By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a family-run drug cartel in Lagos, allegedly operated by a businessman, Ajah Johnson Uchenna, and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna. The couple was arrested alongside their daughters, Stella and Ngozi Uchenna, as well as a family associate, Okoro Elijah, for reportedly running a large-scale illicit drug distribution network.
Ajah and Rosemary were first apprehended on Friday, June 13, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Ojo area of Lagos. They were later handed over to the NDLEA along with 277.5 kilograms of cannabis (skunk).
Despite their arrest, intelligence reports indicated that the drug operation was still ongoing. On Tuesday, July 1, NDLEA agents raided the family’s residence and a nearby warehouse, seizing an additional 231 kilograms of skunk. During the operation, the couple’s daughters, Ngozi and Blessing Uchenna, along with their associate, Okoro Elijah, were taken into custody while allegedly continuing the illicit trade.
In another interception, NDLEA officers at a courier firm in Lagos auncovered cocaine consignments concealed in female lipsticks and inside a property title document (C of O) bound for the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia respectively. The seizures, which occurred on Thursday, July 3, were made by officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI). They recovered 420 grams of cocaine hidden in 84 lipsticks and 280 grams embedded within the document.
On Saturday, June 28, a major drug trafficker, Ajetsibo Emami, also known as Warri Kinsman, was arrested in Ikeja after NDLEA dismantled his network in a three-day operation. Officers seized 24 jumbo bags containing 681 pouches of Canadian Loud (a potent cannabis strain), totaling 414.2 kg, which was destined for distribution in Lekki and beyond.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted Aburemi Hysent, a frequent traveler to Italy, who attempted to smuggle 7,660 Tramadol pills (225mg and 200mg) concealed in food items. He admitted he was promised €800 for delivering the package.
In another airport operation, NDLEA officers seized 52 counterfeit travellers’ cheques worth 17.7 million Australian dollars, hidden inside children’s books en route to Malaysia via Istanbul. The suspect, freight agent Bolarinwa Saheed, was arrested and will be handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.
At the Seme border in Badagry, officers recovered 718 large balls of skunk weighing 359 kg from a store in Baba-Pupa community. Similarly, a patrol team along the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted 10,000 Tramadol pills, co-codamol, and 1.05 kg of Colorado (synthetic cannabis). Follow-up operations led to the arrest of Chinedu Odo, Samuel Ogbonna, and Kingsley Ugaji in Jabi Park, Abuja.
In Osun State, various arrests were made:
Agunbiade Folusho (40) and Suleiman Dasola (28) were found with 13,901 opioids in Osogbo, Adebayo Adewale (50) was caught with 48,205 pills at a patent medicine store in Ile-Ife. A raid on a vulcanizer shop in Akindeko Junction, Osogbo, led to the arrest of Wasiu Ajadi (45), Babatunde Jamiu Ojo (35), and Yusuf Sarafadeen (39), with 1,250 ampoules of pentazocine, 850 Tramadol pills, and three bottles of codeine syrup.
Also in Osun, 24,175 kg of cannabis cultivated on 9.67 hectares in Ikaka, Oke-Ila forest, was destroyed. Seven suspects, including Bunmi Adedapo (41) and Prosper Odabe (23), were arrested during the raid.
In Borno State, NDLEA seized 167 kg of skunk in Gamboru-Ngala, while 452 kg was recovered at Gadar Tamburawa along the Zaria-Kano road. Two suspects, Nasuru Saleh and Mustapha Muhammad, were arrested.
Other significant arrests and seizures include: 11,000 Tramadol pills recovered from Sule Ibrahim Sadiq (30) on the Abuja-Kaduna expressway, Joseph Onungene (62) caught with 4,800 Tramadol pills in Sokoto.
In Kebbi, 312 kg of skunk and 10,000 diazepam tablets were seized.
In Taraba, Chigbo Okolo (52) and Ishaku Musa (28) were arrested with 49,930 Tramadol capsules.
In Edo State, a raid in Ewere forest, Owan West LGA, led to the arrest of wanted suspect Alaba Monday (49) with 115 kg of processed skunk, and three others from a second farm, while Mike Abeng (78), was arrested with 14.49 kg of skunk and Tramadol in Ofudua, Obubra LGA in Cross River State, along with Oyom Akam, Sylvester Odem, and Moses Ayo from Ovonum.
Reacting to these developments, NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the operatives across various commands for their efforts in disrupting drug supply chains and reducing demand nationwide.
