The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized illegal drugs worth over ₦3.4 billion in Lagos and Rivers states, with more arrests and recoveries made in other parts of the country.
NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement on Sunday that the agency confiscated 3.5 million pills of opioids and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup in separate operations.
He said the biggest seizure happened on April 29 at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, where NDLEA, working with customs officers and other security agents, discovered 2 million pills of tafrodol and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup in a watch-listed container.
In Lagos, 1.5 million pills of a controlled opioid were found with a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, in the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo. The drugs were traced to a house in Victoria Garden City, Lekki, said to belong to one Obinna Kenneth, who is currently on the run.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, officers also found 42 parcels of Canadian Loud — a strong type of cannabis — hidden in tins of chocolate, milo, and kidney beans. Three suspects, including the receiver Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, were arrested between April 30 and May 3.
On May 2, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was caught trying to smuggle over 8,000 pills of tramadol on a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy.
In another operation on April 28, NDLEA stopped an attempt to ship tramadol and cannabis (skunk) to Iraq. The drugs were hidden in bottles of body cream at a courier company in Lagos.
In Kaduna, on May 3, officers stopped a commercial vehicle and found 942 explosives in a sack. A 30-year-old suspect, Nura Sani Muhammad, also known as Nura Hariji, was arrested. NDLEA boss, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), has ordered the suspect and the explosives to be handed over to the proper security agency.
In Kano, five men linked to a drug gang led by Aminu Musa, also known as Kadagi, were arrested with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg.
More drugs were also seized in Edo, Anambra, and Niger states. In Edo, NDLEA found over 314,000 pills of tramadol and other drugs in a bus coming from Onitsha. In Anambra, a suspect was caught with 50,400 capsules of tramadol and other drugs. In Niger, another suspect was arrested with thousands of tramadol capsules and injections.
NDLEA also arrested Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, the Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, after 10 months of investigation. He was linked to a shipment of 2.6 million tramadol pills seized in July 2024 at Apapa seaport. Officers also found 51 wraps of Canadian Loud at his house in Lekki.
Babafemi said the NDLEA will continue to fight drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria. He added that the agency is also educating young people on the dangers of drug use, with recent sensitisation events held at schools in Kano and Katsina.
Chairman Marwa praised NDLEA officers for their hard work and commitment in both stopping drug supply and creating awareness on drug demand reduction.
