The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a trans-border drug trafficking syndicate, seizing multi-million-naira worth of tramadol pills hidden in the bumpers and false bottoms of Toyota Sienna buses.
Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy at NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, shared the news in a statement on Sunday, revealing that four members of the syndicate were arrested.
The bust followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance operations by NDLEA’s Directorate of Intelligence.
On Tuesday, January 27, 2025, at 6 a.m., a Toyota Sienna bus with the registration number ABJ 452 HG was intercepted on the Nasarawa-Toto road in Keffi, Nasarawa state.
Babafemi reported that two suspects, Zahradeen Adamu, 27, and Abubakar Usman, 44, were arrested in the vehicle, which was traveling from Onitsha, Anambra state, and headed to Yola, Adamawa state. A second Sienna bus, driven by Abba Usman, 48, was also intercepted.
During a search of both vehicles, specially constructed steel compartments were found after the back bumpers were removed, revealing a total of 190,960 tramadol pills hidden in spaces designed to hold the spare tires.
Further investigation revealed that the tramadol was supplied by Kingsley Mbaeri, a dealer based in Onitsha, Anambra state.
“A swift follow up operation led to the arrest of Mbaeri at his Uga Street, Onitsha home on 29th January. Two vehicles: a Toyota Corolla car marked FGG 948 MF and a Toyota Sienna bus marked GWA 23 HH were recovered from his house,” he said.
Babafemi said in another interdiction, operatives of the Intelligence Department intercepted a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State at Abaji checkpoint, FCT Abuja on 4th February.
He said a passenger in the bus, Chimezie Henry Ojingwa, 32, carrying motor spare parts in a black bag was arrested and when his bag was searched, 404.47grams of methamphetamine; 506.49grams of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis and 262.32grams of dimethyl sulfone, a precursor substance for mixing meth, all of which were concealed in the motor parts were recovered.
The statement reads, “In Cross River state, NDLEA officers on patrol along Ogoja -Abakaliki road, Yahe, on Thursday 13th February intercepted 170,000 pills of tramadol in a truck driven by Paul Chukwudi, 31, while operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Tuesday 11th February recovered 85,400 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container imported from India.
“Two suspects: Halilu Isa and Gambo Umaru were nabbed at Bama road, Maiduguri, Borno state on Friday 14th February with 60 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 72kg, while NDLEA operatives in Ekiti state on Tuesday 11th February raided
“A notorious drug joint at Iloda street, Ikole-Ekiti where they arrested three suspects:
Bala Muhammed, 57; Yahaya Adamu, 55, and Abdullahi Shehu, 30. A total of 83 kilograms of skunk were recovered from them.
“In Lagos, 28-year-old Samiat Olabisi Yussuf was on Saturday 15th February arrested by operatives during a raid of her Lekki home where 169.5 litres of nitrous oxide popularly known as laughing gas and 111grams of Loud were recovered. Not less than 132.84 kilograms of skunk were recovered from two suspects: Ibrahim Usman, 40, and Solomon James, 40, in Taraba.
“While Usman was nabbed with 88kg of Arizona and Ghana Loud at Wukari, James was arrested with 44.84kg of same substance at Takanaba, Sabongari, in Jalingo LGA.
“Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week.
“Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Government Technical College, Oku, Akwa Ibom; Future Leaders Academy, Kishi, Oyo state; Government Secondary School, Bashire, Sokoto; Ehere Comprehensive School, Ogbor Hill, Abia; Government Day Secondary School, Taura, Jigawa state; and Jesuit College, Agbado Ekiti, Ekiti state; while Kano state command of NDLEA conducted WADA enlightenment lecture for married women in purdah at Markaz Umar Bn Khattab Centre, Kano, among others.
“While commending the officers and men of Directorate of Intelligence, Apapa, Cross River, Borno, Ekiti, Taraba, and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA sensitization lectures and advocacy messages to every part of their areas of responsibility.”