NDLEA seizes N3.4bn drugs nationwide, arrests fake police officer
NDLEA seized over 1.3 million tramadol and opioid pills, about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis and 603.75 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud valued at N1.811 billion in operations across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo states and the FCT, with total value exceeding N3.4 billion. Among those arrested was Innocent Ekpe, a 49-year-old man who allegedly posed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police using a forged identity card to move cannabis through Delta State checkpoints. In Lagos, NDLEA working with Customs intercepted 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud hidden in two Toyota Sienna vehicles at Tin-Can Island Port. In Ondo State, a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu Forest was destroyed, yielding about 5,000 kilogrammes of plants. Additional arrests included suspects with tramadol, methamphetamine, nitrous oxide and locally fabricated firearms in Niger State. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the seizures underscore continued concerns over drug abuse, noting that a 2018 survey found 14.3 million Nigerians aged 15-64 had used psychoactive substances in the past year. Beyond enforcement, the agency ran sensitisation programmes in schools, worship centres and communities in Oyo, Anambra, Lagos and Taraba states, and visited traditional rulers in Delta. NDLEA Chairman Buba Marwa urged officers to sustain intelligence-led efforts against trafficking. Will you report suspicious drug activity in your neighbourhood or rely solely on authorities to curb the menace?