The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old businesswoman, Iwebema Ogechi Peace, for attempting to smuggle 7.5 kilograms of cocaine to China, while also intercepting a massive consignment of Canadian Loud cannabis valued at over N12.3 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency also uncovered a criminal syndicate that secretly plants illicit drugs in the luggage of unsuspecting passengers at motor parks, leading to a series of arrests across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Anambra State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Iwebema was arrested on June 21 at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to Beijing, China.
The suspect, who claimed she regularly travelled to China to purchase goods for sale in Nigeria, was apprehended following credible intelligence. A search of her checked luggage uncovered four large parcels of cocaine weighing a total of 7.5 kilograms, carefully concealed in a professionally constructed false bottom of the suitcase.
In another major operation, NDLEA operatives tracked a 40-foot container carrying 195 sacks of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, from Toronto, Canada, through multiple international transit points before intercepting it at the Apapa Port.
The shipment, weighing 4,959 kilograms with an estimated street value of N12.397 billion, had been under surveillance for over four weeks. It was transported from Toronto to Montreal by rail, passed through Morocco’s Tanger Med Port before arriving in Lagos and was eventually examined jointly by NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, leading to the seizure.
The agency also dismantled a syndicate involved in planting illicit drugs inside the luggage of unsuspecting passengers travelling on commercial buses.
The operation began after NDLEA operatives intercepted a Sienna bus from Nnewi at Abaji, FCT, on June 20 and discovered 467.7 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a passenger’s luggage. Although the intended recipient, Mrs Gloria Peter, denied ownership of the drugs, investigations led to the arrest of bus loaders in Nnewi. One of them confessed that the package had been secretly planted in her bag on the instruction of the bus driver, Abdurrazak Isah.
Further investigation resulted in the arrest of the alleged owner of the illicit consignment, Onyebuchi Victor Okoye, in Abuja.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested 57-year-old Ikechukwu Uwakwe at Iddo Motor Park with 209.5 kilograms of Scottish Loud concealed for transportation to Enugu State.
The agency also intercepted a truck conveying illicit drugs from Togo through the Benin Republic. Three suspected traffickers—Beninese nationals Hossou Tito Julien, 30, Mancellim Dossou, 19, and Nigerian Jackson ThankGod were arrested on Mile 2 Bridge, Lagos.
A thorough search of the truck uncovered 558,900 pills of Tramadol 250mg hidden inside a fabricated compartment.
Similarly, Lucky Abonga and Osas Azamobo were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while transporting 118 kilograms of skunk concealed alongside legitimate goods in a truck travelling from Lagos Island to Onitsha, Anambra State.
In another raid, NDLEA officers arrested Helen Ese Idiji, 40, and Rashidat Sa’adullah, 53, at Olumokun Street, Amukoko, Lagos, recovering 28.8 kilograms of skunk. Investigations revealed that Helen allegedly used Rashidat’s residence as a storage point before distributing the illicit drugs to customers.
Beyond enforcement operations, the NDLEA said it sustained its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign with lectures delivered in schools and communities across Yobe, Lagos, Kano, Kogi and Enugu states.
Commending officers of the MMIA, Special Operations Units, Apapa, FCT, Anambra and Lagos Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised their commitment to reducing drug supply while intensifying public awareness campaigns. He urged them to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse across the country.
