Kehinde Fajobi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) conducted extensive raids over the weekend, uncovering large stashes of illicit drugs across Lagos and arresting multiple suspects linked to various drug operations.
At the Igbo-Igunuko shrine near Alfa Beach in Ajah, NDLEA officers seized 2,760kg of Ghanaian Loud, a potent cannabis strain. Two suspects, Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun, were arrested in connection with the stash, according to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi.
During another raid in Lekki, officers discovered a hidden storage in the bedroom of Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi on Marwa Coastal Road, Lekki Phase 1. Babafemi detailed, “The storage was dug in his bedroom, covered with a padlocked iron slate and a rug, and concealed further by placing his mattress on top.”
Officers recovered 11,786 pills of drugs including tramadol, molly, rohypnol, and diazepam, along with 64 bottles of codeine syrup.
On the same day, NDLEA arrested Ademola Oyelakin with 770kg of suspected cannabis on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Meanwhile, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and three Lagos courier firms, officers intercepted several shipments of opioids concealed in items like shoe soles and hair attachments, destined for the United States, UK, Cyprus, and Oman. One of these shipments contained 2,118 tramadol pills hidden in 13 pairs of shoes headed for Cyprus; during a follow-up in Enugu, NDLEA seized an additional 380 tablets from the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, alongside cash and a Toyota Avalon.
In a high-value seizure between October 22 and 23, NDLEA officers, in a joint operation with Customs at the Tincan and Onne Ports, intercepted drugs worth ₦16.68 billion, including 26.25 million tramadol pills and 508,400 bottles of codeine syrup.
Other confiscated items included 10 million tablets of Toradol Benzhexol and 700kg of methamphetamine in plastic drums, as well as 28kg of Loud cannabis arriving from Canada.
Babafemi also reported that a suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was apprehended in Lagos in relation to the cannabis seizure.
He disclosed, “A bribe of ₦10 million offered to NDLEA officers to release the suspect has been kept as evidence for prosecution.”
Across other states, NDLEA arrested several individuals linked to drug trafficking.
In Plateau, Fadan Bindom, 39, was found with 65.85kg of cannabis and 18 grams of tramadol, while Sunday Agbata, 42, was caught with 5,830 tablets and ampoules of bromazepam, diazepam, and pentazocine. In Abuja, major distributor Umar Muhammed, 40, was arrested following the seizure of 198.5kg of cannabis at Wuse Market park. In Edo State, NDLEA seized 640kg of cannabis concealed in bags of vegetables at Ewu junction, Irrua, while in Osun State, Adereti Kazeem, 35, was arrested with 133kg of cannabis at Obalayan, Ile-Ife.