NDLEA Seizes Over 27,000kg Illicit Drugs. Arrests 61 Suspects

The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), on Sunday, said 61 suspects were arrested across 15 states, in coordinated operations against drug trafficking networks.

The states include Lagos, Osun, Edo, Cross River, Kebbi, Taraba, Borno, Kano, Sokoto, Abuja, Kogi, and Ogun, among others,

During the operations, NDLEA operatives confiscated 146,346 pills with a combined total of over 27,367.94 kilograms, including cannabis, tramadol, cocaine, diazepam, pentazocine, and Colorado.

Also, counterfeit travellers’ cheques worth 17.7m Australian dollars were intercepted during export clearance at the Lagos airport.

The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, NDLEA disclosed these details on Sunday.

According to the agency, traffickers employed diverse concealment methods in an attempt to beat security systems — including hiding drugs in lipsticks, land title documents, children’s books, cosmetics, food items, and patent medicine shops.

Babafemi also noted that others resorted to smuggling through courier services, airports, parks, farmland, and border communities.

A breakdown of the operation revealed that on Friday, June 13, 2025, NDLEA took custody of Ajah Johnson Uchenna and his wife Rosemary Uchenna, who were earlier arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ojo, Lagos, for running a drug distribution network. They were transferred along with 277.5kg of skunk.

Subsequent intelligence led operatives to raid the couple’s home and warehouse on Tuesday, July 1, where 231kg of skunk was seized.

Their daughters, Ngozi Uchenna and Blessing Uchenna, along with a family friend, Okoro Elijah, were arrested for managing the drug operation in their absence.

On the same day, NDLEA officers raided a vulcanizer workshop at Akindeko junction in Alekuwodo, Osogbo, Osun State, and arrested Wasiu Ajadi (45), Babatunde Jamiu Ojo (35), and Yusuf Sarafadeen (39).

They were caught with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine, 850 tramadol pills, and three bottles of codeine syrup.

On Wednesday, July 2, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted Aburemi Hysent, a frequent traveller to Italy, with 7,660 tramadol pills concealed in food items.

He confessed to being promised with “€800 upon delivery”.

That same day, two suspects — Agunbiade Folusho (40) and Suleiman Dasola (28) — were arrested at Ajegunle, Osogbo, with 13,901 opioid pills and ampoules.

Another suspect, Adebayo Adewale (50), was nabbed in Ile-Ife, with 48,205 pills of opioids found in a patent medicine shop.

On Thursday, June 28, NDLEA dismantled the drug network of notorious kingpin Ajetsibo Emami, aka Warri Kinsman, in Ikeja, Lagos, arresting him and three accomplices.

Operatives recovered 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud, weighing 414.2kg, which was intended for redistribution in Lekki and other parts of the country.

On Thursday, July 3, operatives stormed Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest, Osun State, where they destroyed 24,175kg of cannabis cultivated on 9.67 hectares and arrested seven suspects: Bunmi Adedapo (41), Adebisi Sodiq (26), Babatunde Gani (22), John Sunday (30), Israel Odabe (29), Solomon Odabe (21), and Prosper Odabe (23).

The same day, NDLEA DOGI officers intercepted cocaine consignments concealed in cosmetics and documents at a courier company in Lagos.

Recovered were “420 grams of cocaine stuffed in 84 lipsticks headed to the UK, and 280 grams hidden inside a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) destined for Saudi Arabia.”

In Borno State, operatives recovered 167kg of skunk at Gamboru-Ngala, while another 452kg was seized at Gadar Tamburawa, along the Zaria-Kano Road, with suspects Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad arrested.

On Friday, July 4, NDLEA officers at MMIA intercepted 52 counterfeit travellers’ cheques, hidden in children’s books.

The cheques, totalling “17.7 million AUD, were bound for Malaysia via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight”.

A freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested and will be handed over to the EFCC.

In Cross River, NDLEA raided Ofudua, Obubra LGA, and arrested 78-year-old Mike Abeng with 14.49kg of skunk and tramadol. Others arrested in Ovonum, Obubra LGA, include Oyom Akam (50), Sylvester Odem (40), and Moses Ayo (50).

In Edo State, NDLEA arrested Alaba Monday (49) at his cannabis farm in Ewere forest, Owan West LGA, with 115kg of processed skunk.

Three other suspects, Shamsu Abdullahi, Peter Egboko, and Justin John were apprehended in a separate 2.05-hectare farm.

In Kebbi State, operatives raided Bakin Kasuwa, Yauri, and seized 312kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets.

In Taraba, Chigbo Okolo (52) and Ishaku Musa (28) were arrested in Mallum, Ardo-Kola LGA, with 49,930 tramadol capsules.

Along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, NDLEA arrested Sule Ibrahim Sadiq (30) with 11,000 tramadol pills (225mg). In Sokoto, Joseph Onungene (62) was found in possession of 4,800 tramadol pills.

At the Seme border in Badagry, NDLEA recovered 718 balls of skunk weighing 359kg from a store in Baba-Pupa. Meanwhile, operatives on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway seized 10,000 tramadol pills (225mg), co-codamol, and 1.050kg of Colorado, leading to the arrest of Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji during follow-up operations at Jabi Park, Abuja.

Marwa commended the joint efforts of officers while urging them to maintain momentum and balance in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction campaigns.

NDLEA Seizes Over 27,000kg Illicit Drugs. Arrests 61 Suspects is first published on The Whistler Newspaper