The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals in a series of anti-narcotics operations across Nigeria’s airports, seaports, and states.

 

At Port Harcourt International Airport, 44-year-old businessman Ezemokwe Chukwuebuka Christian was arrested on June 7 for ingesting 53 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.172kg en route to Tehran, Iran via Doha. He confessed to being involved in drug trafficking for two years.

 

Just two weeks earlier, another businessman, Chinedu Leonard Okigbo (60), was intercepted at Kano airport carrying 65 pellets of cocaine also destined for Iran.

 

Meanwhile, on June 14, NDLEA operatives at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) arrested Edobor Ambrose Ali, an Italy-bound passenger, after 14,410 pills of tramadol were found hidden in winter jackets inside his luggage. He confessed he was promised €2,000 for transporting the drugs to Milan.

 

At the Onne Port in Rivers State, a watch-listed container yielded 157,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at over ₦1.1 billion, concealed behind sanitary wares.

 

In other raids:

 

In Cross River, 3 suspects were arrested with 2,687kg of cannabis (skunk).

 

In Bauchi, two men were caught transporting 287kg of skunk in a Toyota Camry.

 

In Lagos, 560kg of skunk was seized from a wooden boat at Oniru beach.

 

At Maiduguri Airport, two businessmen were arrested with ecstasy and skunk disguised as “Lychee” and “Porro Legal.”

 

 

The NDLEA also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with school sensitizations across Enugu, Ebonyi, Oyo, and Akwa Ibom States.

 

Chairman Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s officers nationwide for their commitment to reducing both the supply and demand for illicit drugs.