Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a cannabis consignment allegedly destined for Saudi Arabia and seized 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol valued at over ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency also reported several drug seizures and arrests across the country, including the arrest of an 85-year-old woman allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of cannabis in Edo State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the Saudi Arabia-bound cannabis was discovered at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State.
The consignment, weighing 511.75 grammes, was concealed in a gallon of palm oil carried by a female passenger identified as Fatimah Ahmad.
Ahmad was intercepted on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The agency said the suspect told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon of palm oil. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies, uncovered a shipment of powdered tramadol imported from India and falsely declared as maize starch.
The shipment was discovered during a joint examination at the APM terminals in Apapa on October 2.
Laboratory analysis confirmed that the substance was tramadol hydrochloride powder. When the consignment was separated from its concealment on October 14, it comprised 349 bags weighing a total of 8,725 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦6.98 billion.
In another operation at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, operatives discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis valued at ₦165 million.
The substance was reportedly concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.
The agency also raided Idumota Market in Lagos on October 14, arresting a suspect, Elizabeth Chidera Kalu, and recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
In Mushin, two men, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, were arrested on October 15 with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
At Iyana Oba, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck carrying 18,000 tablets of tramadol, each containing 250mg, concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide. The truck’s loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, were arrested.
In Edo State, six suspects were arrested during operations in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.
Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk in Warake.
The agency also reported destroying 7,500 kilogrammes of cannabis at a farm in Ondo State on October 17, while operatives recovered additional consignments of cannabis, tramadol and other controlled substances in Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory.
In a separate operation in Ondo State, NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 375 kilogrammes of cannabis from a suspect identified as Okunebe Ndidi, 53, at a hideout in the Owo area.
Other seizures included hundreds of thousands of tramadol pills and capsules recovered during operations along major roads and in communities across the country.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel to sustain the agency’s crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
The agency said the operations formed part of its continuing efforts to disrupt the supply and distribution of illicit drugs across Nigeria.
