By Deborah Nnamdi
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu, for attempting to smuggle 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in two large music speakers. The illicit drugs were intended for distribution in Yola, Mubi (Adamawa State), and neighboring Cameroon.
According to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, Udatu was arrested on Monday, April 7, 2025, aboard a commercial bus at a checkpoint in Namtari, along the Ngurore-Yola road in Adamawa. Officers discovered the methamphetamine hidden in the new speakers and seized a cash sum of N22,300 from him.
The suspect allegedly confessed that he had returned to Nigeria to resume drug trafficking after serving a prison sentence in Malaysia for similar offenses.
In a separate operation at the Nigeria-Cameroon border in Mfum, Cross River State, NDLEA agents, in collaboration with Customs officers, intercepted a trans-border trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu. He was found with 8,740 ampoules of various opioids totaling 395 kilograms. The drugs included fentanyl, morphine sulfate, phenobarbital sulfate, pethidine, and midazolam injections.
Further arrests were made in Kano and Abuja. On Friday, April 11, NDLEA operatives in Kano arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 25,600 tramadol pills and 20 ATM cards. That same day, 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was apprehended in a follow-up operation in Gwagwalada, FCT, after 8,960 tramadol pills were intercepted during routine checks on April 7.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, officers recovered 124 kilograms of cannabis (skunk) on April 11, hidden in 11 jumbo bags inside the boot of a Lexus vehicle driven by 58-year-old Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins along the Mokwa-Jebba road.
Reacting to these developments, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the efforts of the agency’s commands in Adamawa, Cross River, Kano, FCT, and Niger States. He urged officers across the country to sustain momentum and intensify efforts in both drug supply reduction and demand control.
