Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered a massive cache of illicit drugs valued at over N6.7bn in a warehouse located within a residential estate in the Isolo area of Lagos State, leading to the arrest of a suspected drug kingpin and five members of his cartel.
The discovery was announced on Wednesday in a statement by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who revealed that the operation was based on credible intelligence indicating that the syndicate was preparing to distribute the drugs ahead of the Christmas season.
According to the statement, the warehouse, situated at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri, contained more than 7.2 million pills of tramadol 225mg and 526,200 bottles (52.6 million ml) of codeine syrup.
“Officers of a Special Operations Unit of NDLEA led a well-coordinated operation between Wednesday, 19th, and Thursday, 20th November 2025, to round up members of the syndicate and dismantle their criminal network,” Babafemi said.
Two members of the gang, Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel, were first trailed and arrested on November 19 at Apple Junction, FESTAC, while transporting 300 cartons of opioids. A follow-up operation at the warehouse the following day led to the arrest of the alleged drug baron, Onyekachi Nwanagu, along with Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip.
In total, officers recovered 7,272,000 tramadol pills valued at N3.96bn and 53 million ml of codeine syrup worth over N2.76bn. The illicit substances were evacuated from the estate in 11 trucks and transferred to the NDLEA’s central exhibit complex in Lagos.
Babafemi noted that the agency’s Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the operatives for their professionalism, calling the bust a major blow to cartels “preying on Nigeria’s youth.”
Marwa said the seizure marked “a clear and unambiguous statement,” adding that the dismantling of such networks reflects the agency’s renewed resolve under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“The days when drug barons thought they were untouchable are over,” he said. “The long arm of the law will eventually catch up with every merchant of death, no matter how highly placed or deeply concealed.”
The NDLEA also disclosed that on November 15, a separate operation led to the arrest of another wanted drug baron, Frank Chijioke Ibemesi, after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.
