In a sweeping series of coordinated operations across multiple states, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted illicit drugs and substances valued at over ₦3.4 billion.
The seizures, which include millions of opioid pills, hundreds of thousands of bottles of codeine syrup, and other illicit substances, were made in Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, Kano, Edo, Anambra, Niger States, and at various Nigerian airports between April 26 and May 3, 2025.
The largest single haul was recorded at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, where NDLEA operatives, working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, uncovered two million pills of Tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup during a joint inspection of a flagged container on Tuesday, April 29.
The total street value of the consignment is estimated in billions of naira.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 1.5 million opioid pills from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo, on the same day. Follow-up investigations traced the origin of the consignment to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, the residence of Obinna Kenneth, who is currently on the run.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, NDLEA operatives intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 20kg and disguised as chocolate powder, Milo, and kidney beans.
The consignment, which arrived on a British Airways flight from Canada, led to the arrest of three suspects, including Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, between April 30 and May 3.
READ ALSO: NDLEA bursts major drug networks, cocaine found in religious books
In a separate airport operation on Friday, May 2, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was arrested while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy. A search of his luggage yielded 8,130 pills of tramadol of varying strengths.
On Monday, April 28, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted 104 grams of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream. The drugs were destined for Iraq through a Lagos-based courier company.
In a striking development, NDLEA officers patrolling the Kaduna-Zaria expressway on Saturday, May 3 intercepted a commercial vehicle en route from Nasarawa to Zamfara. A thorough search revealed 942 concealed explosives, and 30-year-old suspect, Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji), was taken into custody. NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has directed that the suspect and items be handed over to relevant security authorities for further investigation.
In Kano, NDLEA agents arrested five syndicate members led by Aminu Musa (alias Kadagi) at Dangoro Market on April 30, seizing 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg.
Acting on intelligence in Edo State, officers intercepted a white Toyota bus in Uromi, Esan North-East, on May 1, uncovering 314,020 pills of various opioids, 638 bottles of codeine syrup, and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection. Dare Adeyemo, the driver, was arrested.
Similarly, a Mazda commercial bus was stopped at Agu-Awka junction, Anambra, on April 30, and 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol, and 300 ampoules of pentazocine were seized from suspect Chinedu Eneh.
In Niger State, a Mitsubishi Canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY was intercepted on Kontagora-Mokwa road on May 3, with 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine recovered. The driver, Yusuf Abubakar (30), was arrested.
In a major breakthrough, NDLEA operatives arrested Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku (52), Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, on Saturday, April 26, after nearly a year-long investigation.
Obijiaku is the alleged mastermind behind the importation of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted at Apapa seaport in July 2024. A follow-up search at his Lekki residence led to the discovery of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud (34 grams).
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy continued, with sensitization lectures held at Al-istigama University, Kano and Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina State, among others.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) lauded the efforts of the agency’s commands across DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, PHPC, Kaduna, Anambra, Edo, Niger, and Apapa, urging a continued balance between drug supply suppression and demand reduction initiatives.
“These operations reflect the resolve and commitment of the NDLEA to dismantle criminal drug networks and safeguard the health and security of Nigerians,” he stated.