Shocked Nigerians: Top 45 biggest drug busts, arrests by NDLEA in 2024

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), under the watch of Retired General Buba Marwa, made remarkable achievements in 2024 as operatives, egged on by his unrelenting drive, determined to curtail the flow of illicit drugs in Nigeria, if not completely eradicate drug trafficking and abuse.

Juliana Francis replays and looks at the top 45 biggest busts and arrests by the agency in 2024. The listing is random and in no particular order of importance; all the arrests listed here are significant.

1. Businessmen excrete wraps of cocaine, Canada-based nurse, arrested
One arrest Nigerians will not forget in a hurry is the arrest of two businessmen identified as Ihejirika Okechukwu Emmanuel and Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory.
They were arrested alongside a Canada-based nurse called Usman Grace Khadijat Olam.

They were all arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to import and export cocaine pellets and parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, through the airport.

Ihejirika, who frequents Thailand from where he claims to be importing fish into Nigeria, was arrested in October attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Thailand via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

When he was taken for a body scan, the result showed he ingested an illicit drug, which proved to be cocaine.

He would later excrete five big egg-sized wraps of cocaine weighing 400 grams. He said he needed the money to boost his fish importation business.

Iwuagwu Ikedi Victory, 26, was arrested in October, coming from Brazil via Addis Ababa during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

His body scan revealed ingestion of 30 wraps of illicit drugs in Brazil, but he excreted 29 pellets in Addis Ababa, where he handed them over to another person.

The suspect revealed that he was to be paid N2.5 million for trafficking the drug.
The Nigerian Canadian nurse, Usman Grace Khadijat Olami, was arrested on 4th October during the inward clearance of Air France passengers from Toronto, Canada via Paris.

During a search of her luggage, a total of 70 parcels of Canadian loud, weighing 35.70kg, were recovered from her.

2. Illicit drugs concealed in false compartment discovered
Operatives of the NDLEA swung into action in Bauchi State, where they swooped on a suspect, Sunday Jonathan Ogenyi, 33, along the Bauchi-Jos road with 76,600 pills of tramadol concealed in false compartments of his Toyota Sienna vehicle marked Enugu JRV 341 ZY.

3. After 35 years in Brazil, the businessman returns home pregnant with cocaine

After 35 years in Brazil, a businessman based in the South American country, Ezeokoli Sylva, 59, has returned home with 700 grams of cocaine buried in his stomach, a discovery made following his arrest by operatives at the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

He was arrested in November 2024 at the E-Arrival hall of the Lagos airport upon his return from Sao Paulo, Brazil, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight via Addis Ababa.

He excreted 29 wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine. Like many suspects, he wanted to use the proceeds from the drug business to boost his business to the detriment of Nigerians.

4. Ghanaian illegal drug comes visiting in Nigeria

No fewer than 2,120 kilograms of Ghanaian loud, a strong strain of cannabis produced in Ghana, were intercepted by NDLEA operatives at the Ilesan beach, Lagos, in November.

A suspect, Onibogi Muftau, was arrested in connection with the seizure, while four vehicles that were to convey the shipments from the waterfront were also recovered.

This came on the heels of the seizure of 472kg of the same psychoactive substance at Idi-Iroko, Imeko area of Ogun state on 25th November.

5. Operatives uncover heroin, loud drugs concealed in lamps, sofa legs
Eagle-eyed Operatives of NDLEA swooped on an automobile spare parts dealer named Ejiofor Nnaemeka Chiwuzie over an attempt to export consignments of heroin and loud, a strain of cannabis, concealed in LED rechargeable lamps and sofa metal legs through the export shed of MMIA Ikeja, Lagos.

Ejiofor was arrested on Tuesday, 24th September 2024, at the Trade Fair complex, Ojo area of Lagos and the rechargeable lamps, sofa metal legs and electronics were going to Liberia at the export shed of the Lagos airport.

Concealed inside the LED lamps and sofa legs were 37 parcels of heroin and four blocks of loud. A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two freight agents and then Ejiofor, who sent the consignment.

6. Courier companies and footwear owners were shocked as operatives sniffed out drug

An absurd attempt by drug trafficking networks to export consignments of loud, tramadol pills, co-codamol tablets, pentazocine injections, dihydrocodeine and promethazine tabs through some courier companies to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Thailand and Oman were foiled by NDLEA officers.

