9th March, 2025
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
In a series of high-stakes operations across the country, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) stormed multiple locations, intercepting massive drug consignments and arresting key traffickers.
A statement issued by NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday said the most dramatic bust unfolded in Lagos on Friday, 7th March, when NDLEA operatives halted a suspicious commercial truck at Shibiri, Ojo.
Inside, a shocking discovery awaited—248 compressed blocks of Ghanaian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing a staggering 128kg, expertly concealed in the truck’s undercarriage.
The two suspects, China Michael and Igbo Ekene, had no escape as officers swooped in, ending their drug-smuggling run in an instant.
Just hours later, Babafemi disclosed that NDLEA officers struck again at Mosalasi Junction, Mushin, arresting three more suspects—Osinachi Nwachukwu, Tochukwu Okafor Christian, and John Ugochukwu Mbakwe.
Their haul? A staggering 301,600 pills of tramadol and other deadly opioids, destined for illicit distribution.
The crackdown wasn’t limited to Lagos. In Kano, a 65-year-old suspect, Yahaya Haruna, was caught red-handed along Gadar Tamburawa road on Thursday, 6th March, with 19.2kg of skunk, while another notorious trafficker, 60-year-old Musa Bello (alias Jajere), was arrested at Medile, Kumbotso Local Government Area, in possession of 212 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
A bigger shock came in Abia State, where NDLEA operatives raided a secret warehouse at 19 Ubani Street, Aba, exposing an underground drug cartel run by 37-year-old Blessing Okoronkwo.
What they uncovered was mind-blowing—442,594 pills of tramadol, other opioids, and 1,274 bottles of codeine syrup!
In Benue, another interception led to the arrest of two suspects, Nwaeze Onyeabor, 47, and Tombo Thomas, 23, whose vehicle was packed with 50,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5.
The suspects were stopped at Ugbema Junction, Katsina-Ala, on Wednesday, 5th March, before they could flood the streets with their illicit cargo.
Meanwhile, in Osun State, NDLEA stormed Modakeke, Ife East Local Government Area, and seized 162kg of skunk from a suspect, Asimiyu Muibi, 50.
On the same day, in Ede, another 95kg of the same substance was recovered from a Toyota Camry marked KSF 72 GW in a swift raid.
But perhaps the most stunning operation took place in Edo State, where NDLEA agents penetrated deep into the Amahor community forest, Igueben area. There, 9,514.625kg of skunk was discovered—grown across 3.8 hectares of cannabis farmland! The farm was swiftly destroyed, and a suspect, Etim Esien Stephen, 55, was arrested on Wednesday, 5th March.
Commending the operatives behind these victories, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), applauded the men and women of the agency for their unwavering commitment to dismantling the drug trade and their relentless pursuit of a drug-free Nigeria.
