The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks, uncovering a sophisticated operation in Lagos where illicit substances were repackaged and sold as imported Christmas cookies. Several arrests were made across multiple states as officers intercepted cannabis, tramadol, codeine, ammunition, and other contraband concealed in highly deceptive forms.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives successfully dismantled a social media driven drug distribution ring that operated primarily through a WhatsApp platform. The syndicate, run by Deji Adesanya and Olubiyi Majekodunmi, allegedly imported consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent variety of cannabis and concealed them in colorful, designer sachets printed with images of cookies and snacks to disguise the substances as festive treats.
After receiving actionable intelligence, NDLEA officers carried out a targeted raid on the duo’s apartment on Ojulari Street in Ikate, Lekki, on Saturday, 22nd November 2025. During the operation, officers recovered a significant quantity of the deceptive packaging materials alongside 5 kilograms of Loud, leading to the immediate arrest of both suspects.
The Lagos Command recorded another breakthrough on Thursday, 27th November, when operatives apprehended Philip Ucheka, a 38-year-old alleged drug kingpin, while he was receiving 110 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 55.6 kilograms in the Ladipo area of Mushin. The NDLEA also seized three delivery vehicles linked to his distribution network.
Further interceptions in Lagos revealed the increasingly creative methods traffickers are using. At a courier company, officers discovered 100 grams of Loud hidden inside a teddy bear imported from Thailand. In a separate operation the following day, 548 capsules of tramadol disguised in Vitamin C and Magnesium bottles and destined for the United Kingdom were seized at another logistics facility.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway arrested 55-year-old Wasiu Kareem on Saturday, 29th November. He was found carrying a substantial load of pharmaceutical opioids and controlled substances: 8,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 590 bottles of codeine syrup, 1,500 Co-codamol pills, and 9,900 capsules of tramadol.
The Agency’s offensive extended to Ondo State, where a raid on the Ipe Forest in Akoko South-East on Monday, 24th November resulted in the arrest of seven suspects and the recovery of 3,077 kilograms of skunk. Those arrested included: John Ede, Ede Ndubuisi, Ikenna Abe, Eze Chukwuma, Maduabuchi Odo, Nnaji Chudubem, and George Okowor.
In the northern axis, NDLEA operatives intercepted several large drug consignments and weapons. Along the Okene–Lokoja highway in Kogi State, officers arrested 49-year-old Anthony Sylvester on Wednesday, 26th November, while transporting 649 kilograms of skunk in a truck. On Friday, 28th November, a raid at a warehouse in Ashipa near the Seme border in Badagry led to the arrest of Abubakar Shuaibu, 33, with 487 blocks of skunk weighing 243.5 kilograms.
The Agency also arrested 47-year-old Tsalha Alasan along the Zaria–Kano road with 137 kilograms of skunk on Monday, 24th November. Two days later in Bauchi State, three suspects—Godspower Appeal (50), Ernest Upong (55), and Godday Chukwudi (38)—were caught with 322 blocks of skunk weighing 209 kilograms at Fanshanu village in Toro LGA. A black Toyota Highlander with registration number ABJ 533 EA, used to transport the drugs, was impounded.
Along the Abuja–Jos highway, NDLEA officers arrested John Ekojo, 51, with 210.15 kilograms of skunk on Saturday, 29th November. In a separate operation along the Abuja–Kaduna corridor, a married couple—Abdullahi Abubakar, 45, and Jamila Abdullahi, 35—were intercepted with 725 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed inside a sack of maize. Additionally, 20-year-old Awwal Sabiu was arrested at the Abuja/Kaduna tollgate with 400 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition on Friday, 28th November.
Despite the numerous arrests and seizures, the NDLEA also maintained its public enlightenment campaign under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. Commands across the country delivered sensitization lectures to schools, religious centers, workplaces, and communities. Among the beneficiaries were students and staff of Government Junior Technical School, Kofar Kudu in Kano; Bright Eyes International School in Abakaliki; dock workers and clearing agents at the Tincan Port in Lagos; Legacy International College in Nsukka; and Seatos School in Ikorodu.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised officers of the Lagos, Ondo, Oyo, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Seme, DOGI, and Bauchi Commands for their successful operations. He encouraged them to remain steadfast in upholding the Agency’s balanced and coordinated approach to combating the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking across Nigeria.
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