In a sweeping anti-narcotic operation across the country, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals suspected of trafficking illicit substances, including a 22-year-old accused of supplying drugs to armed bandits in Kano State.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed in a statement released on Sunday, April 20, 2025, that the arrests were part of a coordinated effort to clamp down on drug networks fueling insecurity across Nigeria.
On Sunday, April 13, NDLEA operatives intercepted Muhammad Mohammed along the Bichi-Kano Road while en route to Katsina.
He was found with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection hidden on his body. Investigations indicate he was transporting the drugs to bandits operating in northern Nigeria.
Also in Kano, the agency arrested 43-year-old Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz in the Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa with 68 blocks of skunk, weighing 30 kilograms.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, NDLEA operatives foiled a cocaine smuggling attempt to Saudi Arabia. The drugs—500 grams—were cleverly hidden inside the pages of 20 religious books and intercepted at a courier company on Tuesday, April 15.
On that same day, officers also seized five parcels of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilograms, shipped from the United States.
In Bayelsa State, a raid on a residence in Yenagoa’s Opolo area led to the seizure of over 557 kilograms of skunk, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin.
Four suspects—Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, Roland Prosper, Sarimiye Tare Paul, and Fidelis Ugbesla—were arrested during the operation.
In Lagos’ Surulere area, a delivery van loaded with 1,100 kilograms of skunk was intercepted on April 17. The driver, Ismail Abdullahi, was taken into custody.
A separate raid in Zaria, Kaduna State, on April 18 resulted in the arrest of 30-year-old Ike Ani, with NDLEA officers recovering 31,950 pills of tramadol and diazepam.
In Kebbi, operatives intercepted 97 kilograms of skunk hidden in charcoal sacks. The vehicle had reportedly come from Benin Republic. Arrested suspects include Abubakar Ibrahim (50), Mustapha Aliyu (32), and Bashar Lawali (28).
In Anambra, 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was arrested in Abatete with 11.5 kilograms of skunk. In Osun State, 27-year-old Ajala Mercy was caught with 43 litres of “skushi,” a mixture of black currant, cannabis, and opioids, in Osogbo’s Dada Estate.
Furthermore, NDLEA officers raided two cannabis farms in Edo State’s Egbeta Forest, destroying over 3,700 kilograms of cannabis plants cultivated on 1.4 hectares and recovering an additional 136.5 kilograms of processed cannabis.
At Lagos’ Tincan Seaport, 40-year-old Basorun Usman Kayode, linked to a 2023 case involving 107 kilograms of Loud smuggled from Canada, was apprehended. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, was also arrested for allegedly distributing drugs within the port community.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the relentless efforts of officers across all involved commands, reiterating the agency’s commitment to curbing both the supply and demand of illegal drugs in the country.
The agency urged Nigerians to stay alert and report any suspicious drug activities as part of the ongoing national war against narcotics.
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