The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, said President Bola Tinubu has boosted the capacity of the agency to effectively deliver on its mandate.
Marwa stated this during his presentation at the two-day interactive Session on Government-citizens’ Engagement on Tuesday in Kaduna.
According to the NDLEA boss, drug is among the top three challenges bedeviling the country.
“Over 14 million Nigerians are battling with drug abuse issues. From South-West Region, we have 24.4 per cent drug abuse prevalence, South-South has 18 per cent, South-East 13.8, North-East 13.4, North-West 12 per cent and North-Central 10 per cent.
“These are UN figures, and it calls for serious concern. 12 per cent is high, because in North-West, we have three million people followed by Kano with one million.
“Drug prevalence do not only harm our youths, societies and families, but also encourages criminal activities like kidnapping, banditry and terrorism.
“Tinubu administration has done a lot in addressing drug abuse and trafficking in the country; since assumption into office in May 2023, President Tinubu has shown great interest in the work of NDLEA.
“His unwavering support has enhance our intelligence and boost our capacity. We now have intelligent modern tools, operations vehicles and sophisticated weapons to protect our men and women against drug cartels,”he added.
According to Marwa, the agency had its staff strength ramped up, adding, “we are now we are over 15, 000.
”We are everywhere now; the airports, seaports, high ways and the sea. We even have a Marine Command now.”
He added that the good works the agency was doing was as a result of the support given to it by Tinubu. (NAN)
The seized houses in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Kano states, were either acquired with proceeds of drug trafficking, or used as instrumentality of committing the crime.
A public auction was yesterday conducted on the forfeited houses at the agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja.
Pre-qualified auctioneers, bidders, representatives of civil society organisations, the media and other government agencies witnessed the process.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, said the auction forms part of the agency’s strategic efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks by depriving offenders the liberty and illicit wealth in strict compliance with legal frameworks and due process.
Gen. Marwa, who was represented by the agency Secretary, Mr. Shadrack Haruna, reaffirmed NDLEA’s resolve to pursue drug offenders not only through prosecution but also by targeting all assets acquired through proceeds of crime.
He said: “This auction is part of our broader commitment to transparency and justice. Beyond prosecuting drug offenders, we are committed to ensuring that the financial incentives that drive these crimes are neutralized through legal forfeiture.
“This serves as both punishment and deterrence. When drug traffickers know they stand to lose everything, including their ill-gotten assets, it sends a stronger message than imprisonment alone.”
The auction involved eight forfeited properties across Lagos, Kano, Ondo and Ogun. Two of the houses, located in Lekki and Ikorodu areas of Lagos, were stepped down following notices of appeal received after the processes had begun.
Six other properties were auctioned to pre-qualified bidders, with only two sold at over N139 million following successful bids above their reserved prices. Others either failed to receive any bids or attracted offers below the benchmark.
Umar Yakubu of the Centre for Transparency and Integrity Watch, commended the NDLEA for conducting a process that was open, credible, and compliant with international best practices.
He noted that the level of transparency observed was commendable and reflective of a strong institutional culture that prioritizes public accountability. He further encouraged the agency to amplify such efforts as a public education tool to underscore the consequences of drug crimes.
The NDLEA Director, Proceeds of Crime Management, Jerry Iorwa Aernan, noted that participating auctioneers were pre-qualified by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and had met the required integrity checks to prevent the disposed assets from returning to original owners through the back door.
He emphasized that successful bidders must pay 10 per cent of their bid value within 14 days to confirm their interest, while the full payment is expected within a stipulated timeframe.
Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, in a statement, said they were arrested during an operation and a consignments of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis hidden in moimoi sachets and Canadian Loud, another strong strain of cannabis concealed in canned food items imported from Canada were seized.
According to the statement, Liang was arrested by NDLEA operatives at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos last Friday.
The suspect, who arrived Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE), on Emirates Airline flight, is a Chinese, naturalised and based in Malaysia, but flew to Thailand where he picked two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of Loud weighing 26.10kg before heading to Nigeria via UAE.
Babafemi said upon the suspect’s arrival at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives who were tracking his movement from his port of departure allowed him to pass through the protocols before picking him up on his way out of the airport.
Babafemi said Mrs. Ekpeme was arrested at Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River State with over 3kg skunk in the early hours of last Saturday, following intelligence on her drug activities.
