• Recovers 1.3m opioid pills, 6,000kg cannabis; arrests two teenagers with AK-47 rifles, pistol

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, alongside about 6,000kg of cannabis, with a combined street value of over N3.4 billion in operations across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The agency also arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to evade security checks while transporting illicit drugs across state lines.

The suspect, identified as Innocent Ekpe, was arrested on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, by NDLEA operatives along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State, with 292.48kg of skunk concealed in his silver Toyota Sienna bus.
The NDLEA said preliminary investigation established that Ekpe had allegedly been parading himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged identity card to evade scrutiny at checkpoints. His alleged accomplice, 39-year-old Nduka Joseph, was also arrested.

In another operation in Edo State, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, raided a location along Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai.
The agency said Ossai used his auto-repair workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Officers recovered 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152g of methamphetamine and a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.

At the Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, which arrived on September 12.
Following intelligence received by the agency, the container was placed under surveillance before it was subjected to a joint physical examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Wednesday, September 16.

The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75kg and valued at N1.811 billion.
The consignments were concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles within the container.

In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area, on Tuesday, September 15, arrested three suspects — Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18.
They were allegedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.

Two other suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on Friday, September 18, along the Abaji-Abuja Highway.
The NDLEA said officers recovered more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks.

The drugs were reportedly being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.
In Lagos, the agency arrested Onyeka Ofor on Friday, September 18, at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, where 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered.

NDLEA operatives also intercepted seven cartons containing 59kg of cannabis sativa at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Luke Ugokwe.
In another operation in Lagos, Ibrahim Hudu, 43, was arrested at Apongbo on Thursday, September 17, with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas.

In Gombe State, NDLEA operatives recovered 154,480 tramadol capsules from two suspects, Sabi’u Umar, 27, and Hassana Muhammad, 19, who were arrested at the Barunde area and Gombe Main Market respectively on Friday, September 18.
In Imo State, Ifesinachi Godwin, 25, was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha Road with 43.85kg of skunk on Friday, September 18.

In Ondo State, four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during a raid on a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu Forest on Tuesday, September 15.
The NDLEA said about 5,000kg of cannabis was destroyed during the operation, while 48kg of dried and fresh cannabis was recovered for use as evidence in prosecuting the suspects.

Meanwhile, NDLEA commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The activities included enlightenment lectures at St Ferdinand School, Ogbomoso, Oyo State; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra State; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos; and Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba State.

The Delta Ports Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta State, among others.
Commending officers and men of the Lagos, Tin-Can, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), praised their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.

Marwa urged them and other personnel across the country to sustain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.