NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine Concealed in Religious Books Bound for Saudi Arabia
…Arrests Bandits’ Drug Supplier, Uncovers Major Drug Operations Nationwide
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of cocaine cleverly hidden within religious books destined for Saudi Arabia.
According to a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy at the NDLEA, this operation was among several successful busts carried out by the Agency across multiple states, leading to significant seizures and arrests.
The cocaine shipment, weighing a total of 500 grammes and comprising 20 individual parcels, was discovered on Tuesday, 15th April 2025 by operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI).
The drugs were ingeniously buried within the pages of 20 sets of religious books at a courier company in Lagos. The interception came during routine checks of export consignments headed for Saudi Arabia.
On the same day, at another courier firm, officers uncovered five parcels of Loud — a potent strain of cannabis — weighing 2.8 kilogrammes, concealed in a carton shipped from the United States of America.
In a related development in Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, a suspected supplier of narcotics to bandits.
He was apprehended on Sunday, 13th April, while en route to Katsina along the Bichi-Kano Road. Authorities found 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied around his thighs and private parts with Sellotape.
That same day, another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was arrested at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano, in possession of 68 blocks of skunk weighing 30kg.
In Bayelsa State, a major drug warehouse was uncovered during a raid on Wednesday, 16th April at a house located on Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa.
Operatives recovered 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grammes of heroin. Four suspects were arrested in connection with the haul: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis (46), Roland Prosper (34), Sarimiye Tare Paul (45), and Fidelis Ugbesla (46).
Further enforcement actions were recorded in Lagos on Thursday, 17th April, where 1,100kg of skunk were discovered inside a delivery van. The driver, Ismail Abdullahi, was apprehended.
In a separate operation in Kaduna on Friday, 18th April, NDLEA officers raided the Zaria hideout of one Ike Ani, 30, recovering no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol (225mg) and diazepam.
In Kebbi State, operatives intercepted a vehicle loaded with charcoal sacks on patrol along Bagudo Road on Friday, 18th April. A search revealed 97kg of skunk hidden within the charcoal. Three suspects — Abubakar Ibrahim (50), Mustapha Aliyu (32), and Bashar Lawali (28) — were taken into custody.
Meanwhile, in Anambra State, a 48-year-old suspect, Okafor Marcel, was arrested with 11.5kg of skunk in Abatete.
In Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday, 15th April, a 27-year-old woman, Ajala Mercy, was arrested at her residence in Dada Estate, Halleluyah area, with 43 litres of skushi — a locally brewed mixture of blackcurrant, cannabis, and opioids.
A major blow to cannabis cultivation was also dealt in Edo State, where two farms in Egbeta Forest, Ovia North East Local Government Area, were raided.
NDLEA officers destroyed 3,717.8625kg of cannabis cultivated on 1.487145 hectares and seized 136.5kg of processed cannabis from the site.
At Tincan Seaport, Lagos, operatives arrested Basorun Usman Kayode, 40, who had been on the run for two years over a 2023 case involving the importation of 107kg of Loud from Canada.
Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, who was allegedly distributing illicit substances within the seaport community, was also apprehended on Monday, 14th April.
As part of the Agency’s ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, sensitisation activities were carried out across the country.
Educational lectures and advocacy campaigns were held at St. Michael Anglican Primary School in Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School in Ipoti Ekiti, Ekiti State; College of Education in Minna, Niger State; and at major marketplaces such as Igbona Market in Osogbo, Osun State, and Marian Market in Calabar, Cross River.
Drivers and commuters at Peace Mass Transit Park, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State, also received drug abuse prevention messages.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retired), commended officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, as well as those in Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Edo, Zone 13, and Tincan Commands for their dedication and effectiveness.
He also acknowledged the efforts of all other commands nationwide in maintaining a strong balance between drug supply reduction and demand reduction strategies.