Similarly, loudly hidden in a carton about to be smuggled to Thailand, Tramadol concealed in soles of locally made footwear was heading to Oman, with 60 ampoules of pentazocine injection going to the United States, was discovered.
No less than 200 pills of co-codamol are meant for Australia, while a total of 700 tablets of Dihydrocodeine, promethazine and tramadol, as well as 20 ampoules of pentazocine injection concealed in the soles of footwear, were heading to the United Kingdom and were sniffed out.

Ampoules of pentazocine injection hidden in female clothes and about to be smuggled to Canada were found. All the seizures in the courier houses were made between 23rd and 24th September in Lagos.

7. Drug kingpin grabbed after playing games with anti-narcotic agents for 365 days

Anti-Narcotic operatives on 25th September arrested a wanted drug kingpin, Ajiboye Damilare Samuel alias Na God, after 12 months of evading arrest following the raid of his warehouse in Akala, Mushin area of Lagos, where a total of 1,101 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis was recovered on 4th September 2023.

Ajiboye’s arrest in a bank in Ogun State followed well-coordinated efforts by the Agency’s Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigation, which traced 20 bank accounts linked to the suspect and blocked them.

8. Operatives sweep Lagos clean of wanted community leaders, illicit drugs
Operatives in Lagos State went on an arrest spree, arresting suspected drug traffickers and cleansing areas notorious for drugs. It was a massive operation.
First, operatives in Lagos State on Friday, 27th September, took into custody a wanted community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, following the arrest of his two wives, Hauwa and Asma’u and son, Sadat, as well as the seizure of a total of 226.2kg of cannabis at their homes in Badagry on 18th September.

In another operation in Lagos, no less than 9.7kg of cannabis sativa and 50 liters of monkey tail, a fermented combo of cannabis and dry gin, was recovered from a suspect, Florence Moses, at the adore area of Ajah, Lekki in Tuesday, 24th September.

9. Mercedes, engines boat used to conceal drugs discovered
Three suspects, Owolabi Dele, 42; Ayodele Monday, 40; and Olawale Ojo, 22, were arrested in Kogi State along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway while conveying 132 sacks of cannabis weighing 2,062.00kg in a Mercedes container truck from Osun state to Dei Dei in Abuja.

Also, Benedict Simire, 57, was arrested at Ayetoro Road, Kabba, conveying 33.40kg of the same psychoactive substance and a pump action gun with six cartridges on Wednesday, 25th September.

The Marine Command of NDLEA intercepted a 40 hp Yamaha engine boat bearing 71 bags of Ghana Loud weighing 2,982 kgs along Alfa beach, Lekki area of Lagos.

Determined to evade arrest, two suspects jumped into the water, but their efforts to escape were futile as they were dragged out, kicking and shivering.

10. Two unrepentant ex-convicts, once convicted of drug trafficking, rearrested
Two men, Muhammad Machido, 44, and Zakari Ya’u Buhari, 32, did not learn anything from their first arrest and conviction on the grounds of trafficking in illicit drugs.

The stubborn duo has been arrested again for drug trafficking.
Muhammad Machido and Zakari Ya’u Buhari were arrested in Katsina State by operatives with illicit substances.
While Muhammad was nabbed along the Kano-Katsina highway, Kankia, on Monday, 23rd September, with 51,000 pills of opioids, Zakari was arrested in Daura with 14 blocks of cannabis weighing 7kg.

Zakari was first arrested on 8th February 2024 and sentenced by the court to 15 months imprisonment with an option of a 15,000 fine, which he paid.

In his case, Muhammad was earlier arrested with 45kg cannabis sativa and 2.5kg tramadol on 12th December 2022. He was then sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

11. Canadian lady arrested for importing large consignment of ‘Canadian loud’ arrested

A Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, 41, has been arrested by operatives of the agency, at MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, for importing a large consignment of ‘Canadian Loud’, a strong strain of synthetic cannabis.

The suspect was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM airline flight from Canada at terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on the 3rd of October 2024.

During a joint examination of her three bags, Adrienne, who was coming to Nigeria for the first time, was found with 74 parcels of the illicit substance stuffed in two of her three bags.

She said she needed money to pay for her ongoing master’s degree programme in Canada.

12. Lives saved as drugs valued over N9 bn Imported From India Were Intercepted

Operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports, Onne, Rivers state intercepted 13,298,000 pills of opioids, including Tramadol, Tramaking Quick Action Tramadol, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, as well as 338,253 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, all worth over N9,017,771,000 in street value.
The opioids were recovered in three containers coming from India on the 2nd and 3rd of October 2024.

