Marwa praises operatives after nationwide drug busts and seizures

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted large consignments of opioids concealed in building materials and arrested several suspects, including a 75-year-old man in Ebonyi State and four women in separate operations across the country.

The agency said one of its most significant seizures was recorded in Taraba State on Saturday when operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a truck conveying building materials from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo.

A search of the vehicle at Nukkai Timber Shade in Jalingo uncovered a large cache of illicit drugs hidden beneath the cargo. The truck’s assistant, Buhari Abdullahi, 22, was arrested in connection with the seizure.

Recovered items included 320,840 capsules of tramadol, 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 4,500 tablets of Rohypnol and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.

In Ebonyi State, operatives arrested 75-year-old Okebe Samuel in Okposi. NDLEA said he was found with 300 grammes of skunk packaged in sachets allegedly intended for retail distribution among youths in the community.

A separate operation in Umulolo, Orlu, Imo State, led to the arrest of 32-year-old Chioma Okeke after officers raided a known drug hub. About eight kilogrammes of skunk were recovered during the operation.

In Edo State, raids on drug hotspots in Benin City on 2 June resulted in the arrest of four suspects, including three women.

At Uyosa, operatives apprehended Chioma Igba, 24, and Precious Ozomah, 22, with 176 grammes of skunk, 65 grammes of Loud and five grammes of methamphetamine. Another suspect, Anita Abraham, 21, was arrested along Agbor Road with 95 grammes of Scottish Loud and 329 grammes of Loud.

At Upper Mission, Benin City, officers arrested Henry Okey, 43, who was allegedly found in possession of Loud, Colorado, Swinol and methamphetamine.

In Kano State, operatives arrested 19-year-old Saifullahi Lawan in the Kafi area of Madobi on 4 June. He was reportedly caught with 40 blocks of skunk weighing 38 kilogrammes.

Meanwhile, in Gombe State, officers intercepted Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi, 28, near Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area on 1 June. NDLEA said he was found with 15,000 capsules of tramadol.

Beyond enforcement activities, the agency said it continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools across the country.

The programme reached students and staff of Holiness Foundation Primary School, Saki, Oyo State; Dorras High School, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State; Ado Girls Secondary School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Army Day Secondary School, Kano, among others.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig-Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended officers in Taraba, Ebonyi, Imo, Edo, Kano and Gombe states for their vigilance and commitment.

He also praised personnel nationwide for sustaining a balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts, stressing that the agency remained committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks across the country.

Marwa reiterated that the NDLEA would continue to pursue traffickers regardless of age, gender or the methods used to conceal illicit substances.