Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 50-year-old widow, Mrs Ifeoma Ezewuike, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 1.3 kilograms of cocaine disguised as pregnancy padding.
The mother of one, who runs a fashion outfit, Golden Star Creation, in Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos, was intercepted at a bus terminal in Jibowu, Yaba, on 22 August, 2025, while en route to deliver the consignment to clients in Abuja.
A subsequent search of her residence in the Ago Palace area yielded 200 grams of a chemical cutting agent used in cocaine production.
During interrogation, she reportedly confessed to inheriting the illicit trade from her late husband, despite running her tailoring business for two decades.
In a separate Lagos operation, NDLEA officers at the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) seized 90 parcels of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 48.6kg.
Meanwhile, Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in documents shared on Sunday, noted that the drugs imported from the United States were concealed inside cartons of kitchen sinks before they were tracked to a courier company on 19 August.
Similar raids across the country led to massive drug seizures. In Adamawa, officers stormed the home of a notorious dealer, Idris Garba, who escaped by scaling a fence. However, his accomplice, 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, was arrested with two vehicles laden with 354,480 tablets of tramadol and other opioids.
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In Kogi, NDLEA operatives intercepted a suspect, Neche Okonkwo, with tramadol, pentazocine injections, and diazepam at the Idah waterside, while in Kano, several suspects were arrested with a combined total of over 465,000 capsules of opioids, including tramadol, pregabalin, and bottles of codeine syrup.
Major cannabis seizures were also recorded in Kwara, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Taraba and Ondo states. Notably, more than 25 tonnes of cannabis were destroyed on farms in Delta and Ondo alone, while additional hectares of plantations were dismantled in Edo and Taraba.
In Abuja, two dispatch riders were arrested in Jabi for distributing illicit substances within the Federal Capital Territory. They were found in possession of pentazocine injections and pre-packaged cannabis.
Meanwhile, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy continued nationwide with sensitisation campaigns held in schools, mosques, and communities, including engagements with political and traditional leaders.
Commending the operatives for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Retd), urged officers across the federation to sustain the momentum through both enforcement and public enlightenment.
