By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the interception of over 3.5 million opioid pills and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup, with an estimated street value exceeding N3.4 billion, in major operations carried out in Port Harcourt and Lagos.
According to a statement by NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the largest seizure was made on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, during a joint inspection of a flagged container at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne. The container held 2 million tablets of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup.
On the same day in Lagos, NDLEA operatives seized 1.5 million pills of a controlled opioid from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, in the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo. The shipment was traced to the Lekki residence of a suspect identified as Obinna Kenneth, who is currently at large.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA officers discovered 42 parcels of Canadian Loud—a potent cannabis strain—hidden in tins of chocolate, milo, and kidney beans. The shipment arrived on a British Airways flight from Canada, and three suspects, including Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, were arrested between April 30 and May 3.
In related operations, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was apprehended at Lagos airport on May 2 while attempting to travel to Italy with over 8,000 tramadol pills. Similarly, a syndicate’s attempt to smuggle tramadol and skunk to Iraq via courier, concealed in body cream bottles, was foiled on April 28.
NDLEA also intercepted 942 explosives in Kaduna on May 3 from a vehicle en route to Zamfara State, arresting 30-year-old Nura Sani Muhammad.
In Kano, five members of a drug syndicate led by Aminu Musa (a.k.a. Kadagi) were arrested on April 30 at Dangoro market with 50 blocks of skunk totaling 21.6kg.
In a breakthrough, NDLEA operatives arrested Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, the Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, after a 10-month investigation. He is linked to the importation of 2.6 million tramadol pills intercepted at Apapa port in July 2024. A follow-up search at his Lekki residence uncovered 51 wraps of Canadian Loud.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) has ordered that all suspects and evidence be handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation and prosecution. He praised the efforts of NDLEA officers across the country for their vigilance and commitment to both reducing drug supply and addressing drug demand.
