In a sweeping series of operations across the country, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals—including a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old grandmother—on charges related to drug trafficking. The multi-state crackdown unearthed an alarming range of drug smuggling tactics, from hiding narcotics in food packaging to international trafficking routes involving Asia and North America.
The NDLEA disclosed the arrests in a statement released on Sunday, July 27, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, Chinese national Liang Tak You, a naturalised Malaysian resident, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Friday, July 25. Acting on intelligence, operatives tracked him from Bangkok—via Dubai—where he allegedly collected two suitcases filled with 50 parcels of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, weighing 26.10kg. Authorities allowed Liang to pass through immigration before intercepting him outside the airport.
In Cross River State, the agency arrested Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, an 80-year-old woman, at her home in Calabar South. Acting on surveillance reports, NDLEA agents found over 3kg of skunk at her residence, highlighting how drug trafficking networks often exploit age and community trust to avoid suspicion.
In Lagos, another suspect, Chidi Agbafo, was caught on Wednesday, July 23, transporting 21.7kg of Colorado and 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup—some of it concealed in moimoi sachets—while traveling in a commercial bus bound for Delta State.
A major seizure also took place at the Apapa seaport, where a joint team of NDLEA, Customs, and other agencies discovered 101kg of Canadian Loud hidden inside 202 tins of food labeled “Bean Salad Mix.” The drugs were packed into two Toyota Sienna vans inside a container that originated from Canada.
Elsewhere, drug enforcement efforts intensified:
Abuja–Kaduna Expressway: One Usman Musa was arrested with 71,000 opioid pills, including tramadol and diazepam, on a Kano-bound commercial bus.
Borno State: A woman, Binta Usman, was apprehended with 30.1kg of skunk in Maiduguri. Her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, was arrested two days later during a follow-up raid.
Ondo State: NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Bending Corner Forest of Idoani, arresting three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—and destroying 2,500kg of skunk cultivated on a hectare of land. An additional 121.4kg of processed cannabis was recovered.
Edo State: A raid in Benin City’s Asakpa community led to the arrest of Bright Sunday Okon, 26, and the seizure of multiple substances, including Colorado, Loud, skunk, Arizona, and methamphetamine.
Other significant recoveries included:
105.4kg of skunk found in an abandoned car in Nasarawa State
6,400 tramadol pills recovered from Bashir Abdullahi in Minna, Niger State
113kg of skunk seized from a known drug dealer, Jamiu Omolaja, in Ogun State, despite resistance from his gang.
The operation extended into Gombe State, where Adamu Adamu, also known as “Dankyado,” was caught with 10,910 tramadol capsules on the Gombe–Bajoga road. In Kogi State, NDLEA officers discovered skunk hidden in garri and dried herbs, leading to the arrest of Kindness Bala, who intended to smuggle the drugs to Katsina State and onward to Qatar.
On July 26, Kogi Command agents also recovered 23,600 tramadol tablets, 300 pentazocine ampoules, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in Ayingba.
The nationwide sting underscores the NDLEA’s intensified efforts to disrupt drug supply chains operating both within Nigeria and across international borders, as traffickers adopt increasingly sophisticated and deceptive methods.
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