The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted more than 2.3 tonnes of assorted illicit drugs in coordinated operations across eight states, uncovering increasingly sophisticated methods used by traffickers, including concealment in loaves of bread and music speakers.
The operations also led to the arrest of several suspects, including a 70-year-old woman, a real estate agent, a tour agent and other individuals linked to the trafficking of Colorado, cannabis, tramadol, pregabalin and other controlled substances.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted two consignments of synthetic cannabis, popularly known as Colorado or Colos, concealed in consolidated cargoes arriving from the United Kingdom. At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, 27 parcels weighing 32.20kg were seized.
A real estate agent, Abideen Jide Salami, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after he arrived to collect a large luggage containing the illicit substance using a secret collection code allegedly sent by his brother based in the UK.
A follow-up operation linked to another UK consignment led to the arrest of 44-year-old Nurudeen Abiodun Kadiri, after operatives recovered 12.25kg of Colorado allegedly sent to him by his brother in the UK.
The agency also intercepted Colorado concealed inside music speakers at the Maza Maza motor park in Lagos. The consignment was reportedly destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and ultimately Liberia.
A tour agent, Ifeanyi Obed Augustine, 41, and the owner of the consignment, Obasi Ugochuckwu, 46, were arrested following a sting operation at a nearby eatery.
At Iddo Park, another suspect, Ifeanyi Nwokolo Henry, was arrested on Friday, September 11, while allegedly attempting to dispatch 2.1kg of Colorado to Kano.
In Kano, the agency recorded one of the largest single seizures in the operations after raiding Sabon Gari, where 20-year-old Saidu Adamu was arrested with 785,000 capsules of Pregabalin weighing 669.425kg.
Also in Kano, a stop-and-search operation along the Zaria-Kano-Hadejia road led to the seizure of 1,700 tablets of diazepam concealed inside loaves of bread. The drugs were recovered from 28-year-old Habibu Sabitu.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives arrested 51-year-old Chinedu Uzor at Katako Market, Jos, with 157,100 capsules of tramadol.
The agency’s operations in Delta State also uncovered various controlled substances, including pentazocine injections, codeine syrup, tramadol, diazepam, flunitrazepam, popularly known as Hypnox, and MDMA, also known as Molly.
Some of the substances were concealed inside music speakers, while suspects Emeka Oji and Chukwuebuka Anedi were arrested during separate operations in Ughelli and Asaba.
In Edo State, NDLEA personnel destroyed 4,832.56kg of skunk at cannabis farms located in Usen Forest, Igwe-Oke Forest and Ogboha Forest in Ovia South West, Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas.
A 39-year-old suspect, Sunday Segun, was also arrested during the operations on Friday, September 11.
In Ondo State, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided a residence along Oke-Iya, Ijoka Road, Akure, on September 9 and recovered 186kg of skunk concealed in the boot of a Toyota Avalon marked ABJ 917 FV.
A 58-year-old suspect, Paul Ogbuwala, was arrested in connection with the consignment, which he allegedly planned to transport to Jos for onward distribution.
In Kaduna, a female suspect, Hannah Michael, was arrested at Gonin Gora with 369.6kg of cannabis.
Similarly, four suspects were arrested at Ovom, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, with 110 bags of cannabis weighing 876kg.
The suspects include 70-year-old Godwoman Gboriye, Motombo Silver, 44, Pere Andrew, 39, and Keme Andrew, 43.
The latest seizures highlight the increasingly creative concealment methods being employed by drug traffickers, with illicit substances discovered in cargoes, motor-park consignments, music speakers, vehicle boots and even loaves of bread.
Beyond interdiction operations, NDLEA commands and formations across the country also continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The agency said the activities included sensitisation lectures at Mezube Islamiyya Academy in Tudun Wada, Kano, an advocacy visit to the Cross River State College of Health Technology, Calabar, and engagements with traditional rulers in Plateau and Nasarawa states.
The Zone 4 Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Chindo Yamusa III, in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
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Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa directed officers to continue shutting down the channels exploited by drug cartels, whether through airports, seaports, land borders or the hinterland where illicit cannabis is cultivated.
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