The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Niger State and uncovered a clandestine codeine syrup manufacturing factory in Abia State during coordinated nationwide operations.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, December 14, 2025, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja. The operations, according to the agency, are part of sustained efforts to dismantle drug supply networks linked to violent crime, cross-border trafficking, and the abuse of controlled substances.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives arrested 33-year-old Mohammed Sani, also known as Gamboli, following weeks of intelligence-led surveillance in Shiroro Local Government Area. The agency said Sani had earlier escaped during a raid on his residence on November 20, when officers recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk. He was eventually apprehended on December 11 at a drug joint in Kuta. Intelligence reports described him as a key supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area.
In Abia State, NDLEA officers raided a hidden codeine syrup production facility in Osisioma Local Government Area, where they recovered 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing about 1,152.2 kilograms.
The agency also recorded several arrests and seizures across other states. In Enugu State, two suspects were arrested along major highways with a combined 101.8 kilograms of skunk. In Oyo State, a raid on a notorious drug joint known as Beere the California led to the seizure of skunk, synthetic cannabis, and methamphetamine, with one suspect arrested while the alleged owner remains at large.
In Ogun State, three suspects were arrested and 98 kilograms of skunk seized, while in Ondo State, NDLEA officers apprehended a 55-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son in Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area, recovering 1,187 kilograms of skunk and its seeds. Operatives in Edo State seized 461 kilograms of skunk during a raid in Owan East Local Government Area, while in Gombe State arrests led to the recovery of 40,000 capsules of tramadol and an additional 56 kilograms of skunk.
At the Seme border in Lagos, two suspects were arrested with 50,000 pills of tramadol. NDLEA officers also intercepted drug consignments at courier facilities in Lagos, including tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline, and bromazepam concealed in black soap containers and designer clothing destined for the United States, Canada, and Sweden. At the Apapa seaport, the agency said a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies led to the interception of a container holding 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing more than 23,000 kilograms.
Beyond enforcement actions, the NDLEA said its commands across the country continued War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation programmes during the week, including lectures in secondary schools in Katsina, Kano, and Benue states, as well as advocacy visits to traditional institutions such as the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand control nationwide.
