The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of multiple suspects, including a 75-year-old man and a 30-year-old cannabis farmer, during a series of raids across the country that led to massive drug seizures and the destruction of an illicit cannabis farm.
In Anambra State, operatives arrested 75-year-old Uchelue Ikechukwu at Umudioka, Dunukofia LGA, with 26.7kg of skunk on Thursday, August 28. Six others — Eneh Makuo, Emmanuel Chiemeli, Uwakwe Matthew, Chukwujekwu Ehirim, Ifeanyichukwu Olisa, and Odoh Chukwuma — were picked up at Nkwelle and Amichi with various quantities of opioids and skunk.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, supported by the Nigerian Army and other security outfits, stormed Mayodoga forest in Sardauna LGA where they destroyed 178,750kg of cannabis cultivated on a 71.5-hectare farm. The farmer, 30-year-old Alfa Andrew, was arrested with a Dane gun.
Other major seizures across the country include:
Kaduna: 104,900 tramadol capsules hidden in a fuel tanker, suspected to be headed for insurgents in Borno; 34.150kg of skunk seized at Gwargwaje-Zaria checkpoint.
Borno: Arrest of 33-year-old drug kingpin Uchenna Umeh with 30,640 tramadol pills, 7,940 rohypnol tablets, and ₦7.9m in cash.
Nasarawa: Two suspects arrested with over 109,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam, plus 38 bottles of codeine syrup hidden in a deep freezer.
Adamawa/Gombe: Interception of 15,000 tramadol capsules concealed in animal feed sacks; arrest of suspects with 79 blocks of skunk weighing 58kg.
Kano: Multiple arrests with seizures including 250,000 tablets of exol-5, skunk, and new psychoactive substances.
Edo: 64,250 tramadol pills intercepted in a commercial bus from Onitsha.
Ondo: Two suspects arrested with 117.5kg of processed cannabis.
Lagos: 164kg of skunk recovered in Mushin.
Ekiti: Largest seizure of Loud and Colorado in the state — 5.3kg, alongside 2.5g of methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaign nationwide, engaging schools, churches, workplaces, traditional rulers, and government institutions.
Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the successes recorded across Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Lagos, Ekiti, Ondo, and Edo States, and urged officers to sustain both enforcement and public sensitization efforts.