Troops of the 65 Battalion of the Nigerian Army have intercepted a truck conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road and arrested its driver.

The interception followed an intelligence-led operation conducted on July 9, 2026, after troops received actionable intelligence from a credible source.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division, Lt. Col. Musa Yahaya.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the illicit consignment was being transported to the Berger general area of Lagos State.

“However, the suspect could not provide satisfactory information regarding the ownership or intended recipient of the drugs,” the statement read.

It added, “In line with established procedures, the suspect and the recovered illicit drugs were subsequently handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Command, for further investigation and prosecution.”

The handover was carried out by the Commanding Officer of the 65 Battalion, Lt. Col. S. Adeojo.

Commending the troops, the General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Maj. Gen. Adebayo Babalola, praised their vigilance, professionalism and operational effectiveness.

He urged them to sustain the momentum of ongoing operations and intensify efforts to deny drug traffickers and other criminal elements freedom of action within the division’s area of responsibility.

The Army said the operation underscored its continued collaboration with relevant security agencies in tackling drug trafficking and other criminal activities.

Three brothers have been charged with murder in Eswatini after allegedly beating their mother’s boyfriend to death over claims that he was involved in a romantic relationship with her.

The accused — Mlondi Mbuli, 25, Sakhelwe Mbuli, 18, and Lindani Mdziniso, 23 — appeared before the Mbabane Magistrates Court in connection with the killing, which reportedly occurred on June 28, 2026, in Hholoshini, located in the country’s Hhohho Region.

During the hearing, Principal Magistrate Sfiso Vilakati ordered that the three men remain in custody until July 10, 2026, while prosecutors prepare to transfer the case to the High Court, where murder cases are typically tried.

According to investigators, the suspects allegedly attacked the victim, identified as Njabulo Ngwenya, using bricks, stones, sticks, punches and repeated kicks, inflicting injuries that proved fatal.

Police believe the alleged assault stemmed from accusations that Ngwenya was having an affair with the
brothers’ biological mother.

The incident came to the attention of authorities after Sibongile Motsa reported finding her son dead inside her sister’s home in the early hours of June 28.

Court documents state that Motsa discovered Ngwenya’s body at about 1 a.m. before notifying the Royal Eswatini Police Service, which subsequently launched an investigation and arrested the three suspects.

Following their first court appearance, the accused were remanded in custody pending the next hearing and the formal transfer of the matter to the High Court.

Authorities have not disclosed additional information beyond the facts presented during the initial court proceedings.

The case has drawn widespread public interest across Eswatini as investigations continue.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland before Mswati III officially renamed the country in 2018, is a landlocked nation in southern Africa bordered by South Africa and Mozambique. Under the country’s judicial system, serious criminal offences such as murder are generally transferred from the Magistrates Court to the High Court after the initial hearing.

Former Secretary to Benue State Government (SSG), Prof. David Salifu, has been killed after suspected armed men ambushed and shot him along the Wukari–Joota Road in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, LGA, a border community between Benue and Taraba states.

Salifu, a Professor of Public Administration and former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University Wukari, was reportedly travelling to Makurdi for the burial of his uncle when he encountered the attackers.

He sustained gunshot injuries during the attack and was initially rushed to a hospital in Wukari, where doctors removed bullets from his stomach.

He was later transferred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, but succumbed to his injuries at about midnight on Thursday.

A former aide to the deceased, Mr. Ben Ekah, who confirmed the incident, said Salifu and his driver were returning to Benue from the Federal University Wukari when they were ambushed.

According to him, the driver’s account revealed that the gunmen stopped their vehicle, dragged the former SSG out and attempted to whisk him away.

“The driver said they were coming from the Federal University Wukari where Prof. Salifu lectures when they were waylaid along the Wukari–Joota Road, a border route between Taraba and Benue states.

“The attackers were trying to take him away, and he kept asking them what they wanted. As they continued dragging him, one of them suddenly pulled out a gun and shot him at close range in the stomach.

“They abandoned him after the shooting, leaving him in a pool of blood. His driver, however, managed to take him back to Wukari, where surgeons successfully removed the bullets from his stomach.

“On Thursday, he was referred to the Federal Medical Centre in Makurdi for further treatment, but sadly he passed away around midnight,” Ekah said.

He described the late Professor as a humble and peace-loving man, noting that he had left a Senate meeting at the university to attend his uncle’s burial before the fatal attack.

“He was a lecturer and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Federal University Wukari. We learnt that the university management was holding a Senate meeting, but he excused himself to travel home for his uncle’s burial. It is heartbreaking because everyone knew him as a peaceful man,” Ekah added.

Prof. Salifu served as Secretary to Benue State Government during the administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam between January 2011 and May 2015.

The Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, could not be reached at the time of this report.