By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks, arresting two Europe-based Nigerians with 200 wraps of cocaine at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and recording major drug seizures across eight states.
The agency also intercepted 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway, arrested several suspected drug traffickers and destroyed a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares in Edo State.
According to an official statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, the two Europe-based Nigerians, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on October 28, 2026, during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 832 from Abuja to Paris, France.
The suspects, who had travelled to Nigeria for a holiday, were found to have ingested a combined total of 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46 kilogrammes following body scans conducted by NDLEA operatives.
Odife, who claimed to reside in France and work in a factory, was found with 110 wraps weighing 1.901 kilogrammes, while Blackborn excreted 90 wraps weighing 1.559 kilogrammes. Both suspects were placed under observation until they expelled the illicit substances.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway arrested a woman, Aisha Isah, at the tollgate with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition.
The agency also arrested a 68-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, along the Zaria–Kano Expressway at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.
Across Lagos State, operatives intercepted two commercial vehicles conveying a total of 976 kilogrammes of skunk in separate operations along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, and the Gbagada–Oshodi Expressway.
In Oyo State, two suspects, Oguntona Nasiru, 46, and Soji Balogun, 47, were arrested while loading 554 kilogrammes of skunk into a Volvo truck along Idere Road, Igboora.
The operation followed an earlier raid targeting a notorious drug dealer known as Omo Oba, who escaped arrest on October 25 when operatives seized 309.5 kilogrammes of cannabis popularly called Ghanaian Loud linked to him.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7 kilogrammes and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7 kilogrammes during a raid at Tsamiya area of Gezawa.
Another operation in Dorayi led to the arrest of Ziya’ulhaq Abdullahi, 35, and Garba Muhammed, 52, with 19,250 tablets of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6 kilogrammes.
The agency also arrested seven suspects, including Faisal Adamu, during a raid at Tashan Banke, where 178.85 kilogrammes of cannabis and assorted quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin were recovered.
In Ondo State, four suspects were arrested during a raid on cannabis farms in Ijare Forest, where 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180 kilogrammes were recovered.
Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area, where they destroyed a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilogrammes.
A 50-year-old woman, Christiana Uboi, was arrested at the camp with 301 kilogrammes of processed cannabis, while another 176 kilogrammes was recovered during the operation.
In Sokoto State, operatives of the agency’s Zone 7 Command arrested a 68-year-old man, Ibrahim Ayuba, with 236.6 kilogrammes of skunk following intelligence-led operations.
Meanwhile, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across the country, with enlightenment programmes conducted in Lagos, Enugu, Kano and Ogun states, among others.
Commending officers and men of the affected commands for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), described the interception of the two cocaine couriers at Abuja airport as a warning to Nigerians who believe that living abroad could provide cover for international drug trafficking.
Marwa stressed that NDLEA operatives at all entry and exit points remained vigilant, warning that there would be no hiding place for anyone who risked their lives and liberty by ingesting illicit drugs for financial reward.
He charged officers and men of the agency to sustain the current operational tempo against drug trafficking networks while intensifying drug demand reduction initiatives, particularly public enlightenment activities under the WADA campaign.
