By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide offensive against drug trafficking, with operatives destroying 178,750 kilograms of cannabis on a large farm in Taraba State, arresting a 75-year-old man in Anambra, and intercepting massive consignments of opioids and other illicit substances across several states.
According to a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives backed by the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard, and vigilante groups stormed a 71.5-hectare cannabis farm in the Mayodoga forest, Mayosabere Ward of Sardauna Local Government Area, Taraba State, on Tuesday, 26 August 2025. The farm, owned by 30-year-old suspect Alfa Andrew, was destroyed, with 178,750kg of skunk uprooted. Andrew, who was found with a Dane gun, was taken into custody.
In Anambra State, 75-year-old Uchelue Ikechukwu was among six suspects arrested in Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area on Thursday, 28 August. He was caught with 26.7kg of skunk. Others arrested in Nkwelle and Amichi with varying quantities of opioids and cannabis include Eneh Makuo, Emmanuel Chiemeli, Uwakwe Matthew, Chukwujekwu Ehirim, Ifeanyichukwu Olisa, and Odoh Chukwuma.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted a major consignment of opioids concealed in a fuel tanker heading to Borno State. At the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday, 29 August, 104,900 capsules of tramadol hidden in the driver’s compartment of the tanker were seized. The consignment was suspected to be destined for insurgents in the Northeast. A suspect, Hassan Buba, was arrested in connection with the haul. Similarly, at Gwargwaje, Zaria checkpoint on Saturday, 30 August, another suspect, Kabir Sulaiman, 45, was arrested with 34.150kg of skunk.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives in Maiduguri, Borno State, arrested 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, identified as a major supplier of illicit opioids. Umeh was tracked and arrested at his apartment in Chescon, Pompomary area shortly after receiving supplies from Onitsha, Anambra State. A search of his residence yielded 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg, 7,940 tablets of rohypnol, and N7.99 million cash in N200 new notes.
The crackdown extended to other states. In Nasarawa, 36-year-old Abubakar Dauda was arrested with 79,040 pills of tramadol and diazepam at Abacha Park, Mararaba Karu, while in Lafia, 47-year-old Babangida Tungura was caught with 30,410 pills of tramadol and rohypnol as well as 38 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in a deep freezer. In Adamawa, 23-year-old Mohammed Ali was arrested after a follow-up operation linked him to 15,000 tramadol capsules hidden in animal feed sacks at Gombe Mega Park. Another suspect, Hamisu Abdullahi, was apprehended in Yola after 79 blocks of cannabis weighing 58kg, disguised in sacks of pepper, were intercepted along Mararraba Lamurde.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives carried out multiple seizures, including the arrest of two young men, Ashiru Garba (20) and Aminu Abdu (22), along Kano-Hadeja Road with 1.5kg of cannabis and 25,000 pills of exol-5. Two others, Ali Muhammad (37) and Muhammad Maishanu (42), were arrested along Zaria-Kano Road with 8,080 bottles of new psychoactive substances and 25.7kg of cannabis. In Zango, Ungogo Local Government Area, 25-year-old Alhassan Musa was arrested with 250,000 tablets of exol-5.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers intercepted 64,250 opioid pills hidden in a commercial bus traveling from Onitsha to Okene, while 36-year-old Mohammed Halidu was arrested. In Ondo, two suspects, Elves Odogwu (45) and David Jeremiah (35), were arrested at Aponmun Reserved Camp, where 117.5kg of cannabis and seeds were recovered. In Lagos, 164kg of cannabis was recovered in Mushin, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Michael Ayodele.
One of the largest seizures of Loud and Colorado strains of cannabis in Ekiti State was recorded on Friday, 29 August, when NDLEA operatives raided Nova Street in Ado-Ekiti. They recovered 5.3kg of Loud and Colorado and 2.5 grams of methamphetamine from 42-year-old drug kingpin Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, also known as Atiku.
Meanwhile, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programmes across the country. Lectures and advocacy visits were conducted at schools, religious centers, traditional palaces, workplaces, and communities. Beneficiaries included secondary school students in Onitsha, youths in Abakaliki, worshippers in Lagos, and stakeholders such as the Akran of Badagry, HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi; the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun; the Olofin of Isheri, Oba Suleiman Adekunle Bamgbade Ayodele III; and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, and Edo Commands for their resilience and successful operations. He further applauded NDLEA operatives nationwide for intensifying WADA sensitization campaigns, stressing that the dual approach of enforcement and advocacy remains central to reducing drug abuse in Nigeria.
