….. As NDLEA launches a heavy crackdown on DTOs nationwide, arresting 9 kingpins and recovering tonnes of illicit drugs in flight boarding passes and others, nabs ladies for selling Colos-laced brownies online

In a blistering crackdown on drug trafficking organisations across the country, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled no fewer than six syndicates, leading to the seizure of tonnes of assorted illicit drugs and the arrest of nine kingpins in a series of intelligence-led interdiction operations.

According to a press release on Sunday, 23rd November 2025, signed by the NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in one such operation, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, 18th November 2025, arrested two members of a drug trafficking organisation in Onitsha, Anambra State, when they showed up to take delivery of 5.40 kilograms of methamphetamine, 10.70 kilograms of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, 16 grams of cocaine, 200 grams of phenacetin, 200 grams of methcathinone and 100 100grams of caffeine concealed in pressure machine cylinders imported from South Africa.

The first to show up at a logistics company in Onitsha for the collection of the consignments was 30-year-old electrical appliances dealer Ebulue Lotanwa Uzochukwu, who was promptly arrested, while shortly after, another member of the syndicate, 51-year-old South Africa returnee Christopher Michael Ndibuisi, showed up and was equally arrested.

The consignments had arrived at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja-Lagos, with airway bill number 118-12882973 arriving from South Africa on a Tag-Angola flight on 13th November 2025 and were immediately seized based on credible intelligence. A follow-up sting operation was thereafter organised in Onitsha, Anambra State, where the recipients, Uzochukwu and Ndibuisi, were arrested.

In another operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, 20th November, intercepted a brake servo automobile part used to conceal 48 pellets and a block of cocaine with a gross weight of 2.30 kilograms, packed among other auto parts going to Gabon.

Following the arrest of a freight agent, Ameh Solomon, who presented the consignment for export, a follow-up at the ASMPDA market, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, Lagos, led to the arrest of an auto parts dealer, Nwafor Tochukwu Boniface.

In Kogi State, NDLEA operatives on Monday, 17th November, intercepted a trailer conveying 4,700 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, at Kabba. Three suspects – Solomon Dauda, Friday Garba and Daniel Danladi, accompanying the consignment – were arrested, while a follow-up operation in Jos, Plateau State, on Friday, 21st November, led to the arrest of the kingpin who owns the trailer and the illicit drug consignment, Marcus Danladi Dan Mangu.

A couple, 55-year-old Onun Okoi Okpotum and his wife, 52-year-old Itam Okoi Okpotum, were arrested on Wednesday, 19th November, at their warehouse located at 13 Park Road, Ugep, Yakur LGA, Cross River State, where 362 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 4,706 kilograms were recovered.

In Edo State, two ladies, Praise Nwogu, 19, and Ebong Emem Oghosa, 25, who specialise in the production and online sale of brownies laced with illicit drugs, were arrested in Benin City on Saturday, 22nd November. At the point of their arrest, Praise Nwogu was found with 12 plates and a cup of drug-laced brownies, while Ebong Emem Oghosa was nabbed with 76 grams of skunk, 1.5 grams of Colorado and drug-laced brownies. A raid at Ososo village, Akoko Edo LGA, on Tuesday, 18th November, led to the arrest of 35-year-old Shedrack Aminu, who was found with 59 kg of skunk.

Operatives on patrol along the Enugu/Onitsha road, Enugu, on Wednesday, 19th November, intercepted a suspect, Chinoso Emmanuel Monday, 24, conveying 10.1 kg of skunk; 105,600 pills of tramadol 250 mg, 225 mg and 100 mg; 700 ampoules of pentazocine injection; and 3000 rounds of live ammunition.

In Kebbi state, 13,155 bottles of codeine-based syrup were evacuated from a warehouse located at Dole-Kaina, Dandi LGA, while a 23-year-old suspect, Umar Adamu, was arrested with 12,548 pills of opioids concealed in paracetamol containers heading to a Boko Haram enclave in the Minok area of Borno state on Friday, 21st November.

Two suspects, Anthony Mercy, 40, and Sunday Augustine, 39, were arrested on Monday, 17th November, with 430.5 kg by NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abaji-Abuja motorway in the FCT, while Samson Dafe, 47, was arrested at Dikko junction, Kaduna road, Tafa LGA, Niger state, on Tuesday, 18th November, conveying 85,100 pills of opioids and 5,456 bottles of codeine syrup in his Sharon vehicle marked ABJ 114 BV. The premises of a suspect, Sani Mohammed, in Anguwan Makera Kuta, Shiroro LGA, was raided on Thursday, 20th November, with 437 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 471.8 kilograms recovered.

In Lagos, a suspect, Usman Ayoola Adegoke, was arrested in connection with the seizure of 139 pouches of Canadian Loud weighing 71 kg at an apartment in Lekki, while a lady, Oluchi Celestine, was nabbed on Tuesday, 18th November, in Lekki with 2.6 kg of Colorado packaged in branded containers and some concealed in flight boarding cards.

Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives supported by some military personnel on Monday, 17th November, raided the notorious Peti illicit drug enclave on Lagos Island, where 385 kilograms of skunk, Loud and Colorado were recovered and two suspects arrested.

No less than 163,200 capsules of tramadol 225mg were also recovered in another operation at a motor park in the Maza Maza area of Lagos.

