NDLEA apprehends traditional priest, seizes 2,760kg of skunk in major bust

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended Bariu Aliu, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine at Alpha Beach, Ajah, Lekki, Lagos, following the recovery of 2,760kg of skunk on October 25, 2024.

Aliu, also known as Malo, was arrested after over three months of an intensive manhunt. Two accomplices had been arrested at the shrine last year and subsequently charged and convicted in court, but Aliu, described as the leader of the syndicate, had evaded capture until now.

In a separate operation on January 11, 2025, NDLEA officers intercepted a 40ft trailer loaded with 2,217.6kg of skunk, a cannabis strain, at an abandoned fuel station in Kagini, Kubwa, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The drugs were being distributed into six vehicles for further transportation to Northern states.

The intelligence-led raid, which took place at 1:20 a.m., resulted in the arrest of Isaac Monday Desmond, a 42-year-old suspect. Authorities also seized the trailer and six vehicles, including a Toyota Van, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, JAC 4WD Hilux, Toyota Corolla, and Vento Passat.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed that the consignment had been loaded at Uzebba in Owan Local Council, Edo State. In another raid in the FCT, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, Anthony Nnamdi, 42, and Abba Ali, 27, at Nyanya, recovering 1.398kg of cocaine and a precursor substance used in making crack cocaine.

Meanwhile, in Lagos, officers intercepted 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330g in a shipment heading to Australia, concealed inside face cream containers at a logistics firm.

Additionally, NDLEA seized 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at approximately N1.1 billion, in two containers at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State, on January 9 and 10, 2025.

The agency also arrested Habibu Ya’u, 23, in Kano on January 9, recovering 45 blocks of cannabis weighing 24.2kg and 40,800 pills of opioids, including tramadol.