The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced a series of successful operations across the country, leading to the interception of substantial quantities of illicit drugs and the arrest of several suspects. The operations, detailed in a statement by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, mark a significant boost in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking.
In a landmark operation, NDLEA operatives at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, thwarted an attempt to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing six kilograms. The suspect, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, a businessman involved in import and export, concealed the cocaine in his body. The agency revealed that this was the largest cocaine interception at the Kano airport since 2006.
The statement noted, “The seizure was made during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”
At Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport, NDLEA officers intercepted another suspect, ex-convict Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, attempting to export a consignment of Rohypnol to South Africa. The drugs were concealed in cargo containing gari, shoes, and men’s singlets. Akorede, previously convicted of a similar offence, had earlier paid a ₦900,000 fine to avoid imprisonment.
In a separate incident at Lagos airport, Italy-based businesswoman Cynthia Akaeen was arrested with 9,190 tramadol tablets weighing six kilograms while attempting to board a flight to Italy.
The NDLEA also uncovered a drug warehouse in Onitsha, Anambra State, seizing 418,330 pills of tramadol and tapentadol, along with 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
Additional operations in Maiduguri, Borno State, led to the recovery of tramadol capsules, cannabis, ammunition, and other psychoactive substances. Similar raids in Oyo and Enugu states, as well as a joint operation at Tincan Island Port, Lagos, resulted in the interception of 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in a container from India.
The NDLEA highlighted its ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which includes educational outreach in schools, religious centres, and workplaces in Adamawa, Kano, and Kebbi states. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse, urging communities to support its efforts.
These operations underscore the NDLEA’s resolve to tackle the drug menace and protect Nigeria’s citizens from the harmful effects of illicit substances.
