The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intensified its nationwide offensive against drug trafficking cartels, destroying massive cannabis farms, intercepting hundreds of thousands of opioid pills, recovering millions in cash, and arresting multiple suspects, including a 75-year-old man, in coordinated raids across several states.
In a statement on Sunday 31st August 2025, Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters Abuja Femi Babafemi in Taraba State, operatives backed by the Nigerian Army, Forest Security Service, and local vigilantes stormed Mayodoga forest in Sardauna Local Government Area where they destroyed a 71.5-hectare cannabis plantation estimated at 178,750 kilograms. The farm was allegedly cultivated by 30-year-old Alfa Andrew, who was arrested at the scene in possession of a Dane gun.
Separately, in Anambra State, NDLEA officers apprehended a 75-year-old suspect, Uchelue Ikechukwu, at Umudioka, Dunukofia Local Government Area with 26.7kg of cannabis. Five other suspects were arrested at Nkwelle and Amichi with various quantities of skunk and opioids.
In Kaduna State, operatives intercepted 104,900 tramadol capsules concealed in a fuel tanker’s driver compartment, allegedly bound for insurgents in Borno State. The driver, Hassan Buba, was arrested, while in a related operation, another suspect, Kabir Sulaiman, was nabbed with over 34kg of cannabis at Zaria.
In Maiduguri, Borno State, NDLEA officers arrested 33-year-old Uchenna Umeh, identified as a major supplier of opioids, shortly after receiving fresh supplies from Onitsha. A search of his residence yielded 30,640 tramadol tablets, 7,940 rohypnol pills, and ₦7.99 million in cash, suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug sales.
Nasarawa, Gombe, and Adamawa States also recorded major seizures. In Mararaba, Nasarawa, 36-year-old Abubakar Dauda was arrested with over 79,000 opioid pills, while in Lafia, 47-year-old Babangida Tungura was found with 30,410 pills concealed in a refrigerator and 38 bottles of codeine syrup. In Gombe, NDLEA intercepted 15,000 tramadol capsules hidden in sacks of animal feed, leading to the arrest of 23-year-old Mohammed Ali in a follow-up operation in Adamawa.
In Kano State, operatives seized more than 250,000 pills of exol-5 in separate operations, arresting several suspects along major highways and in Zango, Ungogo Local Government Area. Additional seizures of new psychoactive substances, cannabis, and codeine were made in Edo, Ondo, Lagos, and Ekiti States. In Ekiti, NDLEA operatives raided the home of a suspected kingpin, Ajayi Ayodeji Idowu, in Ado-Ekiti, where they confiscated 5.3kg of Loud and Colorado strains of cannabis, alongside methamphetamine.
Across the country, NDLEA continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, with sensitization lectures and advocacy visits in schools, religious institutions, workplaces, and traditional palaces. Engagements in the past week included outreach in Onitsha, Abakaliki, Badagry, Lagos, Ogun, and Isheri, among others.
Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and men for their resilience, describing the seizures as a clear message that drug cartels will find no hiding place in Nigeria. He also commended the continued rollout of WADA sensitization programs aimed at curbing demand and building drug-free communities.
“These operations once again underscore the commitment of NDLEA to dismantle drug syndicates, block illicit supply channels, and safeguard the health and security of Nigerians,” Marwa stated.
