Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several suspected traffickers and intercepted large consignments of cocaine, cannabis, opioids and ammunition in coordinated operations across the country, disrupting international drug trafficking networks linked to the United Kingdom and other destinations.
The agency arrested 55-year-old businessman Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, a clothing trader at Lagos Island’s Balogun Market, for allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed inside the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.
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NDLEA operatives arrested Onuigbo on Thursday, July 23, after intercepting the shipment at the export shed of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos the previous day.
Investigators initially detained three cargo agents, Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim, who handled the consignment. Their investigation led to the arrest of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the shipment, before authorities identified Onuigbo as the alleged leader of the trafficking syndicate. Officers arrested him while he was allegedly preparing another cocaine shipment for the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA officers arrested 31-year-old entrepreneur Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, July 21. The arrest followed the seizure of 2.80 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.
The agency also reported major drug seizures at Lagos airport. Acting on intelligence, officers recovered 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg with an estimated street value exceeding N2.2 billion from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight.
The seizure followed the interception of a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom through a Lagos courier company.
At Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian ‘loud’ weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes and valued at more than N7.1 billion. The drugs were hidden inside three vehicles packed in a shipping container examined on Monday, July 20.
In Katsina State, NDLEA operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani during a patrol at Baure in Safana Local Government Area after allegedly finding 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition concealed in his possession. The cache included 200 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 123 rounds of 7.6mm ammunition.
In a separate stop-and-search operation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, officers arrested another 30-year-old suspect, Abubakar Amadu, after discovering 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition hidden inside kegs of red palm oil. NDLEA said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Meanwhile, raid operations in the Ilushi community of Esan South East Local Government Area, Edo State, resulted in the seizure of 1,286 kilogrammes of cannabis and 86 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds from a warehouse.
Officers also arrested Ojore Onweze, 45, with 60 kilogrammes of skunk, while George Agwumede, 30, was apprehended with 13 kilogrammes of the same substance.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, delivering sensitisation programmes in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities. Recent outreach activities included lectures for students and staff at Government Day Secondary School, Sabon Wuse, Niger State; Government Girls Secondary School, Shekara, Kano State; and Otto Primary School, Ebute Metta, Lagos State.
Commending officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna and Katsina Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel across the agency to sustain what he described as a balanced approach to Nigeria’s drug control efforts through enforcement and public education.
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