NDLEA Nabs Chinese Businessman, 80-Year-Old Grandma as Colos is Concealed in Moimoi Sachets, Canadian Loud in Canned Food
…Massive raids across 13 states yield arrests, seizures of cannabis, opioids, and methamphetamine
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a Chinese businessman and an 80-year-old Nigerian grandmother among other suspects, as part of intensified efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country.
The high-profile operations, which spanned Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi states, resulted in the seizure of large quantities of illegal substances, including synthetic cannabis strains known as Colorado and Loud, some cleverly concealed in moimoi sachets and canned food items imported from Canada.
One of the major busts occurred on Friday, 25th July 2025, when NDLEA operatives arrested Liang Tak You, a Chinese national, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos. The arrest followed intelligence tracking his movement from Bangkok through Dubai on an Emirates flight.
Liang, who is naturalised and resides in Malaysia, had flown to Thailand to procure two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing a total of 26.10 kilogrammes, which he intended to smuggle into Nigeria. He was arrested as he exited the airport after being closely monitored by NDLEA agents.
In another surprising development, 80-year-old Mrs Grace Ekpeme was apprehended in the early hours of Saturday, 26th July, at her residence on Edet-Nsa Street in Calabar South, Cross River State. She was found in possession of over 3kg of skunk, a potent form of cannabis, following tip-offs about her involvement in the illicit drug trade.
A particularly brazen concealment method was uncovered at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, where NDLEA officers, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted a shipment containing 101kg of Canadian Loud. The drugs were disguised as ‘Bean Salad Mix’ in 202 tins, hidden inside two Toyota Sienna buses in a container that had originated from Canada.
Meanwhile, along the Epe-Ajah expressway in Lagos, a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, was caught transporting 21.7kg of Colorado—some concealed in moimoi cooking sachets—and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup in a commercial bus en route to Delta State.
In Borno State, 30-year-old Binta Usman was arrested with 30.1kg of skunk at her residence in the Muna Moforo area of Maiduguri on 23rd July. Her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi, was later arrested in a follow-up operation two days later.
Three brothers, Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye, were arrested in Ondo State following a raid on a cannabis farm located in the Bending Corner Forest, Idoani, Ose Local Government Area. The operatives destroyed 2,500kg of cannabis cultivated on one hectare and recovered an additional 121.4kg of processed skunk.
In Benin City, Edo State, NDLEA agents stormed Asakpa community and apprehended 26-year-old Bright Sunday Okon, recovering quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, skunk, and methamphetamine.
Along the Abuja-Kaduna highway, NDLEA intercepted Usman Musa on 23rd July with 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5. In Nasarawa, operatives discovered 105.4kg of skunk abandoned in a Honda vehicle marked ABC 204 KM. In Niger State, Bashir Abdullahi was arrested on 21st July with 6,400 pills of tramadol 225mg at Kasuwan Gwari in Minna.
In Ogun State, 113kg of skunk was recovered after a violent encounter with the gang of a notorious dealer, Jamiu Omolaja, who was arrested in Ifo on 24th July. In Gombe, 10,910 capsules of tramadol were seized from Adamu Adamu, alias “Dankyado,” on 26th July.
Kogi State also witnessed multiple drug busts. On 24th July, skunk was found hidden inside food items such as garri and dried scent leaves along the Okene-Lokoja highway.
A follow-up in Abuja led to the arrest of 27-year-old Kindness Bala, who was preparing to move the consignment to Katsina State and then onward to Qatar. Another raid in Ayingba on 26th July led to the seizure of 23,600 tramadol pills, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injections, and 700 grams of skunk.
As part of its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative, NDLEA continued its sensitisation efforts through lectures and school visits in Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, and Lagos states.
The agency also paid advocacy visits to traditional rulers in Anambra State, including Obi Gibson Nwosu of Awka and Igwe Robert Eze of Ukpo.
Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the exemplary efforts of officers across all the commands involved, particularly those in MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Cross River, Edo, Ondo, Nasarawa, Borno, Niger, Ogun, Gombe, Kaduna, and Kogi States. He lauded their balanced approach in both supply and demand reduction strategies in the agency’s ongoing anti-drug campaign.
“These operations underscore our unrelenting resolve to dismantle drug trafficking networks and protect our communities from the harmful effects of illicit substances,” Marwa stated.
The NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the momentum in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking across Nigeria.
