Video: NDLEA intercepts N3.4bn Loud, opioids, arrests fake police
Abdullateef Fowewe
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted illicit drugs valued at N3.4 billion, including “Loud” cannabis and opioids, while arresting several suspects in coordinated operations across multiple states.
In a statement shared on Saturday via X by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA said it recovered “over 1.3 million pills of opioids, 6,000kg skunk” and made key arrests during sweeps in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Abuja, Gombe, Imo and Ondo.
The operations also led to the arrest of a fake police officer and a mechanic involved in drug dealing.
In addition, two teenagers were nabbed with AK-47 rifles, a pistol and ammunition.
“NDLEA intercepts N3.4bn Loud, opioids, arrests fake police officer, mechanic-drug dealer,” Babafemi noted, highlighting the scale of the recovery and the involvement of armed youths.
The NDLEA, Nigeria’s primary agency for combating drug trafficking and abuse, has intensified nationwide operations under Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd).
These efforts form part of the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which targets both large-scale trafficking networks and local distribution of cannabis strains such as Loud and skunk, as well as opioids that are widely misused.
Cannabis remains the most commonly trafficked illicit substance in Nigeria, while the influx of opioids has raised public health concerns.
The agency regularly reports seizures from ports, airports, highways and rural areas, often involving sophisticated concealment methods and, in some cases, links to other forms of organised crime including the possession of firearms.
