By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered consignments of high-potency illicit drugs concealed inside water purifier machines shipped from Europe, while also intercepting military-grade ammunition and arresting multiple suspects in coordinated operations across the country.
According to an official signed statement by the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, operatives of the Agency discovered and seized consignments of ketamine weighing three kilograms and 199 grams of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, concealed in water purifier machines imported from the Netherlands.
The illicit drugs were recovered during an operation at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, alongside another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, 38, following the recovery of 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing a total of 1,246 kilograms from their residence in the Gonin Gora area of the state on Sunday, 24 May.
In a separate operation conducted on the same day, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway at Jere intercepted a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was transporting 380 rounds of military-grade 7.62mm ammunition to Katsina State. The suspect and the recovered ammunition were subsequently handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation and necessary action.
The Agency also recorded another major breakthrough in Niger State, where operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area. During the operation carried out on Wednesday, 27 May, officers recovered 457 kilograms of skunk and arrested a suspect, Godwin Zakka, 46, at his residence in the Gbeganu area of Minna in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, in Enugu State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle with registration number JAY-158-YF travelling to Taraba State on Thursday, 28 May. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 22,000 pills of tramadol, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam. A suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested in connection with the illicit consignment.
Beyond enforcement operations, the Agency continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, taking anti-drug awareness programmes to schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities across the country.
Among the institutions visited during the week were Government Secondary School, Adiabo, Cross River State; St Patrick’s Memorial College, Wukari, Taraba State; Roman Catholic Mission Nursery and Primary School, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State; and Kings Secondary School, Amawbia, Anambra State.
Commenting on the operations, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers and personnel of the Kaduna, Niger and Enugu Commands, as well as those of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), for the successful arrests and seizures.
Marwa praised their commitment to reducing the supply of illicit drugs while sustaining drug demand reduction initiatives through public enlightenment campaigns, urging them and other personnel across the country to remain resolute in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