The statement reads, “In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on July 23 intercepted a suspect Chidi Agbafo along Epe-Ajah Expressway while taking consignments of 21.7kg Colorado, some of which were packaged in moi moi cooking sachets and 3.8litres of codeine based syrup in a commercial bus to deliver in Warri and Oghara, Delta State.
…intercepts Loud consignments in processed food cans from Canada
…others in Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, Kogi raids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, for their involvement in illicit drug trafficking.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspects were apprehended during a nationwide interdiction operation that led to the seizure of synthetic cannabis strains—Colorado and Canadian Loud—concealed in food packaging.
Liang was arrested on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, after arriving from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. The naturalised Malaysian-based Chinese suspect had reportedly picked up two suitcases in Thailand containing 50 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 26.10kg.
Babafemi explained that NDLEA operatives, who had been tracking his movement, waited for him to complete immigration and customs protocols before apprehending him as he exited the airport.
In a related development, 80-year-old Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was arrested early Saturday, July 26, at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River State. She was found in possession of over 3kg of cannabis, commonly known as skunk.
NDLEA said both arrests were based on actionable intelligence and underscore its resolve to crack down on drug trafficking networks across all age groups and nationalities.
The statement reads, “In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, 23rd July intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, along Epe – Ajah expressway while taking consignments of 21.7kg Colorado, some of which were packaged in moimoi cooking sachets and 3.8litres of codeine based syrup in a commercial bus to deliver in Warri and Oghara, Delta state.
“At the Apapa seaport in Lagos, a total of 101kg of Canadian Loud factory, packed in 202 tins of imported food items labelled Bean Salad Mix and concealed in two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that came from Canada, were recovered. The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies on Friday, 25th July.
“No fewer than 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 were recovered from Usman Musa by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Abuja- Kaduna highway on Wednesday, 23rd July, when the suspect was travelling with the consignment of opioids in a commercial bus going to Kano.
“In Borno, a 30-year-old lady, Binta Usman, was on Wednesday 23rd July arrested by NDLEA officers who recovered 30.1kg of skunk from her house at Muna Moforo area of Maiduguri.
“A follow-up operation later led to the arrest of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, in the same area of the Borno state capital on Friday, 25th July. Three brothers: Nanna Ozirinye, Chizom Ozirinye and Maxwell Ozirinye were arrested on Saturday, 26th July arrested when NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis plantation at Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose local council area of Ondo State, where they destroyed 2,500 kilograms of skunk on an hectare of land and recovered already processed 121.4kg of the same psychoactive substance.
“In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, 23rd July raided the Asakpa community in Benin city, where they arrested a 26-year-old lady, Bright Sunday Okon and recovered various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona and skunk, all strains of cannabis, as well as Methamphetamine from her.
“While a total of 105.4kg skunk was recovered by NDLEA operatives from an abandoned Honda car marked ABC 204 KM in Keffi, Nasarawa state, their counterparts in Niger state on Monday 21st July arrested a suspect Bashir Abdullahi with 6,400 pills of tramadol 225mg at Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna, even as a notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was taken into custody and 113kg skunk retrieved from his enclave in Ifo, Ogun state on Thursday 24th July, after a violent resistance and attack on NDLEA operatives by members of his gang.
“A total of 10,910 capsules of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Adamu Adamu (a.k.a Dankyado) by NDLEA officers on patrol along Gombe-Bajoga road, Gombe state, on Saturday, 26th July, while operatives in Kogi state on Thursday, 24th July, intercepted a consignment of skunk concealed inside garri, dried scent leaves, and other food items along Okene-Lokoja highway.
“A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala, who was planning to travel to Katsina state with the cargo and later to Qatar. Similarly, operatives in Kogi on Saturday, 26th July recovered 23,600 pills of tramadol, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in Ayingba area of the state.
“The War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Komu/Babaode High School, Babaode, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo state; Beacon Christian Academy, Ngodo, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi; Government Day Secondary School, Araba, Illela, Sokoto; and Government Junior College, Agege, Lagos; while the Anambra state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the traditional rulers of Awka community, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Ezeuzu 11 and Ukpo community, Igwe Robert Eze, Okofia VI, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna and Kogi Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”
The Police Service Commission (PSC) is seeking the support of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in conducting drug integrity tests for police recruits across the country.
