The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully dismantled a trans-border drug trafficking network operating in multiple states. The agency arrested four key suspects and recovered a large quantity of illicit drugs in a series of intelligence-led operations.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated, “Following weeks of intelligence and surveillance operations by operatives of the Directorate of Intelligence in NDLEA, a Sienna bus marked ABJ 452 HG was intercepted at Nasarawa-Toto road, Keffi, Nasarawa state on Tuesday 27th January 2025 at 6am.”
The intercepted vehicle was traveling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State. Two suspects, Zahradeen Adamu, 27, and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested. A second Sienna bus, driven by 48-year-old Abba Usman, was also stopped.
A thorough search of both vehicles led to the discovery of specially designed steel compartments where 190,960 tramadol pills were hidden. Investigations revealed that the shipment originated from an Onitsha-based drug dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri. NDLEA operatives swiftly moved in and arrested Mbaeri at his residence on Uga Street, Onitsha, on 29th January. During the operation, authorities also seized two vehicles from his home.
In another major interception, NDLEA operatives stopped a commercial bus at the Abaji checkpoint in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on 4th February. A passenger, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa, 32, was arrested after officers discovered 404.47 grams of methamphetamine, 506.49 grams of Loud (a potent strain of cannabis), and 262.32 grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor chemical used for meth production, hidden inside motor spare parts.
Further crackdowns were carried out in Cross River State, where NDLEA officers intercepted a truck along the Ogoja-Abakaliki road on 13th February. The truck, driven by Paul Chukwudi, 31, was found carrying 170,000 tramadol pills. Meanwhile, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, officers seized 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup on 11th February.
The agency continued its operations across the country, arresting more suspects in connection with drug trafficking. Two men, Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru, were apprehended in Borno State with 60 compressed blocks of skunk (a strong strain of cannabis) weighing 72kg. Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Ekiti State raided a well-known drug joint on Iloda Street, Ikole-Ekiti, on 11th February. Three suspects, Bala Muhammed, 57, Yahaya Adamu, 55, and Abdullahi Shehu, 30, were arrested, and 83kg of skunk was confiscated.
In Lagos, a woman identified as Samiat Olabisi Yussuf, 28, was arrested at her home in Lekki on 15th February. Officers recovered 169.5 liters of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, along with 111 grams of Loud.
Taraba State also witnessed drug-related arrests. Ibrahim Usman, 40, was caught with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud at Wukari, while Solomon James, 40, was arrested in Jalingo LGA with 44.84kg of similar substances.
Beyond arrests and seizures, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Officers conducted awareness programs in schools, workplaces, and traditional communities nationwide. Some of the institutions visited include Government Technical College, Oku, Akwa Ibom, Future Leaders Academy, Kishi, Oyo State, and Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti, Ekiti State. The Kano State command also organized an enlightenment lecture for married women in purdah at Markaz Umar Bn Khattab Centre.
