Businesswoman, Dispatch Riders, and Dozens of Others Arrested in Nationwide Drug Crackdown
ABUJA, August 3, 2025 — The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a series of major drug busts across the country, intercepting illicit drugs hidden in vehicle side mirrors, footwear, cosmetics, and other unconventional items. The operations, which led to multiple arrests, highlight the agency’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking and distribution networks nationwide.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of cocaine and tramadol concealed in 71 vehicle side mirrors being exported to Libreville, Gabon, via Air Côte d’Ivoire. The shipment, first discovered on July 19, contained 57,420 pills of tramadol 225mg and 57 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.60kg.
A cargo agent, Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict, was immediately arrested, followed by the arrest of Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah a day later. A further search of Chukwurah’s home on July 21 uncovered four additional side mirrors containing 11 parcels of cocaine, bringing the total to 68 parcels weighing 2.60kg.
In a separate case, a businesswoman, Mrs. Nwafor Roseann Nneka, was arrested at her shop in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos. Her arrest followed the earlier interception of a shipment containing 100 grams of cocaine and 300 grams of phenacetine—used as a cutting agent—hidden inside lipstick containers heading to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Two cargo agents were first arrested before Mrs. Nneka was apprehended. She confessed that her husband, Remigus Nwafor—currently at large—handled the concealment of the drugs.
In Abuja, three dispatch riders were arrested on July 30 in Gwarimpa, Jahi, and Galadimawa for distributing illicit substances. The suspects—Sabo Sule, 24; Samuel Nnamdi, 28; and Idris Jibrin, 28—were found with 149.8 grams of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain. Two other suspects, Aliyu Abubakar and Adekunle Agbabiaka, were arrested along the Abaji-Gwagwalada highway with 91.1kg of skunk.
The agency also recorded several significant seizures in other parts of the country:
Lagos: Joseph Michael was caught with 3.3kg of synthetic cannabis (Colorado) in Mushin, while Ibrahim Sulaiman was arrested in Yaba with 16.5 litres of skuchies.
Benue: Hussein Yusuf, 37, was arrested at a checkpoint on the Vandeikya-Ogoja road with 100,000 tramadol capsules.
Edo: A warehouse raid in Ekpoma led to the arrest of William Alabi, 44, and the recovery of 233.5kg of skunk.
Borno: Umar Aminu, 38, was arrested at the Muhammadu Buhari International Airport, Maiduguri, with 160 tramadol pills hidden in footwear.
Ogun: Yahaya Aminat Seyi was arrested in Oja Odan with 7,218 pills of opioids.
Oyo: Oladeji Saka, 54, was nabbed in Ibadan with 77.5kg of skunk.
Delta: Benson Izah, 40, was found with 12.5kg of skunk, 1kg of tramadol, and 14.4 litres of codeine in Abraka.
Bayelsa: Chief Emeka Opara, 52, and Onuoha Chidinma, 25, were arrested in Amassoma with 41,705 tramadol capsules and other drugs.
Kano: Bashir Gambo, 30, was caught with 61kg of skunk in Yar Yasa town, Tudun Wada LGA.
Osun: Kabiru Ayinde, 40, and Roqeeb Adekanmbi, 25, were arrested in Iwo town with 90kg of skunk, 36.3 grams of methamphetamine, a Toyota bus, and ₦228,200 in cash.
Meanwhile, NDLEA formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization activities held in schools, religious centres, transport hubs, and traditional institutions. These included lectures at Ciroma Ibrahim Islamiyya School in Yobe, Sultan Maccido Institute in Sokoto, Borno Express drivers in Maiduguri, and the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Enugu. In Osun, officers paid an advocacy visit to the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdurasheed Adewale Akanbi.
Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the dedication of officers and charged them to maintain a balanced approach in the agency’s ongoing drug control efforts.