Nigeria’s drug-control (NDLEA) operations have uncovered suspected trafficking networks spanning international airports, interstate highways and residential neighbourhoods, with seizures ranging from hundreds of thousands of tablets to more than a tonne of cannabis.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) announced the operations on Sunday, including the rearrest of an 83-year-old woman in Abia State barely a year after she and her daughter were convicted of drug-related offences.
The agency identified the woman as Uloma Uchechi Sunday. It said operatives arrested her at her residence in Ite-Uzo, Umuaguma, Obingwa Local Government Area, on October 7, after intelligence indicated that she allegedly operated a drug joint patronised by criminal elements.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, officers recovered methamphetamine and Colorado allegedly tied around her waist with a wrapper.
The agency said Uloma and her 32-year-old daughter, Chisom Uchechi, were arrested at the same address in May 2025. They pleaded guilty and received 12-month prison sentences or fines of ₦200,000 each. Both paid the fines and were released, the statement said. The agency alleged that Uloma later returned to drug trafficking.
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International shipments under scrutiny
The operations also targeted suspected international supply routes. At Port Harcourt International Airport, officers arrested South African national Gebashe Sithandiwe Jessie over the alleged importation of 32.74 kilogrammes of cannabis known as Thai Loud. The agency said the substance was concealed in two travelling bags after a journey from Thailand through Doha.
At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, operatives intercepted 354,000 tablets of Tapentadol 250mg weighing 307.20kg in a shipment from Pakistan. The consignment arrived on September 29 and was discovered in nine cartons during an examination on October 6.
Officers also seized 75.90kg of Colorado allegedly concealed in six Ghana-Must-Go bags within consolidated cargo from the United Kingdom. Several suspects were arrested in connection with the shipment, including a clearing agent, an Uber driver and two men who allegedly arrived to collect the bags.
These interceptions highlight the different points traffickers may exploit, from passenger baggage and cargo consignments to local collection arrangements. They also demonstrate why airport screening, intelligence-sharing and investigations into intended recipients are essential to disrupting distribution networks.
More seizures across Nigerian states
In Cross River State, the agency reported recovering 1,100kg of cannabis and 17.15kg of cannabis seeds after an operation in Ikom. In Kaduna, officers seized 1,027kg of skunk during a highway patrol.
Other operations produced 702.83kg of cannabis in Edo, 641kg in two raids in Ondo, and 107kg of tramadol tablets in Taraba. Officers in Kano also recovered thousands of tramadol capsules and tablets of diazepam and Exol-5.
In Plateau State, a raid yielded methamphetamine, two pump-action rifles, a locally made gun and ammunition.
The scale and spread of the reported seizures point to a challenge that extends beyond individual arrests. Intercepting drugs removes consignments from circulation, but identifying financiers, suppliers and distribution networks is essential to preventing replacement shipments.
The NDLEA said its chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations. The agency also reported drug-prevention sensitisation programmes in schools across several states.
The latest enforcement drive combines interdiction with public education. Its lasting impact will depend not only on the quantity of drugs seized, but also on successful prosecutions, disruption of supply chains and sustained prevention efforts.
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