…Arrests kingpins in nationwide raids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled multiple international drug trafficking syndicates and confiscated counterfeit currency worth millions of dollars during an expansive operation covering Nigeria’s airports, highways, and remote areas.
The agency’s operatives intercepted high-grade cocaine concealed in lipstick tubes and property documents, while also apprehending suspected drug barons operating extensive networks across Lagos, Osun, Borno, and other states.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation raided a courier facility on Thursday, 3 July, uncovering two separate consignments of cocaine en route to Europe and the Middle East.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Mr Femi Babafemi, 420 grammes of cocaine were discovered embedded in 84 pieces of female lipstick destined for the United Kingdom, while another 280 grammes were hidden within a property Certificate of Occupancy bound for Saudi Arabia.
The seizures form part of the agency’s intensified campaign to disrupt Nigeria’s role as a transit point for narcotics.
In a key breakthrough, a notorious drug trafficker, Mr Ajetsibo Emami, alias “Warri Kinsman”, was apprehended in Ikeja, Lagos, on Saturday, 28 June, after a three-day sting operation.
The raid led to the recovery of 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud cannabis, weighing a total of 414.2 kilogrammes. Intelligence reports suggest the drugs were being transported to Lekki for distribution across the state and beyond.
In another operation, the NDLEA uncovered a family-led drug cartel in Lagos. Businessman Mr Ajah Uchenna, his wife Mrs Rosemary Uchenna, their daughters Stella and Ngozi, and a family friend, Mr Okoro Elijah, were arrested.
Despite the detention of Mr and Mrs Uchenna, the syndicate reportedly continued operations, prompting a follow-up raid on their residence and warehouse on Tuesday, 1 July. Authorities seized 231 kilogrammes of cannabis and arrested more accomplices.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, officials intercepted Mr Aburemi Hysent, a regular traveller to Italy, with 7,660 tramadol tablets hidden inside food containers. He confessed to being promised 800 euros for the delivery.
Two days later, officers found counterfeit traveller’s cheques valued at 17.7 million Australian dollars hidden inside children’s books meant for shipment to Malaysia via Istanbul. The books were traced to a freight agent, Mr Bolarinwa Saheed, who is now in custody and has been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation.
Operations extended to the Okene-Lokoja highway, where NDLEA operatives intercepted 10,000 tablets of tramadol and co-codamol, along with over one kilogramme of synthetic cannabis known as Colorado. Follow-up actions in Abuja led to the arrests of three suspects: Mr Chinedu Odo, Mr Samuel Ogbonna, and Mr Kingsley Ugaji.
In Osun State, multiple raids uncovered thousands of opioid tablets, including a significant haul of 48,205 pills from a patent medicine store in Ile-Ife. Further searches led to the recovery of 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine, 850 tramadol tablets, and bottles of codeine syrup hidden in a vulcaniser’s workshop at Akindeko Junction, Osogbo.
In rural operations, NDLEA agents destroyed a 9.67-hectare cannabis farm in Oke-Ila, Osun, burning 24,175 kilogrammes of skunk and arresting seven suspects.
In Borno State, 167 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered in Gamboru-Ngala. Another 452 kilogrammes were seized along the Zaria-Kano highway, resulting in the arrest of Mr Nasuru Saleh and Mr Mustapha Muhammad.
Additional arrests include Mr Sule Ibrahim Sadiq on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 11,000 tramadol tablets, and Mr Joseph Onungene, 62, apprehended in Sokoto with 4,800 tramadol tablets. In Kebbi, agents raided a known drug den in Yauri, seizing 312 kilogrammes of cannabis and 10,000 diazepam tablets.
In Taraba, two suspects, Mr Chigbo Okolo and Mr Ishaku Musa, were arrested with nearly 50,000 tramadol capsules. In Edo, NDLEA operatives captured a long-wanted suspect, Mr Alaba Monday, at his cannabis farm in Owan West Local Government Area. Meanwhile, in Cross River, a 78-year-old man, Mr Mike Abeng, was arrested with over 14 kilogrammes of skunk and tramadol.
Mr Babafemi noted that these coordinated efforts across the country demonstrate the NDLEA’s resolve to dismantle drug trafficking and counterfeiting networks that undermine national security and Nigeria’s global image.
“We are unwavering in our commitment to track down drug syndicates and their enablers wherever they operate,” he stated.