The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested Bariu Aliu, a traditional chief priest of the Igunuko Shrine, popularly known as “Malo,” in the Alpha Beach area of Ajah, Lekki.
This follows a three-month manhunt after 2,760 kilograms of skunk (a strain of cannabis) were recovered from his shrine on October 25, 2024.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said, “In Lagos, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko Shrine at Alpha Beach, Ajah Lekki, where 2,760 kg of skunk was recovered on October 25, 2024, Bariu Aliu (alias Malo), has been arrested by NDLEA operatives after a three-month manhunt. Though two of his accomplices were arrested at the shrine last year and subsequently charged and convicted in court, Bariu was identified as the syndicate leader.”
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 40-foot trailer loaded with 2,217.6 kilograms of skunk in the Kagini area of Kubwa, Abuja. The operation, carried out on January 11, 2025, also led to the arrest of a suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond.
Babafemi explained, “The intelligence-led operation, which took place at 1:20 a.m., led to the seizure of the large illicit consignment, the trailer, six vehicles—comprising a Toyota Van, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, a JAC 4-wheel-drive Hilux, a Toyota Corolla, and a Vento Passat—and the arrest of a suspect.”
He added that the trailer was loaded with the drugs in Uzebba, Owan Local Government Area of Edo State, and was set to distribute them to northern states.
NDLEA’s operations extended to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where officers arrested two suspects, Anthony Nnamdi, 42, and Abba Ali, 27, in Nyanya. They recovered 1.398 kilograms of cocaine and a chemical used in making crack cocaine.
In another case, 20 wraps of cocaine, weighing 330 grams, were intercepted from a cargo shipment bound for Australia. The drugs were hidden in face cream containers at a logistics firm in Lagos.
In Port Harcourt, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, seized 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over ₦1.19 billion. The discovery was made during joint inspections on January 9 and 10, 2025, at the Onne Ports Complex in Rivers State.
In Kano, NDLEA arrested a 23-year-old suspect, Habibu Ya’u, during a raid at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road. Officers recovered 45 blocks of cannabis, weighing 24.2 kilograms, and 40,800 pills of opioids, including tramadol.
Babafemi commended the operatives for their vigilance and urged citizens to support the agency’s efforts to curb drug trafficking and abuse in the country.
