In a massive blow to transnational syndicates, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a sophisticated cross-border narcotics network during a coordinated 9-state crackdown.
The high-stakes sweep led to the arrest of a convicted cocaine trafficker posing as a herbal tea merchant, the interception of a 20,000-litre fuel tanker retrofitted with a hidden drug compartment, and the recovery of massive consignments of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, and other psychotropic substances across Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba, and Enugu states.
This major enforcement breakthrough was disclosed in an official statement released on Sunday, September 6, 2026, by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi. The agency’s winning streak began on July 31, when operatives intercepted a 1.2kg cocaine consignment cleverly concealed inside phone chargers bound for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at a Lagos courier firm. That initial bust triggered a painstaking, intelligence-led manhunt by the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), who methodically tracked down the mastermind behind the shipment.
The intense surveillance culminated on Friday, September 4, 2026, when NDLEA operatives executed a flawless sting operation at the Article Market, directly opposite the Trade Fair Market in the Ojo area of Lagos. Caught completely off guard while operating under his facade as a herbal tea businessman, the suspect was apprehended and formally identified as 34-year-old Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu.
Upon his arrest, Ebubechukwu confessed to masterminding a string of past illicit drug shipments. He admitted that the moment he learned his latest cargo had been compromised by the NDLEA, he immediately discarded his telephone SIM card in a desperate bid to sever any digital ties to the crime.
A deeper dive into the suspect’s history revealed he is no stranger to the anti-narcotics agency. In 2011, he was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos after ingesting 900 grams of cocaine and 130 grams of heroin ahead of a planned flight to Austria. Operating then under the alias Dunu Chukwuyenre Enoch, he was prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison. Undeterred by his prison stint, he legally changed his name to Dunu Bethel Ebubechukwu upon his release and plunged straight back into the lucrative criminal trade.
A follow-up raid on his residence at 6 Yemishola Street, Ejigbo, Lagos, on Friday, September 4, provided the smoking gun. Operatives recovered an assortment of phone chargers identical to the ones used in the intercepted Saudi shipment, each completely hollowed out to create secret compartments for smuggling drugs.
Meanwhile, a parallel breakthrough at the Lagos airport saw operatives intercept a massive 966,200 tablets of Tramadol (225mg) valued at over N1.1 billion. The lethal pills arrived from Pakistan, cleverly camouflaged within a 21-carton consignment of thrift trousers.
In the same terminal, officials uncovered 57.80kg of ‘Loud’—a high-potency synthetic strain of cannabis worth N173 million. The cargo, shipped from Singapore and hidden inside boxes of disposable hand gloves, had sat unclaimed for weeks before a joint task force of the NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and sister security agencies cracked it open on Thursday, September 3.
In one of the week’s most dramatic standoffs, NDLEA operatives engaged in a high-speed highway chase along the Akoko/Lokoja expressway in Ondo State on Friday, September 4. A notorious 20,000-litre fuel tanker (registration number MKA 960 XC), which had repeatedly evaded law enforcement in the past, blew past an agency checkpoint. Following a relentless pursuit, the fleeing driver abandoned the massive truck inside a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and vanished into the nearby bush.
A meticulous search of the tanker exposed a highly sophisticated false compartment built directly into the tank. Tucked right alongside its legitimate fuel cargo was an astounding 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, which was bound for Jos, Plateau State.
Compounding the agency’s winning streak, a major follow-up operation at the Tincan Port in Lagos yielded more results.
Barely a month after the high-profile arrests of Yashim Dauji, Larry Ifeanyi, and Joseph Moji over a massive haul of narcotics, investigators intercepted another 598.08kg (890 packets) of cannabis-infused cookies and gummies on Wednesday, September 2. The newly discovered contraband was found hidden inside a 40-foot container and has been successfully linked to the three suspects currently languishing in custody.
NDLEA has dealt a massive blow to narcotics syndicates across Nigeria, launching a multi-state crackdown that resulted in the seizure of millions of illicit pills, metric tons of cannabis, and the arrest of several kingpins
From high-speed escapes in Adamawa to cannabis farms hidden in Ekiti forests, here is how the latest anti-drug operations unfolded across the country.
