The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a massive shipment of illicit drugs valued at over N6.5 billion at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos and the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State. Among the haul were over six million opioid pills, including Tamol 225mg, Tapentadol 225mg, and Carisoprodol 225mg, alongside 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup.
The seizures were the result of targeted intelligence operations, as NDLEA operatives, working in collaboration with Nigerian Customs and other security agencies, tracked new trafficking routes exploited by drug cartels. The agency confirmed that the seizures were made between May 19 and May 22, 2025, during 100% container examinations.
In Lagos, 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup were discovered hidden in a watch-listed container at the Apapa port. In Rivers, 6 million opioid pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup were intercepted in two containers. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi described the operations as one of the most significant anti-narcotics victories in recent years.
In a related operation, two British nationals and their Nigerian accomplices were arrested for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 51.1kg, into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Alexander Mhizha Jordan Tatendra, a British courier arriving from Doha on Qatar Airways, was allowed to pass security under surveillance and was tracked to the airport car park, where Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, a British-Nigerian syndicate leader, awaited with two others: Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami. All four were arrested with the drugs inside the vehicle.
A follow-up search at their Lekki apartment led to the recovery of N3.81 million in cash, an Apple laptop, iPhone 14 Pro Max, South African Rand worth N500,000, and four canisters of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas).
Read also:
- EFCC secures conviction of 30 internet fraudsters in Ibadan
- NDLEA, US-DEA pledge to strengthen anti-drug collaboration in Nigeria
- NDLEA arrests 62,000 suspects, secures 11,600 convictions, seizes 10.3m kg of drugs in 51 months
Across other states, NDLEA intensified its fight against drug abuse and trafficking:
In Cross River State, 75,000kg of cannabis were destroyed on 30 hectares of farmland at Esuk-Odot village, while 200kg were recovered. In Edo State, another 1,957.5kg of cannabis was destroyed in Ohosu forest and Okhuse community.
In Nasarawa, two suspects were caught with 4,000kg of skunk concealed under wood in a lorry, and another was arrested with 154.5kg in Karu. In Kaduna, a 22-year-old was caught with over 57,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam along the Kaduna-Zaria expressway.
NDLEA also reported significant seizures in Bauchi (45kg of skunk), Yobe (2kg of Colorado), Niger (97kg of cannabis), and Lagos, where multiple raids in Lekki led to the arrest of Jonathan Isa and Olamilekan Idowu with large quantities of various hard drugs including cocaine, meth, codeine, and nitrous oxide.
Meanwhile, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign across schools and communities in Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Kano, and Lagos, spreading awareness among students and traditional leaders.
Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives for their relentless efforts, emphasizing the need for a strong balance between supply reduction and demand reduction strategies.