• Foils Multiple Drug Trafficking Attempts Across Nigeria
Felix Temitope, Abuja
DAILY COURIER — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie, an automobile spare parts dealer, for attempting to export heroin and "loud," a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
A statement today by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi detailed how Ejiofor was arrested on September 24, 2024, at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, where he operates his auto parts business. His cargo, destined for Liberia, was intercepted at the airport's export shed and contained rechargeable lamps, sofa legs, and electronics. Upon inspection, NDLEA officers discovered 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud weighing 1.20 kilograms hidden inside the lamps and sofa legs. Follow-up operations led to the arrest of two freight agents connected to the consignment, ultimately leading to Ejiofor's arrest.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA foiled multiple attempts to export consignments of drugs, including loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, and pentazocine injections, through courier companies to countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Oman. Among the intercepted shipments were 2.3 kilograms of loud destined for Thailand, 749 grams of tramadol hidden in soles of locally made footwear bound for Oman, and 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection headed for the United States. Other intercepted items included 200 co-codamol pills intended for Australia, and 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine, and tramadol bound for the UK, concealed in footwear. The seizures occurred between September 23 and 24, 2024.
In another major development, NDLEA operatives arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ajiboye Damilare Samuel, also known as "Na God," on September 25, 2024, after a 12-month manhunt. Ajiboye had been evading arrest since his warehouse in Mushin, Lagos, was raided in September 2023, yielding over 1,100 kilograms of "Ghana loud" cannabis. Ajiboye was apprehended at a bank in Ogun State after the NDLEA's Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation traced and blocked 20 of his bank accounts.
In a separate operation on September 27, 2024, NDLEA officers arrested a wanted community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, following the arrest of his two wives and son. The family was linked to the seizure of 226.2 kilograms of cannabis at their residence in Badagry on September 18, 2024. Another operation in Lagos led to the seizure of 9.7 kilograms of cannabis sativa and 50 liters of "monkey tail," a mixture of cannabis and dry gin, from a suspect, Florence Moses, in the Badore area of Ajah.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives arrested three suspects on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway transporting 132 sacks of cannabis weighing over 2,000 kilograms in a Mercedes container truck. A separate arrest in Kabba led to the seizure of 33.40 kilograms of cannabis and a pump-action gun from a suspect.
Additionally, NDLEA’s Marine Command intercepted a boat carrying nearly 3,000 kilograms of "Ghana loud" off the coast of Alfa Beach, Lagos, on September 25, 2024. The suspects fled by diving into the water, leaving behind the boat and drugs, which were recovered with the support of the Nigerian Customs Service.
In Rivers State, the NDLEA intercepted 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup containing 150,000 bottles during a joint examination at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, on September 25, 2024. Other significant arrests and seizures occurred in Niger, Kano, Plateau, Oyo, Katsina, Cross River, and Edo States, with various illicit substances, including tramadol, cannabis, and codeine, being confiscated.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the agency's officers for their vigilance in intercepting the illicit consignments and intensifying the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy efforts nationwide. He also lauded the efforts of NDLEA’s officers for their educational outreach programs in schools, communities, and traditional institutions, aimed at curbing drug abuse across the country.
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