In a sweeping series of operations across multiple states, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted more than 7.6 million pills of tramadol and a staggering 76,273.4 kilograms of different strains of cannabis, including Colorado, Loud and Skunk, the agency has said.
Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA in a statement on Sunday, noted that the raids, carried out between December 1 and 6, 2025, also led to the arrest of dozens of suspected members of Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTOs) and cartel-linked distributors embedded in interstate supply networks.
He asserted that of the most significant seizures occurred on Saturday, December 6, when NDLEA stormed a warehouse at Oko market, Asaba, Delta State, confiscating 3,874,000 pills of tramadol (225mg and 100mg categories) alongside other opioids and 252.2 litres of codeine syrup.
Authorities described the warehouse as a major distribution depot supplying illicit opioids across the South-South and South-East regions.
Babafemi explained that, on Wednesday, December 3, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Onitsha–Owerri expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle at Orogwe.
The vehicle, loaded in Aba and heading to Onitsha, carried 1.2 million tablets of tramadol 225mg. The suspected courier, 35-year-old Kelechi Nwakocha, was arrested.
“Officers in Adamawa on Monday, December 1, intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus with 1,577,112 capsules of tramadol and exol-5 hidden inside sacks of rubber sandals. Two suspects, Kabiru Buba, 25, and Hamza Abubakar, 32, were arrested,” the statement said.
Likewise, Mudansir Rabiu, 27, was arrested on the Zaria-Kano highway with 197,000 exol-5 pills.
A special NDLEA strike team uncovered expansive cannabis cultivation and storage networks deep inside forests in Ekiti and Ondo States.
For instance, in Omuo-Ekiti, 14,654kg of skunk was destroyed while two suspects were arrested. The suspects were identified as Yusuf Iliyasu, 50, and Okumu Chinedu, 26.
In Asin-Ekiti, 54,300kg of skunk wad burnt in two massive warehouses while 28.3kg of the drug was retained as court exhibits.
In Igoba Forest, Akure North, Ondo State, authorities seized 2,483 compressed blocks and 247 bags of cannabis, totalling 5,442 kilograms, and arrested five suspects: Jacob Omodowo, 66; Joy Oluatobi Peace, 24; Babatunde Olamide, 40; Echi Fidelis Joseph, 57; and Ankrah Akano, 56.
On the FCT Abaji Expressway, 22 kilograms of Colorado were recovered, leading to the subsequent arrest of female receiver Ali Blessing, 33.
In Kwali-Gwagwalada, Aliyu Usman, 39, was apprehended with 24 kilograms of skunk and 573,500 exol-5 pills.
Authorities in Mokwa-Jebba, Niger State, recovered 500 kilograms of cannabis and detained Amos Yakubu, 46.
In Lagos, Ezenwa Udoka was caught with 113 kilograms of Canadian Loud at Ladipo, Izuchukwu Usulor with 351 kilograms of skunk at Onipanu, and Susan Okoro with 104.1 kilograms at the Trade Fair Complex.
In Edo State, law enforcement seized 447.5 kilograms of cannabis from two Honda Accord cars in Agho Forest, arresting Dada Adedara Babawibi, 56. A separate raid in Ohuwunde led to the seizure of 315.8 kilograms and the arrest of Stanley Obasuwa.
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