NDLEA Uncovers Drug Shipments, Seizes Military-Grade Ammunition in Major Nationwide Operations

Michael Olugbode in Abuja 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major breakthrough in its ongoing campaign against drug trafficking and abuse, uncovering illicit drug consignments concealed in water purifier machines imported from Europe and intercepting military-grade ammunition during a series of operations across Nigeria.

The agency disclosed that operatives discovered and seized consignments of high-potency drugs, including three kilogrammes of ketamine and 199 grammes of MDMA, popularly known as Ecstasy, hidden inside water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands to Lagos.

According to a statement on Sunday by the spokesman of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, the drugs were uncovered during a routine inspection at a courier company in Lagos last Tuesday, highlighting the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by international drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle narcotics into the country.

In a separate operation in Kaduna State, NDLEA officers arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, alongside another suspect, Salomi Ezekiel, following the recovery of 100 jumbo bags of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 1,246 kilogrammes. 

The illicit consignment was discovered at their residence in the Gonin Gora area of Kaduna on May 24.

The agency also intercepted a cache of 380 rounds of military-grade 7.62mm ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna highway near Jere. 

The ammunition was found in the possession of a 30-year-old suspect, Sunusi Musa, who was reportedly transporting it to Katsina State. NDLEA said the suspect and the ammunition had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation and prosecution.

In Niger State, acting on intelligence reports, operatives raided a warehouse in Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, where 457 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered. A suspect, Godwin Zakka, was subsequently arrested in connection with the seizure.

Similarly, in Enugu State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial vehicle travelling from Onitsha to Taraba State along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway. 

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 grammes of bromazepam. The driver, identified as James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.

Beyond enforcement operations, the agency continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, conducting sensitization programmes in schools and communities across several states. 

The outreach activities included lectures at Government Secondary School, Adiabo in Cross River State; St. Patrick’s Memorial College, Wukari in Taraba State; Roman Catholic Mission Nursery and Primary School, Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos State; and Kings Secondary School, Amawbia in Anambra State.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Buba Marwa, praised personnel from the Kaduna, Niger and Enugu Commands, as well as the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, for their commitment to reducing the supply of illicit drugs while simultaneously promoting drug abuse prevention initiatives.

Marwa urged officers nationwide to sustain the momentum and intensify efforts against drug trafficking networks threatening national security and public health.

The latest seizures come amid intensified efforts by the NDLEA to dismantle local and international drug trafficking syndicates operating within and across Nigeria’s borders. 

Under the leadership of Marwa, the agency has significantly expanded intelligence-driven operations, resulting in record drug seizures, arrests, convictions and the destruction of cannabis farms across the country.

Nigeria remains a major transit and destination point for illicit drugs due to its strategic location and extensive transport networks. 

Authorities have repeatedly warned that drug trafficking not only fuels addiction and public health crises but is also linked to other forms of criminality, including violent crime, arms trafficking and terrorism financing.

The interception of military-grade ammunition alongside narcotics in Kaduna underscores growing concerns among security agencies about the nexus between drug trafficking and broader security threats confronting the country. 

Security experts have increasingly called for stronger inter-agency collaboration to combat the convergence of organized crime, arms smuggling and illicit drug networks.

The NDLEA has maintained that a combination of aggressive enforcement and sustained public awareness campaigns remains critical to addressing Nigeria’s drug challenge and safeguarding communities from the devastating consequences of substance abuse.