Intercepts over 600,000 opioid pills nationwide
By Emiola Osifeso
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 75-year-old man, Uchelue Ikechukwu, alongside several other suspects across different states, in a series of coordinated raids that led to massive seizures of cannabis, opioids, and other illicit substances.
Ikechukwu was apprehended at Umudioka, Dunukofia LGA, Anambra State, with 26.7kg of skunk on Thursday, 28th August, while six other suspects, Eneh Makuo, Emmanuel Chiemeli, Uwakwe Matthew, Chukwujekwu Ehirim, Ifeanyichukwu Olisa, and Odoh Chukwuma were also arrested in Nkwelle and Amichi areas with varying quantities of opioids and skunk.
In a major breakthrough, NDLEA operatives, with the support of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Mambila Youth Vanguard, and local vigilantes, stormed Mayodoga forest in Sardauna LGA of Taraba State on Tuesday, 26th August. There, they destroyed 178,750 kilograms of skunk cultivated on a 71.5-hectare cannabis farm and arrested 30-year-old Alfa Andrew, who was found with a Dane gun.
Another significant interception occurred at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate on Friday, 29th August, where operatives uncovered 104,900 capsules of tramadol hidden in the driver’s compartment of a fuel tanker suspected to be headed to insurgents in Borno State. The driver, Hassan Buba, was arrested. Similarly, a 45-year-old man, Kabir Sulaiman, was arrested with 34.1kg of skunk at Gwargwaje–Zaria checkpoint on Saturday, 30th August.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, NDLEA officers arrested a major opioid supplier, 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, on Saturday, 30th August, shortly after he received supplies from Onitsha, Anambra State. A search of his residence at Chescon, Pompomary, uncovered 30,640 pills of tramadol 225mg, 7,940 tablets of rohypnol, and N7.99 million in cash, all in new N200 notes.
Raids across other states yielded further seizures:
- Nasarawa: Two suspects, Abubakar Dauda (36) and Babangida Tungura (47), were caught with over 109,000 opioid pills and codeine-based cough syrup concealed in a deep freezer.
- Gombe/Adamawa: 15,000 tramadol capsules hidden in animal feed sacks were intercepted, leading to the arrest of 23-year-old Mohammed Ali in Ngorore, while another suspect, Hamisu Abdullahi, was arrested in Yola with 58kg of skunk concealed in sacks of pepper.
- Kano: Five suspects were arrested with over 283,000 pills of exol-5, bottles of new psychoactive substances, and quantities of skunk.
- Edo: 64,250 opioid pills were seized along Ewu–Auchi road, with suspect Mohammed Halidu (36) arrested.
- Ondo: Two men were arrested in a reserved camp with 117.5kg of cannabis, while in Lagos, 164kg of skunk was recovered from a suspect’s base in Mushin.
- Ekiti: In what the agency described as the state’s largest seizure of Loud and Colorado, operatives recovered 5.3kg of the potent strains and 2.5g of methamphetamine from a drug kingpin, Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, in Ado-Ekiti.
Meanwhile, NDLEA commands nationwide sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to schools, religious centers, traditional rulers, and institutions. Beneficiaries included students in Onitsha, Anglican youths in Ebonyi, HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu-Toyi (Akran of Badagry), the MD/CEO of Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, and the Olofin of Isheri, Oba Suleiman Adekunle Bamgbade Ayodele III, among others.
Commending the efforts of NDLEA officers across Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Borno, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Kano, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, and Edo States, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their dedication to both enforcement and advocacy.
“The arrests and seizures recorded in the past week are commendable, and the sustained WADA sensitization shows our commitment to winning this battle both on the supply and demand fronts,” Marwa said.
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