NDLEA has arrested a Chinese national and an 80-year-old Nigerian woman in a sweeping drug crackdown.
Massive seizures of cannabis, opioids, and synthetic drugs were made across multiple Nigerian states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese national, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old Nigerian woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, as part of a nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.
In a statement released on Sunday in Abuja, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi revealed that Liang was apprehended on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after arriving from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. The suspect, a Malaysian-based naturalized Chinese citizen, was found with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 26.1kg.
According to the NDLEA, operatives tracked Liang from his departure point and allowed him to clear immigration before arresting him outside the arrival hall.
In another major arrest, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme was caught in the early hours of Saturday at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street, Calabar South, Cross River State. She was found in possession of over 3kg of skunk, following intelligence reports.
Multiple seizures were also made across the country. In Lagos, operatives intercepted Chidi Agbafo along the Epe–Ajah Expressway on July 23. He was transporting 21.7kg of Colorado, some of it disguised in moimoi sachets, along with 3.8 litres of codeine-based syrup, en route to Delta State.
At Apapa Port, a joint operation involving NDLEA and Customs officers on July 25 uncovered 101kg of Canadian Loud concealed in 202 cans labeled “Bean Salad Mix,” hidden inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles shipped from Canada.
On the Abuja-Kaduna highway, operatives arrested Usman Musa on July 23 with 71,000 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5, inside a commercial bus heading to Kano.
In Borno State, a 30-year-old woman, Binta Usman, was arrested in Maiduguri with 30.1kg of skunk. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi.
In Ondo, NDLEA agents raided a cannabis farm in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose LGA, where three brothers Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye were arrested. About 2,500kg of cannabis was destroyed, and 121.4kg of processed skunk was recovered.
Edo State operatives arrested Bright Sunday Okon, 26, during a raid in Benin City. Various drugs including Colorado, Arizona, methamphetamine, and skunk were seized from her home.
Further seizures included 105.4kg of skunk abandoned in a car in Keffi, Nasarawa State; 6,400 tramadol pills from Bashir Abdullahi in Minna, Niger State; and 113kg of skunk from Jamiu Omolaja’s hideout in Ifo, Ogun State.
In Gombe, Adamu Adamu, also known as “Dankyado,” was caught with 10,910 capsules of tramadol. Kogi State officers intercepted cannabis hidden in garri and scent leaves on the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala in Abuja, who had intended to smuggle the drugs to Qatar via Katsina. Another operation in Ayingba uncovered 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck.
NDLEA’s anti-drug awareness campaign also continued nationwide, with advocacy sessions held in schools across Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, and Lagos states. The agency also paid visits to traditional rulers in Anambra as part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the efforts of officers in all commands, applauding their balanced focus on curbing both drug supply and demand across the country.
