The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a series of major anti-narcotics breakthroughs, intercepting cocaine, synthetic cannabis (Loud), opioids and other illicit drugs worth over ₦10 billion at Lagos ports, while arresting several suspected drug kingpins linked to international trafficking syndicates.
According to a statement by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operations also led to the recovery of 401 rounds of military-grade ammunition concealed in palm oil kegs and the seizure of a UK-bound tramadol consignment hidden inside black soap containers.
Among those arrested is a 55-year-old businessman and Balogun Market clothing dealer, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, who was nabbed for attempting to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed within the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.
Babafemi said the cocaine shipment was intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday, July 22, while Onuigbo was arrested the following day after investigations unraveled his role as the alleged kingpin behind the trafficking syndicate.
The investigation initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—who handled the shipment. Their interrogation further resulted in the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment for export, eventually exposing Onuigbo as the mastermind. He was apprehended while allegedly preparing to dispatch another cocaine shipment to the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, at her Surulere residence in Lagos after intercepting her 2.80kg consignment of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, which had arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The Agency also intercepted 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, an opioid with an estimated street value exceeding ₦2.2 billion, during a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport. The consignment had arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight and was seized following actionable intelligence processed by the NDLEA.
In another significant interception, operatives uncovered a shipment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap at a Lagos courier company. The illicit consignment was being prepared for export to the United Kingdom.
At the Apapa Seaport, a joint examination uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilograms, concealed inside three imported vehicles. The illicit drugs have an estimated street value of over ₦7.1 billion.
Beyond narcotics seizures, NDLEA operatives also intercepted military-grade ammunition in separate operations in Katsina and Kaduna states.
In Katsina State, Mustapha Sani, 30, was arrested during a patrol operation in Baure, Safana Local Government Area, with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, comprising 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
Similarly, in Kaduna State, Abubakar Amadu, 30, was apprehended along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Jere with 78 rounds of 7.62mm RLA ammunition concealed inside kegs of red palm oil. Both suspects and the recovered ammunition have been handed over to the appropriate security agencies for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi Community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286 kilograms of cannabis and 86 kilograms of cannabis seeds. The operation also led to the arrest of Ojore Onweze, 45, with 60kg of skunk, and George Agwumede, 30, with 13kg of the same substance.
The Agency also sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, delivering sensitisation lectures to students, teachers and community members at Government Day Secondary School, Sabon Wuse in Niger State, Government Girls Secondary School, Shekara in Kano State, Otto Primary School, Ebute Metta in Lagos State, and other institutions across the country.
Commending the officers and personnel of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina Commands for the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged them to sustain the Agency’s balanced approach of aggressive drug supply reduction alongside continuous drug demand reduction through public sensitisation and preventive education.
