Relentless in its crackdown on drug barons, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled an international smuggling ring in Lagos.
Acting on intelligence, the agency intercepted Europe and Asia-bound cocaine shipments bizarrely camouflaged inside a traditional mortar and the false bottom of a backpack before they could be processed by a local logistics company.
According to a statement released on Sunday, August 2, by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, the interceptions were executed on Thursday, July 30, 2026, by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI). The high-stakes seizures included 250 grams of cocaine meticulously factory-fitted into the base of a carton-packed local mortar destined for China, alongside 500 grams of the same Class-A drug expertly hidden inside the false bottom of an Italy-bound backpack.
Meanwhile, a high-stakes sting operation in Rivers State culminated in the arrest of 38-year-old notorious drug kingpin Ugo Gift Okonkwo. Acting on a string of credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives swarmed Eagle Island in Port Harcourt on Sunday, July 26, catching the suspect red-handed. A massive haul of diverse narcotics was recovered on-site, including commercial quantities of cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, swinol, tramadol, and codeine syrup.
The agency’s relentless momentum shifted to Anambra State on Monday, July 27, where an elite interdiction team mounted a snap stop-and-search checkpoint at the busy DMGS Roundabout in Onitsha. The vigilance paid off when officers intercepted a massive haulage truck marked XK 131 BDG. A thorough search revealed the vehicle was weaponised with 26,000 illicit bottles of codeine syrup—tipping the scales at a staggering 3,960 kilograms—leading to the immediate arrest of the 40-year-old driver, Chinedu Nwanze.
Simultaneously, tactical sweeps across Delta and Nasarawa states dealt heavy blows to regional distribution lines. In Delta State, operatives tracking a suspicious Toyota Sienna bus along the Kwale/Ughelli Expressway on Sunday, July 26, successfully intercepted and recovered 331.84 kilograms of high-grade skunk. Two days later, on Tuesday, July 28, the dragnet closed in on Nasarawa State, where officers raided Asso Angwan Muazu in the Karu area, arresting 64-year-old Joseph Nwaeke with 68 kilograms of skunk and 29 grams of premium methamphetamine.
The agency’s operations hit a critical security milestone in Zamfara State, where a high-risk highway interdiction severely disrupted local logistics lines for armed bandits. On Monday, July 27, eagle-eyed operatives on tactical patrol along the strategic Zaria-Gusau Highway intercepted 27-year-old Sani Umar. A thorough search of the suspect revealed a stash of 7,400 high-potency tramadol pills (225mg), a haul strongly believed to be a critical supply drop destined for terror cells and criminal elements operating in the region.
While tactical units hammered supply chains on the frontlines, the agency aggressively sustained its preventative war on the home front. Over the past week, various commands and specialised formations across Nigeria amplified their flagship War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, taking the message directly to schools, faith-based centres, workplaces, and local communities.
While tactical units hammered supply chains on the frontlines, the agency aggressively sustained its preventative war on the home front. Over the past week, various commands and specialised formations across Nigeria amplified their flagship War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, taking the message directly to schools, faith-based centres, workplaces, and local communities.
The sweeping advocacy operations yielded major milestones across several states, educating thousands on the perils of illicit substance abuse. Key enlightenment lectures were successfully delivered to students and academic staff at the Hausawa Special Primary School in Kano, the Royal Crown School in Oluyole, Ibadan, and the Government Secondary School in Ibi, Taraba State. In a bid to secure public transportation hubs, advocacy teams also hosted targeted anti-drug sessions for commercial drivers at the busy Challenge Bus Terminal Park in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, highly commended the officers and men across the DOGI, Rivers, Anambra, Delta, Nasarawa, and Zamfara Commands for executing this impressive string of successful operations. He praised the tactical precision of the units, noting that their synchronized breakthroughs have severely crippled both local and international syndicates.
Looking ahead, the NDLEA boss charged the decorated commands and their colleagues nationwide to maintain an uncompromising momentum. He firmly enjoined them to sustain the agency’s flagship “balanced approach” to drug control—simultaneously crushing hard-line supply chains on the frontlines while aggressively scaling up preventative advocacy across Nigerian communities.
