Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, hidden in a duvet and prepared for export to the United Kingdom. The discovery was made at the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.
Two suspects, Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun, were arrested in connection with the consignment, which contained six parcels of the drug weighing 3.50 kilograms. Balogun, identified as the main agent, confessed to receiving N700,000 for the operation, most of which he used to secure housing and cover export charges.
In a separate operation in Ikorodu, Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided a hideout in Igbo Olomu, arresting Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun. Seized from the location were seven liters of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance, alongside firearms, including locally made rifles and pistols, cartridges, and an axe.
Additional raids across Lagos led to the recovery of 47kg of skunk and 25.46kg of Nitrous Oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, from the notorious Akala area of Mushin on Sunday, January 19,2025.
In Ekiti, 26-year-old Adepoju Taiwo was arrested on January 23 with 1.95kg of Canadian Loud in Ado-Ekiti. Similarly, in Kwara State, Auwal Sani was apprehended on January 20 with 50,000 pills of tramadol weighing 36.56kg.
In Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested three suspects, Abubakar Lami, Abba Sani, and Auwal Aliyu, recovering 13.1kg of skunk and 125 liters of a new psychoactive substance, “suck and die.” A cannabis plantation in Dawakin Kudu was also destroyed, with one suspect, Sabo Ali Muhammad, taken into custody.
Amid these enforcement efforts, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, delivering sensitization lectures in schools, workplaces, and communities across Nigeria.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the agency’s officers for their relentless commitment to combating drug abuse and trafficking.
The agency’s long-standing partnership with FasnewsNG.com, a collaboration spanning over five years, has been instrumental in amplifying WADA campaigns nationwide.
The NDLEA remains resolute in its mission to eliminate drug abuse and trafficking, leveraging enforcement and education to safeguard Nigeria’s future.
By Fikunmi Sokoya