Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, arresting an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer and a Chadian woman, alongside other key suspects, while intercepting over 1.6 million pills of tramadol concealed in trucks heading to Kano from Lagos. The agency's spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, July 19, 2026, detailing a series of coordinated operations that dismantled a transnational syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo through the Benin Republic into Nigeria. The intelligence-led operations, which targeted networks operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria corridor, resulted in the interception of three trailers in separate operations on June 21, July 2, and July 4, with the latest seizures coming barely a week after operatives recovered 558,900 pills of the same psychoactive substance hidden in a truck that entered Nigeria through the same route.
In a significant breakthrough, NDLEA operatives intercepted two long trailers on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, recovering 1,630,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in specially fabricated compartments beneath the cargo floors of the trucks. The first trailer, carrying 853,000 pills of tramadol, was stopped on July 2, leading to the arrest of its 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru. Two days later, on July 4, operatives tracked and intercepted a second trailer on the same highway, recovering an additional 777,000 pills of tramadol and arresting another 22-year-old driver, Muhammed Nuhu. Investigations revealed that all three trucks and their illicit consignments belonged to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.
In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted two consignments of Canadian Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 4.70 kilograms, which had arrived from Canada aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights in cartons boldly labelled “Odugwu”. The investigation led to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, before another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended while attempting to collect the consignments from a logistics company. Further investigations culminated in the arrest of the alleged owner of the shipments, 44-year-old businesswoman Chioma Nneka Mokeme, in Surulere, Lagos, on July 7, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Area C Command. The suspect, who claimed to operate a printing business, told investigators that a friend based in Canada, identified as Agbons Collins, introduced her to the illicit trade.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old man, Chika Ugwoji, in Ahoada on July 14, after he was allegedly found in possession of 800 grams of skunk. The arrest of the octogenarian highlights the agency's determination to go after drug dealers regardless of age. In Edo State, operatives dismantled an alleged drug warehouse along Sapele Road in Benin City, where a couple, Christian Chukwuka, 32, and Nwanneka Christian, 33, were arrested. Recovered from the warehouse were 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5 kilograms and compressed blocks of Canadian Loud with a gross weight of 192.67 kilograms.
In another intelligence-led operation, a consignment of 50,000 tramadol pills intercepted in Kogi State was traced to a Chadian woman, Hajara Abdullahi, 38, and her Nigerian accomplice, Abdulkarim Jidda, 44, who were subsequently arrested in the Apapa area of Lagos. The Chadian national's arrest underscores the transnational nature of the drug trade and the NDLEA's commitment to tracking and dismantling cross-border trafficking networks. The agency said the operations were part of sustained efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country, with the latest seizures demonstrating the effectiveness of intelligence-led operations in disrupting the supply of illicit drugs.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the operatives for their professionalism and the successes recorded in the operations, while warning that the agency would continue to intensify its crackdown on drug traffickers and their networks. The NDLEA has called on members of the public to continue providing credible information to support the agency's efforts in combating drug trafficking and substance abuse across Nigeria. The arrests and seizures mark a significant victory in the ongoing war against illicit drugs, as the agency continues to disrupt the supply chains of criminal syndicates and protect communities from the scourge of substance abuse.
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