The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recently made a major breakthrough by stopping drugs valued at over N6.5 billion at two key Nigerian ports – the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Rivers State and Apapa Seaport in Lagos.
According to NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the seized drugs include at least six million opioid pills such as tamol, tapentadol, and carisoprodol. In addition, they found 332,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The total estimated street value of these drugs is about N6.524 billion.
These seizures came after NDLEA received intelligence reports about new routes being used by drug traffickers to bring illegal substances into Nigeria. As a result, containers suspected of carrying drugs were carefully examined.
At the Port Harcourt ports, NDLEA officers, working with Nigeria Customs and other security agencies, discovered six million opioid pills and 162,000 bottles of codeine syrup in two containers during checks on May 19 and 20.
Similarly, at Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA found 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup in a container during a joint inspection on May 22.
In a related operation, two British nationals—Mhizha Tatendra and Ayedipe Adejuwon—and two Nigerians—Shonowo Imole and Ofuoma Ayobami—were arrested while trying to smuggle 92 bags of a strong cannabis strain called Loud, weighing over 51 kilograms, through Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Alexander, one of the suspects, was caught with the drugs after arriving at MMIA on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha on May 15. He passed through security but was closely monitored by NDLEA agents until he met Adejuwon and others waiting to receive the drugs.
The suspects were arrested as they tried to leave the airport with the cannabis in a vehicle.
Alexander admitted that he was recruited during his vacation and promised 1,300 British Pounds for successfully delivering the drugs in Lagos.
Ayedipe Adejuwon, the leader of the group, confessed that he came into Nigeria a day earlier, traveling from South Africa through Ghana.
Further investigation at their apartment in Lekki led to more discoveries. NDLEA recovered cash in Nigerian Naira and South African Rand, an Apple laptop, an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and four canisters of laughing gas (Nitrous Oxide).
This successful operation shows the NDLEA’s commitment to fighting drug trafficking in Nigeria by using intelligence-led actions to stop illegal drugs from entering the country.
