The NDLEA has uncovered a major cross-border drug trafficking network, arresting six suspected kingpins involved in the illegal trade. Learn more about the operation and its implications for drug control efforts in Nigeria.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced that its officers have broken up two major cross-border drug trafficking syndicates.
The agency reported the arrest of six suspected drug kingpins from Adamawa, Anambra, and Lagos states as well as Cameroon. They seized cocaine and opioids valued at billions of naira during this operation.
In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed this information.
He mentioned that the group had been monitored by the agency for several months because they were significant suppliers of drugs to terrorist organizations active in Nigeria and Cameroon.
He stated, “Following extensive intelligence gathering and meticulous surveillance over several months, NDLEA operatives have successfully dismantled two significant cross-border drug trafficking syndicates. During this operation, cocaine and opioids valued at billions of naira were seized. Additionally, six cartel leaders were apprehended in various locations across the country.”
The NDLEA began monitoring syndicates, comprising Nigerians from Mubi in Adamawa State, Onitsha in Anambra State, and Lagos State, along with Cameroonians. These groups were suspected of being key suppliers of drugs to terrorist organizations active in Nigeria and Cameroon.
READ ALSO: NDLEA Seizes ₦16.6bn Worth of Opioids and Drug Shipments Bound for US and Europe
The syndicate leaders arrested to date are Ibrahim Bawuro, Najib Ibrahim, Ibrahim Umar, Nelson Anayo, Ezeh Martin, and Adejumo Ishola. Intelligence reports indicate that psychoactive substances like tramadol were frequently obtained by Ibrahim Bawuro and Najib Muhammad from a well-known drug dealer named Nelson Udechukwu Anayo in Onitsha. These drugs were subsequently packaged and hidden within vehicles at the location of Ezeh Amaechi Martin, who is affiliated with Udechukwu.
Ibrahim Bawuro and Ibrahim Najib were responsible for transporting drugs from Onitsha to Yola, and then further distributing them across the northern regions and into Cameroon. They concealed the substances in specially designed false compartments within vehicles that traveled at night from the East to the North.
Babafemi mentioned that on October 7, Bawuro and Najib were followed from Onitsha after purchasing another consignment and were arrested the next day in Taraba.
He reported that 276,500 tramadol pills were recovered from a Toyota Avensis saloon car with the license plate DKA 57 TT. The vehicle was abandoned on the Jalingo-Yola expressway when those involved realized NDLEA operatives were pursuing them.
