The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recently busted several drug trafficking operations in Nigeria.
In one of the cases, 26 year old nursing student, Esther Onyinyechi Uzodinma who is studying at Noida International University in India was caught attempting to smuggle 76 wraps of cocaine.
Esther was arrested on January 16, 2025 at Royal Park Hotel in Kano just hours before her flight to Delhi, India.
She confessed that an Indian drug cartel recruited her, sponsored her trip to Nigeria and promised her $5,000 if she delivered the drugs successfully. She avoided her home state of Imo during her trip and stayed in hotels in Enugu, Abuja and Kano.
Her arrest came after NDLEA officers intercepted a consignment in Kogi State where 31 year old Cosmas Okorie was found with cocaine pellets concealed in an audio speaker while traveling from Lagos to Kano.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives carried out several operations. At Ojodu-Berger, they arrested a 59-year-old Nwokedi Emeka Jonas and seized 10 parcels of Canadian Loud, a high potency cannabis. The drugs were packed in branded bags with street names like “Dead Man” and “Gelato Cake”.
Another operation in Igando led to the arrest of three suspects and recovery of 1,610kg of skunk, 6kg of tramadol and several vehicles used for distribution.
In Lekki, two suspects, Olashile Okoya and Mohammed Ibrahim were caught with 28kg of Canadian Loud at a residence in Cadogan Estate. In Lagos Island, NDLEA officers seized 67kg of skunk from a hideout operated by Saheed Sulaiman.
A separate operation at Jerry Irabi Estate, Lekki uncovered tramadol, diazepam, methamphetamine and cash of ₦623,650.
The agency also arrested in Kano, Usama Adamu and Isah Ibrahim with 7.6kg of skunk, 78 tubes of rubber solution and 356 bottles of psychoactive substance called “Suck and Die”. Another suspect, Usman Isa was caught along Zaria road with 114 blocks of skunk weighing 49.8kg.
In Kwara State, three suspects were caught with 390 tablets of Molly and 65.5kg of cannabis. In Taraba, a 24-year-old Samuel Ogbu was arrested with 25,000 tramadol pills along Wukari-Zaki Ibiam road.
NDLEA officers in Abuja arrested 14 suspects in various locations and recovered codeine syrups, tramadol, diazepam and methamphetamine.
NDLEA is also intensifying its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, with sensitization lectures in schools and workplaces across the country. This includes advocacy visits to community leaders and government officials like Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
The Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the officers and encouraged them to keep the momentum.
NDLEA is still crushing drug cartels and raising awareness to stop drug abuse in Nigeria.