NDLEA Intercepts Saudi-Bound Cannabis in Palm Oil Keg, Seizes N7bn Tramadol at Lagos Port

– Arrests 85-year-old grandmother with 179kg of skunk in Edo, destroys 7.5 tonnes of cannabis at Ondo farm

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound consignment of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while uncovering 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol worth more than N6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.

The nationwide crackdown also led to the arrest of an 85-year-old grandmother with 179 kilogrammes of cannabis in Edo State, the destruction of 7,500 kilogrammes of the substance at a farm in Ondo State and the seizure of hundreds of thousands of opioid pills and capsules across several states.

The operations, which spanned Lagos, Kano, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), targeted drug trafficking networks operating through airports, seaports, markets, highways, residential communities and cannabis plantations.

At the Kano airport, NDLEA operatives last Friday, intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.

A search of her luggage revealed 511.75 grammes of cannabis, commonly known as skunk, concealed in a gallon of palm oil.

A statement on Sunday by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said Ahmad told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.

The airport interception came amid a major seizure at the Apapa Port, where NDLEA operatives and other security agencies uncovered a shipment of powdered tramadol imported from India and falsely declared as maize starch.

The consignment was discovered on October 2 at the APM terminals during a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies. Laboratory tests conducted by the NDLEA confirmed the substance to be tramadol hydrochloride powder.

When the drugs were separated from their concealment on October 14, they weighed 8,725 kilogrammes, packed in 349 bags, with an estimated street value exceeding N6.98 billion.

At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, operatives on October 12 discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at N165 million, hidden inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle conveyed in a 40-foot container.

The agency also raided Idumota Market in Lagos on October 14, arresting Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.

In Mushin, two 35-year-old suspects, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, were arrested on October 15 with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.

Another operation along the Iyana Oba axis led to the interception of a truck conveying illicit drugs from Trade Fair Market.

The agency arrested the loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, after recovering 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.

In Edo State, six suspects were arrested during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.

Among them was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was arrested at Warake with 179 kilogrammes of skunk.

Other arrests included Ayo Aigberadion, 53, found with 220.8 kilogrammes of cannabis at Ewe/Irue; Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852 kilogrammes; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grammes; Musa Mubid, 35, with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237 grammes of Loud.

The agency’s operations extended to cannabis cultivation sites in Ondo State, where operatives acting on intelligence raided a farm in Okemoro Isinbode Camp Forest on October 17 and destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk spread across three hectares.

Five suspects – Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35 – were arrested during the operation.

The operatives also recovered 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and three kilogrammes of fresh stems, bringing the weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281 kilogrammes.

In a separate operation at Ameyinti in Owo, a 53-year-old suspect, Okunebe Ndidi, was arrested on October 16 with 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes.

In Bauchi State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf driven by Shamsu Garba, 35, at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14, recovering 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.

On the same day, NDLEA patrol officers along the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.

In Kano, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested on October 13 along the Zaria-Kano Road with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg.

A day later, operatives arrested 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu at Niger Street, Malan Kato, with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.

In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis.

Another operation at Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road resulted in the arrest of John Ayo David, 39, with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.

In the FCT, a 42-year-old suspect, Odo Jonas Ejike, was arrested in the Utako area on October 17 with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.

The agency said its operations were complemented by public enlightenment campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative, which reached schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across the country.

Commending officers of the Apapa, Tincan, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano, Kaduna and FCT Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), urged them to sustain the intelligence-driven operations against drug trafficking networks.

Marwa also called on officers across the country to maintain what he described as the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with preventive education and public awareness.