The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has busted two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates, seizing cocaine, opioids and other narcotics valued at billions of naira.

After months of meticulous intelligence gathering and surveillance, NDLEA officials announced the arrest of six people believed to be central to the unions’ operations.

According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, these arrests are part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to combat illicit drug trafficking and protect national security.

The syndicates are composed of individuals operating from various locations in Nigeria, including Mubi in Adamawa, Onitsha in Anambra and Lagos, as well as Cameroonian affiliates.

NDLEA operations

• The arrested suspects, identified as Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu, Ezeh Amaechi and Adejumo Ishola, are believed to be the main suppliers of drugs to terrorist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon.
• The group’s operations spanned the northern and eastern regions of the country, with drugs often sourced from Onitsha, packed and hidden in specially modified vehicles and transported overnight to avoid detection.
• An operation began in early October with NDLEA officials tracking Bawuro and Najib as they traveled from Onitsha where they allegedly secured a new shipment of drugs. On October 8, they were intercepted on the Jalingo-Yola highway in Taraba State.
• In a desperate bid to escape, the suspects abandoned their vehicle, a Toyota Avensis sedan, but were eventually apprehended. A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up 276,500 pills of tramadol, an addictive opioid commonly trafficked in the region.

Other arrests

This operation was followed by arrests in Delta and Anambra states where Amaechi and Udechukwu were also apprehended, marking a multi-state coordinated operation by the Intelligence Directorate of the NDLEA.

In a separate sting, NDLEA operatives arrested another suspected ringleader, Ishola Adejumo, at the Seme border in Lagos on November 5. Adejumo was returning from Ghana with 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis.

The arrest followed months of intelligence operations monitoring Adejumo’s alleged cross-border smuggling activities.

NDLEA’s anti-drug campaign goes beyond these arrests, with nationwide staff actively involved in the War on Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. NDLEA officers conduct awareness campaigns in schools, workplaces and religious institutions with the aim of reducing drug abuse and reducing the demand that feeds the trafficking networks.

NDLEA President Brig. General Buba Marwa commended the agency’s personnel for their vigilance and determination to protect Nigerian communities, saying that continued enforcement and education are essential to disrupt organized drug syndicates and reduce the risks of addiction across the country.

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