Fear has gripped motorists and residents following renewed armed robbery attacks along the Nawfia axis of the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway, with one person reportedly killed in the latest incident.

A social media user raised the alarm in a post over what he described as the worsening insecurity on the busy highway, urging the Anambra State Government and security agencies to act before more lives are lost.

According to the source, residents of Nawfia community have repeatedly complained about the persistent activities of armed robbers who allegedly ambush motorists along the stretch of the expressway.

He recalled that, in a bid to curb the attacks, members of the community recently embarked on a massive environmental clean-up exercise.

“During the exercise, they cleared thick vegetation and removed logs allegedly used by the criminals to barricade sections of the road and trap unsuspecting travellers.

“Despite the community’s efforts, the robbers have continued to strike with what residents described as increasing boldness,” he said.

The latest attack, reportedly captured in a video circulating online, allegedly resulted in the death of one person, further heightening fears among road users.

The source called on security agencies to immediately intensify surveillance along the highway, deploy regular patrol teams, and dismantle criminal hideouts in the area.

He stressed that the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway is one of the busiest highways in the South-East and should not be left at the mercy of criminal elements.

Residents and commuters also appealed to the Anambra State Government, the police, the military, and other security agencies to take urgent and coordinated action to restore confidence and guarantee the safety of travellers using the route.

As of the time of filing this report, the  Anambra State Police Command had not issued a statement on the reported incident.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested a 55-year-old Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, for allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside the walls of cartons used to package food items for shipment to the United Kingdom.

Chinedu, a clothing dealer at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, after NDLEA operatives intercepted the drug consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.

According to a statement by the agency, investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents identified as Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the shipment.

Their arrest later resulted in the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment to the cargo agents for onward shipment to the UK.

The agency said Okakpu’s arrest eventually exposed Chinedu as the alleged kingpin behind the drug trafficking syndicate. He was subsequently arrested while allegedly making another attempt to send a fresh cocaine consignment to the United Kingdom.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, July 21, arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos.

The arrest followed the seizure of her consignment containing 2.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.

Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA recovered a shipment containing 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg, estimated to have a street value of over N2.2 billion.

The agency said the consignment arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight and was intercepted during a joint cargo examination on Friday, July 24, following intelligence gathered and processed by NDLEA.

Shortly before that, NDLEA operatives intercepted another consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap meant for shipment to the United Kingdom. The drugs were recovered at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.

At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers also uncovered a container carrying three vehicles used to conceal 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg, with an estimated street value of more than N7.1 billion.

In Katsina State, operatives arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Mustapha Sani, during a patrol operation at Baure in Safana Local Government Area on Wednesday, July 22.

He was found in possession of 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition, which were carefully concealed.

In another operation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, NDLEA officers arrested another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, 30, during a stop-and-search exercise at Jere.

He was allegedly found with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed inside kegs containing red oil.

The agency said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

Meanwhile, in Edo State, a raid carried out at Ilushi Community in Esan South East Local Government Area on Sunday, July 19, led to the recovery of 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds from a warehouse.

During the same operation, operatives arrested Ojore Onweze, 45, with 60kg of skunk, while George Agwumede, 30, was apprehended with 13kg of the same substance.

“With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week,” the statement noted.  

Commending officers and personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, DOGI, as well as the MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina commands for the successful operations, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts across the country.

Troops of Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued 48 kidnap victims following a swift response to a terrorist attack on Magami village, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in the early hours of Sunday, 26 July 2026.

This is contained in a statement by the Media Information Officer

Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lt-Col Aliyu Danja, on Sunday.

Danja said the operation was launched after troops of Sector 2 received a distress call indicating that a large group of terrorists, riding about 40 motorcycles, had invaded the community.

According to him, the terrorists rounded up numerous residents with the intention of taking them into the bush, while another group remained at the outskirts of the village with the motorcycles.

He added that on arrival at the scene, the troops immediately engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon the kidnapped victims and flee into the surrounding bush, noting that the prompt intervention led to the successful rescue of all 48 abducted civilians.

“Regrettably, one civilian lost his life during the attack, while two others sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to the General Hospital, Kaura Namoda, where they are currently receiving medical treatment.

“Following the rescue operation, troops conducted aggressive patrols to dominate the general area and forestall any further attack.

“The Theatre Command commends the gallantry and professionalism of the troops for this successful operation and reassures residents of the North West of its unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property.

“The public is enjoined to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to sustain the momentum in ridding the North West of terrorist elements,” the statement said.