The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs worth over N10 billion at Lagos ports and arrested suspected drug kingpins linked to international trafficking networks, as part of a series of operations carried out across the country.
The agency also recovered 401 rounds of military-grade ammunition concealed in kegs of palm oil in Kaduna and Katsina states, while seizing a consignment of tramadol hidden inside containers of black soap destined for the United Kingdom.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives arrested a 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who trades in clothing at Balogun Market on Lagos Island, for allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside the walls of cartons containing food items bound for the UK.
Babafemi said Chinedu was arrested on Thursday after NDLEA officers intercepted the cocaine shipment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday.
The agency disclosed that investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—as well as another suspect, Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the consignment for shipment.
According to the NDLEA, information obtained from Okakpu led investigators to identify Chinedu as the alleged mastermind of the drug trafficking syndicate. He was subsequently arrested while allegedly preparing to send another cocaine shipment to the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following the seizure of 2.80 kilograms of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also announced the seizure of 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at more than N2.2 billion, during a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport on Friday. The shipment had arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight and was intercepted following intelligence gathered by the agency.
Babafemi added that the latest seizure came shortly after NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap meant for export to the United Kingdom through a Lagos courier company.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, the anti-narcotics agency uncovered a container carrying three vehicles allegedly used to conceal 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value exceeding N7.1 billion.
Outside Lagos, NDLEA said its operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani during a patrol operation in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State after recovering 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition hidden in his possession.
In Kaduna State, another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, was arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 78 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed inside kegs of red palm oil. The agency said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agencies for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, recovering 1,286 kilograms of cannabis and 86 kilograms of cannabis seeds.
The agency also arrested two suspects during the operation. Ojore Onweze was allegedly found with 60 kilograms of skunk, while George Agwumede was arrested with 13 kilograms of the same substance.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes conducted in schools and communities across Niger, Kano and Lagos states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) and commands in MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina for the successful operations.
He urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s strategy of combining aggressive drug interdiction with preventive public enlightenment campaigns.
