By Deborah Nnamdi
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 60-year-old wanted drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, bringing an end to a seven-year manhunt. According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Chigozie was apprehended on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at his hideout located at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri in the Ojo area of Lagos State. His arrest followed the early morning interception of a major drug consignment along the Ilasamaja axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
At 5:45 a.m. on the same day, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one of Chigozie’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, who was heading to Onitsha, Anambra State, in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle. A search of the vehicle with sniffer dogs led to the discovery of 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine concealed in hidden compartments of the vehicle. A follow-up raid on Chigozie’s residence yielded an additional 1.8 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In a related development, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), intercepted 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, on Wednesday, July 16. The suspect, who was travelling via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight, claimed to have bought the drugs for resale in Italy.
On Thursday, July 17, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s export shed intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70 kilograms and concealed in packs of Golden Morn cereal. The consignment was part of a shipment headed to Pakistan. A suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, who presented the cargo, was arrested.
In Lagos, a raid was conducted on Saturday, July 19, at Sarah Sam Hotels, located at 115 Ogudu Road in the Kosofe area, following surveillance and credible intelligence. The hotel was identified as a hub for party drug distribution led by suspect Obayemi Oyetade. Recovered from his hotel room were 1.30 kilograms of chocolate cannabis, 900 grams of drug-infused gummies, and 22.9 grams of skunk. The hotel, a 20-room family-run facility, also yielded three vehicles during the operation.
In Kaduna State, three suspects—Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi, and Emmanuel Madu—were arrested on Saturday, July 19, during an intelligence-led raid in Narayi High Cost, Chikun Local Government Area. A total of 742.866 kilograms of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic cannabis strain, were seized.
Other seizures across the country included the arrest of Lawan Rabiu in Kano on July 16 with 36,000 pills of tramadol along the Danbatta-Kazaure road; Aliyu Abubakar in Gombe on July 18 with 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 at Gombe roundabout; and Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris on the same day with 29 kilograms of skunk at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba Local Government Area.
In Borno State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga Road, Maiduguri, intercepted 74,360 opioid pills in a Mercedes Benz C180 marked GUB 409 AA on Saturday, July 19. Audu Modu, 44, was arrested in connection with the seizure. In Bayelsa State, a 63-year-old grandmother, Akuna Nelson, was arrested on July 17 in the Osiri area of Yenagoa following the discovery of 163 litres of skuchies, a local illicit brew.
On the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State, NDLEA operatives arrested four suspects—Ikechukwu Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55—on July 17 in connection with the seizure of two kilograms of methamphetamine found during a search of their vehicle travelling from Onitsha to Minna.
In Aba, Abia State, NDLEA officers raided the residence of a notorious dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, on Monday, July 14. The operation, which took place at 4 Niger Street, Ugwa Road, led to the recovery of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and ₦736,000 in cash. On Wednesday, July 16, NDLEA patrol officers along the Onitsha-Enugu expressway arrested Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, with 45,000 tramadol pills.
In Taraba State, the agency arrested two suspects, Ngwokwoka Thomas and Mohammed Audu, both aged 44, on July 16 at Dan Anacha, Gassol Local Government Area. They were found with 10,000 capsules of tramadol and a gram of cannabis.
Meanwhile, NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative continued with sensitization programs across the country. Lectures were delivered to students and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger State; Dah Model Academy, Ngurore, Adamawa; Icon Academy, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Nkpor, Anambra; and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur’an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge, Kano.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers from the MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba commands for their successful arrests and seizures. He also commended NDLEA personnel nationwide for maintaining a strong balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
