A relentless nationwide offensive by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a major blow to drug cartels, resulting in the interception of massive opioid shipments hidden within building materials.
According to a Sunday statement by Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, the crackdowns spanned multiple states, netting a 75-year-old suspect in Ebonyi and four notorious female dealers across Edo, Imo, Kano, and Gombe.
Items recovered from the truck included 320,840 capsules of tramadol, 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 4,500 pills of rohypnol, and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
NDLEA operatives in Ebonyi State have arrested a 75-year-old dealer, Okebe Samuel, proving that age is no cover for crime. Apprehended in Okposi, the septuagenarian was found with 300 grams of skunk packaged in retail sachets targeting local youth.
Simultaneously, NDLEA operatives in Imo State dismantled a notorious drug enclave at Umulolo, Orlu. The targeted raid culminated in the arrest of a prominent female dealer, 32-year-old Chioma Okeke, and the seizure of 8 kilograms of skunk.
The NDLEA’s offensive hit Edo State on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, with an intense sweep of Benin City hotspots that netted four key traffickers.
At Uyosa, female suspects Chioma Igba (24) and Precious Ozomah (22) were caught with a cocktail of skunk, Loud, and methamphetamine. Another female dealer, Anita Abraham (21), was arrested along Agbor Road with 95 grams of Scottish Loud and 329 grams of regular Loud. The sweeps culminated at Upper Mission, where operatives busted Henry Okey (43) with a diverse cache containing Loud, Colorado, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
However, high-speed bust in Kano State on Thursday, June 4, 2026, netted 19-year-old Saifullahi Lawan along with a massive drug haul. Operatives tracking the suspect to the Kafi area of Madobi uncovered 40 blocks of skunk weighing 38 kilograms.
The NDLEA’s multi-state crackdown also hit Gombe State on Monday, June 1, where operatives intercepted 28-year-old Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi near Dantiti Plaza in Tumfure. The high-stakes bust yielded 15,000 smuggled capsules of tramadol.
Parallel to the enforcement operations, the NDLEA sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy campaign nationwide over the past week.
Key initiatives included high-impact WADA sensitization lectures delivered to students and staff at Holiness Foundation Primary School in Saki, Oyo State; Dorras High School in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State; Ado Girls Secondary School in Onitsha, Anambra State; and Army Day Secondary School in Kano State, among others.
Pleased with the massive sweeps, NDLEA Chief Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the operatives across the Taraba, Ebonyi, Imo, Edo, Kano, and Gombe commands. He credited their raw resilience and sharp vigilance for dismantling the multi-state trafficking networks.
The NDLEA boss further commended operatives across all national formations for successfully balancing their drug supply reduction operations with community-driven drug demand reduction initiatives.
Marwa issued a stern warning to drug cartels, declaring that the NDLEA will dismantle supply lines and relentlessly target traffickers—no matter their age, gender, or how cleverly they hide their illicit cargo.
