Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted illicit drug consignments worth over N6.5 billion at seaports in Lagos and Rivers States.
In a major crackdown on drug trafficking, NDLEA officials uncovered over six million pills of opioids, tamol 225mg, tapentadol 225mg, and Carisoprodol 225mg—as well as 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup at the Port Harcourt ports complex, Onne, and the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
The combined street value of the seizures stood at N6,524,000,000.
Acting on intelligence, NDLEA placed the suspect containers on a watchlist, leading to 100 per cent inspections.
Officers at the Onne port, in a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies, discovered the opioid pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine on 19 and 20 May 2025.
At Apapa, another 170,000 bottles of codeine were recovered from a watchlisted container during a similar joint inspection on 22 May.
In a separate operation, NDLEA arrested two British nationals and their Nigerian accomplices at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
They arrested two British nationals Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon, along with two Nigerians, Shonowo Oluwaseun Imole and Ofuoma Omokaro Ayobami, for attempting to smuggle 92 bags of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 51.10kg, into Nigeria via MMIA.
Officers apprehended Alexander upon his arrival on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on 15 May, following processed intelligence.
He was trailed to the airport car park, where Adejuwon, a UK-Nigerian dual citizen, awaited the delivery in an SUV with the other suspects.
NDLEA operatives arrested all four at the scene.Alexander admitted to being recruited during a recent vacation and was promised £1,300 upon successful delivery.
Adejuwon revealed he had entered Nigeria a day earlier from South Africa via Ghana.
A follow-up raid at their Lekki apartment led to the seizure of N3.81 million in cash, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, four nitrous oxide canisters, and an additional N93,000 and 17,200 South African Rand.
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In a separate operation, NDLEA destroyed 75,000kg of cannabis on 30 hectares of farmland in Esuk-Odot village, Odukpani LGA, Cross River, while recovering 200kg of the drug on 22 May.
An additional 1,957.5kg of cannabis was destroyed between 23 and 24 May in forests across Ovia South West and Owan West LGAs in Edo State.
In Nasarawa, operatives arrested Sunday Daniel (51) and Abu Peter (30) in Keffi on 24 May, where they discovered 4,000kg of cannabis hidden beneath unprocessed wood.
Another suspect, Godwin Obi (39), was arrested with 154.5kg in Karu on 21 May.
Further arrests included Muhammad Hamza (22), caught with 57,750 pills of tramadol and diazepam along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway, and Usman Muhammad (45), arrested on Bauchi-Misau road with 80 blocks of skunk weighing 45kg.
In Yobe, operatives seized 55 parcels of Colorado (2kg) from Adum Muhammed (29), who attempted to smuggle them into Chad via Ngamboru Ngala Borno State.
Also, in Niger State, NDLEA intercepted a Mercedes Benz car loaded with 97kg of compressed cannabis on 22 May, arresting the driver Adams Ayibakro.
Back in Lagos, officers raided the Osapa London area of Lekki, arresting Jonathan Isa with quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, molly, rohypnol, codeine, cannabis, and nitrous oxide.
Another raid in Idasun, Eleko, Ibeju Lekki on 24 May led to the arrest of Olamilekan Idowu and the seizure of 48kg of skunk.
NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign also continued across several states with sensitisation lectures held in Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Adamawa, and Kano, while the Lagos command paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos, Muhammadu Bambado.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the commands for their success in balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction efforts.
