NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine in Religious Books, Arrests Drug Suppliers (+PHOTOS)

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books bound for Saudi Arabia.

The cocaine consignment, consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grams, was hidden within the pages of the books. It was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos on Tuesday, 15th April 2025, when NDLEA officers from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were screening export cargo destined for Saudi Arabia.

On the same day, officers at another courier firm intercepted five parcels of Loud—a potent strain of cannabis—totalling 2.8 kilograms, concealed in a carton originating from the United States.

In Kano, a 22-year-old supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Bichi–Kano road. He was en route to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private parts with Sellotape. He was intercepted on Sunday, 13th April.

That same day, another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was arrested in the Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano, with 68 blocks of skunk (a cannabis strain) weighing 30 kilograms.

In Bayelsa State, NDLEA operatives recovered 557.2 kilograms of skunk, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams of heroin from a residence along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa. Four suspects were arrested during the raid on Wednesday, 16th April: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46.

A further 1,100 kilograms of skunk were seized from a delivery van in Surulere, Lagos, on Thursday, 17th April, with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi, arrested.

In Kaduna, on Friday, 18th April, operatives raided the Zaria hideout of suspect Ike Ani, 30, recovering 31,950 pills of tramadol (225mg) and diazepam.

Meanwhile, in Kebbi State, NDLEA operatives patrolling Bagudo Road intercepted a vehicle transporting bags of charcoal from Malabil, Benin Republic. A search uncovered 97 kilograms of skunk concealed in the charcoal sacks. Three suspects—Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28—were arrested in connection with the seizure.

In Anambra State, Okafor Marcel, 48, was arrested with 11.5 kilograms of skunk in Abatete. In Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday, 15th April, operatives arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, and recovered 43 litres of skushi—a cocktail of blackcurrant, cannabis, and opioids—from her room at Dada Estate, Halleluyah area.

Two cannabis farms located in Egbeta Forest, Ovia North-East LGA of Edo State, were raided. NDLEA operatives destroyed 3,717.8625 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5 kilograms of processed cannabis.

At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect, Basorun Usman Kayode, 40—who had been at large for two years—was arrested in connection with a 2023 seizure of 107 kilograms of Loud imported from Canada. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community, was arrested on Monday, 14th April.

The NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities also continued nationwide during the week. Sensitisation lectures were delivered at St Michael Anglican Primary School, Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School, Ipoti-Ekiti, Ekiti State; the College of Education, Minna, Niger State; as well as to traders at Igbona Market, Osogbo, Osun State; Marian Market, Calabar, Cross River; and drivers at Peace Mass Transit Park, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended officers of the DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tincan Commands for their efforts. He also praised all commands nationwide for maintaining a balanced approach to both drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.