The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested Okpara Chigozie, a ‘major drug cartel leader’ who had evaded arrest since 2019.
In a statement on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s spokesperson, said the 60-year-old was apprehended at his hideout on Michael Ojo Street, Isheri, Ojo area of Lagos, following the interception of one of his drug consignments along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
“He was caught attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country,” the statement read.
“Okpara, who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA since 2019, was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri in Ojo area of Lagos state on Sunday, 13th July 2025, following the interception of some of his consignments at 5:45 am same day at Ilasamaja along Apapa-Oshodi expressway.”
“In the early morning operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence arrested one of Okpara’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, while heading to Onitsha, Anambra state in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle,” the statement reads.
“The agency’s sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the space bus. A follow-up operation was promptly carried out at Okpara’s hideout in Isheri where an additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine were recovered from his residence.”
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with aviation security personnel, recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa.
“The suspect who was going to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs himself, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices,” the statement reads.
At the Lagos airport on Thursday, operatives also intercepted 17 parcels of skunk concealed in packs of the popular cereal, Golden Morn.
The drugs, weighing 1.70kg, were part of a consolidated cargo headed for Pakistan. Chioba Robert Uchenna, a suspect who presented the consignment for shipment, was arrested.
Still in Lagos, NDLEA officers raided Sarah Sam Hotels at 115 Ogudu Road, Kosofe, where they recovered 1.3kg of cannabis, 900 grams of drug-laced gummies, and 22.9 grams of skunk from one Obayemi Oyetade.
The hotel, which has 20 rooms and is run by his family, also had three vehicles impounded during the operation.
ARRESTS IN OTHER STATES
In Kaduna state, three suspects – Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi, and Emmanuel Madu – were arrested at Narayi High-Cost area, Chikun LGA, with 742.866kg of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
In Kano, one Lawan Rabiu was intercepted on Wednesday along the Danbatta-Kazaure road with 36,000 pills of tramadol hidden in his vehicle.
In Gombe, 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered from Aliyu Abubakar at the Gombe roundabout.
In another operation within the state, operatives found 29kg of skunk in the possession of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris at Kwadom in Yemaltu Deba LGA.
In Borno state, 74,360 opioid pills were intercepted in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle at Baga Road in Maiduguri. The suspect, 44-year-old Audu Modu, was arrested on the spot.
In Bayelsa, NDLEA operatives apprehended a 63-year-old woman, Akuna Nelson, in the Osiri area of Yenagoa.
She was found with 163 litres of skunk, a locally brewed psychoactive drink often laced with illicit substances.
Along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state, four suspects identified as Ikechukwu Abugu, Sunday Ani, Chukwu Christian, and Emmanuel Olisakwe were arrested with 2kg of methamphetamine.
In Abia, the agency raided the base of Nduka Obi, allegedly a known drug dealer in Aba, where heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and tramadol were recovered. NDLEA also confiscated N736,000 believed to be proceeds from illicit drug sales.
In Enugu, 45,000 tramadol pills were seized from 30-year-old Chisom Okpalaeke during a highway stop along the Onitsha–Enugu expressway.
In Taraba state, 10,000 tramadol capsules and 1 gram of cannabis were recovered from Ngwokwoka Thomas and Mohammed Audu during a bust in Gassol LGA.
In Osun state, the agency destroyed 101,150 kilograms of skunk hidden in a forest, marking one of the largest seizures of cannabis in the region in recent times.
(The cable)
