The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted over N7.8 billion worth of illicit drugs at the Onne Port Complex in Rivers State, including that of a fugitive drug baron in Delta State.
In its nationwide clampdown, the operations across the country have led to multiple arrests, according to a report shared by the agency on Sunday.
The seizures at Onne were made during a joint examination of five containers on August 13 and 14, 2025, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
According to NDLEA, the operation yielded 875,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup with an estimated street value of N6.1 billion and 3.5 million tablets of benzhexol (trodol) valued at N1.7 billion.
While that operation was ongoing in Rivers, NDLEA officers in Delta State tracked down 36-year-old Sunday Ibigide, a wanted kingpin who had evaded arrest for more than three years.
He was apprehended in Asaba on 10 August while attempting to transport 250 parcels of skunk weighing 138kg in a distribution vehicle. His aide, 27-year-old Clement Osuya, was arrested alongside him.
In Enugu, operatives raided three cannabis farms in Enugu Ezike between 14 and 15 August, destroying 37,500kg of skunk cultivated on 15 hectares of land and arresting six suspects.
Additional seizures included 20,700 pills of tramadol and cocodamol from a suspect along Nsukka Road, and 27.6kg of cannabis recovered from two others at Enugu New Market.
Lagos operations led to the arrest of a mother and son duo, Muyibat Mumuni, 52, and Faruk Mumuni, 25, for stockpiling 149kg of Ghana Loud cannabis in Mushin, while another suspect was caught with 8.5kg of Canadian Loud in Lekki.
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In Gombe State, 128,000 tramadol capsules were seized from a suspect. In comparison, NDLEA officers in Kogi intercepted a commercial bus driver transporting 337,800 capsules of the same opioid along the Okene–Lokoja highway.
Similar crackdowns in Taraba, Kaduna, Edo and Kano yielded large quantities of cannabis and pharmaceutical opioids.
Also in Taraba, operatives destroyed 11,250kg of skunk on 4.5 hectares of farmland in Sardauna LGA and seized 29,840 capsules of tramadol from a 20-year-old suspect in Wukari. In Kaduna, two men were arrested with 22,640 pills of tramadol and rohypnol, while two others were caught with 111.1kg of cannabis along the Zaria–Kano route.
Then in Edo, NDLEA uncovered 432kg of cannabis on Warake–Auchi road and 130kg from a warehouse in Sobe. In Kano, two suspects were arrested with 92kg of skunk on the Zaria–Kano corridor.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Lagos also intercepted 4,320 ampoules of ketamine injection at Gbaji checkpoint, Badagry, leading to the arrest of a suspect.
Alongside the enforcement drive, the Agency pressed ahead with its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign, paying advocacy visits to former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), the Emir of Borgu, the Emir of Lafia, and the Shehu of Borno, among others.
NDLEA Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (rtd) praised the officers involved in the various operations and urged them to maintain a balanced approach that combines enforcement with advocacy.
