The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, as part of a series of nationwide operations that led to the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs, including synthetic cannabis (Colorado) concealed in moimoi sachets and Canadian Loud hidden in canned food items.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Liang was apprehended on Friday at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, based on actionable intelligence.
Liang, a Chinese national naturalised in Malaysia, had flown in from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. He was allegedly carrying two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing 26.10kg. NDLEA operatives, who had tracked him from departure, allowed him to clear immigration before arresting him as he exited the airport.
In a separate operation, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was arrested in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, at Edet-Nsa Street, Calabar South, Cross River State, with over 3kg of skunk. Her arrest followed intelligence reports linking her to ongoing drug trafficking activities.
In Lagos, on Wednesday, July 23, operatives intercepted Chidi Agbafo on the Epe–Ajah Expressway with 21.7kg of Colorado—some packed in moimoi cooking sachets—and 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup. He was traveling in a commercial bus bound for Warri and Oghara in Delta State.
At the Apapa seaport, a joint operation by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies on Friday, July 25, uncovered 101kg of Canadian Loud. The drugs were factory-sealed in 202 tins labeled “Bean Salad Mix” and hidden in two Toyota Sienna vans shipped from Canada.
Also on July 23, along the Abuja–Kaduna highway, operatives arrested Usman Musa in a commercial bus headed to Kano. He was caught with 71,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5.
In Borno State, Binta Usman, 30, was arrested in her residence at Muna Moforo, Maiduguri, where 30.1kg of skunk was recovered. A follow-up operation on July 25 led to the arrest of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, in the same area.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers raided a cannabis plantation in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose LGA, arresting three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye. They destroyed 2,500kg of cannabis cultivated on a hectare and recovered 121.4kg of processed skunk.
In Benin City, Edo State, a 26-year-old woman, Bright Sunday Okon, was arrested at Asakpa Community on July 23. Various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine were found in her residence.
In Nasarawa State, 105.4kg of skunk was recovered from an abandoned Honda vehicle with registration number ABC 204 KM in Keffi. In Niger State, Bashir Abdullahi was arrested on July 21 at Kasuwan Gwari, Minna, with 6,400 pills of 225mg tramadol.
In Ogun State, notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was arrested on July 24 at his hideout in Ifo. NDLEA recovered 113kg of skunk following violent resistance from his gang.
In Gombe State, Adamu Adamu (a.k.a. “Dankyado”) was caught on July 26 along the Gombe–Bajoga road with 10,910 capsules of tramadol.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives on July 24 intercepted a consignment of skunk hidden in garri, scent leaves, and other food items along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Kindness Bala, 27, who intended to move the drugs to Katsina State and then Qatar. On July 26, the Kogi Command also recovered 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck in a motor park in Ayingba.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued with sensitisation lectures at schools across Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, and Lagos states. In Anambra, advocacy visits were paid to the traditional rulers of Awka and Ukpo communities.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the agency’s commands in MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi States for their efforts in drug supply reduction. He also praised nationwide efforts to balance enforcement with demand reduction through public education.
