Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded major breakthroughs across the country’s land borders, maritime corridors, and various states, dismantling trafficking syndicates and seizing illicit substances worth billions of naira.
Maritime Seizures: First-Ever Thai Drug Shipment Intercepted
In a landmark operation within the nation’s maritime space, the agency intercepted two containers loaded with cannabis indica—popularly known as Loud—shipped directly from Thailand through the Port of Laem Chabang.
- Apapa Port Operation: A joint examination by the NDLEA, Customs, and other security units on August 21 uncovered 1,090.5kg of Thai Loud packed in 54 cartons inside a container falsely declared to contain dry fish, rice, vehicle spare parts, turmeric soap, and inverter batteries.
- Lekki Deep Sea Port Operation: A watchlist-monitored container examined on August 19 yielded 400kg of Thai Loud wrapped in black nylon and hidden behind pallets of A4 paper.
- Total Valuation: The combined street value of the seizures from both ports exceeds N4.4 billion, marking a new trafficking route exploited by syndicates from Southeast Asia.
Additionally, marine operatives in Akwa Ibom State intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas on August 21 heading toward fishing settlements in Cameroon. Three suspects—Etima Effiong Eekpo, Otobong Eyoh Etukudoh, and Kingsley Effiong John—were arrested with over 42kg of skunk and cocaine cleverly concealed inside a large wrap of edible cassava flour (fufu).
101-Year-Old Great-Grandmother Arrested in Ogun State
In a startling and unusual development, NDLEA operatives arrested a 101-year-old woman, Esther Ogunmabo, in Ilisan, Ogun State, on August 15.
- Found in possession of 90 grams of retail sachets of skunk, the centenarian claimed she resorted to peddling drugs to locals after a fire razed her provisions shop.
- She confessed that one of her daughters residing in Lagos supplied her with fresh stock every four days.
- NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), directed that the elderly suspect be granted administrative bail and placed on counseling due to her advanced age, while her supplier daughter has been taken into custody.
Nationwide Sweep: Arrests Across Kwara, Oyo, Kano, Abia, and FCT
The nationwide offensive recorded several other high-profile arrests and contraband recoveries over the past week:
- Kwara State: Operatives patrolling the Ogbomosho-Ilorin Expressway intercepted a vehicle without a registration number, recovering 1.325kg of methamphetamine and cannabis, leading to the arrest of 22-year-old Muhammadu Usman.
- Oyo State: A 65-year-old woman, Adebayo Kaosarat, was arrested in Ibadan with a cocktail of illicit substances totaling 4.68kg, including Scottish Loud, tramadol, codeine syrup, diazepam, and flunitrazepam.
- Kano State: A raid along Hadejia Road resulted in the arrest of Chibuzor Madueke with 98 blocks of skunk weighing 73.3kg.
- Abia State: Operatives raided a residence in Umuahia South LGA, recovering substantial quantities of Loud, Colorado, tramadol, and rohypnol from a suspect identified as Ikechukwu Anthony Iwuno.
- FCT Abuja & Niger State: Interception of a humbur bus travelling from Enugu led to the recovery of 24,410 pills of tramadol, culminating in the arrest of the consignment owner, Sunday Eze, in Kontagora.
Command Commendations and WADA Sensitization
While commending the officers of the Apapa, Lekki, Seme, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Abia, and FCT Commands for their recent successes, Brig. Gen. Marwa urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balanced approach combining aggressive interdiction with intensive drug demand reduction.
As part of the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, commands continue to carry out sensitization lectures across schools, religious centers, and local communities, including recent outreach programs at Umar Bn Khattab College for Islamic Studies in Kano, Markaz Al-Furqan in Oyo, and the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Kebbi State.
NDLEA Seizes Drugs Worth ₦12.3 Billion At Apapa Port
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This video provides additional context on the scale of recent intelligence-led operations and massive drug interceptions executed by the NDLEA at major Nigerian maritime gateways like Apapa Port.
