The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested multiple suspects and intercepted large quantities of illicit drugs concealed in petrol tankers, refrigerators, animal feed sacks, and other items during coordinated operations across several states.
Among those apprehended was a 75-year-old man, Uchelue Ikechukwu, caught with 26.7kg of skunk at Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State. Five other suspects were also arrested in different parts of the state for possession of opioids and cannabis.
At the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate, operatives intercepted 104,900 capsules of tramadol hidden in the driver’s compartment of a petrol tanker suspected to be en route to insurgents in Borno State. The driver, Hassan Buba, was immediately taken into custody.
In a separate operation at the Gwargwaje-Zaria checkpoint, 45-year-old Kabir Sulaiman was arrested with 34.1kg of skunk. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, a major opioids supplier in Borno, Uchenna Umeh, 33, was also arrested shortly after receiving a fresh shipment from Onitsha, Anambra State.
In Nasarawa State, two suspects were apprehended in separate incidents with a combined 109,450 pills of tramadol and Rohypnol, along with 38 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The substances were hidden in a deep freezer transported from Delta State. The suspects, identified as Abubakar Dauda, 36, and Babangida Tungura, 47, were arrested in Mararaba and Lafia respectively.
In Adamawa State, 23-year-old Mohammed Ali was arrested after 15,000 tramadol capsules were intercepted, concealed in sacks of animal feed. Additionally, operatives in Yola seized 58kg of skunk hidden in sacks of pepper. The consignment, traced to a suspect named Hamisu Abdullahi, was discovered after officers intercepted a vehicle coming from Gombe. Abdullahi was arrested during a follow-up operation.
A major cannabis farm was also uncovered in Taraba State. Supported by personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard, and local vigilantes, NDLEA operatives destroyed 178,750kg of cannabis plants cultivated on a 71.5-hectare farm in the Mayodoga forest, Sardauna LGA. One suspect, Alfa Andrew, 30, was arrested at the site with a Dane gun.
In Borno State, a further raid on the apartment of Uchenna Umeh led to the recovery of 30,640 pills of tramadol (225mg), 7,940 tablets of Rohypnol, and N7.9 million in cash, all in new N200 notes.
In Ekiti State, a raid on a residence in Ado-Ekiti led to the seizure of 5.3kg of Loud and Colorado—two potent strains of cannabis—along with a small quantity of methamphetamine. The suspect, 42-year-old Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, also known as “Atiku,” was described by the agency as a drug kingpin.
Multiple seizures were also reported in Kano, where 250,000 tablets of Exol-5 were recovered from a 25-year-old suspect, Alhasaan Musa. Two other individuals were caught with 25.7kg of skunk and 8,080 bottles of new psychoactive substances along the Zaria-Kano road.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Ewu-Auchi road, recovering 64,250 pills of opioids. In Ondo State, 117.5kg of processed cannabis was seized from suspects at the Queen Elizabeth Aponmu Reserved Camp.
Babafemi emphasized that the coordinated operations are part of the agency’s sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country and prevent illicit substances from reaching criminal elements, including insurgents.