The PSC Chairman, retired DIG Hashimu Argungu, made the request when he led a delegation of the PSC management on a courtesy visit to NDLEA on Tuesday in Abuja.
In a statement yesterday by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the PSC chairman said that the request came intending to ensure that those with the right frame of mind eventually make it out of police training colleges across the country.
Argungu commended the leadership of NDLEA for the support so far received, saying that his visit was to seek further assistance.
“This is because we follow processes and procedures in anything we do so that we can produce the best results.
“If the process and procedures were followed wrongly, the result or product is going to be bad,” Argungu said.
He said the commission would decentralise its screening of recruits across Nigeria and would need the support of the NDLEA in every state.
“We want them to assist us in screening those who are already on drugs in whatever form.
“This is because we can’t churn out and put arms in the hands of people already dependent on illicit drugs; that is dangerous.”
In his response, the NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa noted that the drug scourge was a challenge affecting every part of national life and propelling security challenges.
Marwa said this explains why there was a need for all stakeholders to embrace a whole-of-government and society approach to curbing the menace.
“On your request for a drug integrity test for new police recruits, we are delighted about this, and we’re happy to collaborate with you on this.
“We are prepared across all our commands all over the country with high-quality test kits that will give you the right results.
“This is important because candidates play all manner of tricks with urine samples, but our kits are produced to detect all of those.
“In all, you can rest assured we’ll be glad to work with you and support you on this,” the NDLEA boss maintained.
The Nation learnt that the officer attached to the Ondo Command of the NDLEA was killed during a raid on an apartment in the Ita’nla area of Ondo town on Tuesday.
A source, who confirmed the incident to our reporter, said the team of the NDLEA came under gunfire when they stormed the building to recover the drugs stored inside the ceiling of the apartment.
“I guess the team got a tip that some drugs were stored inside the residential building at Ita’nla in Ondo. So, the officials came very early in a sting operation to bust the building.
“Immediately they came in, some of them entered into the building to recover the exhibits while Officer Jide stood outside mounting the sentry guard. Suspected gunmen came from nowhere and opened fire on him and was shot in the neck.
“The officer was immediately rushed to the hospital, but the doctors on duty confirmed him dead on arrival. It is a very sad development,” he said.
A spokesman for the Ondo Command of the NDLEA, Adebayo Solomon, could not be reached when contacted for comment.
But Olayinka Ayanlade, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, confirmed the incident in an interview with our reporter.
He revealed that four suspects have already been arrested in connection with the crime, adding that a single barrel gun has been recovered.
“Immediately it happened, we reinforced some of our officers down to the scene. we have been able to arrest four prime suspects who are now in our custody.
“We have also recovered a single barrel gun, and investigation is also going in collaboration with the NDLEA to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly attack and killing to book,” Mr Ayanlade said.
Italy, Pakistan-bound consignments intercepted in Golden Morn cereal packs, condiments
101,150kg skunk destroyed in Osun forest
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a wanted 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, after seven years of evading arrests.
Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, broke the news in a statement yesterday. He said Chigozie was arrested while attempting to ferry large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.
Babafemi said the suspect, who had been on the wanted list of NDLEA since 2019, was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri, Ojo, Lagos State on July 13, following the interception of some of his consignments at 5:45am same day at Ilasamaja.
Babafemi also said in the operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence arrested one of Okparas couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi while heading to Onitsha, Anambra State in a white Toyota Sienna.
The spokesman said the agency’s sniffer dogs were brought in to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the bus.
He said a follow-up at Okpara’s hideout led to the recovery of additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg methamphetamine from his residence.
Babafemi said at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, the operatives in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on July 16 recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa.
He said the suspect who was going to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices.
Babafemi said in another arrest at the Lagos airport, the agency’s operatives at the export shed on July 17 intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg concealed in packs of popular cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo.
He said a suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, who presented the consignment for shipment, was arrested.
The statement reads: “In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 19th July raided Sarah Sam Hotels at 115 Ogudu Road in Kosofe where different party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed a suspect Obayemi Oyetade as the arrowhead of the drug network. At the time of the operation, 1.30kg Chocolate Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from Obayemis room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel include three vehicles.
“Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and Emmanuel Madu were on Saturday 19th July, arrested during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, where 742.866 kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis were seized from them. In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was nabbed with 36,000 pills of tramadol along Danbatta-Kazaure road, on Wednesday 16th July.
