The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, recovering a large consignment of tramadol concealed in vehicles and arresting four suspects in Onitsha, Anambra State, and Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The operation, which followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the NDLEA’s Directorate of Intelligence, led to the interception of a Toyota Sienna bus with registration number ABJ 452 HG along the Nasarawa-Toto road in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on January 27, 2025.
The vehicle, which was traveling from Onitsha to Yola, was occupied by two suspects, Zahradeen Adamu, 27, and Abubakar Usman, 44. Another Sienna bus driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also stopped.
A thorough search of both vehicles revealed specially constructed steel compartments where a total of 190,960 tramadol pills were hidden.
Some were found in a modified section behind the back bumper, while others were concealed in the spare tire compartments.
Further investigations pointed to Kingsley Mbaeri, an Onitsha-based supplier, as the source of the seized drugs.
A follow-up operation on January 29 led to his arrest at his residence on Uga Street, Onitsha. During the raid, NDLEA operatives confiscated two vehicles—a Toyota Corolla with registration number FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna marked GWA 23 HH.
In a separate crackdown, NDLEA operatives at the Abaji checkpoint in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, intercepted a commercial bus traveling from Onitsha on February 4.
A passenger, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa, 32, was arrested after officers discovered 404.47 grams of methamphetamine, 506.49 grams of Loud (a synthetic strain of cannabis), and 262.32 grams of dimethyl sulfone (a precursor for meth production) concealed in motor spare parts inside his black bag.
Other interdiction efforts across the country led to multiple drug seizures and arrests.
On February 13, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Ogoja-Abakaliki road in Cross River State intercepted a truck carrying 170,000 tramadol pills. The truck was driven by Paul Chukwudi, 31.
In Lagos, on February 11, operatives at the Apapa seaport uncovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup inside a container imported from India.
The crackdown also extended to Borno State, where two suspects, Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru, were arrested along Bama Road in Maiduguri on February 14 with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, weighing 72 kilograms.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives raided a notorious drug joint on Iloda Street, Ikole-Ekiti, on February 11, arresting three suspects—Bala Muhammed, 57; Yahaya Adamu, 55; and Abdullahi Shehu, 30—with a total of 83 kilograms of skunk.
In Lagos, 28-year-old Samiat Olabisi Yussuf was apprehended at her Lekki residence on February 15. Officers seized 169.5 liters of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, along with 111 grams of Loud. Similarly, in Taraba State, two suspects—Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40—were arrested with a combined total of 132.84 kilograms of skunk.
Usman was caught with 88 kilograms of Arizona and Ghana Loud in Wukari, while James was found in possession of 44.84 kilograms of the same substances in Takanaba, Sabongari, Jalingo.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, conducting sensitization programs across the country.
These included lectures at schools, workplaces, religious centers, and communities. Some of the institutions engaged include Government Technical College, Oku, Akwa Ibom; Future Leaders Academy, Kishi, Oyo State; and Government Secondary School, Bashire, Sokoto.
Commending the operatives involved in the successful raids and seizures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s efforts in tackling drug trafficking while urging officers to sustain the momentum in the fight against illicit drugs.
