….Nabs two teenagers with AK-47 rifles, pistol, ammunition
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted over 1.3 million pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 6,000 kilograms of potent strains of cannabis with a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion in a string of major operational breakthroughs across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT.
Top on the line up of successful operations was the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 603.75 kilograms, valued at N1.8 billion and the arrest of a trafficker who impersonates as a senior police officer to evade scrutiny at checkpoints while ferrying drugs across state lines.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the Agency, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday, the 49-year-old fake police officer, Innocent Ekpe was arrested on 16th September 2026 by NDLEA operatives along the Benin-Onitsha expressway in Asaba, Delta state with 292.48 kilograms of skunk hidden in his silver Toyota Sienna bus.
Investigation established that Ekpe had long paraded himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged ID card to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit consignments. An accomplice, 39-year-old Nduka Joseph, was arrested along with him.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence stormed a location on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai, who used his auto-repair workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Officers recovered 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud and 152 grams of methamphetamine, along with a metal box used to store the illicit substances.
At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, Babafemi said, a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, and arrived on 12th September was placed under intensive monitoring by NDLEA operatives based on processed intelligence. The shipment was eventually subjected to a full joint physical examination with Customs and other security agencies on 16th September.
The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75 kilograms, concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded within two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway at Chachi, Tafa LGA, on 15th September, arrested three young suspects: Bashir Usman Abubakar Nuhu and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
Two suspects: Aminu Isyaku and Jamilu Habibu were also, on arrested on Friday by NDLEA officers along Abaji-Abuja highway. Over 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets/capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks en route from Onitsha, Anambra state to Mararaba, Nasarawa state, were recovered from them.
In Lagos, a suspect Onyeka Ofor was arrested on Friday at his residence in Aguda, Surulere with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg , while seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg were intercepted at a logistics company with a suspect, Luke Ugokwe taken into custody.
In another operation in Lagos, Ibrahim Hudu was arrested at Apongbo with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas on 17th September, while a total of 154,480 capsules of tramadol were recovered from two suspects: Sabi’u Umar and Hassana Muhammad who were arrested at Barunde area and Gombe main market respectively in Gombe state on Friday.
A suspect, Ifesinachi Godwin was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha road, Imo state with 43.85kg of skunk same Friday while four suspects: Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday, were nabbed during raid and destruction of 5,000 kilograms of skunk on a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, Ondo state on 15th September.
No less than 48kg of dry and fresh cannabis was recovered from the location for the prosecution of the suspects.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
While commending the officers and men of Lagos, Tincan, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT Commands of the NDLEA for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
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