Nosa Aituamen
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has foiled an attempt to smuggle cocaine concealed within the pages of religious books destined for Saudi Arabia.
According to NDLEA spokesman, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the 500-gram cocaine consignment, comprising 20 parcels hidden inside 20 sets of religious texts, was discovered on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at a courier company in Lagos.
The interception, he said, was made by officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) during a routine search of export cargo bound for Saudi Arabia.
In a parallel operation at another courier company in Lagos on the same day, NDLEA operatives intercepted five parcels containing 2.8 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, originating from the United States.
Further operations in Lagos resulted in the seizure of 1,100 kilograms of skunk from a delivery van in the Surulere area on Thursday, April 17, with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi, taken into custody.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, the NDLEA achieved a significant breakthrough with the arrest of 40-year-old Basorun Usman Kayode, who had been evading authorities for two years in connection with the 2023 seizure of 107kg of “Loud” imported from Canada.
A suspect, Dauda Yakubu, involved in the distribution of illicit drugs within the seaport community, was apprehended on Monday, April 14.
The agency’s efforts extended to Kano State, where a 22-year-old identified as Muhammad Mohammed, a known supplier to bandits, was apprehended on Sunday, April 13, along the Bichi – Kano road.
Mr. Babafemi explained that, he was found to be carrying 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection strapped to his thigh and private parts with Sellotape, en route to Katsina.
Giving further breakdown of series of successful operations across multiple states that led to numerous arrests and the seizure of significant quantities of illicit substances, he said, in Kano, 43-year-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz was arrested on the same day in the Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa with 68 blocks of skunk weighing 30kg.
In Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, a significant drug cache was uncovered on Wednesday, April 16, during a raid on a residence along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo.
While NDLEA operatives recovered 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8grams of heroin, leading to the arrest of four suspects: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46.
In Kaduna State, a raid on Friday, April 18, in Zaria led to the arrest of 30-year-old Ike Ani and the recovery of 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam from his hideout.
Along the Bagudo road in Kebbi State on Friday, April 18, NDLEA patrol officers intercepted a vehicle transporting bags of charcoal from Malabil, Benin Republic. A search revealed 97kg of skunk concealed within the charcoal sacks, resulting in the arrest of three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28.
In Anambra State, 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was apprehended in Abatete with 11.5kg of skunk. Meanwhile, in Osogbo, Osun State, 27-year-old Ajala Mercy was arrested on Tuesday, April 15, with 43 litres of “skushi,” a dangerous mixture of black currant, cannabis, and opioids, recovered from her residence in the Dada estate, Halleluyah area.
Efforts to combat drug cultivation led NDLEA operatives to raid two cannabis farms in the Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo State.
The operation resulted in the destruction of 3,717.8625kg of cannabis cultivated on 1.487145 hectares and the recovery of 136.5kg of processed cannabis.