The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has carried out a series of operations across Nigeria, leading to the seizure of large consignments of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, skunk and opioids.
The operations took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, courier companies, highways and several states in the north.
The agency said two men returning from Brazil were caught with drugs concealed in their bodies. One of them, 46-year-old Ofoma Sunday, was arrested at MMIA after a body scan revealed he had ingested illicit substances. He later expelled 111 wraps of heroin weighing 1.45kg.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of another suspect, Nweke Jude Chuckwudi, in a Lagos hotel where he was to supervise the recovery of the drugs. Another returnee, Ukachukwu Frank Ikechukwu, was also arrested at the airport after excreting five wraps of cocaine weighing 145 grams.
In a separate operation, 38-year-old businesswoman, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa, was intercepted on her way to Doha with 1.40kg of methamphetamine hidden in her underwear. She admitted to being lured into drug trafficking despite previously running a clothing and POS business.
At the airport’s export shed, NDLEA officers discovered 40 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 2.30kg hidden in food items destined for Hong Kong. The consignor, 59-year-old Umelo Ifeanyi Venatus, was taken into custody. Another interception at a courier company in Lagos revealed seven phone chargers filled with 257 grams of cocaine bound for New Zealand.
Outside Lagos, operatives seized 233,800 pills of tramadol in Adamawa State. Nearly 196,000 pills were found abandoned in a vehicle, while another suspect was caught with 27,900 pills hidden in her bedroom. At a checkpoint, 22-year-old Halilu Abubakar was arrested with 10,300 pills.
In Zamfara, NDLEA officers supported by community guards intercepted 109 bags of skunk weighing over one ton in a truck along Gummi–Daki Takwas Road, arresting the 40-year-old driver.
Similar raids in Yobe led to the recovery of 14,000 tramadol capsules from two suspects, while in Taraba, three sacks of skunk weighing 25.5kg were seized from a 28-year-old suspect. In Edo State, two cannabis farms covering over four hectares were destroyed, yielding an estimated 11,330kg. Eleven bags of processed skunk weighing 148kg were also confiscated, and three men were arrested.
The agency also reported that its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation programme continued nationwide with outreach activities in schools, worship centres and workplaces across Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Benue and Kano.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers involved in the operations, noting that the arrests and seizures have weakened drug trafficking cartels targeting Nigerian communities. He encouraged personnel to maintain the agency’s approach of combining enforcement with public education in tackling drug abuse.