By Joke KujenyaÂ
LARGE-SCALE drug trafficking attempt was thwarted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, when operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman attempting to smuggle cocaine to Turkey.
The suspect, identified as Mbala Dajou Abuba from Zaire province, had ingested 120 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.829 kilograms.
Abuba was intercepted on Tuesday, 25th February 2025, while attempting to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 en route to Istanbul via Cairo.
A body scan confirmed the presence of illicit substances in his system, prompting authorities to place him under observation.
Over multiple excretions, he expelled the cocaine pellets. During interrogation, Abuba claimed to be involved in township delivery services in Angola before venturing into drug trafficking.
Another foiled attempt involved Okeke Ebuka Igwe, an auto spare parts dealer, who concealed 1.10kg of cocaine inside vehicle propellers for shipment to Angola.
NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, arrested him on Monday, 24th February, based on credible intelligence.
Igwe claimed he operates a business at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos.
Further anti-narcotic operations disrupted a planned shipment of 5.40 kilograms of cocaine to Owerri, Imo State.
The consignment, hidden in a Toyota Sienna bus, was intercepted by NDLEA’s special operations unit on Sunday, 23rd February, following weeks of surveillance.
The driver, Ezechi Iyke Cyprian, was promptly taken into custody.
Another major bust at the Tincan Seaport in Lagos on Friday, 28th February, led to the discovery of 128 parcels of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing 63.75kg.
The drugs were concealed inside two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza imported from Montreal, Canada.
NDLEA operatives, alongside Customs and other security agencies, made the discovery during a joint inspection of container TCNU 1945861.
The consignee, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, was arrested.
Also, a large-scale cannabis farm covering 20 hectares in Delta State was destroyed by NDLEA operatives, supported by the military, on Thursday, 27th February.
The raid, conducted in Innam-Abbi/Orogun community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, led to the destruction of over 50,000kg of cannabis and the arrest of five suspects: Augustine Subaru, 45; Ukoba Malachukwu, 53; Odalonu Emmanuel, 40; Esuabom Macaulay, 35; and Itoje Safe, 54.
Elsewhere in Delta, a Mercedes Benz truck marked AWK 791 ZJ was intercepted along the Abraka-Orogun road on Friday, 28th February. A search of the vehicle revealed 101 bags of skunk weighing 1,111kg.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers, backed by the military, raided Okpuje community in Owan West LGA on Saturday, 1st March.
The operation led to the seizure of 1,409.5kg of skunk and the destruction of over 100 jumbo bags stored in warehouses.
Two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday, 38, and Glory Iroyo, 42, were arrested.
Additional arrests occurred nationwide. In Oyo State, operatives intercepted Michael Omoloki, 46, with 58.5kg of skunk along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
In Kwara, Lawali Mohammed, a Beninoise national, was caught with 2,980 tramadol tablets and dozens of diazepam pills at Eiyenkorin expressway, Ilorin, on Monday, 24th February.
Osun State NDLEA operatives seized 1.05kg of skunk concealed inside detergent and biscuit cartons on Thursday, 27th February, along the Ibadan-Gbongan expressway, leading to the arrest of Sunday Ogbu, 45.
In Zamfara, Ayuba Mustapha, 30, was arr ested with 24,700 tramadol pills at Tsafe on Sunday, 23rd February.
Borno State operatives apprehended Mustapha Shettima, 50, along Bama Road, Maiduguri, on Wednesday, 26th February, with 31kg of skunk, 1,000 tramadol pills, and a cash exhibit of N720,000.
In Kano, Adamu Idris, 40, was nabbed the same day on Zaria road with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5kg.
Meanwhile, NDLEA’s nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign continued with lectures in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Awareness sessions were held at Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School, Ojuelegba, Lagos; Loretto Girls Special Science School, Adazinnukwu, Anambra; and Tudun Murtala Special Primary School, Nasarawa LGA, Kano, among others.
Commending the agency’s officers for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised their commitment to tackling drug trafficking through both supply reduction and public awareness campaigns.
