Odita Sunday 
By Odita Sunday
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol valued at more than N6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos and arrested an 85-year-old woman with 179 kilogrammes of cannabis in Edo State.
The agency also intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound cannabis consignment concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, seized large quantities of illicit drugs across several states and arrested multiple suspects in intelligence-led operations.
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
At the Kano airport, operatives on Friday, October 16, arrested a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.
According to the agency, 511.75 grammes of cannabis were discovered in parcels concealed inside a gallon of palm oil.
Babafemi said Ahmad told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies, uncovered the massive tramadol consignment at the APM terminals, Apapa.
The shipment, which arrived from India and was declared as maize starch, was discovered on October 2. A confirmatory test at the agency’s forensic laboratory identified the substance as tramadol hydrochloride powder.
When the consignment was separated from its concealment on Wednesday, October 14, it yielded 349 bags weighing 8,725 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value exceeding N6.98 billion.
In a separate operation at the Tin Can Island Port on Monday, October 12, officers discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at N165 million, during a joint examination of a 40-foot container.
The cannabis was packed in brown cartons and concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle transported in the 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.
On the following day, operatives arrested two men, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, both aged 35, in the Mushin area, with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
In another operation along Iyana Oba, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck conveying illicit drugs from Trade Fair Market on October 15.
Two suspects, identified as Tajudeen Adeduntan, the loading manager, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, were arrested after officers recovered 18,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
In Edo State, the agency arrested six suspects during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.
Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk in Warake.
Other suspects included Ayo Aigberadion, 53, allegedly found with 220.8 kilogrammes of skunk at Ewe/Irue; Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852 kilogrammes; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grammes; Musa Mubid, 35, with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode Camp forest on Saturday, October 17, and destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares of land.
Five suspects — Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35 — were arrested during the operation.
The agency said officers also recovered 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and three kilogrammes of fresh stems, bringing the total weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281 kilogrammes.
In another operation in Owo, officers reportedly recovered 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes from the hideout of 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi in Ameyinti on October 16.
In Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon driven by 35-year-old Shamsu Garba at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14.
The search led to the recovery of 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.
On the same day, officers on patrol along the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano State, two suspects, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on October 13 with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
Another suspect, 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu, was arrested at Niger Street, Malan Kato, on October 14 with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis.
At Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna, officers arrested 39-year-old John Ayo David with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In Abuja, a 42-year-old suspect, Odo Jonas Ejike, was arrested in the Utako area on Saturday, October 17, with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said its commands and formations continued public sensitisation activities under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
The campaign reached institutions including Nawar-Ur-Deen High School in Ogboro, Oyo State; Elf Junior Secondary School in Bojude, Gombe State; Cherubim and Seraphim Primary School in Ikorodu, Lagos State; Harmony Secondary School in Lokoja, Kogi State; Government Secondary School, Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River State; Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Port Harcourt; Mesh International School, Benin City; and Abu Hanifa Academy, Kano Municipal.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers and men of the Apapa, Tin Can, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and Federal Capital Territory commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
Marwa urged them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain the crackdown on drug trafficking networks while maintaining a balanced approach to drug control.
He stressed the need to combine enforcement with sustained public education and preventive interventions to address drug abuse and trafficking.
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