Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have successfully dismantled two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates, arresting six key drug kingpins involved in supplying drugs to terrorist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon. The bust, which involved months of intelligence gathering and surveillance, has led to the recovery of billions of naira worth of drugs, including cocaine and opioids.
Femi Babafemi, spokesperson for the NDLEA, revealed in a statement on Sunday that the syndicates had members from Adamawa, Anambra, Lagos states, and Cameroon. The criminals were suspected of supplying large quantities of drugs to terror groups operating in both countries.
Babafemi said, “After months of intelligence gathering and painstaking surveillance, NDLEA operatives smashed two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates. Six leaders of these cartels were arrested in different parts of the country.”
The arrested syndicate leaders were identified as Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Udechukwu Anayo, Ezeh Amaechi Martin, and Adejumo Elijah Ishola. According to the NDLEA, Bawuro and Najib were two of the main suppliers of psychoactive substances, including tramadol, sourced from notorious drug dealer Nelson Anayo in Onitsha. The drugs were then concealed in vehicles and transported from Onitsha to Yola, Adamawa State, before being distributed to other parts of northern Nigeria and Cameroon.
On October 7, 2024, Bawuro and Najib were trailed from Onitsha and arrested in Taraba State the following day. Authorities seized 276,500 pills of tramadol from their Toyota Avensis saloon car, which had been abandoned on the Jalingo-Yola Expressway as they tried to flee from NDLEA operatives.
“When they noticed our operatives were closing in on them, they abandoned the car and tried to escape,” Babafemi added.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Anayo and Martin in Delta and Anambra states. The NDLEA also reported the capture of Adejumo Ishola, another leader of a separate syndicate, who was apprehended at the Seme border in Lagos while attempting to smuggle 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and 600 grams of synthetic cannabis from Ghana.
In addition to these arrests, the NDLEA reported several significant drug seizures. On November 6, 2024, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa seaport in Lagos intercepted 31.75 million pills of Voltron, a controlled opioid, concealed in a container that had been imported from India. At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, officers intercepted 700 grams of a strong cannabis strain, “Loud,” on November 5, and arrested a suspect, Olu Marshal, who had come to collect the package.
Babafemi also disclosed that another suspect, Orji Nnaorji, had attempted to send 32.5 kilograms of codeine syrup and 5.7 kilograms of cannabis to London via the export shed at the Lagos airport. However, NDLEA operatives thwarted the plan and arrested Nnaorji at his warehouse in Lagos.
In Kwara State, NDLEA operatives seized over 162,800 opioid pills from four suspects during interdiction operations. Among the drugs seized were 112,200 tablets of tramadol from Wahab Saliu and 29,000 pills of the same drug from Ahmed Isiaka in Ilorin.
In Ondo State, authorities intercepted large quantities of cannabis, including 672 kilograms at Emure Ile, 513 kilograms in Ikun Akoko, and 4,908 kilograms from Musibau Kosama at the Alabi Yellow area in Akure.
These operations are part of the NDLEA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and curb the spread of illicit drugs that fund terrorism and other criminal activities.
Babafemi emphasized the agency’s determination to combat cross-border drug trafficking, stating, “The NDLEA remains committed to protecting Nigerians from the harmful effects of drug abuse and curbing the supply of illicit drugs to terror groups.”