…Intercepts N9.3b worth of opioids in Rivers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested 2 Saudi-bound pilgrims, a businessman going to Iran for ingesting 155 cocaine wraps, even as they intercepted N9.3 billion worth of opioids in Rivers.
The Agency’s operatives also uncovered and dismantled a syndicate that sponsors hajj pilgrims who serve as couriers to move cocaine to Saudi Arabia during the pilgrimage.
Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA Director in charge of Media and Advocacy, in a statement on Sunday, said three leaders of the cartel were also arrested in Kano.
According to him, the arrest of the kingpins: Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Tijjani, and Muhammad Shugaba on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th May 2025 in Kano was a follow-up to the arrest of two pilgrims: Ibrahim Mustapha and Muhammad Shifado at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano on Monday 26th May during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airline flight ET 940 to Jedda, Saudi Arabia.
Read also: NDLEA nabs two British citizens, recovers 81,000kg skunk
“The interdiction of the intending pilgrims at the NDLEA final screening point at the Kano airport was based on credible intelligence. When they were taken for scanning, the result confirmed ingestion of illicit substances.
“They were subsequently placed on excretion observation during which they excreted 45 wraps of cocaine each, bringing the total for both to 90 pellets with a total weight of 1.04kg.
Investigation soon unravelled their sponsors as leaders of a notorious drug trafficking network, which specialises in trafficking illicit drugs to Saudi Arabia.
He disclosed that a swift follow-up operation was carried out, and the trio of Abubakar Muhammad, Abdulhakeem Tijjani, and Muhammad Shugaba were arrested on Tuesday, 27th and Wednesday, 28th May 2025 in Kano.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the Kano airport on Wednesday, 28th May, intercepted a 60-year-old businessman, Chinedu Okigbo, during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR1432 to Iran.
His body scan confirmed he ingested illicit substances, as a result of which he was placed on excretion observation during which he excreted 65 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.41kg.
Read also: NDLEA nabs 80-yr-old ex-convict, grandma, recovers N3.2bn opioids
At the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state, a search carried out on seven watch-listed containers by joint examination by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies between Wednesday, 28th and Friday, 30th May, led to the discovery of over N9.3b worth of Opioids in Rivers
During the operation, 825,200 bottles of codeine based syrup and trodol worth Five Billion Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only (N5,776,400,000) in street value were seized while a total of Five Million One Hundred Thousand (5,100,000) pills of opioids especially tapentadol 225mg worth Three Billion Five Hundred and Seventy Million Naira Only (N3,570,000,000) were recovered.
This brings the combined street value of the opioids to Nine Billion Three Hundred and Forty-Six Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira Only (N9,346,400,000.00)
In another operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kano-Maiduguri road on Friday, 30th May, intercepted the duo of Abubakar Hussein, 42, and Sahabi Adamu, 53, with Nine Hundred Thousand US dollars ($900,000) cash suspected to be counterfeit. The suspects and the exhibit will be transferred to the appropriate agency for further investigation.
The NDLEA official said a total of 390 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 275.300kg, were recovered from a parked Toyota Sienna vehicle marked YLA-408GG along Ngurore-Yola road, Adamawa state, on Tuesday, 27th May.
Operatives of the anti-narcotics Agency reported that its operatives in Kwara State on Saturday, 31st May, arrested a notorious female drug dealer, Mutiat Abdul-Fatai, at Oja Oba area of Ilorin, where various quantities of opioids, including tramadol, flunitrazepam and codeine-based syrup were seized from her.
Read also: NDLEA new forensic labs seen fast tracking prosecution, others
These discoveries continue, despite the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, and social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands across the country in the past week.
Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Government Day Senior Secondary School, Kwasarawa, Katsina; Corpus Christi College, Achi, Enugu; Epignosis Standard College, Onitsha, Anambra; Government Girls Secondary School, Utai, Wudil LGA, Kano; and Government Girls Secondary School, Calabar, Cross River, among others.
