LAGOS (CHATNEWSTV) — Nigerian anti-narcotics operatives have seized over ₦3.4 billion worth of opioids in sweeping raids across Lagos and Port Harcourt, uncovered Canadian cannabis concealed in chocolate tins, and arrested a long-wanted drug kingpin, according to a statement released Sunday by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The largest seizure occurred on April 29 at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, where a container flagged for examination yielded two million pills of tramadol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup. The operation was carried out jointly by NDLEA officers, customs personnel, and other security agencies. On the same day in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo with 1.5 million pills of tramadol. Investigations traced the origin of the consignment to a residence at Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, belonging to one Obinna Kenneth, who remains at large.
Meanwhile, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, NDLEA officers intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud — a potent strain of cannabis weighing 20 kilograms — concealed in tins of chocolate, Milo beverage, white kidney beans, and dark red kidney beans. The shipment had arrived from Canada aboard a British Airways flight. Three suspects, including the intended recipient, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, were arrested between April 30 and May 3.
In another bust at the same airport, a businessman identified as Bobby Morris Osas was arrested on May 2 while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy. A search of his luggage uncovered 8,130 pills of tramadol in varying doses. Separately, on April 28, NDLEA operatives disrupted a syndicate’s attempt to ship 104 grams of tramadol and skunk to Iraq by concealing them in body cream bottles at a Lagos-based courier company.
On May 3, a patrol team along the Kaduna–Zaria expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle traveling from Nasarawa to Zamfara. A search led to the discovery of 942 explosives hidden in a sack, and a suspect, 30-year-old Nura Sani Muhammad, also known as Nura Hariji, was arrested and handed over to the appropriate authorities. In a major breakthrough following 10 months of investigation, the agency announced the arrest of Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, 52, Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd., over his role in the July 2024 importation of 2,616,060 tramadol pills through the Apapa seaport. He was captured on April 26, and a follow-up search of his Lekki residence yielded 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34 grams.
Other coordinated operations yielded significant results. In Kano, NDLEA agents arrested five members of a drug syndicate led by Aminu Musa, alias Kadagi, on April 30 at Dangoro Market and recovered 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6 kilograms. On May 1, a white Toyota bus carrying assorted opioids from Onitsha to Auchi was intercepted in Uromi, Edo State, and the driver, Dare Adeyemo, was taken into custody. The recovered drugs included 314,020 pills of tramadol, rophynol, diazepam, exol-5, 638 bottles of codeine syrup, and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
In Anambra State, 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol, and 300 ampoules of pentazocine were recovered from a Mazda bus marked XA343TSE at Agu-Awka junction on April 30, and a suspect, Chinedu Eneh, was arrested. In Niger State, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Kontagora–Mokwa road on May 3 intercepted a Mitsubishi Canter truck and recovered 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine. The driver, Yusuf Abubakar, 30, was arrested on the spot.
While confirming the seizures and arrests, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the resilience and coordination of his officers. “This is one of the most coordinated anti-narcotics crackdowns we’ve executed in recent months,” he said. “The scale and variety of these seizures reflect both the threat and our resolve to dismantle the entire drug network.” He directed that suspects and seized explosives be transferred to the appropriate security agencies for further investigation.
In addition to enforcement operations, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative continued with sensitization lectures held at Al-Istigama University, Kano, and Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Kankia, Katsina State. Marwa commended officers from the MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Anambra, Edo, Niger, and Apapa Commands for their diligence and effectiveness in both supply suppression and demand reduction.
“We must win this war on both fronts—by dismantling networks and by educating the next generation,” Marwa said.
