Crime
Controversy As NAFDAC Accuses VDM Of Inciting Drug Traders In Onitsha
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has accused social media influencer Martins Vince Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of inciting traders at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market to resist federal drug regulatory measures.
In a statement issued on Monday, the agency’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, alleged that the influencer posted videos encouraging traders to defy NAFDAC directives, following recent raids on major open drug markets across the country.
According to the agency, the influencer’s actions may constitute a violation of the Cybercrime Act and could undermine national efforts to sanitize Nigeria’s pharmaceutical distribution system.
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“Any act of incitement that encourages the violation of regulatory frameworks constitutes a serious breach and a threat to public health,” Adeyeye stated. “We call on law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
NAFDAC recently carried out sweeping enforcement operations between February and March 2025 at prominent drug markets in Idumota (Lagos), Ariaria (Aba), and Onitsha.
The raids led to the seizure and destruction of banned, expired, and substandard drugs valued at over ₦1 trillion.
“These markets lacked basic registration and failed to comply with Good Storage and Distribution Practices,” the DG explained. “This poses a grave danger to the health and safety of Nigerians.”
Following the enforcement activities, the Onitsha Bridge Head Market was reopened on March 9, 2025, with over 2,500 traders complying with new regulatory standards.
However, Adeyeye disclosed that a small group of traders, allegedly linked to banned narcotics, have resisted the directive and are believed to be working with online influencers to stir public unrest.
“The remaining non-compliant shops are associated with substances that are outrightly banned. This resistance is an attempt to divert attention from illegal activities and evade accountability,” she said.
As part of its reform initiative, NAFDAC has mandated that all drug distribution be relocated to Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs), where oversight can be ensured.
The measure, the agency says, is critical to curbing the circulation of counterfeit and dangerous drugs in the country.
“The merchants of death fueling insecurity and peddling fake medicines will face the full wrath of the law,” Adeyeye warned, reaffirming NAFDAC’s resolve to protect the public.
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a suspected cultist, Kingsley Odo, who allegedly travelled to the state to avenge the death of his brother.
The suspect was intercepted by operatives of the Safer Highway patrol team during a routine stop-and-search operation on a commercial bus along Ife Road.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Oyo State Police Command, DSP Ayanlade Olushola Olayinka, said the operatives recovered a locally made, cut-to-size pistol and a cartridge during a search of the vehicle.
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Olayinka said further questioning revealed that the suspect had travelled to Oyo State to carry out a revenge killing over his brother’s death.
“Further questioning revealed that he had travelled all the way from Anambra to Oyo State to carry out a revenge killing,” he said.
He added that the suspect had been arrested and was undergoing investigation to establish his connections and determine the extent of his alleged activities.
“All thanks to God and the good effort of the men of the Safer Highway, he was intercepted, arrested, and is currently undergoing investigation to know his connections and how wide it is,” Olayinka said.
Suspect Recounts Brother’s Death
During an interview following his arrest, Odo said the incident stemmed from the death of his brother in 2021, when he was working in Benue State.
He explained that his brother was schooling in Nsukka, Enugu State, when he received information that someone had killed him.
“It was in 2021. I was working in Benue State, so I had information that my brother, who was in school in Nsukka, had just died in the school, that somebody killed him in the school,” he said.
Odo added that his mother died a few weeks after his brother’s death.
He said he subsequently received information that the person allegedly responsible for his brother’s death was living in a southwestern state.
“So, last month, I had information that the boy is living in a state, a Yoruba state. So, I said okay, I will find out that place where he is living,” the suspect said.
He explained that he was travelling from Nsukka towards Oyo State when police operatives intercepted and arrested him.
When questioned about whether he knew the exact location of the person he intended to confront, Odo initially said he did not know the particular state but confirmed that he was heading to Oyo State.
“The information is with me,” he said, suggesting that he had information that could help him locate the individual.
Suspect Says He Bought Pistol for ₦20,000
When questioned about the firearm recovered from him, Odo said he purchased the pistol from a friend for ₦20,000.
“I bought it from my friend,” he said.
Asked what his friend did with firearms, the suspect said the individual might be a hunter.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s a hunter. A hunter who kills with pistol? Yes, he has this one and long, so he was the one that sell this one for me, 20,000,” he said.
Suspect Confirms Membership of Vikings Confraternity
During the interview, Odo was also questioned about reports that his deceased brother belonged to a cult group.
He said he could not confirm whether his brother was a member.
“Maybe he belongs, maybe he did not belong, because I was not there with him,” he said.
However, when asked whether he belonged to a cult group himself, the suspect answered in the affirmative and identified the group as Vikings.
The police said investigations were ongoing to establish the suspect’s connections and determine whether other individuals were involved in the alleged planned revenge killing.
Police Rescue Three Kidnap Victims in Taraba After Sustained Pressure
The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed the rescue of three kidnapped victims in Taraba State following sustained pressure mounted by its rescue teams.
The victims were identified as Otuwe Torhumba, 37; Kenneth Nyiutse, 35; and Michael Emmanuel, 27.
The Force made the disclosure on Saturday, October 3, 2026, in its 24-hour operational update covering security operations recorded across the country on October 2.
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According to the Police, “Due to sustained pressure by Police rescue teams, three of five kidnapped victims — Otuwe Torhumba (37), Kenneth Nyiutse (35) and Michael Emmanuel (27) — were rescued unharmed and reunited with their families.”
The Police said the three victims were rescued unharmed and subsequently reunited with their families.
The Force did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding the abduction or the whereabouts of the remaining two victims in the operational summary.
The case is currently being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Jalingo.
The rescue was among several operational successes recorded by the Nigeria Police Force during the reporting period.
The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed the rescue of an 86-year-old man and his son after they were allegedly detained by suspected members of the Axe Men confraternity in Cross River State.
The victims, identified as Dominic Columbus Udoh, 86, and his son, Emmanuel Columbus Udoh, 40, were rescued by Police operatives on Friday, October 2, 2026.
The Police made the disclosure on Saturday, October 3, in its 24-hour operational update detailing security successes recorded across the country.
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According to the Force, Police operatives were mobilised to the scene after receiving information that suspected Axe Men confraternity cultists had unlawfully detained the two men.
The Police said the suspected cultists fled from the scene when operatives arrived.
The Force stated that officers, with assistance from neighbours, “forced open the locked apartment,” where the two victims were found.
According to the Police, both victims had sustained facial and chest injuries.
They were subsequently rescued and conveyed to the Police Hospital for medical treatment.
The Police said the incident is currently being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Calabar.
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