Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded a series of major breakthroughs in their intensified crackdown on drug trafficking across Nigeria, uncovering creative smuggling techniques and arresting several high-profile suspects, including a long-wanted drug kingpin.
In a dramatic interception at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, NDLEA agents uncovered 23 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, ingeniously concealed in microwave ovens shipped from Thailand. The illegal drugs, weighing 11.3kg, were discovered during a routine inspection of a consolidated cargo from Bangkok via Ethiopian Airlines. The seizure, made on July 7, led to the arrest of a suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike.
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According to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA headquarters, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in microwaves imported from Thailand… A suspect, Ezenwegbu Chike, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.”
In another operation, officers at the airport’s export shed uncovered cocaine hidden in an unlikely item — ladies’ lipsticks. The consignment, disguised as part of a package containing hair attachments, face powder, and other cosmetics, was bound for Malabo, Guinea. On dismantling the items, officials recovered no less than 400 grams of cocaine and phenacetine, a common adulterant used to dilute pure cocaine.
The agency traced the consignment to a businessman operating from the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos. “Ezeikwelume Prince Afam was arrested on Friday 11th July in connection with the seizure,” Babafemi stated.
These findings follow an earlier operation just a week prior, where 420 grams of cocaine had been similarly discovered in 84 pieces of lipstick heading to the UK.
Meanwhile, in what officials describe as a major victory in their ongoing manhunt, the NDLEA finally captured a notorious drug kingpin, Okechukwu Izugha, known in the underworld as Okey Omeogo. The elusive trafficker had been on the run for a year after 9kg of cocaine was seized from an associate, Obiora Joseph Agudosi, in August 2024.
Izugha’s capture on July 9 at his wife’s shop in Ijesha Market marked the culmination of months of surveillance. Notably, his wife, Maureen Izugha, had earlier been arrested and convicted in January 2025 for possession of 500 grams of cocaine.
“Unknown to him that NDLEA was still on his trail, the wanted kingpin came out of his hiding and was promptly arrested last Wednesday,” Babafemi said.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers destroyed cannabis farms spanning over 11 hectares in the Ewere Uzebba forest, Owan West Local Government Area. In total, 28,054 kilograms of skunk — a local variety of cannabis — were burned, and an additional 82kg of processed cannabis was seized.
However, the operation wasn’t without peril. As the operatives exited the forest, they came under heavy gunfire from armed cartel members. “They were able to repel the attack and came out unhurt while one of their operational vehicles was riddled with bullets,” Babafemi revealed.
On July 11, in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Innocent Ejidiobo and Friday Paul along the Ajah-Epe expressway. They were caught with 26kg of Ghana Loud, 123 grams of methamphetamine, 45 grams of Molly, and a delivery van used for distribution. Elsewhere in Okun-Ajah Beach, officers seized 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 700kg hidden inside a Ford delivery truck.
In Borno State, a suspect, Godwin Chimaobi Nwaobi, 42, was caught with 18,759 ampoules of pentazocine and pills of tramadol and rohypnol at Njimtilo, Maiduguri.
Similarly, another suspect, Abdulrahman Bello Ahmadu, 34, was nabbed with 10,000 pills of tramadol on July 9.
In Gombe, a total of 116,226 pills of tramadol and D5 were confiscated from five suspects in operations spanning July 8 and 12. The suspects, ranging in age from 22 to 48, were arrested at the Gombe main market and along the Gombe-Kano highway.
The trail of arrests continued in Kogi State, where Sabiu Bala was caught on the Okene-Lokoja expressway transporting 316.6kg of skunk. In Kaduna, another trafficker, Haladu Suleiman, 38, was apprehended with 58.8kg of skunk in Gubuchi, Ikara LGA.
In Taraba State, a significant bust took place on July 12 at the Lanka Viri checkpoint, where NDLEA officers arrested three men traveling with a petrol tanker loaded with over 577,000 pills of opioids and 1.16kg of skunk concealed in its tyre compartment.
Similarly, in Kano, three suspects were caught on July 9 with 48.1kg of skunk near the Janguza barracks area.Beyond arrests and seizures, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, reaching out to schools and communities. Sensitization lectures were delivered in states including Cross River, Kano, Enugu, Lagos, Anambra, and Abia.
“Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Word of Promise High School, Calabar, Cross River… and traditional rulers in Bende area of Abia state, among others,” Babafemi noted.
Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s operatives for their bravery, diligence, and continued commitment to tackling drug trafficking.
“While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Edo, Lagos, Taraba, Kano, Kogi, Gombe, Borno and Kaduna Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week,” Babafemi said, “Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”
With arrests made from Lagos to Maiduguri, and seizures amounting to thousands of kilograms of narcotics, the NDLEA’s week-long operations underscore its relentless drive to dismantle Nigeria’s drug trafficking networks, while raising awareness on the dangers of substance abuse across the country.
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