• Recovers billions in illicit drugs across Nigeria
DAILY COURIER - The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates in Nigeria after months of intelligence gathering and surveillance, leading to the arrest of six cartel leaders and the seizure of billions of naira worth of cocaine and opioids.
According to a statement today by the agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, this nationwide operation took place across multiple states, including Lagos, Abuja, Taraba, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, and Ondo.
The syndicates involved included key operatives from Nigeria and Cameroon who were identified as suppliers to terror groups in both countries. Those apprehended include Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin, and Adejumo Elijah Ishola. Bawuro and Najib were tracked from Onitsha, Anambra, where they procured tramadol from notorious dealer Nelson Udechukwu, before being arrested in Taraba on October 8, with 276,500 tramadol pills seized from an abandoned vehicle on the Jalingo-Yola expressway.
In Lagos, operatives arrested Adejumo Elijah Ishola on November 5 at the Seme border, intercepting 3.3 kg of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis smuggled from Ghana. Also, a staggering 31.75 million opioid pills disguised as diclofenac sodium were seized at Apapa seaport in Lagos on November 6, in a joint examination with customs officers.
The crackdown continued at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, where on November 5, a software engineer, Olu Marshal, was arrested after arriving to collect a package containing 700 grams of a high-potency cannabis strain called “Loud.” A search of Marshal’s Lekki home led to the discovery of drug paraphernalia.
Additional seizures included 162,800 opioid pills from suspects in Kwara State, 755.5 kg of cannabis in a truck intercepted in Abuja, and significant amounts of cannabis confiscated from various suspects in Taraba, Plateau, Kano, and Edo states. In a major raid in Edo, NDLEA operatives seized 1,078 kg of cannabis in the Okhuokhuo-Isi forest on November 8.
The NDLEA also intensified its "War Against Drug Abuse" (WADA) advocacy across Nigeria, educating students and community members in schools, workplaces, and traditional institutions to curb the dangers of drug misuse. Key advocacy events were held in institutions across Lagos, Cross River, Oyo, Sokoto, and Anambra, with Edo State operatives also visiting the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, in support of the anti-drug campaign.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s officers across various command centers for their unwavering commitment to combatting drug abuse and trafficking while maintaining outreach and education on the dangers of drug misuse in communities nationwide.
This extensive operation underscores NDLEA's commitment to eradicating drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
