The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, in a series of daring operations, has intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs and arrested several suspects across Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and shared on the agency’s website on Sunday.

The most notable bust occurred at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, where an import and export businessman, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, was caught attempting to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing 6 kilograms into the country.

The agency revealed that the cocaine was concealed in his body, marking the largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since 2006.

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The statement read: “An attempt by an import and export businessman, Olisaka Chibuzo Calistus, to smuggle 256 wraps of cocaine weighing 6 kilograms into the country through the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, has been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

“The seizure, which is the single largest interception of cocaine at the Kano airport since the creation of MAKIA Command of NDLEA in 2006, was made on Sunday, 15 December 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.”

Another significant arrest occurred at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where an ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, was caught trying to export a consignment of Rohypnol to South Africa.

Akorede, previously convicted of a similar offence, had earlier paid a fine of ₦900,000 to avoid imprisonment.

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“A similar attempt by an ex-convict, Olanrewaju Bada Akorede, to export a consignment of Rohypnol to South Africa through the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, was equally thwarted by NDLEA officers. The consignment was hidden in cargo containing gari, shoes, men’s singlets, and other items,” the statement revealed.

Additionally, an Italy-based businesswoman, Cynthia Akaeen, was arrested at Lagos airport while attempting to board a flight to Italy with 9,190 tramadol tablets weighing 6 kilograms.

The NDLEA also raided a warehouse in Onitsha, Anambra State, uncovering 418,330 pills of tramadol and tapentadol, along with 8,000 bottles of codeine syrup.

In Maiduguri, Borno State, multiple operations led to the seizure of tramadol capsules, cannabis, ammunition, and other psychoactive substances.

The statement detailed additional raids in Oyo and Enugu States, as well as a joint security operation at Tincan Island Port, Lagos, which resulted in the interception of 180,000 bottles of codeine syrup concealed in a container from India.

The NDLEA has intensified its War Against Drug Abuse campaign, educating communities in Adamawa, Kano, and Kebbi states about the dangers of drug abuse through outreach programmes in schools, religious centres, and workplaces.