Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, alongside about 6,000 kilograms of potent cannabis strains, in a series of intelligence-led operations across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency said the seizures, which were made in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the FCT, had a combined estimated street value of more than N3.4 billion.
The operations also led to the arrest of several suspects, including a 49-year-old man accused of impersonating a senior police officer to evade security checkpoints while transporting illicit drugs across state boundaries.
The NDLEA said the latest operations formed part of its continuing effort to disrupt drug trafficking networks, intercept illicit consignments and prevent controlled substances from reaching communities across the country. The agency has in recent weeks reported similar intelligence-driven operations targeting drug shipments at seaports, airports, motor parks, highways and cannabis cultivation sites. (NDLEA)
One of the major breakthroughs involved the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 603.75 kilograms. The NDLEA estimated the consignment’s street value at N1.811 billion.
The seizure was made at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos after a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, arrived at the port on September 12.
According to the agency, the container had been placed under intensive monitoring following processed intelligence. On Wednesday, September 16, NDLEA operatives, working with officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, conducted a joint physical examination of the shipment.
The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags. The bags were reportedly loaded into two Toyota Sienna vehicles placed inside the container.
The seizure adds to a series of major interceptions of Canadian Loud at Nigerian ports this year. In June, the NDLEA reported the seizure of 4,959 kilograms of the same strain in another 40-foot container at the Apapa port complex. (NDLEA)
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested 49-year-old Innocent Ekpe along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba on September 16.
The agency said Ekpe was found with 292.48 kilograms of skunk concealed in a silver Toyota Sienna bus. Investigators allegedly discovered that he had been using the identity of Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and a forged police identification card to pass through security checkpoints without attracting scrutiny.
A second suspect, 39-year-old Nduka Joseph, was also arrested in connection with the operation.
The NDLEA said the discovery highlighted the methods allegedly employed by drug trafficking networks to move illicit consignments across state lines while attempting to defeat routine security checks.
In Edo State, operatives acting on intelligence raided an auto-repair workshop along Agbor Road in Benin City. The operation resulted in the arrest of 45-year-old Matthew Ossai, who the agency alleged had been using the workshop as a cover for the storage of illicit drugs.
Recovered from the premises were 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud, 152 grams of methamphetamine and a metal box reportedly used to store the substances.
Another major seizure occurred in Niger State, where NDLEA operatives intercepted more than one million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules during a highway operation.
Two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on September 18 along the Abaji-Abuja Highway. The agency said more than 1.1 million tablets and capsules of tramadol, along with codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets, were recovered from eight sacks.
The consignment was allegedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba in Nasarawa State.
In a separate operation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, three young men were arrested on September 15.
The suspects, identified as Bashir Usman, 20, Abubakar Nuhu, 18, and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18, were reportedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Onyeka Ofor at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, where 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered.
At another location, seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59 kilograms were intercepted at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of Luke Ugokwe.
The agency also reported the arrest of 43-year-old Ibrahim Hudu at Apongbo in Lagos on September 17. A total of 998.38 kilograms of nitrous oxide gas was recovered during the operation.
Gombe State also recorded significant opioid seizures, with 154,480 capsules of tramadol recovered from two suspects.
The suspects, Sabi’u Umar, 27, and Hassana Muhammad, 19, were arrested separately at the Barunde area and Gombe main market on September 18.
In Imo State, 25-year-old Ifesinachi Godwin was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha Road with 43.85 kilograms of skunk.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its campaign against cannabis cultivation in Ondo State, where four suspects were arrested during a raid on a two-hectare cannabis farm in the Ita-Ogbolu forest.
The suspects were identified as Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday.
The agency said approximately 5,000 kilograms of skunk were destroyed during the operation conducted on September 15, while 48 kilograms of dry and fresh cannabis were recovered for use as exhibits in the prosecution of the suspects.
Beyond seizures and arrests, the NDLEA said its Commands and formations across the country continued with its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign during the week.
The campaign featured enlightenment lectures and advocacy engagements in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
Among the institutions reached were St. Ferdinand School in Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Unizik Secondary School in Awka, Anambra State; Scholars Nursery and Primary School in Epe, Lagos State; and Government Technical Training School in Jalingo, Taraba State.
The Delta Ports Command also conducted a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta State.
The NDLEA said the demand-reduction component of its strategy remained important alongside arrests, seizures and prosecutions, stressing that public education was necessary to discourage drug abuse and reduce demand for illicit substances.
Reacting to the latest operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and personnel of the Lagos, Tin-Can, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT Commands for what he described as professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged personnel across the country to sustain what the agency described as a balanced approach to drug control, combining interdiction, investigation, prosecution, drug-demand reduction and public sensitisation.
The latest seizures come against the background of an intensified NDLEA campaign against both imported and locally produced illicit drugs. The agency has recently reported major seizures of Canadian Loud and other cannabis strains, as well as large quantities of tramadol and other opioids at ports and along major transportation routes. (NDLEA)
The agency’s latest operations also demonstrate the range of methods allegedly used by traffickers, including concealment in imported vehicles, movement through major highways, storage behind legitimate businesses and the alleged use of false identities to avoid security scrutiny.
For the NDLEA, however, the seizures are only one part of the wider drug-control process. The agency has repeatedly stated that its objective is to identify trafficking networks, arrest those responsible, prosecute suspects in accordance with the law and disrupt the financial and logistical structures supporting the illicit drug trade.
As investigations continue into the various seizures, the suspects remain subject to the criminal justice process, with any allegations against them to be determined by the appropriate courts.
