Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers State, have intercepted over 13 million pills of opioids, including Tramadol, Tramaking, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol, along with more than 338,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
The drugs, valued at over N9 billion, were discovered in three containers arriving from India during a joint examination with Nigerian Customs and other port officials on 2nd and 3rd October 2024.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated, “The opioids were recovered during a 100% examination of the cargoes with Customs and other stakeholders.”
In Lagos, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent form of synthetic cannabis weighing 50kg. The illicit drugs were concealed in a container with imported vehicles from Canada. Acting on credible intelligence, operatives tracked the consignment to a warehouse in Ikorodu, where it was found hidden inside a Toyota Sienna. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, has been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Similarly, 41-year-old Canadian Adrienne Munju was arrested at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for importing Canadian Loud. She was apprehended during inward clearance from a KLM flight from Canada on 3rd October 2024. A search of her luggage revealed 74 parcels of the drug, weighing 35.20kg, hidden in two of her three bags. Adrienne confessed she was recruited online to deliver the drugs to Lagos for $10,000 CAD, which she planned to use for her master’s degree tuition in Canada.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Onitsha, Anambra, to Jalingo, discovering opioids hidden in the vehicle’s compartments. Two suspects, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were arrested. Another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor, was arrested in Wukari with 80 blocks of cannabis, weighing 38kg, hidden in bags of garri.
In Lagos, Bolanle Ajenifuja was arrested in the Afo-Media area of Ojo, where 700 litres of “skuchies,” a mixture of local chapman and illicit drugs, were recovered.
Three more suspects, Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John, were apprehended during a raid on cannabis farms on the Edo-Ondo border. Over 9,966kg of cannabis was destroyed, and 48kg of processed psychoactive substances were recovered.
In addition to these operations, NDLEA commands nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Activities included lectures at Government Science Secondary School, Katsina; Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary School, Ebonyi; and Dominion Secondary School, Akwa Ibom, among others.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in these successful operations and acknowledged their efforts in balancing drug supply reduction and demand reduction initiatives across the country.
