The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a notorious drug baron in Lagos and intercepted a vast quantity of narcotics during a series of coordinated operations across the country.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives uncovered parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, hidden inside brand-new microwave ovens imported from Thailand. The consignment, weighing 11.3kg, arrived via an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok through Addis Ababa. A suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In a related operation at a Lagos courier company, officers intercepted 420 grams of cocaine ingeniously concealed in 84 lipstick tubes destined for the United Kingdom. A further 400 grams of cocaine and phenacetine were uncovered in a separate lipstick shipment heading to Malabo, Guinea. Lagos-based businessman Ezeikwelume Prince Afam was taken into custody over the discovery.
In another major breakthrough, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit arrested a long-sought drug kingpin, Okechukwu Izugha, also known as Okey Omeogo, on 9 July. He was picked up at his wife’s shop in Ijesha Market, Lagos, after evading capture for nearly a year. The agency had been monitoring him since August 2024, when 9kg of cocaine was traced to his network. His wife, Maureen, had earlier been convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for possession of 500 grams of cocaine.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed over 28,000 kilograms of cannabis grown on three farms covering 11 hectares in the Ewere-Uzebba Forest, Owan West Local Government Area. The officers came under heavy gunfire from cartel members while exiting the forest, but successfully repelled the attack. Although one operational vehicle was damaged by bullets, no casualties were reported.
At Okun Ajah Beach in Lagos, agents recovered 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a high-grade cannabis variant, totalling 700kg. Two suspects, Innocent Ejidiobo and Friday Paul, were arrested on the Ajah-Epe Expressway with 26kg of the same substance, along with 123 grams of methamphetamine, 45 grams of MDMA, and a delivery van.
NDLEA’s operations extended to several other states: In Borno, officers arrested Godwin Chimaobi Nwaobi, 42, with 18,759 ampoules of pentazocine, tramadol, and rohypnol at Njimtilo, Maiduguri. Days earlier, Abdulrahman Bello Ahmadu, 34, was caught with 10,000 tramadol pills.
In Gombe, 116,226 pills of tramadol and D5 were recovered from five suspects during raids at Gombe Main Market and on the Gombe-Kano Road.
In Kogi, Sabiu Bala was arrested with 316.6kg of cannabis on the Okene-Lokoja Expressway.
In Kaduna, 38-year-old Haladu Suleiman was found with 58.8kg of cannabis in the Gubuchi area of Ikara Local Government.
In Taraba, three suspects, Auwal Ibrahim, 30, Lukman Ibrahim, 18, and Hamza Adamu, 25, were apprehended at Lanka Viri checkpoint with 577,890 opioid pills and over 1kg of cannabis concealed in a petrol tanker’s tyre compartment.
In Kano, three men, Shamsudini Abdullahi, 35, Adamu Abdullahi, 21, and Magaji Rabo, 26, were arrested with 48.1kg of cannabis near Janguza Barracks.
Reacting to the week’s operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Taraba, Kano, Kogi, Gombe, Borno, and Kaduna Commands for their commitment and bravery. He reaffirmed the agency’s determination to dismantle drug syndicates and intensify the fight against illicit trafficking across Nigeria.