Nigerian authorities have frustrated the plans of some Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTOs) attempting to traffic hard drugs to the United States of America (US), Saudi Arabia, Italy, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a document shared on the agency’s website on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, Director of Media & Advocacy, stated that drugs such as cocaine, tramadol, loud, molly, among others, were concealed inside prayer beads, packs of board games, and female clothing.
The drug dealers attempted to ship the consignment via logistics firms and Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Two suspects have reportedly been arrested after a team from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) aborted their mission at MMIA, Lagos.
“One of them is a 43-year-old businesswoman, Jakpor Egware May, who was nabbed at the Gate ‘C’ departure hall of the Lagos airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy on Saturday, March 8, 2025,” Babafemi stated.
About 190 parcels of tramadol 225mg and another parcel of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed inside her luggage were recovered after a search operation.
Babafemi disclosed that the 43-year-old businesswoman confessed to having bought the drugs with the intention of reselling them in Italy.
Similarly, on March 11, a 60-year-old suspect, Yahaya Ayinla, was arrested at Lagos airport while attempting to ship 400 grams of skunk hidden inside clothing bound for New York, United States of America.
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On the same day, along the Kabba-Obajana highway in Kogi State, no fewer than 58,300 pills of tramadol were found inside a commercial bus en route from Lagos to Abuja.
“At some logistics companies in Lagos, efforts by drug traffickers to export over two kilograms of loud, molly, tramadol 365mg, and 225mg hidden in Vitamin C bottles and female clothing to the US were thwarted by NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
“Other shipments of 230 grams of cocaine concealed in prayer beads, soles of locally made shoes, and packs of board games heading to Saudi Arabia, Poland, and the UAE were also intercepted between Monday, March 10, and Wednesday, March 12.”
Authorities on March 12 recovered 727 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 479kg at the Chalawa area in Kano State from a 40-year-old suspect, Hassan Harun.
On March 13, Idris Hamza, 21, was apprehended with 4,900 pills of tramadol 225mg after a raid in Kachia, Kaduna. Similarly, on March 14, in the Hayin Banki area of Kaduna North LGA, the anti-drug agency recovered 2,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg from a 25-year-old, Aminu Magaji.
On Friday, March 14, NDLEA operatives recovered 40,200 tablets of tramadol 225mg from Olowoko Faruk and Akeem Ridwan along the Ilorin-Jebba expressway, Bode Saadu, Kwara State.
A day earlier, on Thursday, March 13, officers also seized 21,700 capsules of the same opioid from a suspect, Salisu Usman, along Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin.
In Taraba State, NDLEA officers arrested Polycarp Adeku, 35, on March 14 at Bente Road, Kurmi LGA, with 15.77kg of skunk.
Similarly, in Osun State, a commercial bus from Lagos Island was intercepted on March 13 in front of King University, Ode-Omu, carrying 48.7kg of Ghanaian Loud, Colorado, and Canadian Loud, all variants of cannabis.
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Nine suspects were later arrested in Osogbo and Ile-Ife during follow-up operations.
Meanwhile, in Abuja, a 58-year-old suspect, Ade Esan (aka Pastor), was arrested along Gwagwalada expressway on March 11 with 27,800 pills of tramadol 225mg.
That same day, another suspect, Usman Mohammed, 26, was nabbed with quantities of skunk and cocaine at Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.
In Abia State, NDLEA operatives raided the Ntigha community, Isiala-Ngwa North LGA, on March 15, arresting a 34-year-old suspect, Chinaza Nwogu (aka Young Money).
Seized from him were 274 grams of heroin, 141 grams of methamphetamine, 2.931kg of cannabis sativa, 4 grams of cocaine, and cash amounting to N753,015.
In addition to these arrests, NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization programs in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities across the country.
Educational sessions were held in Lagos, Adamawa, Kogi, Anambra, and Ekiti states, among others.
Chairman and CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers of various commands, including MMIA, DOGI, Kano, Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Abia, Osun, and FCT, for their dedication to combating drug trafficking with their renovative approaches.
