ABUJA, Nigeria (BN24) — Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, an 80-year-old grandmother, and several others in a sweeping nationwide operation targeting major drug traffickers across multiple states.
The agency announced the arrests on Sunday, July 27, through its spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who revealed the seizure of large quantities of illicit drugs including synthetic cannabis strains like Colorado and Canadian Loud, often smuggled in unconventional packaging.
One of the most high-profile suspects, Liang Tak You, a naturalised Malaysian of Chinese origin, was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Friday, July 25. He had arrived from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight. According to the NDLEA, officers had tracked Liang from his point of departure and allowed him to clear immigration before arresting him as he exited the arrival hall. He was allegedly in possession of two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing 26.10 kilograms.
In Calabar, Cross River State, operatives arrested 80-year-old Grace Ekpeme early Saturday, July 26, at her home on Edet-Nsa Street. Authorities recovered more than 3 kilograms of skunk following intelligence reports linking her to ongoing drug distribution activities.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA intercepted a commercial bus along the Epe–Ajah Expressway on Wednesday, July 23, arresting suspect Chidi Agbafo with 21.7 kilograms of Colorado, some concealed in moimoi sachets, and 3.8 liters of codeine-based syrup. At the Apapa seaport, a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies uncovered 101 kilograms of Canadian Loud concealed in 202 tins of food labeled “Bean Salad Mix,” hidden inside a container with two Toyota Sienna vans shipped from Canada.
The crackdown extended across several states. On the Abuja-Kaduna highway, Usman Musa was arrested with 71,000 pills of opioids, including tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5, while traveling to Kano. In Maiduguri, Borno State, a 30-year-old woman, Binta Usman, was detained on Wednesday, July 23, with 30.1 kilograms of skunk. A follow-up operation on Friday led to the arrest of her alleged accomplice, Bala Abdullahi.
In Ondo State, NDLEA officers raided a cannabis farm in the Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, seizing 2,500 kilograms of skunk grown over a hectare and recovering 121.4 kilograms of processed cannabis. Three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—were arrested during the raid.
Another arrest occurred in Edo State, where operatives detained 26-year-old Bright Sunday Okon in Asakpa Community, Benin City. Authorities seized various strains of marijuana including Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine from her residence.
Additional seizures included 105.4 kilograms of skunk from an abandoned Honda vehicle in Keffi, Nasarawa State; 6,400 tramadol pills from Bashir Abdullahi in Minna, Niger State; and 113 kilograms of skunk from a drug hideout in Ifo, Ogun State, after a confrontation with the suspect’s gang led to the arrest of Jamiu Omolaja.
In Gombe State, Adamu Adamu, known locally as “Dankyado,” was caught with 10,910 tramadol capsules. In Kogi State, officers intercepted drugs disguised in food items like garri and dried scent leaves along the Okene–Lokoja highway. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala in Abuja, who reportedly planned to transport the shipment to Katsina before smuggling it to Qatar. Another recovery in Kogi on Saturday, July 26, yielded 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck at a motor park in Ayingba.
NDLEA said all suspects remain in custody pending further investigation and prosecution.
