By Nkechi Eze
In a sweeping nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested several suspects, including a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old woman, and intercepted massive consignments of synthetic cannabis strains hidden in food items and packages. The operations, carried out across multiple states between July 21 and 26, led to the seizure of Colorado and Canadian Loud strains of cannabis, tramadol pills, codeine-based syrups, and methamphetamine.
According to a statement issued by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, one of the most high-profile arrests involved a Chinese national, Liang Tak You, who was intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Friday, July 25, 2025. Acting on actionable intelligence, NDLEA officers arrested Liang, a naturalized Malaysian resident, who had flown in from Bangkok via Dubai aboard an Emirates flight. He was found in possession of two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud cannabis weighing a total of 26.10kg, which he had picked up in Thailand before traveling to Nigeria.
In another arrest that stunned many, 80-year-old Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was apprehended in Calabar South, Cross River State, with over 3kg of skunk. The octogenarian was nabbed in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, at Edet-Nsa Street following credible intelligence linking her to local drug dealing operations.
Further in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, on Wednesday, July 23, along the Epe-Ajah expressway. He was transporting 21.7kg of Colorado, some packaged in moimoi cooking sachets and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup in a commercial bus en route to Warri and Oghara, Delta State.
A major bust was also recorded at the Apapa seaport in Lagos where NDLEA officers, in a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, recovered 101kg of Canadian Loud cannabis. The contraband, factory-packed in 202 tins of imported ‘Bean Salad Mix’ food items, was hidden in two Toyota Sienna buses inside a container from Canada. The seizure occurred on Friday, July 25.
On the Abuja-Kaduna highway, NDLEA patrol operatives arrested a suspect, Usman Musa, on Wednesday, July 23, while he was conveying 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5 in a commercial bus headed for Kano.
In Borno State, a 30-year-old woman, Binta Usman, was arrested in Muna Moforo, Maiduguri, with 30.1kg of skunk. Her arrest on July 23 led to a follow-up operation and the capture of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, on Friday, July 25, in the same area.
A dramatic raid unfolded in Ondo State where NDLEA operatives stormed a cannabis plantation hidden in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, in Ose Local Government Area. During the operation on Saturday, July 26, they arrested three brothers Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye, destroyed 2,500kg of cannabis cultivated on an entire hectare, and recovered 121.4kg of already processed skunk.
In Benin City, Edo State, a raid on the Asakpa community on Wednesday, July 23, led to the arrest of 26-year-old Bright Sunday Okon. The operatives recovered various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine from her residence.
In Keffi, Nasarawa State, a total of 105.4kg of skunk was recovered from an abandoned Honda car with registration number ABC 204 KM. Meanwhile, in Niger State, a suspect, Bashir Abdullahi, was arrested on Monday, July 21, with 6,400 tramadol pills in the Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna.
A notorious drug kingpin, Jamiu Omolaja, was captured on Thursday, July 24, in Ifo, Ogun State. After a violent confrontation with his gang, NDLEA officers seized 113kg of skunk from his hideout.
In Gombe State, 10,910 tramadol capsules were confiscated from a suspect, Adamu Adamu (alias Dankyado), along the Gombe-Bajoga road on Saturday, July 26. In Kogi State, NDLEA intercepted a shipment of skunk camouflaged among garri, dried scent leaves, and other foodstuffs on the Okene-Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala, who intended to transport the consignment to Katsina and eventually to Qatar.
Also in Kogi, on July 26, officers recovered 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck parked at a motor park in the Ayingba area.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns continued across the country, targeting schools and traditional institutions. Lectures were delivered at Komu/Babaode High School, Itesiwaju LGA, Oyo State; Beacon Christian Academy, Afikpo LGA, Ebonyi; Government Day Secondary School, Araba, Illela, Sokoto; and Government Junior College, Agege, Lagos. In Anambra, WADA teams paid advocacy visits to traditional rulers of Awka and Ukpo communities, including Obi Gibson Nwosu (Ezeuzu II) and Igwe Robert Eze (Okofia VI).
While commending the outstanding efforts of the MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi Commands of the agency, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), praised their dedication in combating drug trafficking and balancing the agency’s twin focus on reducing both the supply and demand of illicit substances.
“These operations reinforce our resolve to dismantle all aspects of the drug trade across the country,” Marwa stated. “Our officers continue to show exceptional commitment and courage in both enforcement and advocacy, ensuring we win this war on all fronts.”
