The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug kingpins in Lagos and dismantled multiple syndicates involved in cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine trafficking to Europe.
In a statement signed on Sunday by NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the arrests followed weeks of intelligence gathering by the Agency’s Special Operations Unit.
“While 64-year-old Nwosa parades himself as a successful textile merchant, 49-year-old Obiegbu is known to many as a wine distributor, but beneath their outward appearance is their hidden illicit drug business unearthed by NDLEA operatives after months of surveillance,” the statement said.
Nationwide InterceptionsThe agency reported a string of seizures across the country.In Borno, 26-year-old Baba Kaka Ibrahim was arrested on 27 September with 39,380 tramadol and exol-5 pills hidden inside a Mercedes-Benz GLK.
In Yobe, operatives seized 1.4kg Colorado from Halima Adamu on the Damaturu–Maiduguri road, leading to another arrest in Maiduguri.
In Kano, two men were caught with 30,030 tramadol pills.In Bayelsa, three suspects were nabbed with 12kg cannabis and 50 cartridges at Swali jetty.At the Abuja–Kaduna tollgate, NDLEA arrested 56-year-old Adedamola Olayeni with 262.6kg skunk concealed in a Honda Pilot SUV.
Another suspect, Zubairu Haruna, 30, was caught in Kaduna with 506g methamphetamine, while a follow-up operation in Gombe led to the arrest of 25-year-old Babangida Mohammed, the receiver of the consignment.In Lagos, operatives intercepted 85,100 tramadol pills and opioids from three suspects at Apapa, while in Abuja, 40-year-old Opeyemi Ogundipe was arrested with 2.1kg Colorado along Abaji–Gwagwalada expressway.In Edo State, NDLEA destroyed 24 tonnes of cannabis farms, arrested suspects, and intercepted a truck transporting 1,025kg of skunk along the Wareke–Auchi road.NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), hailed the operations as a major blow to criminal networks.
“Every gram of these dangerous drugs we seize and remove from our streets and communities reinforces our commitment to safeguard public health and national security,” Marwa said.
He directed commands nationwide to sustain momentum in the War Against Drug Abuse campaign.The arrests come weeks after the commissioning of a modern German-built sniffer-dog complex in Lagos.
According to the agency, canine teams have already helped intercept over 17.9 tonnes of illicit substances since their deployment.