The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder, valued at over ₦6.98 billion, at Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency also arrested a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, for allegedly attempting to smuggle cannabis to Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad was apprehended on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State. NDLEA operatives discovered 511.75 grammes of cannabis hidden in a gallon of palm oil she was carrying. Ahmad claimed the gallon was given to her by her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, who was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, announced these arrests and seizures in a statement on Sunday, highlighting a series of anti-drug operations across several states.
At Apapa Port, NDLEA personnel, working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies, uncovered the tramadol shipment on October 2. The cargo, declared as maize starch, was confirmed as tramadol hydrochloride powder after forensic testing. By October 14, officials had separated and counted 349 bags, weighing a total of 8,725 kilogrammes.
Other recent operations include:
- At Tin Can Port in Lagos, officers found 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, worth ₦165 million, concealed in a Toyota Sienna vehicle inside a 40-foot container on October 12.
- On October 14, Elizabeth Chidera Kalu was arrested at Idumota Market with 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 Molly tablets recovered from her store.
- In Mushin, Lagos, two men—Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde—were arrested on October 15 with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
- Along Iyana Oba, a truck transporting illicit drugs from Trade Fair Market was intercepted; 18,000 pills of tramadol 250mg were found in cartons labeled as Rambo insecticide. Two suspects, Tajudeen Adeduntan (loading manager) and Azeez Sikiru (assistant), were arrested.
- In Edo State, six suspects were arrested during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro, and Ewe/Irue communities between October 15 and 16. Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk, and Ayo Aigberadion, 53, with 220.8 kilogrammes. Others had varying quantities of cannabis, tramadol, Swinol, and diazepam.
- In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm in Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on October 17, destroying 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk grown on three hectares and arresting five suspects. The operation also yielded 92 bags of skunk (1,267 kilogrammes), 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, and three kilogrammes of fresh stems, bringing the total recovered to 1,281 kilogrammes.
- In Owo, officers tracked and arrested Okunebe Ndidi, 53, at a hideout in Ameyinti on October 16, recovering 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes.
- In Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon in Ragwam village, Katagum Local Government Area, on October 14, seizing 894,800 tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets from Shamsu Garba, 35. Officers also recovered 291 blocks of cannabis (265 kilogrammes) from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village along the Bauchi-Gombe road.
These operations underscore the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking nationwide.
