By Frontline Reporters
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded multiple breakthroughs in its war against drug trafficking, intercepting large consignments of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, skunk, and opioids across Nigeria. The operations, conducted between September 14 and 19, covered Lagos, Adamawa, Zamfara, Yobe, Taraba, and Edo states.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that two returnees from Brazil excreted a combined 116 wraps of illicit drugs, while several others were arrested concealing narcotics in underwear, food items, and even phone chargers.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, 46-year-old Ofoma Sunday was arrested on September 16 after a body scan confirmed ingestion of narcotics. Under observation, he excreted 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.452kg. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Nweke Jude Chuckwudi, 55, at a hotel in Amuwo Odofin, where he was meant to receive the drugs.
Similarly, another returnee, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was arrested on September 19 with cocaine concealed internally. He later excreted five wraps of the drug weighing 145 grams.
In another case, 38-year-old Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa was arrested on September 14 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Doha with 1.40kg of methamphetamine hidden in butt pad underwear.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted 2.30kg of methamphetamine concealed in food items bound for Hong Kong at the Lagos airport export shed on September 15. A 59-year-old suspect, Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, who presented the shipment, was arrested. Four days later, a courier firm in Lagos was busted after seven phone chargers filled with 257 grams of cocaine were discovered en route to New Zealand.
Raids Across Northern States
In Adamawa, operatives recovered 233,800 tramadol pills in three separate operations, including 196,000 abandoned in a Toyota Sienna in Mayo Belwa. Two suspects — Rita Zira, found with 27,900 pills in her bedroom, and Halilu Abubakar, 22, caught with 10,300 pills at Namtari checkpoint — were arrested.
In Zamfara, 109 bags of skunk weighing 1,099.4kg were seized from a Mitsubishi Canter truck along Gummi–Daki Takwas Road. The 40-year-old driver, Hammed Danladi Aliyu, was taken into custody.
Other operations led to the recovery of 14,000 tramadol capsules in Yobe, three sacks of skunk weighing 25.5kg in Taraba, and two massive cannabis farms spanning over four hectares in Edo’s Atororo forest. The Edo farms, with an estimated yield of 11,330kg, were destroyed, while 11 bags of processed skunk weighing 148kg were also confiscated. Three suspects were arrested.
NDLEA Reaffirms Commitment
Commending the agency’s personnel, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the seizures as “a significant milestone” in dismantling cartels targeting Nigeria’s youth population.
“These arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in our determined effort to dismantle drug trafficking organisations operating in Nigeria and around the world,” Marwa said. “We will continue to prioritise syndicates seeking to prey on our youth until they can no longer harm our communities or damage Nigeria’s image globally.”
Marwa urged operatives nationwide to sustain NDLEA’s “balanced approach” to drug control, combining enforcement with sensitisation campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, which continues to run in schools, worship centres, and workplaces across the country.
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