Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder valued at more than ₦6.98 billion at Apapa Port in Lagos and arrested a woman allegedly attempting to smuggle cannabis to Saudi Arabia through Kano airport.
The tramadol shipment, imported from India and declared as maize starch, was uncovered during a joint examination involving the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies at the APM terminals in Apapa. A laboratory test confirmed that the substance was tramadol hydrochloride powder.
According to the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the cargo was uncovered on October 2 and separated from its concealment on October 14, revealing 349 bags with a gross weight of 8,725kg. The agency estimated its street value at over ₦6.98 billion.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, operatives arrested Fatimah Ahmad on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight travelling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, through Addis Ababa. Officers discovered 511.75 grammes of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil she was carrying.
The agency said Ahmad told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In another operation at Lagos’ Tin Can Island Port on October 12, NDLEA operatives recovered 55kg of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, valued at ₦165 million. The drugs were concealed in brown cartons inside a Toyota Sienna transported in a 40-foot container.
The agency also raided Idumota Market in Lagos on October 14, arresting Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store. The following day, officers arrested Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde in Mushin with 59.95kg and 61.23kg of skunk, respectively.
Along the Iyana Oba axis of Lagos, operatives intercepted a truck travelling from Trade Fair Market on October 15, recovering 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide. The suspects arrested were Tajudeen Adeduntan, the truck’s loading manager, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru.
In Edo State, six suspects were arrested during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16. They included 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was found with 179kg of skunk in Warake, and Ayo Aigberadion, 53, who was arrested with 220.8kg in Ewe/Irue.
Other suspects identified by the agency were Ali Garba, 57; Habib Braimoh, 45; Musa Mubid, 35; and Hope Okoro, 35. The seizures included cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol, diazepam and Canadian Loud.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm in Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on October 17, destroying 7,500kg of skunk cultivated across three hectares and arresting five suspects. The operation also yielded 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267kg, 11kg of cannabis seeds and 3kg of fresh cannabis stems, bringing the total weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281kg. In a separate operation in Owo on October 16, officers recovered 375kg of cannabis from the hideout of 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi in Ameyinti.
In Bauchi State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14, recovering 894,800 tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets from Shamsu Garba, 35. On the same day, officers patrolling the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265kg from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
The NDLEA said the seizures and arrests formed part of a series of anti-drug trafficking operations conducted across Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna states. The operations targeted cannabis cultivation, the distribution of controlled medicines and the movement of illicit drugs through seaports, airports and road networks.
