NDLEA arrests Malaysian returnee with Meth hidden in speakers, busts Trans-Border Fentanyl trafficker

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its clampdown on drug trafficking networks across Nigeria with the arrest of a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu (alias Richard), who was caught attempting to smuggle methamphetamine concealed inside music speakers.

Udatu was intercepted on Monday, April 7, 2025, by NDLEA operatives at a checkpoint in Namtari, along Ngurore-Yola road in Adamawa State. He was travelling in a commercial vehicle with two giant speakers which were used to hide four parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.7 kilograms, intended for distribution in Yola, Mubi, and across the border into Cameroon. A sum of N22,300 was also recovered from him.

According to his statement, Udatu had just returned from Malaysia where he served a jail term for drug trafficking and had resumed the illegal trade upon arrival in Nigeria.

In a separate operation, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service at the Mfum border in Cross River State, arrested 35-year-old trans-border trafficker Odoh Peter Ikechukwu. He was caught with 8,740 ampoules of various opioids weighing 395kg. The seized drugs included 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl injection, 2,160 of morphine sulphate, 3,010 of phenobarbital sulphate, 2,160 of pethidine, and 330 of midazolam.

In Kano, operatives arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 pills of tramadol at Bachirawa, while a follow-up operation in Abuja led to the arrest of 48-year-old Gambo Lawan following the interception of 8,960 tramadol pills along the Gwagwalada expressway.

Further, 124kg of skunk was recovered from a Lexus vehicle driven by 58-year-old Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins on Friday, April 11, 2025, along Mokwa-Jebba road in Niger State. The illicit substance was packed in 11 jumbo bags found in the boot of the car.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with advocacy visits and sensitisation programs across schools, religious institutions, and communities. Recent outreach efforts reached students of New Era Secondary School, Anambra; Promise Land College, Lagos; Cherryfield College, FCT; Federal Polytechnic, Oyo State; and Nurul Faruq Islamic Academy, Adamawa, among others. The Kwara command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Oloro of Oro Kingdom, Oba Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye.

Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers from Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Kano, and Niger State Commands for their outstanding efforts. He urged all personnel to sustain the momentum by intensifying both drug supply control and public enlightenment campaigns.