NDLEA seizes over N10bn of drugs, arrests key suspects

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced a series of major interdictions, arresting key suspects and seizing illicit drugs with a combined estimated street value exceeding 10 billion naira, alongside military-grade ammunition, in operations across multiple states over the past week. The agency detailed the seizures, which included cocaine, synthetic cannabis, and opioids, in a statement issued on Sunday, July 26, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

The operations led to the arrest of a 55-year-old businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, a clothing trader at Balogun Market in Lagos. He was apprehended on Thursday, July 23, after agency operatives intercepted a 3.30-kilogram consignment of cocaine at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos the previous day. The cocaine was concealed within the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom. Investigators initially arrested three cargo agents-Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim-and a fourth suspect, Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the shipment. Their arrests provided the lead to identify Chinedu as the...