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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two suspected drug barons in Lagos and intercepted several consignments of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine bound for Europe.
The suspects, identified as 64-year-old Nwosa and 49-year-old Obiegbu, were apprehended after weeks of surveillance by the Agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU).
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, both men allegedly ran separate syndicates under the guise of legitimate businesses.
“While 64-year-old Nwosa parades himself as a successful textile merchant, 49-year-old Obiegbu is known to many as a businessman who is into wine distribution, but beneath their outward appearance is their hidden illicit drug business unearthed by NDLEA operatives after months of intelligence gathering on the two syndicates led by them,” the statement read.
Babafemi disclosed that other major interceptions were made across states.
In Borno, 26-year-old Baba Kaka Ibrahim was caught on September 27 with 39,380 pills of tramadol and exol-5 concealed in a Mercedes-Benz GLK.
The same day in Yobe, operatives seized 39 parcels of Colorado weighing 1.4kg from a woman, Halima Adamu, along the Damaturu–Maiduguri road, which led to the arrest of another suspect in Maiduguri.
In Kano, two men were nabbed with 30,030 pills of tramadol. In Bayelsa, three suspects were picked up at Swali jetty with 12kg of cannabis and 50 cartridges. In Abuja, Kaduna and Lagos, the agency recorded further breakthroughs.
The statement said: “A suspect Adedamola Olayeni, 56, was on Monday, 22nd September, arrested with 404 blocks of skunk weighing 262.6kg at the Abuja – Kaduna tollgate.
The consignment was found in his Honda Pilot jeep marked MKA 499 TT, coming from Osogbo, Osun state and heading to Katsina state.
“Another suspect, Zubairu Haruna, 30, was on Wednesday, 24th September, found with 506grams of methamphetamine at the Gwantu – Fadan Karshi check point, Kaduna, while a follow-up operation in Gombe state led to the arrest of the actual receiver of the consignment, Babangida Mohammed, 25.
“No fewer than 85,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids were seized from the trio of Dauda Abubakar; Abdullahi Umar and Ismaila Muhammed at Apapa area of Lagos on Monday 22nd September, while NDLEA operatives in Abuja the following day Tuesday 23rd September arrested Opeyemi Ogundipe, 40, with 2.1kg Colorado along Abaji- Gwagwalada expressway.”
In Edo, operatives destroyed over 24 tonnes of cannabis farms, arrested suspects, and intercepted a truck loaded with 1,025kg of skunk hidden along the Wareke–Auchi road.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd.) hailed the successful operations, describing them as a strong message to cartels across the country.
“Every gram of these dangerous drugs we seize and remove from our streets and communities reinforces our commitment to safeguard public health and national security,” Marwa stated.
He urged NDLEA formations nationwide to intensify the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
The arrests come weeks after the commissioning of a German-built canine complex in Lagos to boost the agency’s drug detection operations. The facility, completed on schedule in August 2024, is expected to enhance the efficiency of NDLEA’s Canine Unit.
The agency said its sniffer dogs have been crucial in seizing over 17.9 tonnes of illicit substances since deployment.