The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has successfully intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs destined for the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, and Qatar in a series of intelligence-driven operations conducted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
The operations also led to the arrests of the masterminds behind these smuggling attempts.
On 5th November 2024, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos airport’s export shed intercepted 13 parcels of cocaine weighing 4.40 kilograms, bound for the UK via Frankfurt on a Lufthansa Airlines flight.
Days later, on 8th November, the suspect linked to the consignment, Ekeocha Anayo Nelson, was tracked and apprehended.
In another operation at MMIA, a businessman identified as Adegbite Solomon, also known as “Obama,” was arrested on 11th November while attempting to export 7,800 tramadol pills, 180 rohypnol tablets, and 60 bottles of codeine to Italy.
The drugs were concealed in food items. Solomon, who claimed to have previously lived as a street beggar in Europe, confessed to using the Mediterranean Sea route before venturing into the logistics business.
Similarly, on 15th November, NDLEA operatives intercepted a passenger, Anoke Kingsley Roomy, at MMIA with 1,100 tramadol pills concealed in his luggage. He was en route to Istanbul, Turkey, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.
In Abuja, a well-coordinated raid by officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) and the FCT Command led to the arrest of two suspects, Omeh Uchenna Jude, 36, and Anene Valentine Chigozie, 34, in a hotel room in Lugbe.
The operation, conducted on 15th November, resulted in the recovery of 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, which the suspects were allegedly preparing to smuggle to Qatar.
Lagos also witnessed the arrest of another suspect, Akande Moruf Olasunkanmi, at his residence on Durojaiye Street, Lawanson, Surulere, after weeks of surveillance. He was found with 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In an operation targeting trans-border drug trafficking, NDLEA task force officers intercepted a Toyota Hummer bus belonging to GUO Transport Company at Ijanikin on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway on 16th November.
The bus, driven by Emmanuel Okechukwu Okeke, was carrying 50,000 tramadol pills concealed in body compartments. The drugs were being smuggled from Ghana into Lagos.
In Edo State, the agency conducted multiple raids, seizing 997 kilograms of cannabis. Operations included the recovery of 680 kilograms of cannabis and a Sienna bus in Oghada Forest, Orhionmwan Local Government Area, 180.5 kilograms from a suspect named Cecilia Ibe in Ofosu Forest, Ovia South West LGA, and 136.5 kilograms from a building in Otuo Community, Owan East LGA.
On 13th November, operatives along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway arrested Ifejimagha Chinonso with 88.3 kilograms of cannabis. Other arrests included Ahmed Goni in Kano, who was found with 65,730 tramadol capsules on 15th November, and Adio Sulaiman in Kwara State, who was caught with 120.8 kilograms of cannabis and some liters of codeine.
Further seizures included 75 kilograms of cannabis from Kelechi Obichere in Imo State and 563.74 kilograms from Anthony Anakabi, a 60-year-old man arrested in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In addition to enforcement efforts, NDLEA intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, organizing sensitization programs in schools, workplaces, and communities across the country. Institutions involved in the week’s campaign included schools in Adamawa, Rivers, Benue, Sokoto, Kano, Anambra, and Lagos States.
Commending the agency’s operatives, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, said, “Their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country, especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts, are well appreciated.”
