War on Narcotics: Anambra Anti-Touting Squad Crushes ₦80m Drug Syndicate

​ONITSHA – In a decisive blow to the narcotics trade and urban criminality, the Anambra State Special Anti-Touting Squad (SASA) on Thursday carried out a large-scale enforcement operation, seizing and destroying illicit substances valued at approximately ₦80 million.

​The raid, which spanned several volatile “black spots” and hideouts across the state, is part of a renewed security offensive by the Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration to sanitize the state’s commercial hubs and residential areas.

​Coordinated Strike Across Seven Localities

​The Managing Director of SASA, Monday Nwokoye, who led the operation, disclosed that the exercise was the product of weeks of “meticulous intelligence gathering.” The tactical teams simultaneously hit multiple locations, effectively dismantling distribution networks in:

• ​Onitsha Axis (The state’s commercial nerve center)

• ​Nsugbe (Anambra East LGA)
• ​Umuchu (Aguata LGA)
• ​Ojoto and Oba (Idemili South LGA)
• ​Nkpor (Idemili North LGA)
• ​Nkwelle Ezunaka (Oyi LGA)

​Speaking at the site of the destruction, Nwokoye emphasized that the agency’s “zero-tolerance” policy is not just a slogan but a mandate. “The destruction was deliberate and final. We are ensuring these poisons do not re-enter circulation to destroy the lives of our youths,” he stated.

​Linking Drugs to Insecurity

​The SASA boss drew a direct line between the prevalence of illicit substances and the rising cases of violent crime in the state. According to Nwokoye, drug dealers are the primary “engine room” for miscreants who engage in theft, touting, and broader insecurity.

​”Anyone caught in the web of sale or consumption will be dealt with decisively. Drugs must stop in Anambra if we are to achieve a livable and prosperous homeland,” Nwokoye warned.

​A Support for ‘Operation Udo Ga-Achi’

​The raid comes on the heels of the recently launched “Operation Udo Ga-Achi” and the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, aimed at community-led policing and technology-driven surveillance.

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​Nwokoye commended Governor Soludo for providing the logistical backbone necessary for such high-stakes operations. He further appealed to “Ndi Anambra” (the people of Anambra) to adopt the “see something, say something” mantra, noting that community cooperation is the ultimate weapon against the syndicates.

​As the state prepares for a more aggressive security posture in the second quarter of the year, the destruction of the ₦80 million haul serves as a stern warning to the underworld: the “Light of the Nation” is becoming too bright for shadows.