“While a total of 25,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from a suspect Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout on Friday 18th July, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba Local Government Area, Gombe State.’’
“In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga Road, Maiduguri, on Saturday 19th July intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the seizure, while in Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on Thursday 17th July arrested at Osiri, Yenagoa, in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.
“Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday 17th July arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi State in connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of their vehicle from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger State.
“In Abia State, NDLEA officers on Monday 14th July raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street, Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and a total of N736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from him.
“While a total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Onitsha – Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday 16th July, officers of the Taraba state command of the agency same day apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and Mohammed Audu, 44 with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan Anacha, Gassol Local Government Area.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) praised the officers for their efforts.
There is ubiquity of drug trafficking bids across Nigeria today that suggests the country may have become bogged in a creepy epidemic that has ruinous prospects for national health. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is waging a tough battle intercepting the traffickers. But with hydra-headed attempts at beating the law, you would wonder how many traffickers slipped through the net for every successful interception made by the anti-narcotics agency.
Recent reports by the NDLEA about encounters its operatives had with drug runners illustrate the evil ingenuity of the traffickers in their efforts to evade interception. A statement by the agency disclosed how its personnel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, recovered 23 parcels of Loud – a potent strain of cannabis – weighing 11.3kilograms and hidden in microwaves imported from Thailand. The illicit substance, brought in from Bangkok through Addis Ababa as part of a consolidated cargo on Ethiopian Airlines, was intercepted on 7th July following credible intelligence the anti-drug agency received. NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi said a thorough search of the cargo that came in two tranches uncovered the seized illicit parcels, concerning which a named suspect was arrested.
Babafemi further said barely a week after 420grams of cocaine that was factory-fitted into 84 pieces of female lipsticks heading to the United Kingdom was seized at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of Lagos airport intercepted another consignment of cocaine built into ladies’ lipsticks as part of a cargo heading to Malabo, Guinea. The cargo also contained hair attachments, face powder and other items that apparently were intended as a decoy. “No less than 400grams of cocaine and phenacetine, a cutting agent, were recovered from the lipsticks when dismantled,” Babafemi stated, adding that a businessman at Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, was arrested Friday, 11th July, in connection with the seizure.
Cocaine nuggets concealed in property title documents addressed to Saudi Arabia were as well recovered from cargos being prepared for shipment at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday, 3rd July, by agents of NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation attached to the logistics firm. Babafemi said 280grams of the illicit substance were uncovered in the Certificate of Occupancy.
Officials of a special operations unit of the anti-narcotics agency also arrested a named suspect in Lagos after 12 months that he had been in hiding. He was nabbed on Wednesday, 9th July, at his wife’s shop in Ijesha market. The suspect, described as a notorious drug kingpin, was said to have come under NDLEA radar in August 2024 after a 9kilogram parcel of cocaine was recovered from a courier at a motor park at Orile, Lagos, while going to deliver the consignment in the Southeast. The named suspect was identified as the owner of the seized drug. “In the course of investigating the kingpin and his network, his wife (named) was arrested with 500grams of cocaine at her beverage store in Ijesha market on 21st January, 2025. She was thereafter arraigned in court, convicted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Unknown to him that NDLEA was still on his trail, the wanted kingpin came out of his hiding and was promptly arrested,” Babafemi said.
In Edo State, more than 28,000kilogram skunk, a local strain of cannabis, was destroyed on three farms covering over 11 hectares at Ewere Uzebba forest in Owan West council area on 8th July. The anti-narcotics agency said 82kilograms of already processed cannabis was also recovered from the location. It added that its operatives who went for the operation came under gun attack from armed members of the cartel on their way out of the forest, but they were able to repel the attack and came out unhurt. One of their operational vehicles, however, got riddled with bullets. “In Lagos, 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 700kilogram and a Ford delivery truck marked JJJ 698 YJ were recovered at Okun-Ajah Beach while two (named) suspects were nabbed along Ajah-Epe expressway by NDLEA operatives on Friday 11th July,” Babafemi further said. Items recovered from the suspects, according to him, include 26kilogram of Ghana Loud, 123grams of methamphetamine, 45grams of ‘Molly’ as well as their delivery van.
