KEY POINTS

• NDLEA raided a Port Harcourt drug den and recovered cocaine, heroin and Colorado from an iron safe.
• Officers seized over one tonne of skunk and more than 176,000 opioid tablets in separate operations in Ondo and Delta.
• A suspected cross-border drug kingpin was arrested in Lagos with 47,200 captagon pills valued at over N1.5 billion.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have raided a suspected drug den in the Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recovering cocaine, heroin and other illicit substances concealed inside a fireproof iron safe.

The agency said its operatives had to use a welding machine to break open the safe during the operation on Tuesday, August 25. Inside, they found 237 grammes of Colorado, 316 grammes of cocaine and 10 grammes of heroin.

The raid formed part of a wider series of drug-interdiction operations conducted by NDLEA commands across different parts of the country.

Large cannabis haul intercepted in Ondo

The agency also reported major drug seizures in Ondo State, where three suspects were arrested along the Ipele-Idoani road on Friday, August 28.

The suspects were identified as Oyedele Daniel, 42; Taye Saliu, 36; and Kehinde Saliu, 36. According to the NDLEA, officers recovered 728kg of skunk from their truck, marked KRE 120 XB.

In a separate operation at Aponmu Forest on Wednesday, August 26, operatives arrested Uche Joseph, 35, and Godwin Umeh, 21, with another 341kg of skunk.

The two operations resulted in the recovery of more than one tonne of cannabis, highlighting the scale of illicit drug distribution networks operating across the region.

NDLEA operatives also intercepted more than 176,000 tablets of assorted opioids during two separate operations in Delta State between Wednesday, August 26, and Friday, August 28.

The seized substances included tramadol and molly, adding to a growing list of pharmaceutical and synthetic drugs being targeted by the agency as part of its nationwide enforcement campaign.

The seizures came as NDLEA commands continued interdiction operations aimed at disrupting the movement and distribution of controlled substances.

In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspected cross-border drug kingpin, identified as Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, and recovered 47,200 pills of captagon.

Aikins, 49, was arrested on Saturday, August 22, shortly after arriving in Lagos from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight.

The pills were allegedly concealed inside blocks of locally produced bathing soap, popularly known as “Ghana Soap”. The NDLEA estimated the street value of the consignment at more than N1.5 billion.

According to the agency, a search of Aikins’ carton of bathing soap led to the discovery of the captagon tablets.

Captagon is an amphetamine-type stimulant associated with illicit drug markets and, in some conflict zones, armed groups. The NDLEA said Nigeria recorded its first interception of the drug in September 2021 at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

Following his arrest, the agency said Aikins told investigators that he was expected to deliver the consignment to an undisclosed location in northern Nigeria.

The seizure therefore adds an international dimension to the agency’s recent operations, with the suspect allegedly transporting a large quantity of the controlled substance across national borders before its intended distribution in Nigeria.

Beyond arrests and seizures, NDLEA commands and formations across the country have continued public sensitisation campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme.

The campaigns have been taken to schools, places of worship, workplaces and communities as the agency combines enforcement operations with public awareness efforts aimed at preventing drug abuse.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the latest operations and urged them to maintain the momentum in the agency’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse.