A commercial bus carrying 942 explosives on its way to Zamfara has been stopped by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said in a statement released on Sunday that on May 3, while on patrol along the Kaduna-Zaria motorway, agency agents found the explosives in the bus travelling from Nasarawa during a stop and search operation.
“After a search of the vehicle, a total of 942 explosives were found hidden in a sack, and a 30-year-old suspect named Nura Sani Muhammad (also known as Nura Hariji) was arrested,” the statement said.
Babafemi went on to say that in Port Harcourt, Rivers, and Lagos states, agents also seized 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup and at least 3,500,000 opioid tablets, totalling more than ₦3,428,000,000 in street value.
“The bulk of the seizures – two million pills of tafrodol 225mg and 163,000 bottles of codeine syrup – was made on Tuesday, 29th April 2025, during a joint examination of a watch-listed container by NDLEA officers, men of Customs Service and other security agencies at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers state,” he said.
“In Lagos, a total of 1,500,000 pills of a controlled opioid were recovered from a suspect, Olarenwaju Wahab, at the Alaba-Rago area of Ojo on Tuesday, 29th April, while the source of the consignment was traced to Q104B Road 25, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, which is the residence of one Obinna Kenneth, who is now at large.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos, have intercepted 42 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 20kg, concealed in tins of chocolate, Milo beverage, white kidney beans and dark red kidney beans packaged as part of cargo that came into the Lagos airport onboard a British Airways flight from Canada.
“At least three suspects, including the receiver of the consignment, Monsurat Ewawunmi Lawson, have been arrested between Wednesday, 30th April, and Saturday, 3rd May.
READ ALSO: No Hiding, No Escape: FCCPC Tells Meta Its Legal Troubles Still Stand Despite Exit Threat
“In like manner, a businessman, Bobby Morris Osas, was on Friday, 2nd May, arrested at the Lagos airport while attempting to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Italy. A thorough search of his luggage led to the seizure of 8,130 pills of tramadol (225mg, 200mg and 100 mg).
“An attempt by another syndicate to ship 104 104grams of tramadol and skunk concealed in bottles of body cream to Iraq through a courier company in Lagos was also thwarted on Monday 28th April by NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).”
According to Babafemi, NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa ordered that the exhibits and the suspect be sent to the proper security agency for additional action.
He further mentioned that on April 30, NDLEA agents detained five members of a network headed by Aminu Musa (also known as Kadagi) at Kano’s Dangoro market, and they found 50 blocks of 21.6 kg skunk.
“In Edo state, operatives acting on intelligence on Thursday, 1st May, intercepted at Uromi, Esan North-East, a white Toyota bus conveying assorted opioids from Onitsha, Anambra state, heading to Auchi,” Babafemi said.
“Recovered from the vehicle were 314,020 pills of tramadol, Rohypnol, diazepam, and Exol 5; 638 bottles of codeine syrup; and 200 ampoules of pentazocine injection, while a suspect
Dare Adeyemo was taken into custody. A Mazda commercial bus marked XA343TSE was equally intercepted at Agu-Awka junction, Awka, Anambra state by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, 30th April, while a total of 50,400 capsules of tramadol, 500 tablets of co-codamol and 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection were recovered, and a suspect, Chinedu Eneh, was arrested.
READ ALSO: Crisis Brews: Benue South Youths Chase Out Herdsmen, Roll Out Mass Farmland Fumigation Plan
“In Niger state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Kontagora-Mokwa Road on Saturday, 3rd May, intercepted a Mitsubishi Canter truck marked RBH 104 ZY.
“A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 5,500 capsules of tramadol and 2,300 ampoules of pentazocine injection as well as the arrest of a suspect, Yusuf Abubakar, 30.
“After 10 months of painstaking investigation, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, 26th April, arrested a wanted drug kingpin, the 52-year-old Managing Director of Ovidaq International Ltd, Dominic Chiegozie Obijiaku, over his involvement in the importation of a consignment of 2,616,060 pills of tramadol 225mg intercepted by NDLEA at Apapa seaport in Lagos on 28th July 2024.
“A follow-up operation at his house in Lekki led to the seizure of 51 wraps of Canadian Loud weighing 34 grams.”
