The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a shipment of cocaine cleverly concealed within 20 religious books en route to Saudi Arabia, reinforcing its fight against drug trafficking in Nigeria.
According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the cocaine seizure, weighing a total of 500 grams, was made on Tuesday, April 15, during a routine search of export cargo at a logistics firm by officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
In a separate operation on the same day, NDLEA operatives uncovered another drug shipment at a different courier company. This time, it was five parcels of Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—hidden in a carton originating from the United States. The cannabis weighed approximately 2.8 kilograms.
In Kano, NDLEA officers arrested 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, who was allegedly transporting illicit substances to bandits. He was apprehended along the Bichi–Kano Road with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection strapped to his thighs and private parts with cellotape.
“He was intercepted on Sunday, April 13. Meanwhile, another suspect, Mohammed Abdulaziz, 43, was arrested on the same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk weighing 30kg,” Babafemi stated.
Drug Seizures in Edo, Bayelsa, and Lagos
The NDLEA also raided two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Edo State, destroying a total of 3,717.86kg of cannabis cultivated on 1.49 hectares of land. They recovered 136.5kg of already processed cannabis during the operation.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Kayode Basorun, 40, a suspect linked to the 2023 seizure of 107kg of Loud imported from Canada. Basorun had been on the run for two years.
Also in Lagos, officers recovered 1,100kg of skunk from a delivery van. The driver, Ismail Abdullahi, was arrested in Surulere on Thursday, April 17.
Major Drug Warehouse Busted in Bayelsa
In a major breakthrough, the NDLEA uncovered a drug warehouse in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Operatives recovered 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin.
The raid, carried out along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, led to the arrest of four suspects:
- Kurtis Sarimiye, 46
- Roland Prosper, 34
- Paul Sarimiye, 45
- Fidelis Ugbesla, 46
More Arrests in Kaduna, Kebbi, Anambra, and Osun
In Kaduna, on Friday, April 18, NDLEA operatives raided a hideout in Zaria belonging to Ike Ani, 30. They recovered 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam.
In Kebbi, along Bagudo Road, a patrol team intercepted a vehicle transporting 97kg of skunk concealed in sacks of charcoal. The vehicle was reportedly coming from Malabil, Benin Republic. Three suspects—Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28—were arrested.
In Anambra State, Okafor Marcel, 48, was arrested in Abatete with 11.5kg of skunk.
Also, on Tuesday, April 15, in Osun State, NDLEA officers arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, in Oshogbo with 43 litres of ‘skushi’—a mixture of blackcurrant juice, cannabis, and opioids—recovered from her residence in Dada Estate, Halleluyah area.
“The NDLEA operatives recovered all from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital,” Babafemi confirmed.