13. Canadian loud in jumbo bags concealed in imported vehicles found
Operatives at the Tin Can Seaport in Lagos on 3rd October intercepted 100 parcels of Canadian loud.

The consignment was packed in 20 parcels each in five jumbo bags concealed in a container with four units of imported vehicles that came from Canada.

Though the container had earlier been cleared out of the ESS Libra Bonded Terminal in Ikorodu based on credible intelligence, operatives were able to trace it to a warehouse in Ikorodu where the illicit consignments were discovered in one of the imported vehicles, a Toyota Sienna bus.

A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, was taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

14. Attempts by an international drug syndicate to smuggle cocaine into Lagos thwarted

The bid by members of an international drug syndicate that operates between Brazil, Ethiopia and Nigeria to smuggle into Lagos a total of 845 wraps of cocaine was thwarted, and the consignments were recovered by operatives at MMIA, Ikeja.

The drug consignments worth N4,492,800,000 in street value were recovered from two lavatories of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft during the post-landing cleaning of the cabin of flight ET900 from Addis Ababa to Lagos on 29th October 2024.

The illicit drug consignments were wrapped in nine polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft, from where they were recovered. At least over 30 suspects have so far been grilled in connection with the seizure.

The seized drugs were conveyed from Brazil to Ethiopia through ingestion and excreted in Addis Ababa by a set of couriers, while some other traffickers picked them up and attempted to smuggle them into Nigeria through the Lagos airport before their attempt was frustrated.

15. Desperate drug trafficking syndicates conceal drugs in body cream, artworks

Attempts by some desperate drug trafficking syndicates to export cocaine, cannabis and tramadol concealed in body cream containers, and pieces of artwork to Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom through some courier companies in Lagos were blocked by NDLEA officers on Monday, 28th October.

Operatives on 29th October intercepted 754,000 pills of tapentadol and acetaminophen worth N525,000,000 in a targeted and watch-listed container from India.

16. Drugs hidden in plumbing materials uncovered by NDLEA operatives
In the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, a suspect Mujahid Hamisu, 24, was arrested with 147,000 pills of tramadol concealed in black nylon bags containing plumbing materials along Kwali-Gwagwalada Abuja expressway on his way from Onitsha, Anambra state on Saturday 2nd November 2024, while another suspect Seun Abimbola, 47, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives same day with 512 grams of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Giri junction area of the FCT.

17. Search for drugs unearths recovery of fake naira notes worth N4m hidden in a bag

NDLEA officers on patrol along Kabba- Obajana highway, Kogi State, arrested Mercy Ameh, 28, in a commercial bus travelling from Lagos to Abuja while a search of her luggage led to the recovery of fake Naira notes worth ₦ 4,353,200, even as another suspect, Shaibu Dahiru,

27, was nabbed in a vehicle coming from Lagos to Katsina along Lokoja- Okene- Abuja road on Thursday, 30th October, with 68 blocks of cannabis weighing 27.400kg.

18. Businessman, 50, pregnant with 90 wraps of cocaine

Operatives arrested businessman, Osuoha Christian Iheanacho, 50, at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, AIIA, Enugu, after being discovered to have ingested 90 wraps of cocaine.

Osuoha was intercepted on 20th November 2024 at the arrival hall of the Enugu airport during the inbound screening of passengers arriving from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight following months of intelligence and surveillance on him.

He was subsequently placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 90 pellets of cocaine in seven excretions.
The suspect, who operates a phone and accessories business in Lagos and Gabon, Central Africa, travelled by road from Gabon to Douala, Cameroon from where he took a flight to Addis Ababa where he swallowed the pellets of cocaine while in transit and thereafter continued his journey to Enugu with Lagos as his final destination.

He deliberately complicated his movement to distort traces of his travel history unknown to him that he has been on the NDLEA watchlist for the past three months.

Osuoha said he desperately needed money from the criminal drug trade to boost his declining phone and accessories business.

19. Head of the cocaine distribution cartel busted in Lagos

On Thursday, 21st November, the head of a cocaine distribution cartel, Ndive Maxwell Obinna, 42, was arrested along with five of his associates at Ago Palace Way in Okota, Isolo, Lagos and cocaine was recovered from them.

Other members of the drug trafficking organisation arrested along with Obinna include: Okeke Gloria Ifeoma, who is the syndicate’s stash keeper; Ikechebelu Emmanuel Chibuzor; Okorie Onyedikachi; Okonkwo Nnabugo Prince; and Okafor Blessing Anita.

20. Drug syndicate operated by Chinese nationals dismantled

A drug syndicate operated by a Chinese man, 58-year-old Tianzhen Yen 58, alias Jackie, was dismantled by NDLEA operatives following his arrest at his hotel in the Ikeja area of Lagos.

Officers of the Seme Special Area Command of the Agency had on Thursday 21st November intercepted Yakubu Emmanuel Mark, 40, in a commercial bus going to Ghana at the Gbaji checkpoint along Badagry-Seme expressway based on credible intelligence.

When he was searched, a total of 750 grams of cocaine were found in his bag.
A swift follow-up operation was organised to trace and arrest the kingpin behind the trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, who turned out to be a Chinese citizen, Tianzhen Yen.
He was eventually traced to the MC Hotel behind Alade Market, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. When his hotel room was searched, cocaine, methamphetamine, two electronic weighing scales and a Chinese National Identification Number Card were among the exhibits recovered.

21. Again, drugs hidden in imported vehicles from Canada were discovered

A lot of illicit drug activities seemed to be emanating from and to Canada in 2024. Operatives on 22nd November intercepted 92 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a combined weight of 23.25kg, concealed in two vehicles imported from Canada: a Nissan car and a GMC bus.

The discovery was made during a joint examination of a container from Canada by NDLEA officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

22. Drugs worth over N4bn discovered in Port Harcourt

Operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports complex, Onne, on 21st November 2024, intercepted two containers of imported opioids during a joint examination with men of the Customs Service and other security agencies.

A total of 168,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N1,176,000,000 only in street value, were recovered from one of the containers, while the second one contains 4,500,000 pills of Super Royal Tramadol 225mg valued at N3,150,000,000 only, bringing the combined value of both the codeine and tramadol consignments to N4,326,000,000 only.

23. Former drug convict rearrested for trafficking drugs worth over N4bn
Barely 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a businessman, Christian Ifeanyi Ogbuji, 48, has been intercepted by operatives at MMIA Ikeja, Lagos, for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing 19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of N4,656,000,000.00.

Ogbuji was first arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, on 10th May 2023, upon arrival from Uganda via Addis Ababa, onboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 951, for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine with a gross weight of 1.986kg.

He was subsequently arraigned before Federal High Court 12 Abuja presided over by Hon. Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/192/2023 and convicted on 13th July 2023.

Ogbuji was sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of N3,000,000.00, which he paid and was set free.

The court also ordered the forfeiture of the seized 1.986 kilograms of cocaine, his international passport, 14 US dollars and 9000 Uganda shillings found on him at the time of his arrest.

Not done with crime, Ogbuji was again arrested at the Lagos airport on 18th September 2024 during an inward clearance of Ethiopian Airlines flight passengers from Addis Ababa to Lagos.
The suspect had approached the joint examination table with a black travelling bag which was searched by an NDLEA operative who cleared the luggage.

In a dubious move, Ogbuji sneaked back to the carousel area to put inside the cleared bag a black backpack he left on the conveyor belt.

As he made his way out of the arrival hall, vigilant NDLEA officers intercepted him and subjected him to a secondary search.

It was then that large wraps of excreted cocaine were found concealed inside the backpack hidden in the black travelling bag that was earlier found with the suspect.

A total of 817 pellets of cocaine, excreted by many traffickers in Addis Ababa, weighing 19.40kg, belonging to different members of a drug cartel, were recovered.

NDLEA says Ogbuji is an unrepentant kingpin within the network of drug cartels operating between Brazil, Ethiopia, Nigeria and others in the West African sub-region like Benin, Togo, Ghana, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire.

24. NDLEA intercepts a shocking haul of N16.1bn worth of opioids in Lagos
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a total of Twenty-Five Million (25,000,000.00) pills of tapentadol, an opioid three times stronger than tramadol and 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Tin-can port complex in Lagos.

The seizures were made on 17th and 20th September 2024 from three containers that had been on the watchlist of the Agency following processed intelligence.
As a result, the NDLEA requested for 100% joint examination of the shipments with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.

