Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie, an automobile spare parts dealer, for attempting to export consignments of heroin and loud, a strain of cannabis, concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and metal sofa legs. The illicit shipment was seized at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for NDLEA, the arrest occurred on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, where Ejiofor operates his auto parts business. The seizure of his shipment included auto parts, rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs, and electronics, which were set to be exported to Liberia. Babafemi explained the details of the seizure, stating, “Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin weighing 1.10 kilograms and four blocks of loud with a total weight of 1.20kg.”
A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents who were involved in the consignment. This eventually led to Ejiofor’s arrest, making him the primary suspect behind the drug shipment.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives successfully thwarted attempts by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injection, dihydrocodeine, and promethazine tablets through various courier companies. These illicit consignments were destined for countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand, and Oman.
Babafemi detailed the drugs seized at the courier companies: “While 2.3kg of loud hidden in a carton was going to Thailand, 749 grams of tramadol concealed in soles of locally made footwears were heading to Oman. Additionally, 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection were intercepted en route to the United States, and 200 pills of co-codamol were meant for Australia.”
Other seizures made included 700 tablets of dihydrocodeine, promethazine, and tramadol, as well as 20 ampoules of pentazocine injections concealed in footwear, which were headed to the United Kingdom. A shipment to Canada contained 58 ampoules of pentazocine injections hidden in female clothing. These seizures were made between Monday, September 23, and Tuesday, September 24, 2024, in Lagos.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, September 25, arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ajiboye Damilare Samuel, also known as “Na God.” He had been evading arrest for 12 months after a raid on his warehouse in Akala, Mushin, Lagos, where 1,101 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, were recovered on September 4, 2023.
Ajiboye was arrested in a bank in Ogun State, following a well-coordinated operation by the NDLEA’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which had traced 20 bank accounts linked to him and subsequently blocked them. Babafemi emphasized, “The arrest followed well-coordinated efforts by the Directorate, ensuring that all financial avenues were cut off before his apprehension.”
In another high-profile arrest, the NDLEA apprehended a wanted community leader, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, the Sarkin Yamma of Badagry. His arrest came after the Agency had earlier apprehended his two wives, Hauwa and Asma’u, along with his son, Sadat. The NDLEA seized a total of 226.2 kilograms of cannabis from their residence in Badagry on September 18, 2024.
Further operations across Lagos led to the arrest of Florence Moses at Badore, Ajah, on Tuesday, September 24, where NDLEA officers recovered 9.7 kilograms of cannabis sativa and 50 liters of “monkey tail,” a dangerous combination of cannabis and dry gin.
In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives arrested three suspects along the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway: Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22. They were caught transporting 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062 kilograms in a Mercedes container truck from Osun State to Dei Dei, Abuja. Another suspect, Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested on Ayetoro Road, Kabba, with 33.40 kilograms of cannabis and a pump-action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, September 25.
That same day, NDLEA’s Marine Command intercepted a boat carrying 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982 kilograms along Alfa Beach in Lekki, Lagos. Although the two suspects in the boat managed to escape by diving into the water, the Agency, with the assistance of the Nigerian Customs Service Western Marine Command, was able to seize the boat and recover the exhibits.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Nigerian Customs and other security agencies, intercepted a 40-foot container at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex containing 1,500 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup. The total consignment consisted of 150,000 bottles of the syrup.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered 6,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection from Chukwudi Nwanoche, 38, at the former Minna city gate, while in Kano State, Aminu Danmanya, 31, was arrested with 15,530 capsules of tramadol at Kano Residential Hotel on Katsina Road.
In Plateau State, NDLEA operatives arrested a female suspect, Jummai Luka, 58, at Jehovah Witness junction, Kabong, Jos North Local Government Area, in possession of 12,000 tramadol pills on Friday, September 27.
Further arrests were made in Oyo State, where Segun Asogba, 50, was apprehended on Tuesday, September 24, with 601 kilograms of cannabis sativa and a Dane gun at Igangan town.
In Katsina, two ex-convicts, Muhammad Machido, 44, and Zakari Ya’u Buhari, 32, were re-arrested by NDLEA operatives with illicit substances. Muhammad was caught on the Kano-Katsina highway in Kankia on Monday, September 23, with 51,000 opioid pills. Zakari, who had previously been convicted and fined for drug trafficking in February 2024, was apprehended in Daura with 14 blocks of cannabis weighing 7 kilograms.
In Cross River State, Benjamin Benjamin Ebei, 33, was arrested in Biase Local Government Area, with 38 kilograms of cannabis recovered from his vehicle. In Edo State, NDLEA officers raided a house along Okpuje Road in Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Area, where they arrested Idonuan Ajilo, 53, and seized 112.5 kilograms of cannabis from his store.
Meanwhile, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across the country, with sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to schools, workplaces, religious centers, and traditional rulers. Notable examples include lectures at Government Girls Secondary School, Kafur, Katsina; Akinlade Primary School, Ajah, Lagos; and St. Patrick’s Secondary School, Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River State. Additionally, advocacy was delivered at the palace of the Aree of Iree, Osun State, Oba Muritala Oyelakin.
While commending the officers of various NDLEA commands, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the continued efforts of all operatives involved in the recent arrests and seizures, as well as their commitment to the ongoing WADA campaign. Babafemi quoted Marwa as saying, “We will continue to intensify our efforts in eradicating drug trafficking and abuse in Nigeria through both enforcement and advocacy.”
