The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted illicit drugs valued at more than N3.4 billion and uncovered 942 explosive devices across multiple states in Nigeria.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made during coordinated operations in Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, and other parts of the country between April 28 and May 3, 2025.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, working in collaboration with officers from the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, discovered over two million tablets of tramadol (225mg) and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup. The items were found during a joint inspection of a watch-listed container at the Onne Port Complex on April 29.
“In a single operation, we intercepted two million pills of tramadol and over 163,000 bottles of codeine,” Babafemi stated. “These are drugs with significant abuse potential, especially among youths, and pose a grave public health threat.”
In Lagos, the agency recovered another 1.5 million pills of a controlled opioid from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, in the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo. The consignment was traced to a residence at Victoria Garden City, Lekki, belonging to Obinna Kenneth, who is currently on the run.
Further north, in Kaduna State, NDLEA officers patrolling the Kaduna-Zaria expressway on May 3 intercepted a commercial vehicle en route from Nasarawa to Zamfara. A thorough search led to the discovery of 942 explosive devices hidden in a sack. A 30-year-old suspect, identified as Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji), was taken into custody.
“This is a significant bust,” Babafemi said. “The explosives could have been used for devastating criminal activity. Their removal from circulation is a major win for public safety.”
In another successful operation at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officials intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a high-grade cannabis strain, concealed in food containers on a British Airways flight from Canada. The operation, carried out between April 30 and May 3, led to the arrest of three suspects, including the intended recipient, Monsurat Lawson.
Additionally, on May 2, a businessman named Bobby Morris Osas was apprehended at the same airport while attempting to smuggle over 8,000 pills of tramadol to Italy.
In yet another attempt to export narcotics, NDLEA officers on April 28 foiled a drug smuggling bid to Iraq via a courier service. The drugs, including tramadol and skunk, were concealed in bottles of body cream.
Highlighting the agency’s relentless pursuit of traffickers, Babafemi revealed the arrest of 52-year-old Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, who had been under investigation for nearly a year. He was linked to a shipment of 2.6 million tramadol pills seized at Apapa Port in July 2024. A search of his Lekki residence yielded 51 wraps of Canadian Loud cannabis.
NDLEA also reported large-scale seizures in Kano, Edo, Anambra, and Niger states, including substantial quantities of opioids, codeine syrup, pentazocine injections, and cannabis.
“These arrests and seizures are the result of long-term surveillance, inter-agency collaboration, and unwavering commitment by our officers,” Babafemi added.
He urged the public to continue supporting the agency’s efforts by providing timely and credible information. “We will not relent until we dismantle every network involved in the trafficking and abuse of illicit substances,” he said.
