National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has again issued warnings that travellers should avoid accepting a bag or a luggage not properly and thoroughly checked by them, this, the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi reiterated on Sunday when he presented a case of a suspect arrested in connection of illicit-drugs hidden as Golden Morn for onward cargo shipment to Pakistan.
“As we often warn, never accept any luggage not packed or thoroughly searched by you, on any trip. It’s always in your interest”, Femi Babafemi stated in a post published on his personal social media handle on Sunday.
NDLEA in a news release on Sunday, said, after 7 years on the run, its men have arrested a wanted drug kingpin with 11.6kg cocaine, meth and raided Lagos hotel, where its men recovered party drugs. Details of the news release as made available on Sunday and fortnight ago are presented below:
Operatives of a special operations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, ending seven years of evading the long arm of the law, even as he was caught attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.
Okpara who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA since 2019 was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri in Ojo area of Lagos state on Sunday 13th July 2025 following the interception of some of his consignments at 5:45a.m same day at Ilasamaja along Apapa-Oshodi expressway. In the early morning operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence arrested one of Okparas couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi while heading to Onitsha, Anambra state in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle.
The agencys sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the space bus. A follow up operation was promptly carried out at Okparas hideout in Isheri where additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg methamphetamine were recovered from his residence.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday 16th July recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa. The suspect who was going to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs himself, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices.
In another arrest at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives at the export shed on Thursday 17th July intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg concealed in packs of popular cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo. A suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna who presented the consignment for shipment was arrested.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 19th July raided Sarah Sam Hotels located at 115 Ogudu road in Kosofe where different party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed a suspect Obayemi Oyetade as the arrowhead of the drug network. At the time of the operation, 1.30kg Chocolate Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from Obayemis room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel include three vehicles.
Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and Emmanuel Madu were on Saturday 19th July, arrested during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna State, where 742.866 kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis were seized from them. In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was nabbed with 36,000 pills of tramadol along Danbatta-Kazaure road, on Wednesday 16th July.
While a total of 25,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from a suspect Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout on Friday 18th July, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba Local Government Area, Gombe state.
In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga road, Maiduguri, on Saturday 19th July intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the seizure, while in Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on Thursday 17th July arrested at Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.
Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday 17th July arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi state in connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger state.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Monday 14th July raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street, Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and a total of ₦736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from him.
While a total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Onitsha – Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday 16th July, officers of the Taraba state command of the agency same day apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and Mohammed Audu, 44 with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan Anacha, Gassol Local Government Area.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger; Dah Model Academy, Ngurore, Adamawa; Icon Academy, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Nkpor, Anambra and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur’an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge, Kano state; among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired) also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. Signed, Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Sunday 20th July 2025.
Cocaine, Loud recovered from microwaves, lipsticks as NDLEA nabs wanted drug kingpin… Destroys 28,000kg skunk in Edo forest; recovers 722,875 pills of opioids in Borno, Gombe, Taraba raids
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis concealed in microwaves imported from Thailand and wraps of cocaine built into ladies lipsticks going to Guinea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos.
The Loud consignment was part of a consolidated cargo that came in two tranches on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Based on credible intelligence, the cargo was subjected to thorough search during which 23 parcels of loud weighing 11.3kg concealed in new microwaves were recovered on Monday 7th July 2025. A suspect Ezenwegbu Chike has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Barely a week after a total of 420grams of cocaine factory fitted in 84 pieces of female lipsticks heading to the UK were seized at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives at the export shed of the Lagos airport have intercepted another consignment of cocaine built into ladies lipsticks as part of a cargo containing hair attachments, face powder, and other items heading to Malabo, Guinea.
No less than 400grams of cocaine and phenacetine, a cutting agent, were recovered from the lipsticks when dismantled while a businessman at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos, Ezeikwelume Prince Afam was arrested on Friday 11th July in connection with the seizure.