In Yola North LGA, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Damilu and Jambutu axis in Jimeta recovered 864,000 opioid pills, primarily tramadol, from a residence linked to a fleeing suspect, Patrick KC Frank. In a desperate bid to evade capture, Frank rammed his Honda Civic into an NDLEA patrol vehicle before escaping on foot.
The state also recorded two other major breakthroughs:
- Meth Supplier Nabbed: In Michika, operatives arrested 35-year-old Calistus Ebubechukwu, a major methamphetamine supplier operating a pipeline from Lagos to the Mubi and Michika axis. He was caught with 2kg of the dangerous substance.
- Massive Highway Seizure: At the Namtari checkpoint in Mubi, Attahiru Hussaini was intercepted driving a Ford Galaxy bus (marked JJM-953XD) laden with soap. Concealed inside the vehicle were 750,027,530 pills of tramadol and other opioids.
The coastal hub of Lagos remains a fierce battleground in the war on drugs. In the Gbaji area of the state, operatives recovered a massive haul of narcotics including 2,386.9kg of cannabis, 350 grams of cocaine, over 100kg of various tramadol grades, 9.7 litres of codeine syrup, and 4kg of rohypnol. Meanwhile, in Agbara, suspects Damilare Francis and Emeh Emmanuel were caught red-handed with 720kg of cannabis.
In Kogi State, operatives targeting transit routes along the Okene/Lokoja highway intercepted a bus travelling from Owo, Ondo State, to Jos, Plateau State. Three suspects; Saidu Mustapha (35), Zaharadeen Salisu (29), and AbdulSalam Abdullahi (25), were arrested after 636kg of cannabis was found cleverly concealed beneath loads of chicken manure.
In Taraba State, a 58-year-old trafficker, Kelechi Unachukwu, was intercepted along the Zaki-Biam road in Wukari LGA. Unachukwu was transporting a lethal 109kg cocktail of pharmaceuticals—including tramadol, diazepam, pentazocine, phenobarbital, exol-5, nitrazepam, bromazepam, and pregabalin in his Toyota Corolla (marked KUJ-333BT) from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Yola, Adamawa State.
Other northern operations yielded significant results:
- Kaduna: Along the Zaria-Kano expressway, operatives intercepted a commercial truck loaded with cement, only to discover 1,179kg of skunk hidden among the bags.
- Bauchi & Gombe: Following the initial seizure of 322.5kg of cannabis in Deba town, Gombe State, a follow-up operation by Bauchi operatives led to the arrest of 25-year-old Hamza Dahiru.
Deep in the Efon-Alaaye forest of Ekiti State, the NDLEA uncovered and destroyed a 4-hectare cannabis farm. Two suspects, Chuks Alex (50) and Asafa Adekunle (35), were arrested at the site, where operatives also recovered 117kg of already-harvested skunk.
Finally, in Enugu State, youth involvement in trafficking was highlighted by the arrest of 20-year-old Obinna David at Ugbema Junction, who was caught carrying 40,590 capsules of tramadol.
Alongside these high-profile busts, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has fiercely sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Over the past week, commands and formations across the country intensified their grassroots sensitization efforts, taking the anti-drug crusade directly to schools, worship centres, workplaces, and local communities.
- Key advocacy footprints from the past week include: Maternal Health Advocacy: A specialized WADA enlightenment lecture delivered to nursing mothers and healthcare professionals at the Ibereko Primary Health Centre in Abeokuta North, Ogun State.
- Youth Mobilization: Grassroots community engagement targeting the youths of the Umouji/Okwo community in Olokoro, Umuahia South LGA, Abia State.
- Corporate Sensitization:High-impact workplace sessions held for NLNG staff and concessionaires at the Saipem-Daewoo NLNG terminal in Bonny LGA, Rivers State
Reacting to the relentless string of successes, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), highly commended the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Ondo, Tincan, Lagos, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba, and Enugu Commands. He praised their unwavering professionalism and intelligence-driven execution.
Brig. Gen. Marwa enjoined operatives nationwide to sustain this balanced strategy, blending aggressive law enforcement with proactive public education. Issuing a stern final warning to drug syndicates, the NDLEA boss reiterated that traffickers who believe they can reinvent themselves under new identities or legitimate business fronts will continue to be tracked down.
