Ondo Archives - Business Today NG https://businesstodayng.com/tag/ondo/ The Hub of News Reporting Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:17:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 Leadway Cares Expands to More Nigerian, Ivorian Communities https://businesstodayng.com/leadway-cares-expands-to-more-nigerian-ivorian-communities/ Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:17:23 +0000 https://businesstodayng.com/?p=64903 BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Leadway Group has commenced the second edition of Leadway Cares Week, its flagship annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and community engagement week, with a reinforced focus on health, environmental sustainability, employee volunteering, and community partnerships. Building on the inaugural edition, which brought employees and communities together through activities including blood donation, environmental sanitation, […]

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BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—Leadway Group has commenced the second edition of Leadway Cares Week, its flagship annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and community engagement week, with a reinforced focus on health, environmental sustainability, employee volunteering, and community partnerships.

Building on the inaugural edition, which brought employees and communities together through activities including blood donation, environmental sanitation, market clean-ups, food and incentive donations, free eye testing, and medical care, the 2026 programme extends these efforts through another cycle of health interventions, environmental action, and employee participation, while strengthening partnerships with communities across Nigeria and beyond.

For its second edition, Leadway cares week involves environmental sanitation, clean-up initiatives, tree-planting activities, and blood donation drives across more locations in Nigeria, including Lagos, Ondo, Kaduna and Abuja, alongside cross-border participation in Côte d’Ivoire. The activities are designed to mobilise employees and partners around practical interventions that address health and environmental needs.

Speaking on the initiative, Group Chief Executive Officer, Leadway Holdings, Tunde Hassan-Odukale, highlighted the importance of sustained social investment. He said, “We believe our responsibility goes beyond business. Leadway Cares is about showing up beyond our offerings, taking consistent and deliberate action, and creating opportunities for people and communities to grow and thrive.”

Niyi Abiola, Head Corporate Services, Leadway Group, also commented on the initiative. “Leadway Cares Week allows us to move beyond conversations about social responsibility and translate our commitment through concerted action. The strength of the programme lies in bringing our people, partners and communities together to address immediate needs, while creating opportunities for employees to contribute their time, skills and resources.”

Health remains a key focus of the 2026 programme, with Leadway employees supporting efforts to improve blood availability through the blood donation drive. Environmental sustainability also receives greater attention through tree planting, environmental sanitation and coastal clean-up activities.

These interventions are designed to encourage collective responsibility towards a better future that is positive and good for all.  It also provides a practical way for employees, partners and communities to take part in meaningful ways that contribute positively to society

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NDLEA Intercepts Colos Shipments From UK, Uncovers Opioids in Loaves of Bread, Speakers https://businesstodayng.com/ndlea-intercepts-colos-shipments-from-uk-uncovers-opioids-in-loaves-of-bread-speakers/ Sun, 13 Sep 2026 19:49:23 +0000 https://businesstodayng.com/?p=64660 The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two shipments of synthetic cannabis, popularly called Colorado or Colos in street terms concealed in consolidated cargoes coming from the United Kingdom, while two other consignments of the dangerous substance hidden in music speakers were recovered from two motor parks in Lagos, where at least seven […]

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted two shipments of synthetic cannabis, popularly called Colorado or Colos in street terms concealed in consolidated cargoes coming from the United Kingdom, while two other consignments of the dangerous substance hidden in music speakers were recovered from two motor parks in Lagos, where at least seven suspects connected to the seized cargoes have been arrested.

At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a UK-inbound consignment concealing 27 parcels of colos weighing 32.20kg, while a real estate agent Abideen Jide Salami, who showed up with a secret collection code relayed from his UK-based brother to collect a large luggage containing the illicit substance was arrested on Wednesday 9th September 2026.

A follow-up operation stemming from a second UK consignment led operatives to the designated recipient of another consignment of Colorado weighing 12.25kg.

The suspect Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, 44, said the consignment was sent to him by his brother in the UK.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) have intercepted a music speaker rigged with three packs of Colorado at a motor park in Maza Maza, Lagos, heading to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia. A tour agent Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, 41, and the consignment’s owner Obasi Ugochuckwu, 46, were both arrested after a swift sting operation at a nearby eatery. In a separate operation at Iddo park, a suspect Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry was on Friday 11th September nabbed while attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.

