The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates and seized cocaine, opioids and other narcotics worth billions of naira.
After months of painstaking intelligence gathering and surveillance, NDLEA officials announced the arrest of six individuals allegedly playing central roles in the syndicates’ operations.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, these arrests are part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to combat illicit drug trafficking and safeguard national security.
The syndicates are made up of individuals operating from various locations in Nigeria, including Mubi in Adamawa, Onitsha in Anambra and Lagos, as well as Cameroonian affiliates.
NDLEA operations
- The arrested suspects, identified as Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu, Ezeh Amaechi and Adejumo Ishola, are believed to be the main suppliers of drugs to terror groups in Nigeria and Cameroon.
- The group’s activities spanned the northern and eastern regions of the country, with drugs often sourced from Onitsha, packaged and hidden in specially adapted vehicles, and transported at night to evade detection.
- One operation began in early October, with NDLEA officials following Bawuro and Najib as they traveled from Onitsha, where they reportedly secured a new shipment of drugs. On October 8, they were intercepted on the Jalingo-Yola highway in Taraba State.
- In a desperate attempt to escape, the suspects abandoned their vehicle, a Toyota Avensis sedan, but were eventually arrested. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed 276,500 tramadol pills, a highly addictive opioid widely trafficked in the region.
Other arrests
This operation was followed by arrests in Delta and Anambra states where Amaechi and Udechukwu were also apprehended, marking a coordinated multi-state operation by the Directorate of Intelligence of NDLEA.
In a separate sting, NDLEA operatives on November 5 arrested another suspected leader, Ishola Adejumo, at the Seme border in Lagos. Adejumo reportedly returned from Ghana with 3.3 kilos of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis.
The arrest followed months of intelligence operations monitoring Adejumo’s alleged cross-border smuggling activities.
NDLEA’s anti-drug campaign goes beyond these arrests, with personnel from across the country actively involved in the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. NDLEA officials are conducting awareness campaigns in schools, workplaces and religious institutions, with the aim of reducing drug abuse and reducing the demand that fuels smuggling networks.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. General Buba Marwa has commended the agency’s personnel for their vigilance and determination to protect Nigerian communities, asserting that continued enforcement and education are critical to dismantling organized drug syndicates and reducing addiction risks across the country.
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