Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted illicit drugs worth ₦9.3 billion, including cocaine and cannabis, and arrested suspected kingpins, including businessman Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, in Lagos State.
Chinedu, 55, who deals in clothing at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested by the NDLEA for attempting to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.
According to a statement made available to ThelensNG on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Chinedu was apprehended on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of his cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Lagos airport the previous day by the anti-narcotics agency.
“In the course of investigation, three cargo agents — Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the shipment were initially arrested, leading to the arrest Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment to the cargo agents for shipment to the UK,” the statement said.
Babafemi disclosed that Okakpu’s arrest led to the identification of Chinedu as the kingpin behind the syndicate and his eventual arrest while attempting to send another consignment of cocaine to the UK.
A 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, who was also involved in illicit drug trafficking, was arrested by NDLEA operatives at her Surulere, Lagos, residence on Tuesday, July 21, following the seizure of her consignment of 2.80kg of Loud (a synthetic strain of cannabis), which had arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.
In another operation at the Lagos airport, a total of 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg, worth over ₦2.2 billion in street value, were recovered from a shipment from India aboard an Air Maroc flight during a joint examination of the cargo on Friday, July 24.
Babafemi revealed that the operation was based on intelligence received and processed by the NDLEA. He stated that the seizure came on the heels of the interception of a consignment of tramadol concealed in containers of black soap destined for the United Kingdom. The shipment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at a courier firm in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, a container carrying three vehicles used to conceal a total of 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud, weighing 2,388.5kg and worth over ₦7.1 billion in street value, was uncovered during a joint examination of the shipment on Monday, July 20.
A suspect, Mustapha Sani, 30, was arrested by NDLEA operatives during a patrol operation at Baure in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State on Wednesday, July 22. He was found in possession of 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition, neatly concealed.
Another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, 30, was arrested by NDLEA officers during a stop-and-search operation at Jere, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, where he was found with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in kegs of red oil.
The spokesperson confirmed that both suspects had been handed over to the relevant security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, raid operations at Ilushi Community in Esan South East Local Government Area on Sunday, July 19, led to the seizure of 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds from a warehouse. Meanwhile, Ojore Onweze, 45, was arrested with 60kg of skunk, while George Agwumede, 30, was nabbed with 13kg of the same substance.
Similarly, the Agency’s Commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, places of worship, workplaces, communities, and other public places during the past week.
The activities included WADA sensitisation lectures for students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Sabon Wuse, Niger State; Government Girls Secondary School, Shekara, Kano State; and Otto Primary School, Ebute Metta, Lagos State, among others.
Commenting on the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), as well as the MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna, and Katsina Commands, for the successful operations.
Marwa urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the Agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts by maintaining an equal focus on drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.
