The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled a major opioid trafficking network in Lagos, arresting a drug baron and five members of his syndicate and recovering illicit substances worth more than N6.7 billion.
According to Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Abuja Femi Babafemi the arrests followed an intelligence-led operation carried out between Wednesday, November 19 and Thursday, November 20, 2025, during which operatives raided a secret warehouse used by the cartel in a residential estate at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri, in the Isolo area of Lagos.
Acting on credible intelligence that the group was preparing to distribute more than 7.2 million tramadol 225mg pills and 526,200 bottles of codeine syrup ahead of the festive season, NDLEA’s Special Operations Unit tracked and arrested two members of the syndicate—Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel—at Apple Junction, Festac, while they were transporting 300 cartons of opioids.
A subsequent raid on the warehouse led to the arrest of the drug baron, Onyekachi Pius Nwanagu, along with accomplices Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip.
In total, officers recovered 7,272,000 tramadol pills valued at N3.96 billion and 53 million millilitres of codeine syrup worth over N2.76 billion. The seized drugs were evacuated from the estate in eleven trucks and transferred to the NDLEA’s central exhibit complex in Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the professionalism and dedication of the operatives involved, describing the operation as a significant victory against drug cartels targeting Nigerian youth.
“This is not just an arrest; it is a clear and unambiguous statement,” Marwa said. “The days when drug barons thought they were untouchable are over. The long arm of the law will eventually catch up with every merchant of death, no matter how deeply concealed they think they are.”
Marwa reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to focusing on the kingpins and financiers of illicit drug trafficking, stressing that the latest breakthrough underscores NDLEA’s resolve under the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
