By Peter Omopo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a series of major drug interceptions and arrests across several states of the federation following coordinated operations carried out over the past week.
In one of the arrests, a 62-year-old Lagos-based businessman, Nwabueze Nicholas Izueke, was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Saturday, January 31, while attempting to board a flight to China via Addis Ababa. NDLEA operatives discovered 95 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.589 kilograms concealed in his body. Izueke reportedly told investigators that he ventured into drug trafficking to raise funds for the construction of a country home in Iwollo, Enugu State.
In the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers intercepted methamphetamine concealed inside MP3 speakers during a routine bus inspection in Abuja on Friday, February 6. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Ebube Okeke, who was linked to one of the parcels containing 173 grams of the substance. Three additional suspects—Evans Ugwu, Mohammed Eze Arinze, and Friday Michael—were arrested the following day in Kaduna while attempting to collect another consignment weighing 28 grams.
In Taraba State, a 32-year-old suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, was arrested while transporting cartons of Hollandia yogurt from Lagos to Mubi, Adamawa State. A search revealed 1.8 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside the yogurt packs.
Further seizures were recorded across several states. In Kubwa, Abuja, operatives recovered 627.7 kilograms of skunk from a warehouse. In Oyo State, Shuaibu Abdulrahman, 29, was arrested with 149.6 kilograms of skunk concealed in rice shafts, while Adeniyi Adeola, popularly known as Prince, was found in possession of 10,820 ampoules of pentazocine and 117,820 capsules of tramadol.
Also in Ibadan, NDLEA operatives dismantled a facility producing synthetic cannabis, leading to the arrest of a suspected drug kingpin, Jimoh Nurudeen, 40, and his accomplice, Ogundipe Yusuf, 27. Precursor chemicals, skunk, cash, and vehicles were recovered during the operation.
In Kwara State, officers intercepted a fuel tanker travelling from Lagos to Maiduguri and discovered 395,400 tramadol capsules concealed inside the vehicle. Cannabis seizures were also recorded in Imo State, where 203 kilograms were recovered, and in Ondo State with the seizure of 420 kilograms.
The NDLEA Marine Command also arrested Eze Nodebechi Austin on February 6 in Badagry, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 31 wraps of cocaine from Côte d’Ivoire into Nigeria. Other arrests included Adekunle Oluwatosin Olajide in Lagos, who was found with 3.6 kilograms of cannabis, and Emeka Okeke, 37, in Enugu State, where assorted drugs and ₦457,700 in cash were recovered.
Meanwhile, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, holding awareness programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities across Anambra, Oyo, Lagos, and Niger states.
Commending the officers involved, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their professionalism and urged personnel nationwide to sustain the momentum in drug supply suppression and demand reduction efforts.