In Delta State, two separate arrests at Ughelli and Asaba yielded a haul of ampoules of pentazocine injection, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam (hypnox) and MDMA (Molly), with several of them concealed in music speakers, while two suspects: Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi were arrested.

In Kano, a raid at Sabon Gari led to the arrest of a 20-year-old suspect Saidu Adamu with a staggering 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg, while a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria–Kano–Hadejia road netted 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread seized from Habibu Sabitu, 28, even as 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor was nabbed at Katako market, Jos, Plateau state, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.

The Agency also sustained pressure on illicit cannabis cultivation with the destruction of 4,832.56 kilograms of skunk on cannabis farms at Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest, in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West LGA, Edo state where a suspect Sunday Segun, 39, was arrested on Friday 11th September.

In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Wednesday 9th September raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure, where they recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon car marked ABJ 917 FV, from a 58-year-old suspect Paul Ogbuwala who was planning to move the consignment to Jos for onward distribution.

In Kaduna, a female suspect Hannah Michael was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis, while in Bayelsa State, four suspects including a 70-year-old woman Godwoman Gboriye were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg. Others are: Motombo Silver, 44; Pere Andrew, 39, and ⁠Keme Andrew, 43.

With the same vigour, 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 to students and staff of Mezube Islamiyya Academy, Tudun Wada, Kano; WADA advocacy visit to the management of Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar; and hosting of Rikkos traditional rulers who were on a thank you visit to NDLEA Academy for allowing community members use the Agency’s clinic, Jos; while the
Zone 4 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa 111, Keffi, Nasarawa state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Kaduna, Plateau, Bayelsa, and Kano Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency. He charged them to continue to shut every pipeline being used by drug cartels, whether at the airports, seaports, land borders, or in the hinterland where cannabis is cultivated.

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NDLEA Auctions Forfeited Drug Traffickers’ Properties in Lagos, Kano, Ondo, Ogun https://businesstodayng.com/ndlea-auctions-forfeited-drug-traffickers-properties-in-lagos-kano-ondo-ogun/ Tue, 29 Jul 2025 19:18:42 +0000 https://businesstodayng.com/?p=52404 The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday conducted a public auction of forfeited houses which were either acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking or used as instrumentality of committing the crime. The exercise which took place at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja had pre-qualified auctioneers, bidders, representatives of civil society organizations and […]

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday conducted a public auction of forfeited houses which were either acquired through proceeds of drug trafficking or used as instrumentality of committing the crime.
The exercise which took place at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja had pre-qualified auctioneers, bidders, representatives of civil society organizations and the media as well as other government agencies in attendance.
Speaking at the occasion, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.) who was represented by the Agency Secretary, Mr. Shadrack Haruna, said the exercise forms part of the Agency’s strategic efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks by depriving offenders both liberty and illicit wealth in strict compliance with legal frameworks and due process.
He reaffirmed the Agency’s resolve to pursue drug offenders not only through prosecution but also by targeting all assets acquired through proceeds of crime. According to him, “this auction is part of our broader commitment to transparency and justice. Beyond prosecuting drug offenders, we are committed to ensuring that the financial incentives that drive these crimes are neutralized through legal forfeiture. This serves as both punishment and deterrence. When drug traffickers know they stand to lose everything, including their ill-gotten assets, it sends a stronger message than imprisonment alone.”
The auction involved forfeited eight properties across Lagos, Kano, Ondo, and Ogun. Two of the houses located in Lekki and Ikorodu areas of Lagos were stepped down from the process due to notices of appeal received after the processes had begun. Six other properties were auctioned to pre-qualified bidders, with only two sold at over N139 million following successful bids above their reserved prices. Others either failed to receive any bids or attracted offers below the benchmark.
Speaking at the bidding exercise, Umar Yakubu of the Centre for Transparency and Integrity Watch, commended the NDLEA for conducting a process that was open, credible, and compliant with international best practices. He noted that the level of transparency observed was commendable and reflective of a strong institutional culture that prioritizes public accountability. He further encouraged the Agency to amplify such efforts as a public education tool to underscore the consequences of drug crimes.
In his remarks, Director, Proceeds of Crime Management in NDLEA, Jerry Iorwa Aernan noted that participating auctioneers were pre-qualified by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and had met the required integrity checks to ensure that disposed assets are not returned to original owners through the back door. He emphasized that successful bidders must pay 10 percent of their bid value within fourteen days to confirm their interest, while the full payment is expected within a stipulated timeframe.

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