By Christopher Oji
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 3.5 million opioid pills and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup, valued at over N3.428 billion, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Lagos State. The agency also intercepted 942 explosives en route to Zamfara State.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi detailed the operations in a statement: “The bulk of the seizures: two million pills of tramadol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup, was made on Tuesday 29th April 2025 during a joint examination of a watch-listed container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state.
“In Lagos, a total of 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on Tuesday 29th April while the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, which is the residence of one Obinna Kenneth who is now at large.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, have intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 20kg, concealed in tins of chocolate, milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans packaged as part of cargos that came into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada. At least, three suspects including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, have been arrested between Wednesday 30th April and Saturday 3rd May.
“In like manner, a businessman Bobby Morris Osas, was on Friday 2nd May arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy. A thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg.
“Attempt by another syndicate to ship 104grams of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream to Iraq through a courier company in Lagos was also thwarted on Monday 28th April by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
“In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kaduna – Zaria expressway on Saturday 3rd May intercepted a commercial vehicle coming from Nasarawa State heading to Zamfara State. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a total of Nine Hundred and Forty-Two (942) explosives concealed in a sack and the subsequent arrest of a 30-year-old suspect Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji).
“Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has directed that the suspect and exhibits be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further action.
“Five members of a syndicate led by Aminu Musa (a.k.a Kadagi) were on Wednesday 30th April arrested by NDLEA operatives at Dangoro market, Kano with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kg recovered from them. In Edo state, operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday 1st May intercepted at Uromi, Esan North-East, a white Toyota bus conveying assorted opioids from Onitsha, Anambra state heading to Auchi.
“Recovered from the vehicle include: 314,020 pills of tramadol, rophynol, diazepam, exol5; 638 bottles of codeine syrup and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while a suspect Dare Adeyemo was taken into custody. A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 30th April while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and a suspect Chinedu Eneh arrested.
“In Niger state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kontagora -Mokwa road on Saturday 3rd May intercepted a Mitsubishi canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection as well as the arrest of a suspect Yusuf Abubakar, 30.
“After 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 26th April arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted by NDLEA at Apapa seaport in Lagos on 28th July 2024. A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34grams.
“The War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Al-istigama University, Kano and students and staff of Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina state, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of DOGI, MMIA, Lagos, Kano, PHPC, Kaduna, Anambra, Edo, Niger and Apapa Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”