Operatives of Delta State Police Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, have arrested a 56-year old suspect, Lucky Oyiboka for the alleged distribution of illicit drugs in Owa-Abbi Community in Ukwani Local Government Area.

The suspect was arrested on 8th August 2026, DAILY POST can report.

The Police also recovered from the suspect, 21 bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp while the suspect is currently in police custody.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe confirmed the report in a statement sent to newsmen in Warri.

The Police PRO said, “On 8th August 2026, operatives of the Command’s Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, carried out an intelligence-led raid on a suspected criminal hideout at Owa-Abbi in Ukwani Local Government Area.”

According to Edafe, “During the operation, Lucky Oyiboka, 56, was arrested, while a thorough search of his premises led to the recovery of twenty-one bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp.”

He explained that, “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is allegedly involved in the distribution of illicit drugs.

“Investigation has been intensified to determine the extent of the illicit drug network and identify other persons connected to the operation.”

SP Edafe noted that, “the suspect remains in custody and will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigation.”

The Kano State Multi-Joint Task Force on Drug Abuse and Other Related Crimes has arrested 28 suspects and shut down five suspected drug hotspots during operations in Rimin Gado and Doka communities.

The operation was carried out on Friday in Rimin Gado Local Government Area and Doka in Tofa Local Government Area.

A statement issued by the committee’s secretary, Dr Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, said the task force recovered different types of illicit substances during the operation.

The task force chairman, Muhuyi Magaji, said the operation was aimed at showing that the law would be enforced equally across the state.

“We are treating every community equally and enforcing the law without bias. Our guiding principle is ‘Kano First’, and we are determined to ensure a peaceful, prosperous and drug-free state in line with the vision of His Excellency, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf,” he said.

Muhuyi said starting the operation in his hometown was deliberate, adding that the fight against drug abuse would be extended beyond Kano metropolis to all 44 local government areas of the state.

He said the operation involved both enforcement and investigations to disrupt criminal activities and identify those involved.

According to the statement, investigations are still ongoing, and anyone found guilty will be prosecuted in line with the law.

The task force also said it would work with community leaders, regulatory agencies, health workers and educational institutions to prevent drug abuse and support rehabilitation.

Muhuyi stressed that legitimate businesses were not the target of the operation, saying the task force was focused on protecting businesses and communities from the effects of drug trafficking and abuse.

The task force urged residents to report suspicious activities and information linked to drug trafficking and abuse.

Random military operations and mass arrest of Igbo youths by security operatives has been credited for the non-enrollment of youths of the region in security agencies.

A human rights organisation, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Intersociety, in a latest report released on Sunday morning, alleged that over 6,000 families in the South-East were still searching for their sons, daughters and other relatives who were allegedly arrested by security  agents.

The report signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, Lead Researcher for Intersociety and Prof Justin Akujieze, President and Chairman of the Board of Ekwenche Research Institute, Chicago said findings indicated that arrested persons were usually taken away and branded members or supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, or their militant arm, Eastern Security Network, ESN.

He said the development contributed to the growing reluctance among families in the region to allow their children of military recruitment age to enlist in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“It is in totality of the above that tens of thousands of Igbo Land South-East families withdraw from giving their beloved sons and daughters of military recruitment age and academic and professional qualifications permission to be enlisted into the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Earlier investigations indicated that about 5,000 other South-East civilians have remained untraced after alleged arrests or abductions between August 2015 and December 2019.

“Some of the missing persons were transferred to detention facilities in Northern Nigeria, including the WAWA Military Cantonment in Niger State, without their families being informed of their whereabouts or being granted access to them.

“About 70 per cent of the more than 6,000 persons allegedly missing since January 2021 were taken by military personnel, while the remaining cases were attributed to police crack squads and the State Security Service.

“These disappearances have created a climate of fear among families and has affected their attitudes towards military recruitment.”

The report urged the Defence Headquarters and other security agencies to provide details of persons arrested or killed during military operations, including their identities, locations of detention, circumstances of arrest and, where applicable, circumstances surrounding their deaths.

The organisations also called for independent judicial commissions of inquiry in the South-East to investigate alleged disappearances, extrajudicial killings and other abuses dating back to 2015.