ACTIVITIEs of drug traffickers in Nigeria have in the recent times taken a worrisome dimension with stakeholders advocating for more aggressive and proactive measures towards curtailing the menace. Nigerians and the international community have, however, showered encomiums on the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for sustaining the war against the activities of drug barons and traffickers in the country.
AS part of the NDLEA’s efforts at curbing the operations of drug traffickers in Nigeria, its Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Muhammed Buba Marwa (rtd) recently during an International Drug Conference which was equally attended by a delegation from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) advocated stronger collaborations between Nigeria and the international community on drug control.
NIGERIANS were shell-shocked recently when the NDLEA uncovered how a criminal syndicate at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano State loaded bags containing illicit drugs into an aircraft and affixed the names of three unsuspecting Nigerian pilgrims to them.
THE victims eventually got arrested and detained by the authorities at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. According to the NDLEA, its investigation established that the detained pilgrims were victims of a trafficking conspiracy. This conspiracy, it said, was orchestrated by a syndicate, led by a 55-year-old man, Muhammed Ali Abubakar, alias Bello Karama. He is currently in NDLEA custody.
AT a press briefing held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on August 25, 2025, its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi said each of the three pilgrims, who left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia on August 6 via an Eithopian Airlines Flight ET940 from Kano to Jeddah via Addis- Ababa, got tagged with extra bags without their knowledge. The receiving country’s scrutiny later revealed that those bags contained illicit substances.It took the swift intervention of the Nigerian government to secure the release of the victims.
IN another celebrated high-profile arrest, two Brazil returnees, Ofoma Sunday and Ukachuku Frank Ilechukwu reportedly excreted a total of 116 wraps of heroin and cocaine they ingested after days of observatory custody following their arrest by operatives of the NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. One of the suspects, 46-year-old Ofoma was arrested at Terminal 2 of the Lagos Airport upon his arrival from Laos, Brazil on an Ethiopian Airlines Flight. He was taken for body scan which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs. Ofoma had left Nigeria for Brazil on September 3, 2025 to courier the consignment to Lagos for a reward of $2,500 upon successful delivery.
IN Edo State, two cannabis farms on over four hectares of land located at Atororo forest in Owan West Local Government area with an estimated yield of 11,330.0625 kilogrammes were recently destroyed by NDLEA officers who also recovered 11 bags of processed skuns and seeds weighing 148 kilogrammes.
IN Adamawa State, no fewer than 233,800 pills of tramadol were recovered by NDLEA operatives on three raids with two suspects arrested in parts of the state. A total of 195,600 pills of the opioid were recovered from an abandoned Toyota Sienna vehicle in Mayo Belwa area of Yola South Local Government area of the state.
IN yet another case in Lagos State, a businesswoman, Okolonkwo Ebere Theresa was on September 14, 2025 taken into custody after Aviation Security Officers of FAAN in collaboration with NDLEA operatives attached to the screening point of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) arrested her for concealing illicit drugs in her private parts while attempting to board a Qatar Airways Flight to Doha, Qatar. After thorough search, two big parcels of white crystalline substances that later tested positive to methamphetamine were recovered from her underwear.
WITH this unrelenting vigour, the various commands and formations of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) across the country have continued their war against drug abuse and trafficking while embarking on sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others. According to the agency’s Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Muhammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), these arrests and seizures represent a significant milestone in the agency’s determined efforts to dismantle drug trafficking organisations operating in Nigeria while prioritising those bent on targeting the nation’s productive youth population with illicit substances until they are no longer able to inflict harm on communities or misrepresent Nigeria’s image in the global space.
WHILE The Hope commends the NDLEA operatives for their ongoing balanced approach to drug control efforts across the country, we however urge other law enforcement agencies to support the NDLEA in combating drug abuse and trafficking in Nigeria.
It is significant to note that the consequences of engaging in drug trafficking can be severe, hence law enforcement agencies must play a crucial role in maintaining societal order. Substance abuse can have devastating effects on individuals and communities, hence Nigerian youths should avoid engaging in illicit activities that can harm them.
THE Hope equally implores government at all levels to intensify efforts at curbing drug trafficking. The judiciary must make it a point of duty to prosecute offenders in drug related cases, considering its dreadful impacts on youths. All relevant stakeholders must be involved in the task of eradicating the menace of drug trafficking.