The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old grandmother as part of its sweeping nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and abuse.
The agency disclosed that Liang Tak You, a Chinese national naturalized in Malaysia, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Friday, July 25, 2025. Liang arrived from Bangkok via Dubai on an Emirates flight and was caught with two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, a potent synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 26.1 kilograms. The NDLEA said the drugs were picked up in Thailand en route to Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in Cross River State, operatives arrested 80-year-old Mrs. Grace Ekpeme in the early hours of Saturday, July 26, at her residence in Edet-Nsa Street, Calabar South. She was found with over 3kg of skunk, following intelligence reports about her drug dealings.
In another bust in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, on the Epe-Ajah expressway on Wednesday, July 23. Agbafo was transporting 21.7kg of Colorado, some of it hidden in moimoi sachets, and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup in a commercial bus headed for Warri and Oghara in Delta State.
Further operations led to the seizure of 101kg of Canadian Loud concealed in food cans labelled “Bean Salad Mix” inside two Toyota Sienna vehicles at the Apapa seaport. The drugs had been smuggled in a container from Canada and were uncovered during a joint inspection involving NDLEA, Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies.
Along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, a patrol team recovered 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5 from Usman Musa on July 23. Musa was traveling in a commercial bus en route to Kano.
In Borno State, a 30-year-old woman, Binta Usman, was arrested on July 23 after NDLEA officers discovered 30.1kg of skunk in her house in Muna Moforo, Maiduguri. Her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, was also arrested in a follow-up operation two days later.
Three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—were apprehended on Saturday, July 26, during a raid on a cannabis farm in Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose LGA, Ondo State. Operatives destroyed 2,500kg of cannabis on a one-hectare plantation and seized an additional 121.4kg of processed skunk.
In Edo State, a 26-year-old woman, Bright Sunday Okon, was arrested in Asakpa community, Benin City. Officers recovered varying quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine from her residence.
Other seizures during the week include:
- 105.4kg of skunk recovered from an abandoned Honda car in Keffi, Nasarawa State.
- 6,400 pills of tramadol seized from Bashir Abdullahi in Minna, Niger State.
- 113kg of skunk recovered in Ifo, Ogun State, after a raid and violent resistance from a gang led by Jamiu Omolaja.
- 10,910 capsules of tramadol seized from a suspect, Adamu Adamu a.k.a. Dankyado, along Gombe-Bajoga road.
- A consignment of skunk concealed in garri, dried scent leaves, and other food items intercepted along Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi State. A follow-up arrest in Abuja led to the arrest of Kindness Bala, 27, who intended to travel to Katsina and then to Qatar.
- 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700g of skunk recovered from a truck at Ayingba motor park, Kogi.
In addition to enforcement efforts, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, sensitizing students and traditional leaders across various states, including Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Lagos, and Anambra.
Commending the achievements, NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) lauded operatives from the MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi Commands for their efforts in both drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies.
