In a demonstration of tireless commitment to ridding the country of illicit substances, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) intercepted 12 large parcels of cocaine. The narcotics were expertly concealed in the false bottoms of food flasks destined for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.
In a statement released Sunday, April 19, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the interception of 2.80kg of cocaine at the Lagos airport export shed. The Thursday, April 9 operation led to the swift arrest of two cargo agents—Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39)—as they attempted to facilitate the illegal export.
Extended investigations unmasked 52-year-old freight agent Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola as the sender of the narcotics. He was subsequently apprehended during a strategic follow-up operation by the agency.
In a parallel operation on Wednesday, April 8, NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport import shed intercepted 2.90kg of ‘Loud’—a potent cannabis strain—concealed within snack packs arriving from the United States via Delta Airlines. While cargo agents Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun were initially detained, a follow-up sting on Monday, April 13, led operatives to Ogba, Lagos. There, they apprehended the primary consignee, 29-year-old fashion designer Saheed Adeshina Adegoke.
Continuing their relentless highway interdictions, NDLEA operatives in Kaduna intercepted a Jigawa-bound cement trailer along the Kaduna-Zaria highway on Monday, April 13. A thorough search of the vehicle at Gwargwaje, Zaria, uncovered a massive cache of narcotics—760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of ‘skunk’ weighing 847kg—stashed amidst the cement. The 33-year-old driver, Umar Garba Haruna, was immediately taken into custody.
In a joint operation with the Nigerian Army, NDLEA officers raided the Uwet forest in Akamkpa LGA, Cross River State, on Thursday, April 16. The high-stakes crackdown resulted in the arrest of 53-year-old Alice Sunday Udoh and the destruction of a massive six-hectare plantation containing 15,000kg of skunk. An additional 119kg of the illicit crop was recovered during the sweep.
The NDLEA’s crackdown intensified as operatives dismantled a major cannabis farm at Saboro Camp, Edo State, torching over 2,281kg of narcotics. The Tuesday raid led to the arrest of three individuals, including a 62-year-old, caught with illicit seeds and processed cannabis. The momentum shifted to Delta State by Friday, where another 87kg of skunk was recovered in a targeted sting at Okwo, resulting in two further arrests.
Similarly, border-bound narcotics were intercepted on Wednesday, April 15, when NDLEA operatives at Mile 2, Lagos, halted a Ghana-bound truck. The vehicle was found laden with 11,900 tramadol capsules and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection, leading to the arrest of Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Aloukou Bienvenu. On the same day, a tactical raid on a two-storey building in Petti, Lagos Island, yielded an additional 95.8kg of skunk
Fuelled by unwavering zeal, Agency formations across the country continued to drive the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) through intensive sensitization in schools, workplaces, and worship centers. Notable highlights from the past week include educational outreach at Alfurgan Islamic School in Niger State, Edgerly Memorial Girls in Cross River, and Heritage Model School in Kogi. The campaign also reached Government Day Schools in Katsina, Government Senior Secondary in Kano, and De Ambassador Secondary School in Lagos, reinforcing a drug-free culture nationwide.
Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, commended the officers of the MMIA, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Kaduna, and Lagos Commands for these significant arrests and seizures.
Marwa noted that their relentless drug supply reduction efforts, paired with WADA sensitization, create a vital balance in the agency’s mission. He subsequently charged the officers and their colleagues nationwide to maintain this high-octane tempo in the ongoing war against narcotics.
