In one of its most sweeping nationwide operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese national, an 80-year-old grandmother, and several other suspects for drug trafficking, uncovering various forms of illicit substances hidden in food items, vehicles, and homes across multiple states in Nigeria.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the arrests in a statement released on Sunday in Abuja. Among the notable suspects is a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, who was apprehended on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Tak You, a Malaysian-based naturalized Chinese citizen, flew into Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight, allegedly with two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of “Loud” (a synthetic cannabis), weighing 26.1kg.
NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, monitored the suspect from his point of origin, allowed him to clear immigration and customs, and arrested him just as he attempted to leave the airport.
In Cross River State, operatives on Saturday arrested Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, an 80-year-old woman, at her home in Edet-Nsa Street, Calabar South. She was reportedly found in possession of over 3kg of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. The arrest followed detailed intelligence reports about her alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, a suspect named Chidi Agbafo was intercepted on July 23 while traveling along the Epe–Ajah Expressway in a commercial bus. He was caught transporting 21.7kg of Colorado, cleverly disguised in moimoi cooking sachets, and 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup headed for Warri and Oghara in Delta State.
Also in Lagos, a joint operation by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agents at the Apapa Seaport on July 25 led to the discovery of 101kg of Canadian Loud, concealed in 202 tins of food items labeled “Bean Salad Mix.” The drugs were hidden inside two Toyota Sienna vans within a container that originated from Canada.
On the Abuja-Kaduna highway, NDLEA officers on July 23 arrested Usman Musa traveling with 71,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, a woman, Binta Usman, was caught with 30.1kg of skunk at her residence in Muna Moforo. A follow-up raid led to the arrest of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives dismantled a cannabis plantation in the Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose LGA, where they arrested three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye. The officers destroyed 2,500kg of cannabis grown on a hectare of land and seized 121.4kg of already processed skunk.
Other significant arrests and seizures include:
- Edo State: Arrest of Bright Sunday Okon, 26, in Asakpa Community, Benin, with various quantities of drugs including Colorado, Loud, skunk, and methamphetamine.
- Nasarawa State: Seizure of 105.4kg of skunk from an abandoned Honda with plate number ABC 204 KM in Keffi.
- Niger State: Bashir Abdullahi arrested with 6,400 pills of 225mg tramadol in Minna.
- Ogun State: Notorious dealer Jamiu Omolaja arrested in Ifo with 113kg of skunk, following violent resistance from his gang.
- Gombe State: Adamu Adamu, alias “Dankyado,” caught with 10,910 tramadol capsules along the Gombe–Bajoga Road.
- Kogi State: Interception of skunk concealed in garri, scent leaves, and other food items on the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up in Abuja led to the arrest of Kindness Bala, 27, who intended to smuggle the drugs to Katsina and then Qatar. Additional seizures in Ayingba, Kogi, included 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk.
Despite the wave of arrests, NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy efforts also intensified, with sensitisation lectures held in schools across Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, and Lagos States, and royal visits in Awka and Ukpo in Anambra State.
Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers from MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi Commands for their outstanding performance in both supply and demand reduction efforts in Nigeria’s fight against drug abuse and trafficking.
