By HeapNews
In a sweeping series of anti-drug operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs bound for the United States, United Kingdom, Cyprus, and Oman. The seizures, made at Lagos’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and multiple courier facilities, spotlight Nigeria’s intensified fight against drug trafficking.
NDLEA operatives intercepted 2,118 tramadol pills hidden in shoe soles bound for Cyprus at the Lagos airport on October 12, and later tracked down the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, in Enugu. The agency recovered 380 additional tramadol tablets, cash totaling N968,880, and a Toyota Avalon from the suspect’s residence.
On October 24, officers also discovered 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine, 1.69 kilograms of cannabis, and tramadol tablets hidden within hair extensions and shoe soles at courier centers in Lagos, headed for the United States, United Kingdom, and Oman.
NDLEA agents further disrupted an enormous drug distribution chain at Tincan and Onne ports on October 22 and 23, uncovering 26.25 million tramadol pills and over 500,000 bottles of codeine syrup with a street value of N16.68 billion. Additional seizures included 10 million Toradol Benzhexol tablets, 700 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 28 kilograms of cannabis from Canada.
Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the agency’s operatives for their diligence, highlighting their commitment to curbing both drug supply and demand. “These operational successes underscore our unwavering commitment to protect our communities from the menace of drugs,” Marwa stated.
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Further efforts saw NDLEA agents raid an Igbo-Igunuko shrine in Lagos, leading to the seizure of 2,760 kilograms of “Ghanaian Loud” cannabis and the arrest of two suspects, Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun. Meanwhile, in a separate operation, officials uncovered 770 kilograms of cannabis along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Arrests and seizures also took place across states including Plateau, Abuja, Edo, and Osun, with officers also extending their efforts to educate students, workers, and community members about the dangers of drug abuse as part of their ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
Marwa emphasized the significance of balanced efforts in the NDLEA’s mission: “Our officers are tackling this problem from all sides, prevention, enforcement, and education. Together, we are committed to a drug-free Nigeria.”