By Lizzy Chirkpi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine, Canadian Loud and opioids with a combined estimated street value of over N10 billion at Lagos ports, while also arresting suspected drug kingpins and intercepting military-grade ammunition concealed in kegs of palm oil in Kaduna and Katsina states.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, a 55-year-old businessman and Balogun Market clothing trader, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, was arrested for allegedly attempting to export 3.30 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed within the walls of cartons used to package food items destined for the United Kingdom.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intercepted the cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Wednesday, July 22, before arresting Onuigbo on Thursday, July 23, following intelligence-led investigations.
He explained that the investigation led to the arrest of three cargo agents and another suspect who delivered the consignment, ultimately exposing Onuigbo as the alleged mastermind of the trafficking syndicate.
“The investigation led to the arrest of three cargo agents and another suspect who delivered the consignment, providing the lead to identifying Onuigbo as the kingpin behind the syndicate before his eventual arrest while attempting to send another consignment of cocaine to the UK,” the statement said.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, after intercepting a 2.80kg consignment of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, which had arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight.
The agency also recovered 2,240,000 pills of Tapentadol 250mg, valued at over N2.2 billion, from a shipment that arrived from India on an Air Maroc flight following an intelligence-driven cargo examination at the Lagos airport.
Babafemi said the seizure followed closely on the heels of another major interception involving a consignment of tramadol hidden inside containers of black soap intended for export to the United Kingdom.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value of more than N7.1 billion, concealed inside three imported vehicles.
Beyond drug enforcement, the agency also intercepted military-grade ammunition in separate operations in Katsina and Kaduna states.
A 30-year-old suspect, Mustapha Sani, was arrested in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State with 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, while another suspect, Abubakar Amadu, was apprehended along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed inside kegs of red palm oil.
According to the statement, both suspects have been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi Community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286 kilogrammes of cannabis and 86 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds. Two suspects, Ojore Onweze and George Agwumede, were also arrested with additional quantities of skunk.
The agency added that its commands and formations across the country continued to intensify the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities, including institutions in Niger, Kano and Lagos states.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel nationwide to remain steadfast in implementing the agency’s balanced approach to drug control through aggressive enforcement and sustained public education.
Babafemi said the series of successful operations underscored the NDLEA’s determination to dismantle drug trafficking networks, disrupt organised criminal syndicates and strengthen preventive advocacy aimed at reducing drug abuse across the country.