With the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week. These include WADA sensitisation lectures to students and staff of Baptist High School, Ilero, Oyo State; St Michael Anglican Primary School, Afuye Epe, Lagos; Government Day Senior and Junior Secondary School, Kurami, Katsina; Women Day Secondary, Kontogora, Niger State; Government Day Secondary School, Takatuku, Sokoto; St Paul’s College, Eke, Enugu; and Iwoye Area Community High School, Iwoye, Ogun State, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kogi, Edo, Cross River, Enugu, Kebbi, Niger, Borno and FCT Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.

Justifying the current heavy crackdown on drug trafficking syndicates, Marwa said the coming festive season is usually a period often exploited by criminal elements; hence, the agency has decided to launch a relentless offensive on drug trafficking cartels across the nation. “The coming weeks present both an opportunity and a challenge. Drug cartels may attempt to increase their illegal activities, seeking to profit during the busy holiday period. We must not, and we will not, let down our guard,” he added.

… Calls for Decisive Action on Insecurity

The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, has expressed deep sorrow and alarm over the abduction of more than 300 pupils of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in the Agwarra Local Government Area of Niger State.

In a statement issued on 22 November 2025, Senator Usman described the incident as a tragic reflection of Nigeria’s deteriorating security environment, noting that such a large-scale abduction “without early detection” underscores the gravity of the nation’s security challenges.

She warned that the Nigerian state “cannot continue to watch helplessly while its citizens are attacked with reckless abandon,” stressing that the country is “drifting dangerously towards the precipice of state failure.” According to her, the recent escalation of violence nationwide—particularly the shutdown of schools due to safety concerns—should alarm all Nigerians.

Senator Usman urged the government to take urgent and decisive steps to reverse what she termed the country’s “dangerous descent into anarchy.” She highlighted the need to tackle widespread hunger and economic hardship, which she said are driving insecurity. “In any society where poverty has reached catastrophic levels, insecurity becomes an inevitable consequence,” she noted.

The Labour Party leader called on the Federal Government to move beyond routine condemnations and adopt a sincere, coordinated, and enduring strategy for policing and securing the nation.

“This moment demands structured action, not rhetoric,” she added.

The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed media reports alleging that the Commissioner of Police defied a court order regarding the Nestoil premises, describing the claims as “untrue, unfounded, and mischievous.”

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the Command said the publication and a related television interview misrepresented facts and sought to mislead the public by suggesting that the Commissioner disobeyed a lawful directive of the court.

According to the statement, the Command received the court order concerning the Nestoil premises at about 5:50 p.m. on Thursday, 20 November 2025. The order was immediately forwarded to the Legal Department for verification and authentication from the issuing court. Confirmation was obtained on the evening of Friday, 21 November 2025, after which all police personnel stationed at the premises were withdrawn without delay in full compliance with the directive.

The Command expressed shock that, despite this compliance, some media reports alleged that the Commissioner defied the court. It clarified that at no time on 20 or 21 November did the Commissioner visit the Nestoil premises, nor did the Police obstruct the enforcement of the court order.

The Police stressed that its statutory role in such matters is limited to providing security for court officials, particularly sheriffs, during the execution of court orders, and maintaining peace and order. The Command emphasised that it has no legal authority to seal any premises, including those belonging to Nestoil.

The statement urged parties involved in the dispute to focus on their legal processes rather than dragging the Police into “unnecessary controversy.” It further appealed to the public to disregard the report, describing it as a “complete misrepresentation of facts.”

Reaffirming its commitment to the rule of law, the Lagos State Police Command stated that it remains dedicated to upholding judicial directives and ensuring that all police actions conform strictly with legal procedures.

The South West Youth Alliance has debunked a social media report alleging that more than 50 okada riders attacked policemen at a checkpoint around 7 p.m. on 1st Avenue by the FIRS turning in Festac Town.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Adenike Ajanlekoko, the group described the claim as false and misleading, stressing that no okada rider was seen beating policemen with sticks, chasing them, or attempting to seize their firearms.

According to SWYA, the actual incident involved policemen from the Festac Division arresting some okada riders who had violated traffic regulations by driving against the flow of traffic.

Other riders reportedly gathered at the scene, not to foment trouble, but to plead with the officers to temper justice with mercy and release their colleagues.

The organisation affirmed that Festac remains peaceful and secure, noting that lives and property in the community are safe.

It also emphasised that okada riders have not taken over the area, as alleged, and that the Divisional Police Officer retains full operational control.

SWYA further commended the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Moshood Jimoh, for restoring order and strengthening law enforcement across the state.

The group urged members of the public to always verify information before sharing it online, warning that individuals who deliberately spread falsehoods should be ready to face the consequences of their actions.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, AIG Victor Olaiya, psc(+), on Saturday visited the Niger State Governor, His Excellency Farmer (Dr.) Mohammed Umar Bago, at the Government House in Minna, to assess the security situation following the abduction of students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, in Agwara Local Government Area.

According to a statement signed by ASP Mohammed Halima, Police Public Relations Officer, Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, the visit was to convey the sympathies of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, to the government and people of Niger State over the incident, which occurred in the early hours of November 21, 2025. He assured the governor that the Nigeria Police Force had already launched swift and coordinated efforts to rescue the victims unharmed.

AIG Olaiya noted that additional tactical teams had been deployed to support the Niger State Police Command in ongoing rescue operations and emphasised the need for public cooperation. He urged residents to support security agencies with useful information and assistance.

Governor Bago, in his response, commended the prompt reaction of the Inspector-General of Police and expressed appreciation for the support extended to the state. He reaffirmed the government’s readiness to collaborate fully with security agencies, stressing that safeguarding lives and property remains a top priority. The governor also expressed optimism about positive developments in the coming days.