The 25 million pills of tapentadol have an estimated street value of N13,725,000,000.00, while the codeine consignment has an estimated street value of N2,450,000,000.00, bringing the total value of the seizures to N16,175,000,000.00.

The tapentadol consignment packed in 500 cartons was discovered in one of the containers on 17th September while another container examined the same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine packed in 875 cartons.

The third container containing 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine was examined on Friday, 20th September.

25. Grandpa finally arrested after 25 years of selling drugs

Operatives on 20th September arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Pa Aremu Shojobi, with 14 kilograms of cannabis at his home in the Iyana Ipaja area of the state.

The Octogenarian claimed he has been in the business of selling illicit drugs for 25 years.

He further claimed he gets his supplies from the Benin Republic and sells them to his customers from his residence between 7:am and 10:pm every day.

26. Community leader involved in trafficking cannabis escapes arrest
Operatives in Lagos on 18th September raided the two homes of a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA, Alhaji Bashir Mohammed Talba, where a total of 226kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son.

Though Alhaji Talba is currently at large, a search of his house in Ashipa area of Seme Badagry led to the recovery of 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 57.6kg from his first wife, Asma’u Bashiru, 35, and son, Sadat Bashiru, 22, while another search of his house at Aketegbo area of Seme Badagry led to the seizure of 302 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 168.6kg from his second wife, Hauwa Bashir, 42.

27. Drug mule grabbed attempting to board a flight with 76 wraps of cocaine in their stomach
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, Operatives on 15th September arrested a drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony, 38, while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach.
After three days of excretion observation, Okafor excreted 76 pellets of the ingested cocaine weighing 1.267kg.
28. Drugs concealed in shoes and hair attachments, heading to the US, UK, and Cyprus, intercepted
Consignments of opioids concealed in soles of shoes and hair attachments heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Cyprus have been intercepted by operatives at the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos and three courier companies in the state.
A total of 2,118 pills of tramadol concealed in the soles of 13 pairs of shoes going to Cyprus were seized at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 12th October 2024, and an additional 380 tablets were recovered from the home of the sender, Okenwa Kelvin Uchenna, during follow-upp operation in Enugu on 24th October.
A cash of N968,880 and a Toyota Avalon car marked UWN 389 AS were also recovered from the suspect at the time of his arrest.
Not less than 293 ampoules of promethazine and pentazocine injection, as well as 1.690 kg of cannabis and tramadol tablets concealed in hair attachments and soles of shoes going to the United States, United Kingdom and Oman, were intercepted at three courier firms in Lagos on Thursday, 24th October.

29. N16bn worth of codeine taken off the streets of Lagos, Rivers
Another shocking haul by NDLEA is a case where a total of 26,250,000 pills of tramadol, as well as 508,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup worth N16,683,800,000 in street value, were intercepted by NDLEA operatives during a 100 percent joint examination of watch-listed containers with men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Tin-can port in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers State between 22nd and 23rd October.
Other illicit consignments intercepted during the joint inspection of the containers include 10 million tablets of Toradol, Benzhexol, and 28 plastic drums of methamphetamine weighing 700kg at Tin-can and Onne, respectively.

30. Drug suspect paid NDLEA operatives N10m to free partner
A parcel of 56 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 28kg, was recovered from a container that arrived at the Lagos port from Canada.
A suspect, Tsolaye Eburajolo, 40, was arrested at the Ago Palace area of Okota, Lagos, in connection with the cannabis seizure, while a bribe of N10 million paid to NDLEA officers to free the suspect has been kept as part of the exhibits for the prosecution of the case.

31. Daring operatives storm the Igbo-Igbo-Igunuko shrine at Alfa Beach
Operatives in Lagos State on 25th October stormed the Igbo-Igunuko shrine, located at the Alfa Beach, Ajah, where jumbo bags of Ghanaian Loud, a strain of cannabis, weighing 2,760kg, were recovered.
Two suspects, Gbenga Abiodun and Sunday Abiodun arrested were arrested.

32. Suspect digs underground storage in the bedroom for stashing drugs
A total of 11,786 pills of tramadol, molly, Rohypnol and diazepam, as well as 64 bottles of codeine syrup, were recovered from the underground storage of a suspect, Muhammad Warnos Abdullahi.
He dug the underground storage in his bedroom at Marwa Coastal Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State and was discovered when NDLEA officers raided his home on 25th October.
The suspect dug the illicit drug storage deep in his room, covered it with a padlocked iron slate, and a rug and then put his mattress on top to avoid detection.

