The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled an alleged syndicate that plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks, intercepted narcotics valued at over ₦12.3 billion, arrested a businesswoman with 7.5 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Lagos airport, and apprehended suspected traffickers in a series of coordinated operations across the country.
One of the major breakthroughs followed the arrest of a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, as she prepared to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday, operatives acted on credible intelligence before searching the suspect’s luggage, where they discovered four parcels of cocaine weighing 7.5 kilogrammes concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom of the suitcase. The suspect reportedly told investigators that she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria.
Babafemi said operatives of the agency, in another major operation, intercepted a 40-foot container carrying 4,959 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of ₦12.397 billion.
He said the container had been placed under surveillance for more than four weeks before it was subjected to a joint examination at the Apapa Port, Lagos, by officers of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, other security agencies and port stakeholders. The shipment, concealed alongside two vehicles inside the container, was traced from Toronto, Canada, through several international transit points before arriving in Lagos.
Babafemi further disclosed that the agency uncovered an alleged syndicate involved in planting illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.
He said the operation began after NDLEA operatives intercepted a waybill package containing suspected methamphetamine concealed inside the luggage of an unsuspecting passenger on a commercial bus travelling from Nnewi, Anambra State, to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Gloria Peter, at Utako Motor Park in Abuja. Although she denied ownership of the package, further investigations resulted in the arrest of a bus loader in Nnewi, who allegedly confessed to placing the drug package in her luggage on the instruction of the vehicle’s driver, Abdurrazak Isah. The driver subsequently identified another passenger, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, as the owner of the illicit consignment, leading to his arrest. The recovered methamphetamine weighed 467.7 grammes,” he said.
Babafemi added that, in Lagos, operatives of a Special Operations Unit arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park with 209.5 kilogrammes of Scottish Loud allegedly being transported to Enugu State.
“In another operation, two nationals of the Benin Republic—Hossou Tito Julien, 30, and Mancellim Dossou, 19—as well as a Nigerian, Jackson ThankGod, were arrested after NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck on the Mile 2 Bridge in Lagos,” he said.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg concealed inside a fabricated compartment.
Similarly, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while transporting 118 kilogrammes of skunk concealed among legitimate goods in a truck heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.
“In Amukoko, Lagos, Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, were arrested with 28.8 kilogrammes of skunk. Investigators alleged that the principal suspect stored illicit drugs at the residence of the second suspect before distributing them to customers,” Babafemi said.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, places of worship and communities across Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Enugu and Yobe states.
“The successful operations underscore the Agency’s commitment to reducing the supply of illicit drugs while sustaining its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign across the country,” Babafemi said.
He noted that the seizure of the Canadian Loud shipment followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, highlighting the agency’s growing capacity to track transnational drug trafficking networks.
Babafemi added that the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers involved in the various operations for their professionalism and dedication.
“The Chairman charged officers and men across the country not to rest on their oars as the Agency continues to balance drug supply reduction efforts with preventive drug abuse education,” he said.
He added that investigations into the various cases were ongoing and that all the suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law upon the conclusion of investigations.
