By Nkechi Eze
In a major victory for Nigeria’s anti-drug efforts, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 60-year-old notorious drug baron, Okpara Paul Chigozie, bringing to an end a seven-year manhunt for the fugitive who had been on the Agency’s wanted list since 2019. Okpara, who was allegedly coordinating the distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine across the South East and other regions, was apprehended in Lagos State while attempting to move large quantities of narcotics.
Spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement that the breakthrough came in the early hours of Sunday, July 13, 2025, when NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted one of Okpara’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, along the Ilasamaja axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway. Achebe was caught en route to Onitsha, Anambra State, in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle laden with narcotics. A subsequent search using sniffer dogs uncovered 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the vehicle’s body compartments.
The operation quickly progressed with a follow-up raid on Okpara’s hideout at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri in Ojo LGA, Lagos, where operatives recovered an additional 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine, effectively dismantling what officials described as a key node in the drug trafficking network.
In a parallel operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives working jointly with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), intercepted a drug trafficking attempt by an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, on Wednesday, July 16. The suspect, scheduled to travel to Italy via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, was found with 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol hidden in his luggage. He admitted to purchasing the drugs with the intention of reselling them in Italy for profit.
The following day, Thursday, July 17, operatives at the airport’s export shed intercepted a consolidated cargo shipment containing 17 parcels of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, cleverly hidden in packs of Golden Morn cereal. The 1.70kg consignment was en route to Pakistan. The suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, who presented the consignment for shipment, was promptly arrested.
Still in Lagos, NDLEA officers stormed Sarah Sam Hotels, a 20-room facility located at 115 Ogudu Road, Kosofe, on Saturday, July 19, following credible intelligence and surveillance that linked the premises to the sale and distribution of various party drugs. The raid led to the arrest of Obayemi Oyetade, the alleged ringleader of the drug syndicate, and the recovery of 1.3kg of chocolate cannabis, 900 grams of drug-laced gummies, and 22.9 grams of skunk from his hotel room. The hotel, which also houses his mother and siblings, was found to contain three vehicles suspected to be linked to the drug business.
Similar coordinated operations across the country led to a string of arrests and significant seizures. In Kaduna, three suspects Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi, and Emmanuel Madu, were apprehended during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun Local Government Area on Saturday, July 19. A total of 742.866 kilograms of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic variant of cannabis, were recovered.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives arrested Lawan Rabiu along the Danbatta-Kazaure road on Wednesday, July 16, with 36,000 tramadol pills. On Friday, July 18, officers in Gombe State recovered 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 from a suspect, Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout. On the same day, Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested in Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA, with 49 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 29kg.
In Borno State, NDLEA officers on patrol intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 with registration number GUB 409 AA along Baga Road in Maiduguri on Saturday, July 19. A 44-year-old suspect, Audu Modu, was arrested at the scene.
In Bayelsa State, a 63-year-old woman, Akuna Nelson, was arrested on Thursday, July 17, in the Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of “skuchies”, a local concoction of illicit substances.
Along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State, four suspects 42-year-old Ikechukw Abugu, 18-year-old Sunday Ani, 46-year-old Chukwu Christian, and 55-year-old Emmanuel Olisakwe were arrested on Thursday, July 17. A search of their vehicle, which originated from Onitsha and was headed to Minna, Niger State, led to the recovery of 2kg of methamphetamine.
In Abia State, NDLEA officers on Monday, July 14, raided the residence of a notorious drug dealer, 39-year-old Nduka Obi, located at 4 Niger Street, Ugwa Road, Aba. The raid yielded various quantities of cocaine, heroin, tramadol, and methamphetamine, along with ₦736,000 in cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales.
In Enugu State, 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect, 30-year-old Chisom Okpalaeke, on the Onitsha-Enugu expressway on Wednesday, July 16. In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Ngwokwoka Thomas and Mohammed Audu, both 44 at Dan Anacha in Gassol LGA with 10,000 caps of tramadol and one gram of cannabis.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign nationwide. Sensitization lectures were held at several schools including Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi (Niger), Dah Model Academy, Ngurore (Adamawa), Icon Academy, Nsukka (Enugu), Government Technical College, Nkpor (Anambra), and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur’an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge (Kano), among others.
The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the operatives of the MMIA, Special Operations Unit (SOU), and Commands across Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba States for their efforts in the week under review. He also praised officers nationwide for maintaining a balanced focus on drug supply reduction and demand reduction, reinforcing NDLEA’s strategic commitment to combatting drug trafficking and abuse across all fronts.