Meanwhile, a notorious drug kingpin Okechukwu Izugha (a.k.a Okey Omeogo) has been arrested in Lagos by operatives of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA after 12 months of going into hiding. He was nabbed on Wednesday 9th July at his wifes shop in Ijesha market.
Izugha came under NDLEA radar on 7th August 2024 after a 9kg cocaine was recovered from a suspect Obiora Joseph Agudosi at a motor park in Orile, Lagos while going to deliver the consignment in the southeast. Izugha was identified as the owner of the seized drug. In the course of investigating the kingpin and his network, his wife Maureen Izugha was arrested with 500grams of cocaine at her beverages store in Ijesha market on 21st January 2025. She was thereafter arraigned in court, convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Unknown to him that NDLEA was still on his trail, the wanted kingpin came out of his hiding and was promptly arrested last Wednesday.
In Edo state, no fewer than 28,054.053 kilograms of skunk, a local strain of cannabis, were destroyed on three farms measuring over 11 hectares at Ewere Uzebba forest in Owan West local government area on Tuesday 8th July, while 82kg of already processed cannabis was recovered from the location. The NDLEA operatives who went for the operation however came under gun attack from armed members of the cartel on their way out of the forest. They were able to repel the attack and came out unhurt while one of their operational vehicles was riddled with bullets.
In Lagos, 1,400 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 700kg and a Ford delivery truck marked JJJ 698 YJ were recovered at Okun -Ajah Beach, while two suspects: Innocent Ejidiobo and Friday Paul were nabbed along Ajah -Epe expressway by NDLEA operatives on Friday 11th July. Recovered from them include: 26kg Ghana Loud, 123grams of methamphetamine and 45grams of Molly as well as their delivery van with registration number AJK 191 LG.
While NDLEA operatives in Borno state on Saturday 12th July arrested Godwin Chimaobi Nwaobi, 42, with 18,759 ampoules of pentazocine, pills of tramadol and rohypnol at Njimtilo, Maiduguri, coming on the heels of the seizure of 10,000 pills of tramadol from another suspect Abdulrahman Bello Ahmadu, 34, on Wednesday 9th July, their counterparts in Gombe state recovered a total of 116,226 pills of tramadol and D-5 from five suspects: Hafiz Bello, 22; Isah Suleman, 48; Kabiru Muhammed, 30; Abdullahi Adamu, 30; and Abel Murna, 25, at Gombe main market and along Gombe-Kano road on Tuesday 8th and Saturday 12th July.
A suspect, Sabiu Bala was on Thursday 10th July arrested along Okene-Lokoja expressway in Kogi state while conveying 316.600kg skunk, while another suspect Haladu Suleiman, 38, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives with 58.805kg of same substance in Gubuchi area of Ikara Local Government Area, Kaduna state.
In Taraba state, three suspects: Auwal Ibrahim, 30; Lukman Ibrahim, 18; and Hamza Adamu, 25, were on Saturday 12th July arrested by NDLEA officers at Lanka Viri checkpoint while conveying 577,890 pills of opioids and 1.160kg skunk concealed in tyre compartment of a petrol tanker marked MUB 334 YH. The arrest of the trio on Tuesday 8th July followed credible intelligence. Three other suspects: Shamsudini Abdullahi, 35; Adamu Abdullahi,21; and Magaji Rabo, 26, were nabbed with 48.1kg skunk at Janguza barracks area of Kano state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 9th July.
The War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Word of Promise High School, Calabar, Cross River; Government Girls Arabic Senior Secondary School, Indabo Wudil, Kano; Community Secondary School, Umundu, Enugu; Okemagba Senior High School, Epe, Lagos; Bishop Gideon Otubelu Memorial College, Ukpo, Anambra; and traditional rulers in Bende area of Abia state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Edo, Lagos, Taraba, Kano, Kogi, Gombe, Borno and kaduna Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired) equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts. Signed, Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
Sunday 13th July 2025.