alleging offences bordering on forgery and obtaining admission or professional qualification and entry into the legal profession by false pretence,” it added.
According to the police, the arrest was in line with extant laws and within the force’s constitutional and statutory powers to investigate allegations of criminal conduct. The police said his legal counsel has been notified and is participating in the process, while his relatives are aware of his whereabouts. “For the avoidance of doubt, the command categorically states that allegations of kidnapping or involvement of unidentified security outfits are false, unfounded, and entirely without factual basis,” the statement said. The police urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that could incite anxiety or undermine public peace.
Reacting to the development, the Nigerian Bar Association, Calabar Branch, said it was monitoring the situation. The branch Chairperson, Enome Amatey, said that the association was aware of the arrest but had yet to receive official information on the agency responsible. “We’ve heard about his arrest. Unfortunately, we don’t know which agency arrested him. The circumstances are hazy,” he said. Mr Amatey added, “We hope his rights will be respected, that he will be given a fair opportunity to defend himself and access to proper legal representation.” He stressed that the NBA would ensure due process is followed and that Mr Obono-Obla is not detained beyond the constitutionally permitted period without proper legal justification. “We will ascertain which agency arrested him, and if need be, our human rights committee will wade into the matter,” he said.
Mr Obono-Obla has previously faced legal and administrative scrutiny. In 2019, PREMIUM TIMES reported that his office as chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel was sealed amid investigations into allegations of abuse of office and certificate irregularities. The report detailed how his stewardship of the asset recovery panel generated controversy, including claims of high-handedness and conflict with other anti-corruption agencies. Questions were also raised at the time regarding his academic credentials and eligibility for public office.
In 2021, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arraigned Mr Obono-Obla before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, over alleged certificate forgery and N19.9 million fraud. The anti-graft agency accused him of falsifying academic records and making false statements to secure admission and professional standing, as well as allegedly diverting public funds. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the matter proceeded in court. ICPC first arrested Mr Obono-Obla in March 2020 after declaring him wanted in October 2019. Mr Obono-Obla also challenged the powers of ICPC to investigate allegations of certificate forgery levelled against him, but this was dismissed by the courts in May 2020, paving the way for his arraignment in January 2021. But the status of the case remains unclear as of the time of filing this report.
The latest arrest revives longstanding allegations surrounding his academic qualifications and professional status, now under fresh investigation by the police in Cross River. The police said further updates would be provided as investigations progress.
Crime
NDLEA FOILS BIZARRE DRUG TRAFFICKING PLOTS INVOLVING FAKE PREGNANCY AND COCAINE INGESTION, ARRESTS LAGOS REAL ESTATE BOSS WITH 89KG OF CANNABIS
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled bizarre plots by a woman with a fake pregnancy and an Ivorian to move illicit drugs hidden in their stomach and a fake pregnancy through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano and the Seme Land Border in Lagos to Europe and other destinations.
Kano-based businesswoman, 35-year-old Rabi Muhammad, was, last Monday, arrested by NDLEA operatives with drugs concealed in a fake pregnancy. The woman with the fake pregnancy was intercepted at the departure tarmac of Seme Land Border with a protruding tummy while attempting to cross to Cotonou in Benin Republic. A full body search however revealed the absurd: her fake pregnancy and her baby bump was designed with a pink coloured calabash used to conceal 3,200 capsules of tramadol, which she tied around her stomach and was taking to Cotonou to sell.
Same day in Kano, NDLEA operatives at the screening point of the departure hall of MAKIA intercepted a 41-year-old Ivorian, Michael Gohouri, also known as Anunwa Onyinye Michael, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940 to Milan, Malpensa via Addis Ababa. When he was taken for a body scan, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances. As a result, the Ivorian was placed under observation during which he excreted 82 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.49 kilograms.
