Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says he will ensure that only candidates aligned with President Bola Tinubu win the February 21 area council election.

Wike spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the 60th birthday celebration of Sandy Onor, a former senator who represented Cross River Central.

The minister said party affiliation would not influence his decision in the council elections, adding that his support will be for candidates backing the president.

“We have the FCT area council election coming up on February 21, and I have a duty to support any candidate that supports President Tinubu to win,” Wike said.

“It is also my duty to ensure that any candidate who is not supporting Tinubu does not win in the election, and I owe no apology for my stance.”

Ahead of the election, candidates have demanded a free and fair process with equal opportunity for all.

In January, Moses Paul, a candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), appealed to Wike to support his candidacy.

Paul said he shares the minister’s views on performance-driven governance, and described himself as “Mr Project”, a moniker associated with Wike when he was governor of Rivers.

The ADC candidate said he has addressed community needs within AMAC by supporting the renovation of primary schools and improvements to primary healthcare centres.

Christopher Maikalangu, chairman of AMAC, was elected in 2022 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Maikalangu defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in April 2025 and is seeking re-election.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a China-based Nigerian businessman, Vincent Chukwudulue, and two Angolan citizens — Mbandu Martins Makiadi and Ngoma Wilson Fernando.

Disclosing this in a statement on Sunday via X, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the suspects excreted a total of 236 wraps of cocaine following the arrests at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, respectively.

Babafemi stated that Ibeanu was arrested on Wednesday while on board a Qatar Airways flight 1432, from Kano to China enroute Abuja/Doha.

Acting on credible intelligence, Babafemi stated that NDLEA operatives at the Abuja airport demanded that the suspect be deboarded, following which he was taken for a body scan, with the result confirming that the suspect ingested an illicit drug.

The suspect was thereafter placed under observation during which he excreted a total of 52 pellets of cocaine that weighed 735.95 grams.

According to the anti-narcotics agency, Ibeanu, in his statement, said he was into business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.

He further explained that the duo of Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52, both Angolans, were intercepted on Wednesday at the screening point of the departure hall of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, during the outward clearance of passengers going to Istanbul, Turkey via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET940.

“When they were taken for a body scan, they tested positive for ingesting an illicit drug. As a result, they were kept under observation for possible excretion. While Mbandu excreted a total of 76 wraps weighing 920 grams in seven excretions, Ngoma expelled 108 pellets that weighed 1.33 kilograms in five excretions.

“During the interview, the suspects who hail from Hoji Ya Henda in Luanda, the capital of Angola, claimed they were recruited by a Luanda-based automobile spare parts dealer who promised to pay them $3000 each upon successful delivery of the consignments in Turkey,” Babafemi said.

An attempt by a convicted drug kingpin, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules, popularly known as Garri, to London, United Kingdom, on a Virgin Atlantic flight, has been thwarted by NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

Olashupo is presently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, after NDLEA arrested him in 2025 in connection with a case of unlawful conspiracy to export 17.90kg cocaine, and was successfully prosecuted, convicted and sentenced in charge number FHC/L/925C/2025, by a Federal High Court in Lagos.

Not ready to give up on his criminal enterprise, the convict, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Dimeji Express Logistics, located at 20 Omilade Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, initiated the latest scheme from behind the prison wall to export the 1.10kg cocaine, using his company.

His lid was, however, uncovered on Thursday, 12th February, when NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted a consignment of compressed block of cocaine, hidden in a sack of Garri which was further packed inside a carton.

A staff member of Dimeji Express Logistics, Adedeji Yusuf Gbolahan, who presented the consignment for export, was promptly arrested. Investigations revealed that Olashupo Michael Oladimeji initiated the trafficking scheme from prison and directed Yusuf to pick tup he consignment at a location in Oshodi.

A similar attempt by a 44-year-old estate surveyor, Adelaja Taiwo Adetayo, to export 1.70 kilograms of skunk concealed in five jerry cans to the UK, was equally frustrated by NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

The cargo agent, Mustapha Quddus Opeyemi, who presented the consignment for export, was initially arrested while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of Adelaja atthe Ahmadiyya area of Lagos on Monday, 9th February.

In Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Thursday,y 12th February intercepted a waybill package sent from Enugu containing a children’s toy guitar.

A search of the guitar revealed that it was used to conceal two parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of Cannabis, weighing 59.2grams. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Henry Onuma at Dream City Estate, Life Camp.

In Lagos, NDLEA officers on Friday, 13th February, raided a 4-bedroom duplex at 2 Alexandria Terrace, Ikate-Elegushi, Lekki, used for the production and storage of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis.

The raid followed the seizure of 73 cartons of nitrous oxide at Iyare Motor Park, Ajah–Epe expressway, a consignment intended for Benin City, Edo State. The driver of the vehicle moving the shipment, Amos Innocent, was arrested while Victor Oyedeji was nabbed at the Lekki home, where 13.2 kilograms of freshly produced Colos were recovered in addition to precursor chemicals.

A notorious female drug dealer in Ibadan, Oyo State, Oluwayemisi Bunmi, 45, was arrested on Wednesday, 11th February, at her enclave in Hope Alakia area of the state capital. Recovered from her include: 1.189kg Colos, skunk; 320grams of methamphetamine; a monetary exhibit of ₦2,975,000 and two cars: a Navy blue Toyota Matrix car marked JJJ 629 FQ and a Sky blue Toyota Matrix car with registration number LND 602 AQ.

No fewer than 105,400 pills of tramadol were recovered from a suspect, Kamilu Abdullahi, 43, when his J5 vehicle marked DTM-765XA, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at Bode Saadu area of Kwara state on Thursday, 12th February.

In Edo State, five suspects: Murtala Mohammed, 37; Abdulkadir Idris Mohammed, 29; Ufoma Edafe, 40; Anthony Aghati, 46; and Emmanuel Owalu Ekele, 39, were arrested on Saturday, 14th February,y when NDLEA operatives raided the Yoruba Camp, Olumoye Forest, in Ovia North East LGA, where 563.5 kilograms of skunk were recovered.

While commending the officers and men of the MAKIA, MMIA, NAIA, Lagos, Edo, Kwara, FCT, and Oyo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their professionalism, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue the current balanced approach to their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

An attempt by a convicted drug kingpin, Michael Oladimeji Olashupo, to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine concealed in processed cassava granules, popularly known as garri, to London, United Kingdom, on a Virgin Atlantic flight has been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The NDLEA operatives discovered at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos State.

He is presently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos, after NDLEA arrested him in 2025.

Olashupo was arrested in connection with a case of unlawful conspiracy to export 17.90kg of cocaine.

He was successfully prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced in charge number: FHC/L/925C/2025, by a Federal High Court in Lagos State.

Not ready to give up on his criminal enterprise, the convict, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Dimeji Express Logistics, located at 20, Omilade Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos, initiated the latest scheme from behind the prison wall to export the 1.10kg cocaine, using his company.

His lid was, however, uncovered on February 12, 2026, when NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted a consignment of compressed blocks of cocaine, hidden in a sack of garri, which was further packed inside a carton.

A staff member of Dimeji Express Logistics, Adedeji Yusuf Gbolahan, who presented the consignment for export, was promptly arrested.

Investigations revealed that Olashupo initiated the trafficking scheme from prison and directed Yusuf to pick up the consignment at a location in Oshodi.