The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested multiple suspected drug traffickers and seized large quantities of illicit substances during coordinated operations across six states, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed in a statement released on Sunday.
In Oyo State, operatives conducting surveillance along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway intercepted a Toyota Sienna and detained two men: Abdulfatai Oyelaran, 70, and Abdulrauf Ajadi, 50. A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection.
Further north in Kwara State, officers arrested Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, around the Kam Wire area of Ilorin. The suspects were allegedly transporting 55.96 kilogrammes of skunk, a variant of cannabis, in a truck.
Operations in Delta State yielded two separate arrests. Along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway, Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18, were stopped with a haul that included 124,100 tramadol pills, 786 bottles of codeine syrup, 2,598 Rohypnol tablets, 4,800 diazepam tablets, 470 pentazocine ampoules, and 200 tramadol ampoules. On the Kwale-Ozoro Expressway, 50-year-old Emeka Tony was apprehended with 1,244 cartridges and ₦8 million in cash.
In Plateau State, a Toyota Corolla halted on the Riyom-Jos Road was found carrying 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a tramadol-based product. Kasum Sherif was taken into custody in connection with the seizure.
Kano State recorded the highest volume of arrests and recoveries. Six suspects were detained on the Zaria-Kano Road with 728,958 pills comprising tramadol, Rohypnol, and other opioids. The seizure also included 360 grammes of cocaine, 99.8 grammes of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup, and 2.7 kilogrammes of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain. In a separate operation on Friday at Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area, Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24, were arrested after officers discovered 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8 kilogrammes.
The NDLEA said the nationwide operations form part of its sustained strategy to dismantle supply chains used to distribute illicit drugs across Nigeria.
