The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed 178,750 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, on a 71.5-hectare farm in Mayodoga forest, Sardauna Local Government Area, Taraba State, and arrested six suspects in related operations across Anambra and other states.

The destruction followed the arrest of 30-year-old Alfa Andrew, who was taken into custody on Tuesday, August 26, during a joint operation involving NDLEA operatives, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Forest Security Service, the Mambila Youth Vanguard, and local vigilante groups. Authorities also seized a Dane gun at the site.

In Anambra State, 75-year-old Uchelue Ikechukwu was arrested in Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area, with 26.7 kilograms of skunk on Thursday, August 28. Additional arrests in the state included Eneh Makuo, Emmanuel Chiemeli, Uwakwe Matthew, Chukwujekwu Ehirim, Ifeanyichukwu Olisa, and Odoh Chukwuma, who were apprehended with various quantities of skunk and opioids in Nkwelle and Amichi areas.

NDLEA officers also intercepted 104,900 tramadol capsules hidden in the driver’s compartment of a fuel tanker en route to Borno State at the Abuja-Kaduna tollgate on August 29. Suspect Hassan Buba was immediately taken into custody. Kabir Sulaiman, 45, was arrested with 34.15 kilograms of skunk at the Gwargwaje-Zaria checkpoint on August 30.

In Maiduguri, 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, a major supplier of illicit opioids in Borno State, was arrested on August 30 after receiving a consignment from Onitsha, Anambra State. NDLEA operatives recovered 30,640 tramadol tablets, 7,940 rohypnol pills, and N7,999,200 in cash from his apartment in Pompomary.

Similar operations in Nasarawa, Adamawa, Kano, Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Ekiti states resulted in arrests and the seizure of large quantities of tramadol, diazepam, exol-5, codeine-based cough syrup, cannabis seeds, processed cannabis, and methamphetamine. Among the notable arrests was 42-year-old Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, known as Atiku, apprehended in Ado-Ekiti on August 29 with 5.3 kilograms of Loud and Colorado cannabis and 2.5 grams of methamphetamine.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers across the country for the arrests and seizures, and highlighted the agency’s ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization and advocacy initiatives. These activities included lectures to secondary school students in Onitsha, visits to worship centers in Abakaliki, community engagements in Lagos, and meetings with corporate leaders including the MD/CEO of the Nigerian Ports Authority.

The NDLEA has reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria, emphasizing the importance of intelligence-led operations and public awareness campaigns.