NDLEA intercepts drugs hidden in Religious Books, arrests bandits’ supplier

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made several major drug seizures across Nigeria, including cocaine hidden in religious books destined for Saudi Arabia and the arrest of a suspected bandits’ drug supplier with narcotics concealed in his private part.

The agency revealed that on Tuesday, April 15, operatives intercepted 500 grams of cocaine hidden in 20 religious books at a courier company in Lagos. The drugs were detected during a routine search of cargo scheduled for export to Saudi Arabia. On the same day, NDLEA officers at another courier firm in Lagos also seized five parcels of Loud, a potent form of cannabis, weighing 2.8kg in a package coming from the United States.

In Kano State, a 22-year-old man, Muhammad Mohammed, was arrested along Bichi-Kano road on Sunday, April 13, while allegedly transporting 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection—concealed with Sellotape around his thigh and private part—to Katsina. Another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was caught with 30kg of skunk at the Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa in Kano on the same day.

In Bayelsa State, NDLEA operatives stormed a house along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, where they recovered 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin. Four suspects were arrested: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis (46), Roland Prosper (34), Sarimiye Tare Paul (45), and Fidelis Ugbesla (46).

Also in Lagos, a delivery van carrying 1,100kg of skunk was intercepted in Surulere, and the driver, Ismail Abdullahi, was arrested. Meanwhile, in Kaduna, a raid on the hideout of Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, led to the discovery of 31,950 pills of tramadol and diazepam.

Kebbi State operatives stopped a vehicle transporting bags of charcoal from Benin Republic along Bagudo road. A search led to the recovery of 97kg of skunk hidden in the charcoal. The suspects arrested are Abubakar Ibrahim (50), Mustapha Aliyu (32), and Bashar Lawali (28).

In Anambra, Okafor Marcel (48) was nabbed with 11.5kg of skunk at Abatete. In Osogbo, Osun State, Ajala Mercy (27) was arrested on April 15 with 43 litres of “skushi”—a drink mixed with cannabis, opioids, and black currant—found in her room at Dada Estate.

In Edo State, NDLEA raided two cannabis farms located in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying 3,717.86kg of cannabis cultivated on 1.48 hectares of land and seizing another 136.5kg of processed cannabis.

At Lagos’ Tincan Seaport, Basorun Usman Kayode (40), a suspect who had been on the run for two years, was finally arrested in connection with the 2023 seizure of 107kg Loud imported from Canada. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, was also arrested for allegedly distributing drugs within the seaport area.

The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign across the country. Sensitization activities were held at various schools and marketplaces, including St. Michael Anglican Primary School in Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School in Ekiti; College of Education in Minna; Igbona Market in Osogbo; Marian Market in Calabar; and Peace Mass Transit Park in Onitsha.

NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the operatives involved in the successful operations across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Bayelsa, Osun, Edo, and other zones. He commended them for maintaining balance in tackling both drug supply and demand in the country.