After seven years of evading justice, a notorious drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Lagos, marking a major breakthrough in the agency’s nationwide offensive against drug trafficking.
Okpara, 60, who had been on the agency’s wanted list since 2019, was apprehended on Sunday, July 13, at his hideout on Micheal Ojo Street in the Isheri area of Ojo, Lagos State. His arrest followed the earlier interception of 7.6kg of cocaine and 900g of methamphetamine concealed in a white Toyota Sienna en route to Onitsha, Anambra State. The driver, identified as Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, 51, was arrested at Ilasamaja on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
A follow-up raid on Okpara’s residence yielded an additional 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine, further implicating him as a key player in a cross-regional drug trafficking syndicate.
In a related development at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives working with Aviation Security officers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) intercepted 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, who admitted he planned to sell the drugs abroad.
Also at the airport, NDLEA officials intercepted 1.7kg of skunk cannabis hidden in Golden Morn cereal packs in a shipment headed to Pakistan. The suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, who attempted to export the drugs, was arrested at the export shed.
In Lagos, the agency stormed Sarah Sam Hotels in Kosofe on Saturday, July 19, seizing an assortment of “party drugs” including 1.3kg of chocolate cannabis, 900g of drug-laced gummies, and 22.9g of skunk. The suspected ringleader, Obayemi Oyetade, was arrested during the operation, which also led to the recovery of three vehicles.
Further nationwide raids yielded multiple seizures:
Kaduna: 742.8kg of skunk and synthetic cannabis (Colorado) recovered; three suspects arrested.
Kano: 36,000 pills of tramadol seized from Lawan Rabiu.
Gombe: 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 seized from Aliyu Abubakar; 29kg of compressed skunk recovered from Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris.
Borno: 74,360 opioid pills intercepted in Maiduguri from a Mercedes Benz driven by Audu Modu.
Bayelsa: 163 litres of illicit liquor (“skuchies”) seized from 63-year-old Akuna Nelson in Yenagoa.
Kogi: Four suspects nabbed with 2kg of methamphetamine on Okene-Lokoja highway.
Abia: A notorious dealer, Nduka Obi, arrested in Aba; cocaine, heroin, meth, tramadol, and N736,000 cash recovered.
Enugu: 45,000 tramadol pills seized from Chisom Okpalaeke.
Taraba: Two suspects arrested with 10,000 capsules of tramadol and cannabis.
In a separate operation, the NDLEA destroyed 101,150kg of skunk hidden in a forest in Ohosu, Osun State, signaling a massive disruption to drug cultivation networks.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative continued nationwide with sensitization lectures at schools in Niger, Adamawa, Enugu, Anambra, and Kano states.
Commending the efforts of the operatives, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers for their diligence in balancing drug supply suppression with public education and demand reduction.