The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA said on Sunday that its Operatives have intercepted three million, five hundred thousand (3,500,000) pills of opioids and one hundred and sixty-three thousand (163,000) bottles of codeine syrup with a combined street value of over N3.42billion in Port Harcourt, Rivers state and Lagos state.
NDLEA said, “The bulk of the seizures, two million pills of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup, were made on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025, during a joint examination of a watch-listed container by the agency’s officers, men of the Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state.
“In Lagos, a total of 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect Olarenwaju Wahab at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on Tuesday, April 29th, 2025.
The agency said the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, the residence of Obinna Kenneth, who is now at large.
“Also, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos have intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 20kg, concealed in tins of chocolate, milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans packaged as part of cargos that came into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
“At least three suspects, including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, have been arrested between Wednesday, April 30th and Saturday, May 3rd, 2025.
“In like manner, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was on Friday, May 2nd, arrested at the Lagos airport 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 225mg, 200mg and 100mg.
“Attempt by another syndicate to ship 104grams of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream to Iraq through a courier company in Lagos was also thwarted on Monday April 28th by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI)”.
The agency added, “In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Kaduna — Zaria expressway on Saturday, May 3rd, intercepted a commercial vehicle coming from Nasarawa State heading to Zamfara State.
“A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a total of Nine Hundred and Forty-Two (942) explosives concealed in a sack and the subsequent arrest of a 30-year-old suspect, Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji).
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has directed that the suspect and exhibits be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further action.
“Five (5) members of a syndicate led by Aminu Musa (aka Kadagi) were on Wednesday 30th, April arrested by NDLEA operatives at Dangoro market, Kano, with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg recovered from them.
“In Edo state, operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday, May 1st, intercepted at Uromi, Esan North-East, a white Toyota bus conveying assorted opioids from Onitsha, Anambra state, heading to Auchi.
“Recovered from the vehicle include: 314,020 pills of tramadol, phenol, diazepam, exol5; 638 bottles of codeine syrup and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while a suspect, Dare Adeyemo, was taken into custody.
A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra state, by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 30th, April while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and a suspect Chinedu Eneh arrested.
In Niger state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kontagora -Mokwa road on Saturday, May 3rd, intercepted a Mitsubishi Canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, as well as the arrest of a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, 30.
Meanwhile, after 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, April 26th, arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg.
NDLEA intercepted the Illicit drug consignment at Apapa seaport in Lagos on July 28th, 2024. A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34 grams.
NDzlEA equally continued the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities across the country in the past week, including a WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Al-Istigama University, Kano and students and staff of Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina state, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, PHPC, Kaduna, Anambra, Edo, Niger and Apapa Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
He equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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