The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has seized 25 million tapentadol pills, an opioid three times more potent than tramadol, and 350,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup valued at ₦16.1bn at the Tincan port complex in Lagos.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, announced in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that significant drug seizures were made on Tuesday, September 17, and Friday, September 20. These seizures involved three containers that had been under surveillance based on processed intelligence.
Babafemi explained that the NDLEA had requested a thorough joint examination of the shipments in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.
The 25 million pills of tapentadol seized have an estimated street value of ₦13.7 billion, while the codeine shipment is valued at approximately ₦2.4 billion, bringing the total seizure value to ₦16.1 billion. The tapentadol, packed in 500 cartons, was discovered on September 17, while another container examined the same day contained 175,000 bottles of Barcadin cough syrup with codeine, packed in 875 cartons. The third container, checked on September 20, held 175,000 bottles of CSC cough syrup with codeine.
Read also: INEC will commence the collation of Edo election results soon.
In a separate incident, NDLEA operatives in Lagos arrested an 80-year-old man, Aremu Shojobi, who was found with 14 kg of cannabis at his home in the Iyana Ipaja area. Babafemi noted that the octogenarian claimed to have been selling illicit drugs for 25 years, sourcing supplies from the Benin Republic and selling to customers daily from his residence.
Additionally, on September 18, NDLEA operatives raided the homes of Alhaji Bashir Talba, a community leader and Sarkin Yamma of Badagry West LCDA. A total of 226 kg of cannabis was recovered from his two wives and son. Although Alhaji Talba remains at large, authorities found 93 compressed blocks of cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) in his home, along with 57.6 kg from his first wife and son, and 168.6 kg from his second wife.
Moreover, 720 blocks of Arizona cannabis weighing 390 kg were recovered from a Mitsubishi delivery van in the Ojo area of Lagos on September 16.
At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano, a 38-year-old drug mule, Okafor Ifeanyi Anthony, was arrested on September 15 while attempting to board a Qatar Airlines flight to Iran via Doha with 76 wraps of cocaine in his stomach. After three days of observation, he excreted 76 pellets weighing 1.267 kg.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol recovered 700,000 pills of exol-5 coming from Lagos for distribution in Kano and Kaduna on September 17. Suspect Udemefuna Chibuike, 23, was arrested on September 20 in Niger State with a stash of 49,000 tramadol tablets, 20,000 diazepam tablets, 100 ampoules of tramadol injection, and 50 bottles of cough syrup with codeine.
Additionally, on September 18, NDLEA officers intercepted 451 blocks of cannabis (Indian hemp) weighing 213 kg along Azikiwe Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, apprehending suspect Ogochukwu Paul, 33, who was transporting the drugs to a known drug haven.
Finally, in Plateau State, a wanted suspect, Jonathan Abuttur, 46, was arrested on September 20 with 808 kg of cannabis sativa concealed in 68 bags of sugar and fertilizer. In Kwara, another suspect, Shaibu Musa, was also apprehended with 28 kg of the same substance.
