The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced significant successes in a recent nationwide sweep, apprehending a diverse group of alleged drug traffickers, including a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old grandmother, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme.
During these extensive operations, NDLEA officials made startling discoveries, unearthing consignments of Colorado—a potent synthetic cannabis strain—cleverly concealed within moimoi sachets. Additionally, Canadian Loud, another illicit substance, was found ingeniously hidden inside imported canned food items.
These details were publicly disclosed in a statement released by Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, from Abuja on Sunday, July 27.
Babafemi elaborated on the arrest of Liang Tak You, a Chinese national who is naturalized in Malaysia. He was apprehended at the arrival hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Friday, July 25. This arrest followed actionable intelligence that indicated his arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, via a Dubai Emirates Airlines flight. Liang had reportedly traveled to Thailand specifically to acquire two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing 26.10kg, before flying into Nigeria. NDLEA operatives, having meticulously tracked Tak You from his point of departure, allowed him to clear all immigration and airport protocols before intercepting him as he exited the airport premises.
In a separate, equally significant incident, the octogenarian, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, was taken into custody in the early hours of Saturday, July 26. She was arrested at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street, Base Site, Calabar South, Cross River State, with over 3kg of skunk. Her arrest was the result of intelligence reports detailing her alleged drug trafficking activities.
The nationwide crackdown extended across various states:
Lagos: On Wednesday, July 23, NDLEA operatives intercepted Chidi Agbafo along the Epe–Ajah Expressway. He was transporting consignments of 21.7kg of Colorado (some disguised in moimoi sachets) and 3.8 liters of codeine-based syrup in a commercial bus bound for Warri and Oghara in Delta State. Furthermore, at the Apapa seaport on Friday, July 25, a joint examination by NDLEA, Customs, and other security agencies uncovered 101kg of Canadian Loud. These drugs were professionally factory-packed into 202 tins of imported food items labeled "Bean Salad Mix" and ingeniously concealed within two Toyota Sienna buses inside a container originating from Canada.
Abuja-Kaduna Highway: On Wednesday, July 23, Usman Musa was arrested with 71,000 pills of opioids (including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5) while traveling in a commercial bus heading to Kano.
Borno State: On Wednesday, July 23, Binta Usman, 30, was arrested at her Muna Moforo residence in Maiduguri, where 30.1kg of skunk was recovered. A follow-up operation on Friday, July 25, led to the arrest of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, in the same vicinity.
Ondo State: On Saturday, July 26, three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—were arrested during a raid on a cannabis plantation at Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose Local Government Area. Authorities destroyed 2,500kg of skunk cultivated on one hectare of land and recovered 121.4kg of already processed cannabis.
Edo State: NDLEA officers raided Asakpa Community in Benin City on Wednesday, July 23, arresting Bright Sunday Okon, 26. Various quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine were recovered from her residence.
Nasarawa State: An abandoned Honda car (registration number ABC 204 KM) in Keffi yielded 105.4kg of skunk.
Niger State: On Monday, July 21, Bashir Abdullahi was arrested with 6,400 pills of 225mg tramadol at the Kasuwan Gwari area of Minna.
Ogun State: Notorious drug dealer Jamiu Omolaja was apprehended, and 113kg of skunk was seized from his hideout in Ifo on Thursday, July 24, following violent resistance from his gang.
Gombe State: On Saturday, July 26, Adamu Adamu, alias “Dankyado,” was arrested along the Gombe–Bajoga road with 10,910 capsules of tramadol.
Kogi State: On Thursday, July 24, a consignment of skunk, cleverly concealed in garri, dried scent leaves, and other food items, was intercepted along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A subsequent follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of Kindness Bala, 27, who intended to transport the drugs to Katsina State and then to Qatar. Additionally, on Saturday, July 26, the Kogi State Command recovered 23,600 pills of tramadol, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in the Ayingba area of the state.
These nationwide operations underscore the NDLEA's unwavering commitment to dismantling drug networks and ensuring the safety of communities across Nigeria.
