In a far-reaching operation that cut across multiple states, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals for various drug-related offenses, including a Chinese national and an 80-year-old Nigerian woman. The nationwide crackdown led to the seizure of large quantities of illegal substances, many of which were ingeniously hidden in food packaging and commercial transport vehicles.
One of the most high-profile arrests occurred at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where NDLEA operatives apprehended Liang Tak You, a Chinese-born businessman naturalized in Malaysia. According to the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the suspect arrived in Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. Acting on credible intelligence, officers tracked his movements from his point of departure and allowed him to pass through immigration and customs before detaining him as he exited the airport. A search of his luggage revealed two suitcases packed with 50 parcels of Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis, weighing a total of 26.10 kilograms.
Meanwhile, in Calabar South, Cross River State, NDLEA agents arrested an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street. Acting on intelligence reports, operatives discovered over 3 kilograms of skunk, a strong variant of cannabis, hidden on the property. Her arrest added a surprising twist to the bust, further highlighting the wide-reaching nature of the drug trade.
In Lagos, another suspect, Chidi Agbafo, was intercepted on July 23 along the Epe–Ajah Expressway while traveling in a commercial bus bound for Delta State. He was caught transporting 21.7 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, some of which had been cleverly disguised in moimoi sachets. Officers also recovered 3.8 liters of codeine-based syrup from his luggage. That same week, a joint inspection carried out at the Apapa Seaport by NDLEA operatives, Customs officials, and other security personnel led to the discovery of 101 kilograms of Canadian Loud. The drugs were concealed in 202 tins labeled “Bean Salad Mix” and packed inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles imported from Canada.
On the Abuja–Kaduna highway, NDLEA agents on routine patrol stopped a commercial bus headed to Kano and arrested a passenger, Usman Musa, with 71,000 tablets of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5. In Borno State, 30-year-old Binta Usman was taken into custody in Maiduguri, where 30.1 kilograms of skunk were recovered from her residence in the Muna Moforo area. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of her alleged accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, two days later.
Further south in Ondo State, three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—were arrested following a raid on a cannabis plantation located in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, within the Ose Local Government Area. Operatives destroyed 2,500 kilograms of skunk cultivated on a hectare of farmland and recovered 121.4 kilograms of already processed cannabis. In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided a property in Asakpa Community, Benin City, where 26-year-old Bright Sunday Okon was arrested. Several types of narcotics, including Colorado, Loud, Arizona, methamphetamine, and skunk, were seized from her home.
Additional operations across other states yielded significant seizures. In Keffi, Nasarawa State, NDLEA found 105.4 kilograms of skunk in an abandoned Honda car. In Minna, Niger State, Bashir Abdullahi was arrested on July 21 with 6,400 tablets of 225mg tramadol. In Ogun State, notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was arrested in Ifo after a violent standoff with his gang. Officers recovered 113 kilograms of skunk from his hideout during the raid on July 24.
In Gombe State, NDLEA arrested a suspect known as Adamu Adamu, alias “Dankyado,” on July 26 along the Gombe–Bajoga road. He was found in possession of 10,910 tramadol capsules. In Kogi State, officers intercepted a shipment of skunk hidden in food items like garri and dried scent leaves along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A subsequent investigation led them to Abuja, where they arrested 27-year-old Kindness Bala, who was allegedly planning to move the drugs to Katsina State before trafficking them abroad to Qatar. On July 26, NDLEA operatives in Kogi also recovered 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck parked at a motor park in the Ayingba area.
While intensifying enforcement, NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign by engaging schools and traditional institutions nationwide. Sensitisation lectures were held at Komu/Babaode High School in Oyo State, Beacon Christian Academy in Ebonyi, Government Day Secondary School in Sokoto, and Government Junior College in Agege, Lagos. In Anambra, the state command visited traditional rulers of Awka and Ukpo communities, Obi Gibson Nwosu (Ezeuzu II) and Igwe Robert Eze (Okofia VI), to promote awareness and anti-drug education.
Reacting to the results of the operation, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the efforts of officers and commands in Lagos, Apapa, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi. He lauded their dedication to both drug supply suppression and demand reduction, emphasizing the importance of balancing strong enforcement with sustained public education to combat the nation’s drug abuse crisis.