In a series of successful operations, operatives from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted attempts to smuggle illicit drugs out of Nigeria. The agency intercepted consignments of skunk concealed in tins of tomato paste and methamphetamine hidden in used clothes, destined for export to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The skunk-in-tomato-pastes consignment, weighing a substantial 20.00 kilograms, was seized on Friday, September 8th, at the SAHCO export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja. Simultaneously, a meth shipment, with a gross weight of 1.60 kilograms, was discovered at a courier company in Lagos.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted 556 grams of Canadian Loud, originating from Canada and destined for one Tunji Adebayo in Ikorodu, Lagos. Although Adebayo was absent when the officers arrived at his residence, his younger brother was apprehended while signing for the package on his behalf.
The fight against drug trafficking extended to other regions of Nigeria as well. In Akala, Mushin, Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided the stronghold of a notorious drug lord known as Abdul Rauf, alias “Na God,” where they seized a staggering 1,101 kilograms of Ghanaian Loud. Three suspects were arrested during the operation, but the kingpin remains at large.
In Kogi, a 22-year-old named Agada Emmanuel was apprehended with 77.400 kilograms of cannabis on Thursday, September 7th, along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway. Additionally, 369,980 pills of opioids were recovered on the same road on Monday, September 4th, leading to the arrest of Kabiru Ahmad Abdullahi in a follow-up operation in Gombe state.
Notably, NDLEA operatives discovered 399 pieces of improvised explosive devices in the possession of Asana Oluwagbenga Leke, 39, along the Mokwa-Jebba road on Thursday, September 7th. According to the suspect, he was given the explosives at a park in Ibadan for delivery to someone in Kaduna. Subsequently, the suspect and the exhibits were transferred to military authorities in Niger state.
Operations also took place in Ogun state, resulting in the arrest of Yinka Azeez at Sabo Lafenwa, Abeokuta, on Tuesday, September 5th, following the seizure of 41 kilograms of cannabis from Titilayo Adetayo the previous day at Sagumu Interchange. Muhammad Aliyu, 38, and Abdullahi Zakariya, 40, were arrested separately on Zaria-Kano Road and Haye Arewa, Hotoro, Kano, with a combined 426.5 kilograms of skunk on Tuesday, September 5th.
In other regions of Nigeria, various arrests and seizures were made. Onyeka Uzor, 25, was apprehended in Idemili, Anambra state, with 64.8 kilograms of skunk and tramadol. Destiny Irabor was nabbed on Friday, September 8th, with over 180 kilograms of opioids concealed in his Toyota Sienna bus. In Kaduna, Ahmed Yusuf and Rilwan Nura were arrested on Wednesday, September 6th, in connection with the seizure of 100 blocks of cannabis weighing 55 kilograms along Abuja road.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives destroyed cannabis farms spanning 4.236347 hectares in the Ekudo forest, Onwude LGA. Additionally, in Iloje Okpuje, Owan West LGA, the operatives raided the house of Amuodu Egwehide, 40, recovering 22 bags of skunk weighing 261.4 kilograms. A 60-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Eunice Egwehide, was arrested in the same town on the same day with 17 kilograms of the same substance.
Further arrests included Gapchiya Modu, 26, with 60 kilograms of cannabis along Kano-Nguru Road, Nguru, Yobe state, and the recovery of 200 blocks of the same substance, weighing 57 kilograms, from Usim Orji, 45, along Aba-Owerri road in Imo state on Wednesday, September 6th.
Finally, after over two months of surveillance, NDLEA operatives arrested a wanted kingpin, Idoko Festus Ifesinachi, 40, linked to the importation of 76.9 kilograms of Canadian Loud intercepted in a container marked MSDU6686346 at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state on June 2nd. Ifesinachi was apprehended at his hideout in Lagos and subsequently transported to Port Harcourt.
In addition to these operations, state Commands and other formations have continued the Agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns, reaching out to schools, worship places, palaces, and local communities across the nation.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, commended the officers and men involved in these operations for their dedicated efforts in both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities. He urged them and their colleagues across the country to maintain their vigilance and commitment in the fight against drug trafficking.
