The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks, intercepting large consignments of opioids and other illicit substances concealed in building materials while arresting a 75-year-old suspected drug dealer and several notorious traffickers across multiple states.
In what the agency described as a major breakthrough against opioid trafficking, NDLEA operatives in Taraba State intercepted a truck loaded with building materials transporting a massive cache of illicit drugs from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo. The operation, carried out on Saturday, June 6, 2026, followed credible intelligence and led to the arrest of a 22-year-old suspect, Buhari Abdullahi, at the Nukkai Timber Shade area of Jalingo.
A detailed search of the vehicle uncovered a substantial quantity of narcotics hidden beneath the cargo. Recovered items included 320,840 capsules of tramadol, 600 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 4,500 tablets of Rohypnol, and 299 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup. The seizure represents one of the largest opioid interceptions recorded by the agency in recent months.
In Ebonyi State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 75-year-old suspect, Okebe Samuel, in Okposi. According to the agency, the elderly suspect was found in possession of 300 grams of skunk, which he allegedly packaged and sold in retail quantities to young people within the community.
The anti-narcotics agency also recorded a significant success in Imo State following a raid on a notorious drug enclave in Umulolo, Orlu. During the operation, officers apprehended 32-year-old Chioma Okeke and recovered eight kilograms of skunk.
In Edo State, an intensive operation targeting major drug hotspots across Benin City led to the arrest of four suspected traffickers, including three women. At Uyosa, operatives arrested Chioma Igba, 24, and Precious Ozomah, 22, with quantities of skunk, Loud and methamphetamine. Another female suspect, Anita Abraham, 21, was apprehended along Agbor Road with Scottish Loud and regular Loud, while 43-year-old Henry Okey was arrested at Upper Mission with a variety of psychotropic substances, including Loud, Colorado, Swinol and methamphetamine.
The crackdown extended to Kano State, where NDLEA officers arrested 19-year-old Saifullahi Lawan at the Kafi area of Madobi on June 4. The suspect was found in possession of 40 blocks of skunk weighing 38 kilograms.
In Gombe State, operatives intercepted 28-year-old Ugwu Sabastine Ifebuchi near Dantiti Plaza in the Tumfure area of the state capital. He was arrested with 15,000 capsules of tramadol during the operation.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country. Sensitisation programmes were conducted in schools, including Holiness Foundation Primary School in Saki, Oyo State; Dorras High School in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State; Ado Girls Secondary School in Onitsha, Anambra State; and Army Day Secondary School in Kano State.
Reacting to the successful operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers and operatives in Taraba, Ebonyi, Imo, Edo, Kano and Gombe states for their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa praised the commands for sustaining momentum in the fight against drug trafficking while simultaneously advancing drug demand reduction initiatives. He reaffirmed the agency’s determination to dismantle drug supply networks nationwide, stressing that traffickers would continue to face the full weight of the law regardless of “age, gender, or concealment methods.”
The latest operations underscore the NDLEA’s renewed offensive against illicit drug trafficking and its commitment to disrupting criminal networks responsible for the distribution of narcotics across Nigeria.
