The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized 1.63 million tramadol pills hidden in specially designed compartments of two lengthy trailers and apprehended associates of a transnational drug trafficking network functioning along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria route.
The agency noted that the intelligence-driven operation came after 558,900 tramadol pills were discovered hidden in a truck that had entered Nigeria via the same route just a week prior.
A statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed that one of the trailers was caught on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while en route to Kano.
He stated that agents seized 853,000 tramadol pills (250mg) hidden under the trailer’s cargo floor and apprehended the 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru.
“Continued attempts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking network transporting tramadol from Togo, via the Benin Republic, into Nigeria have achieved another success with the seizure of two lengthy trailers employed to transport 1,630,000 pills of tramadol 250mg hidden in false compartments of the trucks across various borders into Lagos.”
The intelligence-driven interdiction operation occurred just a week after NDLEA agents seized 558,900 tablets of the same psychoactive substance from a hidden compartment in a truck that entered Lagos via the Togo-Benin Republic route.
“One of the two trucks en route to Kano was monitored and found on July 2, 2026, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where NDLEA officials seized 853,000 tramadol 250mg pills hidden in a specially designed space under the cargo floor of the trailer and apprehended the 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru.”
Babafemi mentioned that a second trailer was located and stopped on the same highway on July 4, with officials seizing 777,000 tramadol pills (250mg) concealed in another false compartment. He stated that the driver, 22-year-old Muhammed Nuhu, has been apprehended.
He stated that inquiries revealed the three shipments seized on June 21, July 2, and July 4 were connected to the same international drug trafficking organization.
The NDLEA representative further revealed that agents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja seized two shipments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, totaling 4.70 kilogrammes.
He stated that the shipments came from Canada on British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on June 24 and July 3, respectively, hidden in boxes labeled “Odugwu.”
Babafemi stated that two cargo agents, Ali Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were first arrested before another suspect, Edeh Stanislus, was caught while trying to retrieve the packages.
He mentioned that the true owner of the shipment, 44-year-old entrepreneur Chioma Nneka Mokeme, was subsequently apprehended on July 7 with assistance from the Nigeria Police Area C Command in Surulere, Lagos.
“Babafemi stated that Chioma, who asserted she is involved in the printing industry, was introduced to the criminal activity by her friend, Agbons Collins, residing in Canada.”
In Rivers State, the agency apprehended an 80-year-old suspect, Chika Ugwoji, in Ahoada on July 14 after he was reportedly discovered with 800 grams of skunk.
“Operatives of the NDLEA in Rivers State have apprehended an 80-year-old grandfather, Chika Ugwoji, for trafficking in illegal drugs.” The statement indicated that the octogenarian had 800 grammes of skunk when he was arrested in Ahoada on Tuesday, July 14.
In Edo State, operatives from NDLEA apprehended a couple, Christian Chukwuka, 32, and Nwanneka Christian, 33, in a raid on their supposed drug storage facility on Sapele Road, Benin City.
The operation resulted in the confiscation of 22 bags of cannabis sativa totaling 219.5kg and 192.67kg of Canadian Loud.
The agency apprehended Hajara Abdullahi, 38, a national from Chad, along with her Nigerian associate, Abdulkarim Jidda, 44, in Lagos after linking them to a shipment of 50,000 tramadol (225mg) tablets seized in Kogi State on July 12.
Praising the personnel engaged in the operations, the Chairman and CEO of the NDLEA, retired Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, stated that the agency’s ongoing enforcement initiatives were producing positive outcomes.
Marwa remarked, “The contributions of them and their fellow citizens nationwide have significantly aided the ongoing drug control initiatives throughout the country.”
