The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a series of high-profile arrests and massive drug seizures across Nigeria, disrupting multiple international and local drug trafficking networks.
One of the key arrests was that of a businessman, Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian, who was caught at Port Harcourt International Airport attempting to board a flight to Iran with 53 wraps of cocaine in his stomach. The 44-year-old suspect was intercepted on Saturday, June 7, while preparing to travel on a Qatar Airways flight to Tehran via Doha.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, “After a body scan proved positive to ingestion of illicit drug, he was placed under excretion observation, during which he expelled 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172 kilograms.”
Ezemokwe reportedly confessed to joining the drug trade two years ago, frequently trafficking between West Africa and Iran.
In a related operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working alongside the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security, intercepted another suspect, Edobor Ambrose Ali, an Italy-bound passenger. The officers found 14,410 pills of tramadol hidden in winter jackets inside his luggage.
“During interrogation, he admitted that he lives in Italy and was paid €2,000 to courier the drugs to Milan,” the agency said.
The crackdown extended to the Port Harcourt Seaports in Rivers State, where operatives intercepted a container carrying 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at over N1.1 billion. The drugs were concealed behind cartons of ceramic sanitary wares in a shipment flagged for inspection.
Further raids across the country revealed a coordinated effort by the NDLEA to stem the flow of narcotics. In Cross River State, three suspects were arrested at a warehouse in Odukpani LGA with 2,687kg of skunk. In Bauchi, two men were nabbed on the Bauchi-Jos road with 287kg of the same substance hidden in a Toyota Camry.
Meanwhile, at Oniru Beach in Lagos, NDLEA’s Marine Command intercepted a wooden boat transporting 560kg of skunk. In another bust, two businessmen, Ishaku Abdullahi and Buba Usman, were arrested at the Maiduguri Airport with ecstasy pills and skunk disguised in branded packaging.
The agency’s Chairman and Chief Executive, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved in these operations for their dedication and professionalism.
“Our officers are working tirelessly to strike a fair balance between curbing drug supply and reducing demand. These arrests and seizures are proof that no part of the country is off-limits to our operations,” Marwa said.
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, the NDLEA also intensified awareness programmes in schools across Enugu, Ebonyi, Oyo, and Akwa Ibom States, targeting students and staff in a renewed effort to prevent drug abuse from the roots.
These developments mark another step in the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks threatening national health and security.
