The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a massive Loud stash house in Lekki, Lagos, and dismantling an illegal skuchies factory.
These operations, alongside interdictions in Anambra, Kwara, Kogi, and Nasarawa, resulted in the seizure of illicit substances worth billions of naira and the arrest of several suspects, including three persons with disabilities who were allegedly acting as couriers.
A major breakthrough occurred on Friday, May 8, when a Special Operations Unit raided a mansion at 36 African Lane, Lekki Phase 1.
The property served as a high-volume warehouse for Loud, a potent strain of imported cannabis. Operatives recovered 4,000 parcels weighing 2,326 kilograms, with an estimated street value exceeding N5.8 billion.
Two Mercedes-Benz buses and various branded packaging materials intended for retail distribution were also confiscated from the premises.
In a separate Lagos operation, officers targeted a makeshift factory in the Ijora Badia area on May 6. Two suspects, Bose Jamiu and Gbenga Gege, were caught in the process of brewing skuchies, a dangerous mixture of cannabis and other illicit chemicals.
Authorities recovered 270 liters of the liquid drug and 106 grams of high-strength Tramadol.
The crackdown extended to regional corridors, where the NDLEA intercepted three individuals with disabilities who were allegedly exploiting their status to smuggle narcotics.
In Anambra, 60-year-old Romanus Nwabara was apprehended in Onitsha with retail quantities of skunk, while 25-year-old Amos Kenneth was caught in Ogbunike with a cocktail of Tramadol, Diazepam, and Exol-5.
Meanwhile, in Kwara State, operatives on patrol at Bode Saadu discovered 6.3 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a school bag belonging to a passenger named Usman Salisu.
Further significant seizures were recorded along the Okene/Lokoja highway in Kogi State, where a search of a white J5 commuter bus revealed 76 jumbo bags of cannabis weighing 766kg.
Three suspects were detained in connection with the shipment. In Nasarawa State, Emmanuel Osita Okeke was arrested earlier in the week with 129kg of skunk in the Nyanya Karu area.
In tandem with these enforcement actions, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. Educational lectures and sensitization programs were conducted across schools and community centers in Nasarawa, Ekiti, Enugu, Abia, Kano, and Oyo states to discourage drug use among youth and local residents.
Commenting, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, commended the various commands for their vigilance and successful operations.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between reducing the drug supply through arrests and reducing demand through community engagement.