NDLEA unravels drug web, nabs 64-year-old textile merchant, 49-year-old wine distributor

Stanley Ihedigbo

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made a significant breakthrough in its efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking, arresting a 64-year-old successful textile merchant, Victor Nwosa and a 49-year-old wine distributor, Felix Chika Obiegbu, suspected of running a drug syndicate.

According to the Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, the two drug kingpins were arrested by operatives of a Special Operations Unit (SOU) of the agency after consignments of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine being prepared for export to Europe and beyond were recovered from their Lagos homes following weeks of intelligence and surveillance on their criminal networks.

He explained that at the time the suspects were preparing their consignments for export, NDLEA-SOU operatives, who had for months put them under surveillance, swooped on them in different parts of Lagos.

“Nwosa was arrested on Wednesday, 17th September 2025, at his 16 Femi Kila Street, Okota home, where 4.33 kilograms of heroin and 448 grams of cocaine were recovered during a search of his house. In his case, Obiegbu was arrested on Thursday, 11th September at his 5 Shada Shonefun Street, Aguda Surulere home, where, in the course of a search, 2.902 kilograms of methamphetamine were uncovered and seized.

“Attempts by suspected suppliers of illicit drugs to terrorists and bandits in Borno and Yobe to move illicit drugs concealed in the engine compartment of a Mercedes-Benz jeep and a lady’s travelling bag were also thwarted by NDLEA operatives on stop and search operations in the two states.

In Borno, following weeks of intelligence, NDLEA officers on Saturday, 27th September arrested Baba Kaka Ibrahim, 26, at Njimtilo village while driving a Mercedes-Benz GLK marked JRE 987 AE towards the Damaturu road. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 39,380 pills of tramadol 225mg and Exol-5 stuffed in the engine compartment of the jeep.

Same day in Yobe state, NDLEA operatives intercepted a lady, Halima Adamu, along the Damaturu-Maiduguri road, where 39 parcels of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.4kg, were found concealed inside the casing of her travelling bag.

A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of another lady linked to the consignment, Habiba Muhammad, at her Baga Road, Maiduguri home.

Two suspects: Aliyu Sani, 27, and Yahaya Tata, 26, were on Saturday 27th September arrested by NDLEA operatives along Zaria – Kano road, Gadar Tamburawa, Kano state with 30,030 pills of tramadol seized from them, while three suspects: Friday Elebechi, 35; Tobin Godgift, 30; and Aya Clement, 30, were arrested by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa, Bayelsa, on Monday, 22nd September after 12kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis and 50 Diana AAA cartridges were recovered from them.

A 45-year-old ex-convict, Femi Owoeye (aka Do Good), was arrested on Thursday, 25th September arrested by NDLEA officers at his 24 Oke-Igele Street, Ikere Ekiti home. He was found in possession of 32kg of skunk and 10.5grams of tramadol.

He had been convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for a similar drug trafficking offence in 2016.

In Kaduna, a suspect, Adedamola Olayeni, 56, was arrested on Monday, 22nd September arrested with 404 blocks of skunk weighing 262.6kg at the Abuja – Kaduna tollgate.

The consignment was found in his Honda Pilot jeep marked MKA 499 TT, coming from Osogbo, Osun state and heading to Katsina state. Another suspect, Zubairu Haruna, 30, was on Wednesday, 24th September, found with 506grams of methamphetamine at the Gwantu – Fadan Karshi checkpoint, Kaduna, while a follow-up operation in Gombe state led to the arrest of the actual receiver of the consignment, Babangida Mohammed, 25.

No fewer than 85,100 pills of tramadol and other opioids were seized from the trio of Dauda Abubakar, Abdullahi Umar and Ismaila Muhammed at Apapa area of Lagos on Monday, 22nd September, while NDLEA operatives in Abuja, the following day, Tuesday, 23rd September, arrested Opeyemi Ogundipe, 40, with 2.1kg of Colorado along Abaji- Gwagwalada expressway.

In Edo state, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, 23rd September destroyed a total of 12,115.6kg of skunk on 4.846244 hectares of cannabis plantation at Uromi forest in Esan West LGA, where two suspects: Ernest Uche, 44, and Felix Mugorga, 31, were arrested, and 345.5kg processed substance was evacuated. At Ogu forest, Igueben LGA, no less than 12,031.245kg of the same psychoactive substance was destroyed on 4.438442 hectares of cannabis farm on Wednesday, 24th September, with 106.1kg processed consignment evacuated.

A truck conveying 82 bags of skunk concealed in bags of charcoal with a total weight of 1,025kg was intercepted by NDLEA operatives along Wareke-Auchi road, Etsako West LGA, on Friday, 26th September, while two suspects, Kabiru Abdulahi, 35, and Anas Safiyanu, 20, were apprehended in connection with the seizure.

In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week.

These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of RCM Primary School 1, Igboora, Oyo; Champion International Academy, Enugu-Ezike, Enugu; Government Day Secondary School, Babban-Mutum, Katsina; Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, Dakata Kawaji, Nasarawa LGA, Kano; Solomon Primary School, Oko Balogun, Epe, Lagos, while the Kogi state command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Ejeh Ankpa, HRH Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Yakubu in Ankpa.

While commending the officers and men of the SOU, Borno, Yobe, Edo, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, FCT, Ekiti and Bayelsa Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues nationwide to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

He noted that “the success of the various operations across the country underscores our commitment to safeguarding Nigeria from illicit substances that threaten public health and national security.

Every gram of these dangerous drugs we seize and remove from our streets and communities reinforces our determination to protect our youths, disrupt criminal networks, and strengthen national security.”