Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 42-year-old Angolan businessman, Mbala Dajou Abuba, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, for attempting to traffic a large consignment of cocaine to Istanbul, Turkey. Abuba had ingested the drugs before his arrest.
The suspect, a native of Zaire Province in Angola, was apprehended on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at the screening point of Kano airport while attempting to board Egypt Air flight MS 880 to Istanbul via Cairo. A body scan confirmed that he had ingested illicit drugs, leading authorities to place him under excretion observation. Over seven excretions, he expelled 120 pellets of cocaine, weighing 1.829 kilograms.
In his statement, Abuba claimed he was engaged in township delivery services in Angola before venturing into the illicit drug trade.
A similar attempt to smuggle drugs was thwarted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, where NDLEA operatives intercepted an auto spare parts dealer, Okeke Ebuka Igwe, trying to send two parcels of cocaine (weighing 1.10kg) concealed in vehicle propellers to Angola. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives arrested him on Monday, February 24. During interrogation, Igwe stated that he was a businessman selling auto parts at ASPANDA, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos.
In another case, NDLEA operatives disrupted an attempt by Ezechi Iyke Cyprian to transport a large consignment of cocaine, weighing 5.40kg, to Owerri, Imo State. Cyprian was arrested in his Toyota Sienna bus on Sunday, February 23, following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Customs and other security agencies, discovered 128 parcels of Canadian Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—concealed in two mattresses in the trunk of a Toyota Venza car imported from Canada. The consignment, weighing 63.75kg, was found during a joint examination of a targeted container (marked TCNU 1945861) from Montreal, Canada, on Friday, February 28. The consignee, 44-year-old Bamidele Joseph, was arrested and taken into custody.
Nationwide drug crackdown continues
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives, supported by the military, raided a forest in the Innam-Abbi/Orogun community, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, on Thursday, February 27. There, they destroyed over 50,000kg of cannabis cultivated on a 20-hectare farmland. Five suspects were arrested during the raid:
- Augustine Subaru, 45
- Ukoba Malachukwu, 53
- Odalonu Emmanuel, 40
- Esuabom Macaulay, 35
- Itoje Safe, 54
Additionally, NDLEA operatives in Delta intercepted a Mercedes Benz truck (marked AWK 791 ZJ) along the Abraka-Orogun road on Friday, February 28. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 101 bags of skunk, totaling 1,111kg.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers, supported by the military, raided the Okpuje community in Owan West LGA on Saturday, March 1. They dismantled warehouses containing over 100 jumbo bags of skunk and seized a total of 1,409.5kg of the psychoactive substance. Two suspects, Oikelomen Osere Monday, 38, and Glory Iroyo, 42, were arrested.
More seizures across Nigeria
- Oyo State: Michael Omoloki, 46, was arrested with 58.5kg of skunk along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
- Kwara State: NDLEA operatives nabbed a Beninese national, Lawali Mohammed, with 2,980 tramadol tablets and dozens of diazepam pills at Eiyenkorin Expressway, Ilorin, on Monday, February 24.
- Osun State: NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Ibadan-Gbongan Expressway intercepted a consignment of 1.05kg skunk hidden in detergent soap and biscuit cartons. Sunday Ogbu, 45, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
- Zamfara State: Ayuba Mustapha, 30, was arrested in Tsafe with 24,700 tramadol pills on Sunday, February 23.
- Borno State: Mustapha Shettima, 50, was arrested along Bama Road, Maiduguri, with 31kg of skunk, 1,000 tramadol pills, and ₦720,000 in cash on Wednesday, February 26.
- Kano State: Adamu Idris, 40, was apprehended along Zaria Road with 140 blocks of cannabis weighing 73.5kg on the same day.
WADA sensitization campaign continues
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands and formations nationwide continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities. Recent awareness campaigns included lectures at:
- Ansarudeen Junior Secondary School, Ojuelegba, Lagos
- Loretto Girls Special Science School, Adazinnukwu, Anambra State
- Tudun Murtala Special Primary School, Nasarawa LGA, Kano State
Commending the efforts of NDLEA officers in MMIA, MAKIA, SOU, Tincan, Delta, Edo, Oyo, Kano, Osun, Borno, Zamfara, and Kwara Commands, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised their operational successes. He emphasized the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction, noting that these efforts are well appreciated.