Michael Gohouri had arrived Lagos from Milan on 17 January, 2026 and was shuttling from Lagos to Enugu for three weeks. He later travelled to Kano where he stayed for a week before ingesting the cocaine consignment in his hotel room. The Ivorian is expected to be paid €5,000 when he delivers the drugs in Milan. The suspect who hails from Reu duce Avenue 13 Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire claims his father, Bade Gohouri, is an Ivorian while his mother is from Anunwa compound, Urunnebo Village Ukwan in Enugu State. He applied for asylum in Italy in 2013 and obtained a resident permit which will expire on 25 May 2026, while he has a Nigerian National Identification Number (NIN) with his name written as Anunwa Onyinye Michael.
In a major interdiction in Lagos, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Trans Fortress Global Resources, a notable real estate development firm, Mr. Kolapo Oladapo Raji, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives. Raji has been on the NDLEA watchlist since 2025 following credible intelligence, NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, stated in a press release on Sunday. The 57-year-old drug kingpin was arrested at his Safe Court Apartment residence in Ikate, Lekki Lagos on Thursday, 12 February, 2026 after sustained surveillance soon after his return from the United Kingdom.
A search of his residence led to the recovery of four large bags containing parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis with a total weight of 89.20 kilograms. Also recovered from him at the point of his arrest was a 2024 model Toyota Hilux. In his statement, he claimed he got involved in the illicit drug trade after financing some consignments for his overseas associate. He said hundreds of millions of naira paid to him as profit by his associate motivated him to establish his own independent drug distribution channel.
In another interdiction operation in Lagos, a suspect, Ugwuja Kingsley, was nabbed with 56 kilograms of skunk at Agbara, last Thursday, while Ekwe Arinze was caught with 76 kilograms of the same substance at a motor park in Oshodi, last Tuesday. At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state, a total of 170,900 bottles of codeine-based syrup were discovered in a container during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers, Customs and other security agencies. The request by NDLEA for a 100 per cent physical examination and search of the container followed processed intelligence on the shipment.
No fewer than 7,300 pills of tramadol 225 milligrams concealed in two sound systems were recovered by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Okene and Lokoja Highway, Kogi State during the search of a commuter bus coming from Lagos to Kano, last Sunday. A follow-up operation in Zuba, Abuja, on Tuesday, led to the arrest of the two suspects linked to the consignment: Ezenma Kingsley, aged 26, and Ezeja Anthony, aged 29.
In Ondo State, a suspect Bright Timothy, aged 28, was arrested at Iju Forest on Thursday with 195 kilograms of skunk and seeds, while another suspect Godwin Bernard was nabbed with 198 kilograms of the same substance when NDLEA operatives raided their enclaves in the forest. A total of 936 kilograms of skunk were seized from a suspect, Yahaya Adamu Gimba, aged 48, when he was arrested at Azare Town, Katagun Local Government Area, Bauchi, last Tuesday. Another 85.8 kilograms of the same substance was recovered from Yahaya Adamu Gimba; Nasiru Suleman, aged 36; Abdul Umar, aged 25; and Musa Suleman, aged 21, in Azare.
Thirty-seven kilograms of skunk was seized from Mgbeme Ejeoma, aged 34, at Club Street, Ekeredjebor, Ughelli, Delta State on Tuesday, while NDLEA officers in Edo State, same day, raided Etiosa Camp in Owan West Local Government Area where they destroyed 1,266.8475 kilograms of skunk on three farms. No less than 23 kilograms of processed cannabis was equally recovered, with two suspects: a 68-year-old grandmother, Evelyn Ogenewu, and a 43-year-old man, Friday Iruoje, apprehended.
Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include WADA sensitisation lectures to students and staff of Muslim Community High School, Ayetoro and Oke, Kajola Local Government Area, Oyo; Government Girls Secondary School, Gadaka, Yobe; Owerri City Secondary School, Owerri, Imo; Government Day Secondary School, Tongo, Gombe; St. Catherine’s College, Igoli, Ogoja, Cross River; Government Senior Girls Secondary School, Kofar Kudu, Kano; and Model Government College, Ikorodu, Lagos state, among others.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retired), has commended the officers and men of MAKIA, Seme, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Ondo, Delta and Kogi commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures. He stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
PHILADELPHIA A 26-year-old Nigerian national has been transferred to the United States to face charges for his alleged role in a sextortion operation that authorities say contributed to the death of a young man in Pennsylvania.
