Raids Lagos hotel, recovers party drugs; intercepts
Italy, Pakistan-bound consignments in Golden Morn cereal packs, condiments;
destroys 101,150kg skunk in Osun forest
Operatives of a special operations unit of the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted 60-year-old
drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, ending seven years of evading the long arm
of the law, even as he was caught attempting to ship large quantities of
cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.
Okpara who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA since
2019 was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri in
Ojo area of Lagos state on Sunday 13th July 2025 following the interception of
some of his consignments at 5:45am same day at Ilasamaja along Apapa-Oshodi
expressway. In the early morning operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on
credible intelligence arrested one of Okpara’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe
Kenneth Nnamdi while heading to Onitsha, Anambra state in a white Toyota Sienna
vehicle.
The agency’s sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in
to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of
methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the space bus. A
follow up operation was promptly carried out at Okpara’s hideout in Isheri
where additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg methamphetamine were recovered from
his residence.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA)
Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives in a joint operation with Aviation Security
personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday 16th
July recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an
Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa. The suspect who was going to Italy
via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs himself,
hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices.
In another arrest at the Lagos airport, NDLEA
operatives at the export shed on Thursday 17th July intercepted 17 parcels of
skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg concealed in packs of popular
cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo. A
suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna who presented the consignment for shipment was
arrested.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 19th July
raided Sarah Sam Hotels located at 115 Ogudu road in Kosofe where different
party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible
intelligence and surveillance which confirmed a suspect Obayemi Oyetade as the
arrowhead of the drug network. At the time of the operation, 1.30kg Chocolate
Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from
Obayemi’s room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family
business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel
include three vehicles.
Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and
Emmanuel Madu were on Saturday 19th July, arrested during an intelligence-led
raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, where 742.866
kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis were seized
from them. In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was nabbed with 36,000 pills of tramadol along
Danbatta-Kazaure road, on Wednesday 16th July.
While a total of 25,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5
were recovered from a suspect Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout on Friday
18th July, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and
Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that
weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA, Gombe state.
In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga road,
Maiduguri, on Saturday 19th July intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a
Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA
and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the
seizure, while in Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on
Thursday 17th July arrested at Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the
seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.
Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18;
Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday 17th July
arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi state in
connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of
their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger state.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Monday 14th July
raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street,
Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin,
methamphetamine and a total of N736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from
him.
While a total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized
from a suspect Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along
Onitsha - Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday 16th July, officers of the
Taraba state command of the agency same day
apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and
Mohammed Audu, 44 with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan
Anacha, Gassol LGA.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy
activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past
week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students
and staff of Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger; 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 state; among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts
Comments:
Leave a Reply