33. NDLEA smashes cross-border drug trafficking syndicates, arrests six kingpins
After months of intelligence gathering and surveillance, operatives smashed two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates.
Recovered from them were cocaine and opioids worth billions of naira, while six leaders of the cartels were arrested in different parts of the country.
The syndicates, which comprise Nigerians based in Mubi, Adamawa State, Onitsha, Anambra State, and Lagos State, as well as Cameroonians, came under the NDLEA radar after they were suspected of being major suppliers of drugs to terror groups operating in Nigeria and Cameroon.
Leaders of the syndicates so far arrested include Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin and Adejumo Elijah Ishola.
Intel revealed that some psychoactive substances, including tramadol, were often sourced by Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib from a notorious drug dealer in Onitsha called Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, and thereafter, packed and concealed in vehicles on the premises of Ezeh Amaechi Martin, an associate of Udechukwu.
The duo of Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib will thereafter transport the drugs from Onitsha to Yola and subsequently to other parts of the North and Cameroon in specially constructed false compartments of vehicles, which travel from the East to the North at night.
On 7th October 2024, Bawuro and Najib were trailed from Onitsha, where they had gone to buy another consignment and were eventually arrested in Taraba State on 8th October.
A total of 276,500 pills of tramadol were recovered from a Toyota Avensis saloon car marked DKA 57 TT, which they abandoned on the Jalingo-Yola expressway when they noticed NDLEA operatives were on their trail.
Another operation carried out in Delta and Anambra states witnessed the arrest of Ezeh Amaechi Martin and Udechukwu Nelson Anayo.

34. Drug lord shocked as operatives arrested him returning from Ghana
A leader of a drug trafficking syndicate, Adejumo Elijah Ishola, 37, was arrested on 5th November at the Seme border in Lagos on his way from Ghana with 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis.
His arrest followed months of intelligence and surveillance on his cross-border criminal activities.

35. NDLEA intercepted 31,750,000 controlled substances from India
Anti-Narcotic agents in Apapa seaport, Lagos, on 6th November, intercepted 31,750,000 pills of 240mg Voltron, a controlled opioid, packaged and concealed in a container imported from India, as diclofenac sodium 100mg tablets.
The discovery was made during a joint examination of the container with men of the Customs Service and other security agencies.

36. Software Engineer picked after picking up a consignment of loud, cannabis
NDLEA Agents on 5th November intercepted a 700-gram consignment of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis.
A software engineer, Olu Marshal, who showed up to pick up the package, was promptly arrested. A follow-up search of his home in Lekki led to the recovery of some drug paraphernalia, including a cannabis crusher.
37. Cannabis concealed in tiger nuts cargo for export sniffed out
An attempt by one Mr Orji Ogbonna Nnaorji to send 32.50kg bottles of codeine syrup and 5.70kg cannabis to London, UK, concealed in tiger nuts cargo through the export shed of the Lagos airport was frustrated by NDLEA operatives on 8th November. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Orji at his warehouse in Ajao Estate, Lagos.

38. Thailand returnee arrested for importing heroin worth over N3.192bn hidden in suitcases
Operatives at the Airport, MMIA Ikeja, arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter,29, for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192 billion.
This was even as their counterparts at three seaports intercepted large consignments of opioids with a combined monetary value of N22,740,958,000.
Oguejiofor was arrested on 7th October 2024 while attempting to smuggle out of the airport the illicit drug concealed in six backpacks, packed into two big suitcases.
The graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, Anambra state, left Thailand on 3rd October on a Qatar Airways flight and stopped over in Doha where he spent two days before heading to Lagos while his luggage was routed to Accra, Ghana, his original destination.
After arriving in Lagos on the 5th of October, he contacted the airline to reroute his luggage to Nigeria so that he could pick it up as rush bags in a bit to beat security checks.
However, NDLEA officers intercepted him at the point of exit. A search of his two suitcases revealed three empty backpacks in each box with a large parcel of heroin neatly sewn into all six backpacks. The six parcels were subsequently recovered with a gross weight of 13.30kg.