The incidence of drug pushing exploits is no respecter of geopolitical delineations. NDLEA operatives in Borno State, on 12th July, arrested a 42-year-old suspect with 18,759 ampoules of Tramadol-related medications in Maiduguri. This came on the heels of the seizure of 10,000 pills of Tramadol from another suspect, aged 34, on 9th July. In Gombe State, anti-narcotics agents recovered a total of 116,226 pills of Tramadol and other illicit substances from five suspects, ages ranging between 22 and 48, at Gombe main market and along Gombe-Kano road in separate operations on 8th and 12th July. Babafemi’s statement said another suspect was on 10th July arrested on Okene-Lokoja expressway, Kogi State, while conveying 316.600kilogram skunk. Still another suspect, a 38-year-old, got nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 58.805kilograms of the same substance in Gubuchi area of Ikara local government in Kaduna State.
In Taraba State, three suspects including a teenager were on 12th July arrested by anti-narcotics agents at a checkpoint while conveying 577,890 pills of opioids and 1.160kilogram skunk concealed in the tyre compartment of a petrol tanker, according to NDLEA. Three other suspects aged between 21 and 35 were nabbed with 48.1kilogram skunk at Janguza barracks area of Kano State on 9th July. And the trade isn’t restricted to young ones: there was a 78year-old suspect arrested with 14.49kilogram skunk and tramadol during a raid by anti-narcotics agents at Ofudua, Obubra council area of Cross River State, according to the NDLEA. Others nabbed with different quantities of illicit substances in allied operations include two 50-year-old suspects and a 40-year-old.
Sometimes, the illegal drug trade involved whole families. There was the case of a businessman, his wife, their two daughters and a family friend who were taken into custody after investigation revealed they ran a major distribution network in Lagos. The couple was the first to be arrested on Friday, 13th June, by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Ojo area of the state and transferred to NDLEA along with 277.5kilogram skunk. While still in custody and being investigated, credible intelligence revealed that the family drug business was yet ongoing in the man’s house, leading to a raid of the house and a ‘packing store’ where 231kilogram of same substance was recovered on Tuesday, 1st July. Three persons arrested during the raid were the couple’s two daughters and their family friend, who were running the business in the absence of the couple. Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at MMIA, Ikeja on Wednesday, 2nd July, intercepted a frequent flyer who specialises in shuttling goods for customers between Nigeria and Italy. He was found to have hidden 7,660 pills of Tramadol inside food items packed among other goods he was conveying to Italy. The suspect reportedly claimed he expected to be paid 800 euros upon successful delivery of the drug consignment in Italy.
NDLEA Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa, a retired Major-General, highlighted the magnitude of the challenge when he said the agency arrested 66,085 drug offenders and secured the conviction of 12,201 in 53 months. Speaking at the grand finale of a weeklong programme to commemorate the 2025 World Drug Day late in June, he said the agency seized 1,143,717.44kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and rehabilitated 26,393 drug addicts within the same period.
He noted that prevention efforts would amount to little if access to illicit drugs remained open and easy. “Put simply, while we work strategically to prevent individuals from initiating drug use, we must simultaneously shut down the pipeline through which these harmful substances are distributed. We must remove traffickers from the equation. This is a task we have continued to pursue diligently, deploying every resource at our disposal,” he added inter alia.
The damage illicit drugs do isn’t limited to soiling Nigeria’s image abroad, there is a nexus between drug use and the high rate of criminality locally. Besides hardened criminals who operate under the influence of drugs, the effect cuts across population demographics and partly accounts for the menace of cultism and ritualism among young ones, so also incidents of rape for which elderly persons in many cases were fingered. The trafficking is a national call to action. While NDLEA can’t relent on its war, other agencies must step up to the plate – like Immigration that watches over Nigeria’s borders. After all, this isn’t a cocaine-producing country. The citizenry too must be vigilant and alert to happenings around them, so they could readily tip-off security agents to illicit operations in their environs. Fighting drug mules is a collective task that must be done.
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Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, who made this known in a statement on Sunday, said Chigozie was arrested attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.
Babafemi said the suspect who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA since 2019 was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri in Ojo area of Lagos state on Sunday 13th July 2025 following the interception of some of his consignments at 5:45am same day at Ilasamaja along Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
Babafemi also said in the early morning operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence arrested one of Okparas couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi while heading to Onitsha, Anambra state in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle.
