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Daniel Adaji
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted opioids and codeine syrup worth over N3.4bn in massive anti-narcotics operations in Lagos and Port Harcourt, the agency announced Sunday.
In a statement from the NDLEA Headquarters, signed by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency said its operatives recovered over 3.5 million pills of opioids and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup during separate operations conducted on April 29, 2025.
“The bulk of the seizures—two million pills of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup—was made during a joint examination of a watch-listed container at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State,” Babafemi stated.
He said in Lagos, 1.5 million pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo.
“The source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, which is the residence of one Obinna Kenneth who is now at large,” Babafemi added.
NDLEA operatives also made significant seizures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. Forty-two parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 20kg, were discovered concealed in tins of chocolate, Milo, and kidney beans in cargo arriving aboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
“At least three suspects, including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, have been arrested between Wednesday, 30th April and Saturday, 3rd May,” he said.
In another airport bust, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was arrested on May 2 while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy.
“A thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol in 225mg, 200mg, and 100mg dosages,” Babafemi said.
He also disclosed that NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on April 28 thwarted an attempt to ship 104 grams of tramadol and skunk to Iraq, hidden in bottles of body cream at a Lagos courier company.
Outside the southwest, operations extended to Kaduna where operatives on May 3 intercepted a commercial vehicle transporting 942 explosives concealed in a sack along the Kaduna-Zaria expressway. A 30-year-old suspect, Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji), was arrested.
In Kano, five syndicate members were arrested on April 30 at Dangoro Market with 50 blocks of skunk (21.6kg). In Edo, NDLEA officers intercepted a white Toyota bus transporting 314,020 pills of various opioids and 638 bottles of codeine syrup from Onitsha to Auchi. A suspect, Dare Adeyemo, was arrested.
In Anambra, officers seized over 50,000 capsules of tramadol and other substances from a Mazda bus on April 30, leading to the arrest of one Chinedu Eneh. In Niger State, 5,500 tramadol capsules and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered from a Mitsubishi truck, with a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, arrested.
After ten months of investigation, the NDLEA on April 26 arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, 52, Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd.
He was linked to the 2024 seizure of 2.6 million tramadol pills at Apapa Port. A follow-up raid on his Lekki residence led to the recovery of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign also continued in the past week with sensitization lectures held in Kano and Katsina.
Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (retd) said, “I applaud our officers across all commands for striking a fair balance between supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.”