Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a Nigerian ex-convict and returnee from Malaysia, Ndubuisi Udatu, for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine hidden inside two large music speakers.
The narcotics, weighing approximately 2.7 kilograms, were allegedly intended for distribution in Adamawa State and smuggling into neighboring Cameroon.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Udatu—also known by the alias Richard—was intercepted on April 7 while traveling on a commercial bus.
He was stopped by operatives at a checkpoint in Namtari, along the Ngurore-Yola route. Upon inspection, officers discovered the concealed drugs and cash amounting to N22,300.
During preliminary questioning, Udatu confessed that he returned to Nigeria to continue his drug trafficking operations after completing a prison sentence in Malaysia for similar offences.
In a separate crackdown, NDLEA officers working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Mfum border crossing in Cross River State arrested a 33-year-old man, Peter Odoh.
He was allegedly caught with 8,740 ampoules of various opioid injections, collectively weighing 395 kilograms.
Among the seized substances were 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl, 2,160 of morphine sulphate, 3,010 of phenobarbital, 2,160 of pethidine, and 330 of midazolam.
In another raid in Kano, NDLEA personnel arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim in the Bachirawa area on April 11.
The suspect was found with 25,600 tramadol pills and 20 ATM cards.
Following up on this operation, officers later apprehended a 48-year-old man, Gambo Lawan, at Wazobia motor park in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
His arrest was linked to the earlier seizure of 8,960 tramadol tablets during a routine inspection along the Gwagwalada expressway on April 7.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, officials intercepted a vehicle carrying 124 kilograms of skunk, a high-grade strain of cannabis.
The drug was discovered packed in 11 large bags in the boot of a Lexus vehicle with plate number KTU 54 CU, driven by 58-year-old Ademiluyi Adedapo on the Mokwa-Jebba highway.
The NDLEA continues to pair its enforcement efforts with its anti-drug awareness initiative, the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), which targets schools, markets, religious centers, and communities across the country.
Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd.), commended the dedication and effectiveness of officers involved in the operations across Adamawa, Cross River, Abuja, Kano, and Niger.