NDLEA intercepted opioids worth N3.2 billion at Lagos and Port Harcourt ports, arresting octogenarians and others in nationwide drug raids.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) seized opioids valued at over N3.2 billion at Apapa seaport in Lagos and Port Harcourt port, Onne, Rivers State, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi announced the operations in a statement on Sunday, May 18, 2025, detailing the arrest of two octogenarians among other suspects.
At Port Harcourt, NDLEA recovered three million pills of tapentadol and carisoprodol royal 225mg, worth N2.1 billion, from a watch-listed container during a joint examination with Customs Service. In Lagos, 169,800 bottles of codeine syrup, valued at N1.1 billion, were found hidden in a shipment declared as car parts from India. Additional seizures included 250 grams of cocaine concealed in a female headgear bound for Australia, intercepted at a Lagos courier firm on May 16.
In Kaduna, 80-year-old ex-convict Ayuba Ashiru, previously jailed for drug offenses, was arrested with 2.3 kilograms of skunk, while in Abia, 82-year-old Mrs. Uloma Uchechi Sunday and her daughter were nabbed. Kwara State raids led to the arrest of a polytechnic student, Ibrahim Oladimeji Abdulateef, with 650 grams of cannabis.
NDLEA Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the operations, emphasizing the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply and demand reduction. The seizures and arrests highlight Nigeria’s ongoing battle against illicit drug trafficking.
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