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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have smashed an international organised criminal group (IOCG) operating between Nigeria, the UK, Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The two-week-long intelligence-led operations across parts of Lagos resulted in the arrest of three leaders of the cartel after operatives intercepted a large consignment of cocaine concealed in textile materials and local charms going to Sydney, Australia.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi, in a statement yesterday, said the unravelling of the drug syndicate began on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, after NDLEA officers at the export shed of the Lagos airport intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials going to Sydney, Australia.
A thorough search of the shipment led to the recovery of 16 big blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms hidden in the lace materials packed with local charms to provide spiritual cover against law enforcement detection.
A freight agent and member of the syndicate, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was the first to be arrested. The consignment was expected to fetch the syndicate an estimated street value of over 5.3 million Australian dollars, equivalent to N5.3 billion.
Fast-paced investigation of the operations of the IOCG quickly unmasked other leaders of the group: Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi and Shola Adegoke.
Ogunbiyi, who is the arrowhead of the syndicate in Nigeria, was arrested at a hotel in Ikeja GRA on Wednesday, September 3, and swiftly taken to his house in the Lekki area of Lagos, where a search led to the recovery of 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis, with a total weight of 10.90kg and a double-barrelled pump-action gun with some cartridges.
A house located at 13 Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, Ikeja GRA, where the criminal group used to package illicit drugs for export, was subsequently raided, and another leader of the syndicate, Shola Adegoke, was arrested there.
A black Range Rover SUV marked RBC 459 EJ found in the compound was searched, and 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.60 kilograms were recovered.
A black Toyota Venza car with registration number FST 771 JQ was earlier recovered from Ogunbiyi at the point of his arrest at the hotel.
Investigations revealed that while Ogunbiyi coordinates operations for the group in Nigeria, one Adebisi Ademola Omoyele (Mr Bee), who is currently hibernating in Dubai, UAE, is identified as the ringleader of the criminal network who coordinates their overseas operations. Shola Adegoke was found to have been jailed in the UK in 2021 for dealing in methamphetamine and subsequently deported to Nigeria in 2024.
Ogunbiyi was also found to have served a 14-year jail term in the UK over a murder case before returning to Nigeria about eight years ago.
Meanwhile, a Milan, Italy-based Nigerian, Gabriel Michael, was arrested on Friday, September 5, by NDLEA operatives at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the Lagos airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy.
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He was found to have concealed a total of 24,480 pills of tramadol 100mg, 200mg, and 225mg, which he claimed he was going to sell for 19,520 euros.
A total of 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup were discovered in a 40ft container during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, on Thursday, September 4.
The container, which had 220 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares used as cover for the codeine syrup, was one of the shipments watch-listed and tracked by a special operations unit of the NDLEA, while the illicit consignment has an estimated street value of over N1.1 billion.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop-and-search operation on Thursday, September 4, arrested a dispatch rider, Joel Bernard, 32, in the Gwarimpa area of the FCT while conveying 3.1kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, on Monday, September 1, arrested the duo of Tunde Ayinla, 47, and Olawale Omotare, 54, while loading four distribution vehicles at their 28 Ola Street, Ijesha Surulere home. Recovered from them were: 9kg of Canadian Loud; 5kg of Colorado; and 1,101 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 611kg, bringing the total weight of the combined seizures to 625 kilograms.
In another raid in Lagos, operatives on Friday, September 5, arrested a couple, Andy David, 43, and Andy Esther, 44, with 24.4kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, recovered from their home in the Ajegunle area of the state.
While 45-year-old Musa Isah was arrested with 53.400kg of skunk concealed in two cartons in the trunk of his Toyota Avensis car, marked ABC 338 SS, in Kogi State, Yunusa Zakari, 23, was nabbed in a follow-up operation in Auchi, Edo State, on Friday, September 5, in connection with the earlier seizure of 233kg of skunk in Kakau, Kaduna State.
Not less than 11,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a suspect, Ayouk Nelson, 28, when he was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, September 3, at 61 Bida Road, Onitsha, Anambra State, just as operatives on patrol along Minna-Bida Road, Niger State, on Tuesday, September 2, intercepted a white Toyota Hilux vehicle.
A search led to the seizure of 30 bags of skunk weighing 342 kilograms, while the driver, Afolayan Ayodele, 54, conveying the consignment was arrested.
In Taraba State, a total of 18,750 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 7.5 hectares of cannabis plantations at Joro-Ade village, Ardo Kola LGA, on Tuesday, September 2.
Owners of the two farms, Mako Zmar, 55, and Sani Titus, 45, were arrested during the operation.
Across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers, and communities all through the past week.
Instances include: WADA sensitisation lecture to officers and men of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Lafia, Nasarawa State; ward heads in Kano Municipal Council, Kano State; and members of the traditional medicine practitioners’ association, Awgu Local Government Area, Anambra State, while the Kogi State strategic command of the NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Ohi of Ihima and Chairman, Okehi LGA council of traditional rulers, HRH Alhaji Abdulraheem Ahmed Ogido, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kogi, and Niger Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Retd), enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to intensify the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
