The NDLEA drug seizure has topped N3.4 billion after major operations across Nigeria uncovered Canadian Loud, opioids and cannabis, while officers arrested a suspected fake police officer and a mechanic accused of storing drugs.
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted more than 1.3 million tablets and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, alongside about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis, in operations across eight states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, the seizures have a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion. The operations covered Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the FCT and also produced arrests linked to alleged drug trafficking and concealment.
The largest seizure involved 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 603.75 kilogrammes and valued at about N1.81 billion. NDLEA officers found the consignment inside a 40-foot container that arrived at Tin-Can Island Port from Montreal, Canada, on September 12.
Newstridez reviewed the NDLEA account and reports from the separate operations and found that the latest crackdown involved several different drug routes and concealment methods, rather than one single shipment. The seizures ranged from a large international consignment at Lagos port to opioids moved by road between states and cannabis allegedly stored inside an auto-repair workshop.
NDLEA said officers placed the Canadian shipment under intensive monitoring after receiving intelligence about the container. A joint physical examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on September 16 uncovered the parcels hidden inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded into two Toyota Sienna vehicles within the container.
In Delta State, officers also arrested a 49-year-old man identified by the agency as Innocent Ekpe along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba on September 16. NDLEA said officers found 292.48 kilogrammes of skunk concealed inside his silver Toyota Sienna bus.
The agency alleged that Ekpe had been posing as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and using a forged police identity card to avoid scrutiny at checkpoints while moving illicit consignments. A 39-year-old alleged accomplice, identified as Nduka Joseph, was also arrested during the operation.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided an auto-repair workshop along Agbor Road in Benin City following intelligence and arrested a 45-year-old man. The agency alleged that the suspect used the mechanic workshop as a cover for storing illicit drugs.
Officers recovered 48 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud and 152 grammes of methamphetamine from the premises, as well as a metal box allegedly used to store the substances. The arrest has added another angle to the operation, with investigators now examining how the workshop allegedly fitted into the drug supply chain.
Checks by Newstridez showed that the agency’s latest operations also targeted pharmaceutical opioids moving through major transport routes. On the Abaji-Abuja Highway, officers arrested two suspects on September 18 and recovered more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets.
NDLEA said the drugs were concealed inside eight sacks and were being transported from Onitsha in Anambra State towards Mararaba in Nasarawa State. The seizure highlights the role of inter-state road networks in the movement of pharmaceutical drugs that authorities classify as illicit when trafficked without lawful controls.
The agency also reported an arms-related arrest in Niger State during the wider operations. Three young suspects were arrested at Chachi in Tafa Local Government Area along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway on September 15.
According to NDLEA, officers recovered two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles, a magazine, a locally made pistol and magazine, as well as nine rounds of 9mm ammunition. The weapons were allegedly concealed inside a black travel bag. The agency has not suggested that every item recovered across the operations belonged to the same network.
In Lagos, officers arrested a suspected drug dealer at a residence in Aguda, Surulere, where they recovered 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg. At a separate logistics company, officers intercepted seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59 kilogrammes and arrested a suspect in connection with the consignment.
Another Lagos operation took place at Apongbo on September 17, where NDLEA arrested a 43-year-old suspect and recovered 998.38 kilogrammes of nitrous oxide gas. The agency included the seizure among its latest operations as officers continued targeting different forms of controlled substances moving through commercial and residential areas.
In Gombe State, officers recovered 154,480 tramadol capsules from two suspects arrested separately at the Barunde area and Gombe main market. NDLEA said the arrests took place on September 18 as officers continued intelligence-led operations against the distribution of pharmaceutical opioids.
The crackdown also reached Imo and Ondo states. In Imo, NDLEA arrested a 25-year-old suspect along the Owerri-Onitsha Road with 43.85 kilogrammes of skunk. In Ondo, officers raided a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, where the agency said it destroyed about 5,000 kilogrammes of skunk.
NDLEA said officers recovered 48 kilogrammes of dry and fresh cannabis from the Ondo operation for prosecution purposes. The agency said several suspects were arrested during the farm operation as part of efforts to disrupt local cultivation and supply.
Data reviewed by Newstridez indicates that the reported N3.4 billion value covers seizures from multiple operations and different categories of drugs, rather than a single N3.4 billion consignment. The biggest individual seizure reported was the 603.75-kilogramme Canadian Loud shipment valued at about N1.81 billion.
The figures also show the range of substances authorities are targeting, from cannabis and tramadol to methamphetamine, codeine syrup and nitrous oxide. The spread across several states suggests that NDLEA operations are focusing on import routes, road transportation, local storage points and cultivation sites.
Beyond the arrests and seizures, the agency said its commands continued its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities. Recent engagements included schools in Oyo, Anambra, Lagos and Taraba states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved in the operations in Lagos, Tin-Can, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the FCT. He urged them to maintain what the agency described as a balanced approach to drug control.
For Nigerians, the seizures come amid continuing concerns over the illegal distribution of tramadol and other pharmaceutical opioids, especially because such drugs can circulate through ordinary transport and commercial networks. The latest operations also show how traffickers allegedly use legitimate-looking businesses and forged identities to avoid detection.
The alleged impersonation of a senior police officer in Delta State has drawn particular attention because security checkpoints remain important points for detecting illicit consignments. NDLEA said the suspect used a forged identity to reduce scrutiny, an allegation investigators will now have to establish through evidence.
The mechanic-workshop case presents another concern for law enforcement because the agency alleges that an ordinary business location served as a storage point for illicit drugs. Investigators will have to determine the suspect’s exact role, the source of the drugs and whether other people were involved.
The agency has not said that all suspects arrested in the operations have been convicted. The allegations remain subject to investigation and prosecution, and each suspect is entitled to due process as authorities determine whether there is sufficient evidence to bring a case before a court.
As at the time of filing this report, the NDLEA drug seizure had produced multiple arrests and recoveries valued at more than N3.4 billion across the affected states and the FCT. Investigations into the alleged trafficking networks, the fake police identity and the use of the mechanic workshop as a storage point are expected to continue.
The NDLEA has also urged its formations across the country to sustain intelligence-led operations while expanding drug-abuse awareness programmes. Further charges, prosecutions and additional arrests may follow as investigators trace the sources and intended destinations of the seized substances.
