KEY POINTS

• NDLEA arrested a 70-year-old man and several others during coordinated anti-drug operations across six states.
• Authorities seized hundreds of thousands of opioid pills and injections, alongside cannabis, cocaine and methamphetamine.
• Cannabis farms in Edo and drug warehouses in Kano were dismantled as the agency intensified its nationwide crackdown.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intensified its nationwide fight against illicit drug trafficking, arresting multiple suspects and recovering massive quantities of opioids, cannabis, cocaine and other prohibited substances during coordinated operations across six Nigerian states.

The nationwide crackdown, which covered Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo, led to the arrest of several suspected traffickers, including a 70-year-old man allegedly caught transporting tens of thousands of opioid injections.

According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the operations demonstrate the agency’s renewed commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks operating across the country.

One of the most significant arrests occurred in Oyo State, where NDLEA officers on routine patrol along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway intercepted a Toyota Sienna carrying 70-year-old Abdulfatai Oyelaran and 50-year-old Abdulrauf Ajadi.

A search of the vehicle reportedly uncovered 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, bringing the total seizure to 58,000 opioid injections. Investigators believe the suspects were transporting the drugs for illegal distribution.

Kwara operation uncovers nearly 56kg of cannabis

In Kwara State, operatives arrested Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, in the Kam Wire area of Ilorin.

The duo was allegedly transporting 55.96 kilograms of skunk concealed inside a truck, adding to the growing number of cannabis seizures recorded by the agency this year.

NDLEA operatives also raided Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kano’s Kumbotso Local Government Area, where Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24, were arrested.

The raid led to the recovery of 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8 kilograms.

In Edo State, officers destroyed 4,628.98 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across two farms spanning 1.85 hectares in the Ugboku/Igbanke forest of Orhionmwon Local Government Area. One suspect, Agholor Elebojie, 40, was arrested at the plantation.

Another raid in Oluku, Benin City, resulted in the arrest of Kingsley Anigala, 28, with 25.857 kilograms of Loud and 93 grammes of methamphetamine.

The agency said the coordinated operations highlight its determination to disrupt drug supply chains and curb the circulation of dangerous narcotics across Nigeria.

NDLEA assured the public that intelligence-led raids and highway surveillance would continue as part of its nationwide campaign against organised drug trafficking and substance abuse.