Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted no fewer than three million five hundred thousand (3,500,000) pills of opioids and one hundred and sixty-three thousand (163,000) bottles of codeine syrup with combined street value of over N3.4bn in Port Harcourt, Rivers State state and Lagos State.
The bulk of the seizures: two million pills of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup, was made on Tuesday 29th April 2025 during a joint examination of a watch-listed container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State.
Spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday stated the seizures.
“In Lagos, a total of 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect Olarenwaju Wahab at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on Tuesday 29th April while the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, which is the residence of one Obinna Kenneth who is now at large,” he said.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kaduna-Zaria expressway on Saturday 3rd May intercepted a commercial vehicle coming from Nasarawa State heading to Zamfara State.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a total of 942 explosives concealed in a sack and the subsequent arrest of a 30-year-old suspect Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji).
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has directed that the suspect and exhibits be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further action.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 20kgs, concealed in tins of chocolate, milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans packaged as part of cargos that came into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
At least, three suspects including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, were arrested between Wednesday, 30th April, and Saturday, 3rd May.
In like manner, a businessman Bobby Morris Osas was on Friday 2nd May arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy.
A thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol 225mg, 200mg and 100mg.
In another development, five members of a syndicate led by Aminu Musa (a.k.a Kadagi) were on Wednesday 30th April arrested by NDLEA operatives at Dangoro market, Kano State with 50 blocks of skunk weighing 21.6kgs recovered from them.
Also, after 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 26th April arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted by NDLEA at Apapa seaport in Lagos on 28th July 2024.
A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34grams.
In Edo State, operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday 1st May intercepted at Uromi, Esan North-East, a white Toyota bus conveying assorted opioids from Onitsha, Anambra State heading to Auchi.
Recovered from the vehicle include: 314,020 pills of tramadol, rophynol, diazepam, exol5; 638 bottles of codeine syrup and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while a suspect Dare Adeyemo was taken into custody. A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra State by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 30th April while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered and a suspect Chinedu Eneh arrested.
In Niger State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kontagora -Mokwa road on Saturday 3rd May intercepted a Mitsubishi canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY.
A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection as well as the arrest of a suspect Yusuf Abubakar, 30.
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