The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, intercepting large quantities of opioids concealed within building materials and arresting multiple suspects, including a 75-year-old man and several female drug dealers in coordinated operations across different states.
The agency disclosed that one of its most significant interceptions occurred in Taraba State on Saturday, June 6, following intelligence-led surveillance that led operatives to a truck transporting building materials from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo.
According to the NDLEA, officers conducted a detailed search of the vehicle at the Nukkai Timber Shade area of Jalingo, where they discovered a substantial quantity of illicit substances hidden beneath the building materials.
The truck’s assistant driver, identified as 22-year-old Buhari Abdullahi, was taken into custody in connection with the seizure.
Items recovered from the vehicle included 320,840 capsules of tramadol, 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 4,500 tablets of Rohypnol, and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
In a separate operation in Ebonyi State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 75-year-old suspect, Okebe Samuel, in Okposi community. The agency stated that the elderly suspect was found with 300 grams of skunk allegedly packaged into retail-sized sachets intended for distribution among youths in the area.
Meanwhile, in Imo State, officers raided a known drug trafficking location in Umulolo, Orlu, where they arrested 32-year-old Chioma Okeke. During the operation, authorities recovered eight kilograms of skunk believed to be intended for sale within the community.
The anti-narcotics agency also recorded multiple arrests during raids on notorious drug hotspots across Benin City in Edo State on June 2.
At Uyosa, Benin City, officers apprehended two female suspects, Chioma Igba, 24, and Precious Ozomah, 22. Recovered from them were 176 grams of skunk, 65 grams of Loud, and five grams of methamphetamine.
Another suspect, Anita Abraham, 21, was arrested along Agbor Road after officers reportedly recovered 95 grams of Scottish Loud and 329 grams of regular Loud from her possession.
In a separate operation at Upper Mission Road, Benin City, operatives arrested 43-year-old Henry Okey, who was allegedly found with quantities of Loud, Colorado, Swinol, and methamphetamine.
In Kano State, NDLEA officers arrested 19-year-old Saifullahi Lawan in the Kafi area of Madobi on June 4. Authorities reported that the suspect was caught with 40 blocks of skunk weighing approximately 38 kilograms.
Similarly, in Gombe State, operatives intercepted 28-year-old Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi near Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area on June 1. The agency stated that he was found in possession of 15,000 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond enforcement activities, the NDLEA said it continues to expand its War Against drug abuse (WADA) campaign, aimed at educating young people about the dangers of drug abuse and trafficking.
According to the agency, sensitisation programmes were recently conducted for students and staff at several educational institutions, including Holiness Foundation Primary School in Saki, Oyo State; Dorras High School in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State; Ado Girls Secondary School in Onitsha, Anambra State; and Army Day Secondary School in Kano State.
Reacting to the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and personnel from the Taraba, Ebonyi, Imo, Edo, Kano, and Gombe commands for their professionalism, vigilance, and dedication.
Marwa also praised operatives nationwide for maintaining a balance between disrupting drug supply chains and implementing drug demand reduction initiatives through public enlightenment programmes.
He reaffirmed the agency’s determination to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country and stressed that traffickers would continue to face prosecution regardless of their age, gender, or concealment tactics.
