The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a large quantity of illicit drugs, including over 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as 6,000 kilogrammes of potent cannabis strains valued at more than N3.4 billion. The seizures were recorded in a series of operations across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
One of the major operations involved the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 603.75kg and valued at N1.8 billion. NDLEA operatives also arrested a 49-year-old suspected trafficker who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to evade scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit drugs across state lines.
The suspect, who was arrested on Wednesday, Sept. 16, along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta, had 292.48kg of skunk concealed in a silver Toyota Sienna bus. Investigation established that the suspect had long paraded himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged ID card to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit consignments.
In Edo, NDLEA operatives raided a location on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested a 45-year-old man who allegedly used an auto-repair workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Operatives recovered 48kg of Canadian Loud and 152 grammes of methamphetamine, alongside a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.
At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, which arrived on Sept. 12, was placed under intensive monitoring following intelligence received by the agency. The container was subjected to a joint physical examination involving NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75kg, concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded within two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container. In Niger, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area, arrested three young suspects on Tuesday, Sept. 15, with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition.
NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, commended officers and men of the Lagos, Tin-Can, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo, and FCT commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations. Marwa urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the agency’s current approach to drug control efforts.
Key points
- The NDLEA seized over 1.3 million tramadol pills and 6,000kg of cannabis valued at N3.4 billion in a series of operations across Nigeria.
- A suspect was arrested for impersonating a senior police officer to transport illicit drugs across state lines.
- The NDLEA also conducted War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, places of worship, workplaces, and communities across the country.