The Spokesman said the agency’s sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the space bus.
He said a follow-up operation was promptly carried out at Okparas hideout in Isheri where an additional 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine were recovered from his residence.
Babafemi said at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday, 16th July recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa.
He said the suspect, who was going to Italy via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, claimed he purchased the drugs himself, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices.
Babafemi said in another arrest at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives at the export shed on Thursday, 17th July, intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg, concealed in packs of popular cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo.
He said a suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, who presented the consignment for shipment, was arrested.
The statement reads, “In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 19th July raided Sarah Sam Hotels located at 115 Ogudu road in Kosofe, where different party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance, which confirmed a suspect, Obayemi Oyetade, as the arrowhead of the drug network. At the time of the operation, 1.30kg of Chocolate Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from Obayemi’s room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel include three vehicles.
“Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and Emmanuel Madu were arrested on Saturday, 19th July, arrested during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, where 742.866 kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, were seized from them. In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was nabbed with 36,000 pills of tramadol along the Danbatta-Kazaure road on Wednesday, 16th July.
“While a total of 25,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from a suspect, Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout on Friday, 18th July, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA, Gombe state.
“In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga road, Maiduguri, on Saturday 19th July intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the seizure, while in Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on Thursday 17th July arrested at Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.
“Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday, 17th July, arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi state in connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger state.
“In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Monday, 14th July raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street, Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and a total of N736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from him.
“While a total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Onitsha – Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday 16th July, officers of the Taraba state command of the agency same day, apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and Mohammed Audu, 44, with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan Anacha, Gassol LGA.
“The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger; Dah Model Academy, Ngurore, Adamawa; Icon Academy, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Nkpor, Anambra and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur’an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge, Kano state; among others.
“While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”
The Delta State Government has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to intensify its efforts against drug cartels, dealers, and suppliers in the state.
The Director General of the Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, gave the challenge during an advocacy visit by the new State Commander of NDLEA, Mr. Halilu Hamidu.
The DG articulated the administration’s commitment to achieving a drug-free Delta under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s leadership.
He emphasised the necessity for the NDLEA to adopt innovative strategies and a more proactive approach, moving beyond sporadic surveillance to a strategy centred on consistent intelligence gathering.
He said this shift aims to effectively dismantle drug cartels and prevent drug abuse.
Oghenesivbe highlighted the importance of targeting traffickers and suppliers, stating, “Without traffickers and sellers, there will be no victims.”
He said the action would reflect a broader strategy to protect the community and reduce the impact of drug-related issues in the state.
Oghenesivbe stated, “It is important that NDLEA strategically targets the flashpoints, especially in the state capital. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is determined to actualising the state government’s target of a drug-free Delta.
”You need to work with the intelligence derived from suspects and the street traders to reach the suppliers and the kingpins in drug dealings in order to secure the lives of Deltans, and the future of our children.”
While lamenting that the consumption of illicit drugs was the major cause of high rate of criminal activities such as rape, armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killings, road accidents and so on, he appealed to the NDLEA to curb the trend.
In line with the Peace and Security cardinal points of the MORE agenda of the Oborevwori-led government, Oghenesivbe added that the state government donated over 40 operational vehicles to security agencies in the state, of which NDLEA was a beneficiary.
He reaffirmed the state government’s commitment in the counselling and rehabilitation of drug victims through the establishment of rehabilitation centres in Kwale and Agbor to ensure that victims of drug abuse are rehabilitated before they are reintegrated into society.
He gave assurance of a sustained collaboration with the NDLEA, especially through the forthcoming 2nd phase of the Drug Free Delta Sensitization Campaign, pointing out the state government was considering relocating NDLEA office from Ogwashi-Uku to Asaba to ensure more effective operations.
The new State Commander of the NDLEA, Commander Halilu Hamidu, said the visit was to key into the already existing relationship the NDLEA has with the state government, and to deepen it.
He restated the resolve of NDLEA to change the narrative of drug abuse and trafficking in the state through three strategies namely, arrest and prosecution, sensitization and awareness creation, and harm reduction through rehabilitation.
Commander Hamidu who was accompanied on the visit by the Deputy State Commander, Victor Isibor and other officers, appealed to the state government to help him realize his goals through the provision of support and logistics.