39. N22bn worth of illicit drugs recovered in Lagos, Rivers
A total of 32,607,900 pills of tramadol worth over N12,577,000,000 and 1,451,994 bottles of codeine-based syrup with a street value of N10,163,958,000 have been intercepted at the Lekki Deep Seaport, Apapa Seaport in Lagos and Port Harcourt Port Complex, Onne, Rivers state.
The combined monetary value of the seized opioids comes to N22,740,958,000. The illicit consignments were seized from containers watched by NDLEA based on intelligence and processed for 100 percent joint examination with men of the Nigeria Customs and other security agencies at the three seaports between 7th and Friday, 11th October 2024.

40. Drug lords’ business interest in the UK, Italy, Turkey, and Qatar thwarted
Attempts by drug syndicates to export large consignments of cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids through the MMIA, Ikeja Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja to the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey and Qatar have been thwarted by operatives of NDLEA, who in series of intelligence-led operations recovered the illicit drugs and arrested the masterminds.
A total of 13 parcels of cocaine weighing 4.40kg cocaine going to the United Kingdom via Frankfurt on a Lufthansa Airlines flight were intercepted at the export shed of the Lagos airport on 5th November 2024, while a businessman linked to the consignment, Ekeocha Anayo Nelson, was tracked and arrested on 8th November.

41. Obama arrested for attempting to smuggle drugs to Italy via food
The bid by another businessman, Adegbite Solomon alias Obama to export 7,800 pills of tramadol, 180 tablets of Rohypnol, and 60 bottles of codeine to Italy was also foiled at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on 11th November when NDLEA operatives arrested him after recovering the opioids concealed in food and other items while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy.
He claimed to have travelled to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea and earned a living as a street beggar before delving into the logistics business.

42. Operatives discover drugs hidden in passenger’s luggage

A businessman, Anoke Kingsley Roomy, was arrested with 1,100 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in his luggage while attempting to board his Ethiopian Airlines flight going to Istanbul, Turkey, at Terminal 1 of the Lagos airport on Friday, 15th November.

43. Drugs concealed in body compartments of GUO Toyota Hummer Bus, discovered

Officers of an NDLEA Task Force on Saturday, 16th November, foiled the attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Emmanuel Okechukwu Okeke, to smuggle 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg from Ghana into Lagos.

The pills were concealed in the body compartments of a Toyota Hummer Bus belonging to GUO Transport Company, driven by the suspect. The vehicle was intercepted at the Ijanikin area of the Lagos-Badagry expressway while coming from Ghana.

44. NDLEA makes first-time seizure of methamphetamine from Canada
NDLEA and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, intercepted a large shipment of illicit drugs.

The operation occurred on December 13, 2024, during a routine security examination of a container originating from Montreal, Canada, destined for the MIGFO bonded Terminal, Tin-can Island Port, Lagos.

The seizure was described as massive. Marwa appreciated the Nigeria Customs Comptroller, Tincan Island Port Lagos, Dera Nnadi, for coordinating the drug bust with the NDLEA Tincan Strategic Commander, Ofoyeju Mitchell.

Marwa said, “The joint coordination of the search operation by Comptroller Dera and Commander Ofoyeju Mitchell culminated in the successful interception of the massive drug seizure and apprehension of the suspects.”

Officers recovered 44 extra-large bags containing cannabis indica, comprising 1,735 parcels with a total weight of 867.5 kilograms. Also, six coolers were found to contain 87 packs of methamphetamine, weighing 78.3 kilograms. In total, the seizure amounted to 945.8 kilograms of narcotics. The estimated value of the seized drugs is N2.2 billion.

Mitchell said, “This is the first time we are intercepting methamphetamine from Canada. The success represents substantial damage to the operations of the drug trafficking cartels.”

Two suspects, Nwanolue Emeka and Friday Ogbe, were arrested in connection with the discovery.

45. Trailer loads of multi-billion naira consignments intercepted in Lagos
Operatives intercepted three trailer loads of opioids comprising 3,450,000 pills and 344,000 bottles of codeine syrup at Abule Ado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos state, where three suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.

The multi-billion-naira consignments were loaded into two 40-ft container trucks and another 20-ft truck at the AML bonded terminal, Abule-Osun, near the International Trade Fair complex before heading to a large warehouse at Abule-Ad, where NDLEA officers eventually arrested the suspects and recovered the opioid consignments on 9th May 2024.

Those arrested include the warehouse agent, Cosmas Obiajulu, 51; Ridwan Balogun, 25, and Banjo Tayo, 30, both drivers of two of the trucks while the third driver jumped off to escape arrest.