Afeez Olatunji Adewale arrived in the US and appeared before US Magistrate Judge Lynne A Sitarski in federal court in Philadelphia following his extradition on February 13 2026 He is the third Nigerian national extradited in connection with the case and faces charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering
According to the United States Department of Justice Adewale was apprehended in Nigeria on August 17 2023 during a coordinated operation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at dismantling sextortion networks targeting minors in the United States The extradition was facilitated with assistance from the Justice Departments Office of International Affairs the FBI Legal Attach in Abuja and FBI agents who took custody of him upon his arrival in the US
US Attorney David Metcalf credited Nigerian authorities for their significant role in facilitating the extradition He specifically acknowledged the efforts of Nigerias Attorney General of the Federation the Federal Ministry of Justices International Criminal Justice Cooperation Department and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
Investigators from the FBIs Philadelphia Field Office its Fort Washington Resident Agency and the Abington Township Police Department handled the case Assistant US Attorney Patrick Brown is leading the prosecution
Two of Adewales alleged accomplices were extradited earlier in August 2024 Imoleayo Samuel Aina 27 also known as Alice Dave and Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun 26 Abiodun later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud In June 2025 US District Judge Joel H Slomsky sentenced him to five years in prison
Aina admitted guilt to multiple charges including cyberstalking interstate threats to damage reputation receiving extortion proceeds money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud In October 2025 Judge Slomsky handed him a six year prison sentence
US authorities allege the defendants operated a sextortion scheme that targeted young American males Victims were allegedly manipulated into sending explicit images which were then used to threaten and extort money under the threat of public exposure The case is connected to the death of a young man in Pennsylvania
In recent years Nigeria has stepped up collaboration with international law enforcement agencies to combat cybercrime particularly sextortion cases that have drawn widespread global concern In 2023 Nigerian nationals Samuel Ogoshi and Samson Ogoshi were extradited to the United States over accusations of sexually extorting several teenage boys including a 17 year old whose death was linked to the scheme
Similarly Olamide Shanu was extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States in 2025 for his alleged role in a sextortion network accused of defrauding victims of at least 2 million by posing as women online and threatening to release explicit content
This week Nigerian authorities in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from 15 other African nations announced the arrest of 651 suspected cybercriminals and the seizure of millions of dollars in assets during a coordinated international crackdown
Despite the allegations Adewale is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law
The monarch of Agamo Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Kehinde Falodun, has been reportedly killed by suspected kidnappers.
Reports indicate that the traditional ruler was murdered on Wednesday evening while resisting an attempt by the gunmen to abduct him.
A source in the community said about 10 armed men stormed the palace and attempted to kidnap the monarch, but he resisted them.
According to the source, when the assailants allegedly shot at him several times and the bullets did not penetrate, they reportedly struck his head with a heavy object, leading to his death.
Confirming the incident on Thursday in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Mr Abayomi Jimoh, said an investigation had commenced into the matter.
The victim was later found a few metres away with gunshot wounds. He was confirmed dead at the scene, Jimoh said.
Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer, alongside tactical teams from the command, promptly mobilised officers in collaboration with local security outfits, he added.
Jimoh stated that Atuluse Security, local hunters, and Amotekun operatives also assisted in combing adjoining bushes and surrounding areas in a bid to apprehend the perpetrators.
Efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects, the police spokesman said.
Monitoring and surveillance activities have been intensified across the area to ensure the safety of residents and prevent further breakdown of law and order, Jimoh added.
The public is assured that no stone will be left unturned in bringing those responsible for the heinous act to justice, he said.
The incident comes weeks after suspected bandits attacked Ayede Community in the same local government area and abducted a pregnant woman, Mrs Mary Jesulayomi, who was later released after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Days after that incident, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, arrested 12 men suspected of being involved in banditry in the area.
Residents have expressed concern over the growing insecurity in Akure North, calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to restore peace in the affected communities.