By Charles Pemu 
In a sweeping nationwide operation, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized illicit drugs valued at over ₦3.4 billion and uncovered 942 explosives, marking a major success in Nigeria’s ongoing war against narcotics and organized crime.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the agency, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies, intercepted over three million pills of opioids and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup in two coordinated operations in Port Harcourt and Lagos on April 29.
“The bulk of the seizures—two million pills of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine—were recovered during a joint examination of a watch-listed container at the Onne Port Complex, Rivers State,” Babafemi said.
In a simultaneous bust, 1.5 million pills of a controlled opioid were confiscated from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, in the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo, Lagos. Further investigations led operatives to Victoria Garden City, Lekki, where the consignment allegedly originated from the residence of Obinna Kenneth, now on the run.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives made a chilling discovery. While conducting a routine patrol on the Kaduna–Zaria expressway on May 3, officers intercepted a commercial vehicle en route to Zamfara State. Hidden inside a sack were 942 explosives.
A suspect, 30-year-old Nura Sani Muhammad (alias Nura Hariji), was arrested in connection with the explosives.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, NDLEA operatives intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, smuggled in food tins on a British Airways flight from Canada. Between April 30 and May 3, three suspects were arrested, including the receiver, Monsurat Lawson.
In another case on May 2, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was caught attempting to fly to Italy with over 8,000 tramadol pills.
Separately, on April 28, NDLEA agents foiled an attempt to export drugs to Iraq via a courier firm. The narcotics—tramadol and skunk—were concealed in body cream bottles.
Capping a 10-month investigation, NDLEA operatives arrested Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, for masterminding the importation of 2.6 million tramadol pills via the Apapa port in July 2024.
A follow-up search at his Lekki residence yielded 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34 grams.
Beyond Lagos and Port Harcourt, the NDLEA’s operations extended to Kano, Edo, Anambra, and Niger States, leading to the arrest of multiple suspects and the seizure of:
- Hundreds of thousands of opioid pills
- Bottles of codeine syrup
- Ampoules of pentazocine injection
- Large quantities of cannabis
The NDLEA’s recent operations signal a relentless crackdown on the drug trade and its connection to broader security threats, including the trafficking of explosives.
“We will continue to go after those sabotaging public health and national security,” Babafemi said.