NDLEA Intercepts ₦10bn Cocaine, Loud, Opioids at Lagos Ports, Arrests Suspected Kingpins

By Zainab Uzomah| Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine, Canadian Loud and opioids valued at nearly ₦10 billion in separate operations at the Lagos airport and Apapa seaport, arresting suspected drug traffickers and recovering hundreds of rounds of military-grade ammunition in Kaduna and Katsina states.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, a 55-year-old businessman and clothing dealer at Balogun Market, Lagos Island, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, over an alleged attempt to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons containing foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.

The cocaine consignment had been intercepted at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier. The agency said investigations initially led to the arrest of three cargo agents — Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim — as well as Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the shipment to them. NDLEA said information obtained during the investigation subsequently led operatives to Onuigbo, whom it described as the suspected leader of the syndicate.

In another operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, July 21, following the interception of 2.80kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis. The consignment reportedly arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.

The agency also said its operatives recovered a large consignment of Tapentadol 250mg pills, valued at more than ₦2.2 billion, from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight. The drugs were discovered during a joint examination of the cargo on Friday, July 24, following intelligence received and processed by the NDLEA. A separate UK-bound consignment of tramadol concealed in containers of black soap was intercepted at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday.

At the Apapa seaport, operatives uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg and estimated at more than ₦7.1 billion. The drugs were concealed in a container carrying three vehicles and discovered during a joint examination of the shipment on Monday, July 20

Beyond the Lagos operations, the NDLEA said its officers recovered military-grade ammunition during separate operations in Katsina and Kaduna states. In Katsina, 30-year-old Mustapha Sani was arrested at Baure in Safana Local Government Area on Wednesday after operatives allegedly found 323 rounds of ammunition in his possession.

Similarly, NDLEA officers conducting a stop-and-search operation at Jere along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway arrested Abubakar Amadu, 30, after allegedly discovering 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition concealed in kegs of palm oil. The suspects and ammunition recovered in both operations were handed over to the appropriate security agencies for further investigation.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, where they recovered 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds. The agency also arrested Ojore Onweze, 45, with 60kg of skunk and George Agwumede, 30, with another 13kg of the substance.

The agency said its commands across the country also continued activities under its War Against Drug Abuse campaign, with sensitisation programmes held in schools and communities in Niger, Kano and Lagos states during the week.

Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel across the country to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with public sensitisation and preventive campaigns.