Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted no fewer than 3,500,000 pills of opioids and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup worth over ₦3,428,000,000 billion in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and Lagos State.
The bulk of the seizures, including two million pills of tafrodol 225mg was made during a joint examination of a watch-listed container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
The Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to Thelensng on Sunday, May 4, 2025.
“In Lagos, a total of 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect Olarenwaju Wahab at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on Tuesday 29th April while the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, which is the residence of one Obinna Kenneth who is now at large,” the statement noted.
Babafemi revealed that NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud (a strong strain of cannabis) weighing 20kg.
He noted that the illicit drugs were concealed in tins of chocolate, milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans packaged as part of cargos that came into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
“At least, three suspects including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, have been arrested between Wednesday 30th April and Saturday 3rd May.”
In another operation, a businessman Bobby Morris Osas was arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy on Friday, May 2, 2025, and a thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg.
The spokesperson stated that attempt by another syndicate to ship 104grams of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream to Iraq through a courier company in Lagos was also thwarted by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on Monday, April 28.
Elsewhere (Kaduna), the agency’s operatives on patrol along Kaduna-Zaria expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle coming from Nasarawa State heading to Zamfara State on Saturday, May 3.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 942 explosive devices concealed in a sack and the subsequent arrest of a 30-year-old suspect Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji).
Babafemi noted that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, has directed that the suspect and exhibits be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further action.
Similarly, five members of a syndicate led by Aminu Musa (a.k.a Kadagi) were apprehended by NDLEA operatives at Dangoro market, Kano with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg recovered from them on Wednesday, April 30.
Operatives acting on intelligence in Edo State intercepted a white Toyota bus at Uromi, Esan North-East while conveying assorted opioids from Onitsha, Anambra state heading to Auchi on Thursday, May 1.
Among the prohibited substances recovered from the vehicle were: 314,020 pills of tramadol, rophynol, diazepam, exol5; 638 bottles of codeine syrup and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while a suspect, Dare Adeyemo, was taken into custody.
A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra State by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, April 30, while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and a suspect, Chinedu Eneh was arrested.
The statement added: “In Niger State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kontagora -Mokwa road on Saturday 3rd May intercepted a Mitsubishi canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection as well as the arrest of a suspect Yusuf Abubakar, 30.
“After 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 26th April arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted by NDLEA at Apapa seaport in Lagos on 28th July 2024. A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34grams.”
However, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Command continued across the country in the past week.
The activities include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Al-istigama University, Kano, and Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina State, among others.
Reacting to the arrests and seizures of the past week, Marwa commended the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, PHPC, Kaduna, Anambra, Edo, Niger and Apapa Commands of the Agency.
He equally lauded their counterparts in all the Commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
