By Ayo Kehinde
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a trans-border drug syndicate, arresting four suspects in a series of intelligence-driven operations and recovering large consignments of illicit substances concealed in vehicles.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, revealed that operatives intercepted multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills hidden in specially modified compartments of Sienna buses en route to border towns.
According to Babafemi, the operation followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the Directorate of Intelligence. On January 27, at about 6 a.m., NDLEA operatives intercepted a Sienna bus with registration number ABJ 452 HG along the Nasarawa-Toto road in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The vehicle, which originated from Onitsha, Anambra State, was heading to Yola, Adamawa State when it was stopped. Two suspects, Zahradeen Adamu, 27, and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested.
A second Sienna bus, driven by 48-year-old Abba Usman, was also intercepted.
A thorough search of both vehicles led to the discovery of 190,960 tramadol pills concealed within specially constructed steel compartments behind the rear bumpers and in spaces designed for spare tyres.
Further investigations traced the supply of the illicit drugs to an Onitsha-based dealer, Kingsley Mbaeri. A follow-up operation led to his arrest at his residence on Uga Street, Onitsha, on January 29. NDLEA operatives also impounded two vehicles from his compound—a Toyota Corolla with registration number FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna marked GWA 23 HH.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives from the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus from Onitsha at Abaji checkpoint, Abuja, on February 4.
A passenger, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa, 32, was found with a black bag containing motor spare parts. A search of the bag uncovered 404.47 grams of methamphetamine, 506.49 grams of Loud (a potent strain of cannabis), and 262.32 grams of dimethyl sulfone, a chemical precursor for meth production.
Similarly, in Cross River State, officers on patrol along the Ogoja-Abakaliki road in Yahe intercepted a truck carrying 170,000 tramadol pills. The driver, Paul Chukwudi, 31, was taken into custody.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup from a container imported from India on February 11.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, two suspects, Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru, were arrested along Bama Road on February 14 with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, weighing 72kg.
A notorious drug den at Iloda Street, Ikole-Ekiti, was raided on February 11, leading to the arrest of three suspects—Bala Muhammed, 57; Yahaya Adamu, 55; and Abdullahi Shehu, 30. A total of 83 kilograms of skunk was recovered.
In Lagos, a 28-year-old woman, Samiat Olabisi Yussuf, was arrested on February 15 during a raid on her home in Lekki. NDLEA operatives seized 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, along with 111 grams of Loud.
Meanwhile, in Taraba State, two suspects, Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40, were arrested with a combined 132.84 kilograms of skunk. Usman was caught with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud in Wukari, while James was nabbed with 44.84kg in Jalingo’s Sabongari area.
Beyond enforcement, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts across the country. Officers conducted awareness campaigns in schools, workplaces, and communities, including Government Technical College, Oku (Akwa Ibom), Future Leaders Academy, Kishi (Oyo), and Jesuit College, Agbado-Ekiti.
In Kano, the state command engaged married women in purdah at the Markaz Umar Bn Khattab Centre.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their relentless efforts in tackling drug trafficking while urging them to intensify advocacy against substance abuse.
