The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multiple international and local drug smuggling attempts, including cocaine concealed in lipsticks and property documents, as part of a series of coordinated operations across Nigeria that also led to major arrests and the dismantling of drug networks.
In a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the agency revealed that its operatives intercepted two suspicious shipments at a logistics hub in Lagos on Thursday, July 3. One was bound for the United Kingdom, the other for Saudi Arabia.
A total of 420 grams of cocaine were discovered embedded in 84 factory-fitted female lipsticks heading to the UK, while 280 grams of the same Class A drug were ingeniously hidden inside a Certificate of Occupancy meant for Saudi Arabia.
The crackdown didn’t stop there.
Drug Kingpin Arrested in Ikeja
In a separate operation on Saturday, June 28, NDLEA operatives arrested a notorious drug kingpin, Ajetsibo Emami, also known as “Warri Kinsman”, in the Ikeja area of Lagos. The three-day sting resulted in the seizure of 681 pouches of Canadian Loud cannabis weighing 414.2 kilograms, hidden inside 24 jumbo bags, along with the arrest of three accomplices.
Family-Run Drug Ring Busted in Lagos
The NDLEA also dismantled a family-run drug syndicate in Lagos. Arrested were businessman Ajah Johnson Uchenna, his wife Rosemary Uchenna, their daughters Stella and Ngozi, and a family associate Okoro Elijah. The family, under investigation since June 13 after being arrested by the Department of State Security with 277.5kg of skunk, was found to have continued operations from their home. A follow-up raid on July 1 uncovered an additional 231kg of the substance.
Airport Seizures: Tramadol, Counterfeit Cheques
At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, on July 2, a suspect Aburemi Hysent, was arrested attempting to smuggle 7,660 tramadol pills hidden in food items to Italy. He confessed he was promised €800 upon successful delivery.
On July 4, NDLEA officers also intercepted 52 counterfeit traveller’s cheques worth 17.7 million Australian dollars, concealed inside children’s books destined for Malaysia via Istanbul. The freight agent, Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested and handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
Border and Highway Raids Yield More Seizures
- Seme Border (July 5): 359kg of skunk recovered from Baba-Pupa area.
- Okene-Lokoja Highway: Interception of 10,000 tramadol pills and 05kg of Colorado, with arrests at Jabi Park, Abuja.
Nationwide Raids: From Forest Farms to Urban Centers
- Osun State (July 1–3): Over 62,000 pills and ampoules of opioids seized in Osogbo and Ile-Ife. A 67-hectare cannabis farm was also destroyed in Ikaka forest, Oke-Ila, with seven arrests and 24,000kg of skunk destroyed.
- Borno State: 167kg of skunk confiscated in Gamboru-Ngala.
- Zaria-Kano Road: 452kg of cannabis seized; two suspects arrested.
- Kaduna: A 30-year-old caught with 11,000 tramadol pills.
- Sokoto: A 62-year-old suspect found with 4,800 pills of tramadol.
- Kebbi: 312kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets recovered from Bakin Kasuwa, Yauri.
- Taraba: Nearly 50,000 tramadol capsules seized from two suspects.
- Edo: A wanted suspect, Alaba Monday, arrested in Ewere forest with 115kg of cannabis, while three others were caught on a 2-hectare farm.
- Cross River: A 78-year-old man and several others arrested in Obubra LGA with assorted drugs.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the operatives for their unwavering dedication and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to eradicating drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria.
“These busts prove that our intelligence network is growing stronger. No trafficker or syndicate will go unnoticed,” he said.
Ask ChatGPT
