After seven years on the run, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has finally apprehended 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, recovering significant quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine in the process.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, Chigozie was captured at his hideout on Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri, in Lagos State, on Sunday, July 13, 2025. His arrest followed a high-stakes early morning operation along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Ilasamaja, where operatives intercepted a courier vehicle linked to his network. Inside the Toyota Sienna en route to Onitsha, NDLEA agents discovered 7.6kg of cocaine and 900g of meth, cunningly stashed within hidden compartments.
Following this breakthrough, NDLEA agents raided Chigozie’s residence and seized an additional 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine, further dismantling what appeared to be a deeply entrenched trafficking network.
But this bust was only the beginning of a sweeping nationwide operation.
At Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officials, in coordination with FAAN’s aviation security, seized nearly 8,000 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from a traveler bound for Italy via Istanbul. The suspect, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, confessed to purchasing the drugs himself, aiming to profit from selling them abroad.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Lagos export shed intercepted a shipment of cannabis cleverly concealed in packs of Golden Morn cereal, destined for Pakistan. A suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna, was arrested after presenting the shipment for export.
In a separate raid in Kosofe, Lagos, agents stormed Sarah Sam Hotels, a family-run facility allegedly serving as a distribution hub for party drugs. The prime suspect, Obayemi Oyetade, was caught with 1.3kg of chocolate cannabis, 900g of drug-laced gummies, and 22.9g of skunk—all seized from his room. Three vehicles were also confiscated during the operation.
The nationwide sweep also extended to Kaduna State, where NDLEA officials raided a drug base in Narayi High Cost, Chikun LGA, seizing nearly 743kg of synthetic cannabis variants, including skunk and Colorado. Suspects Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi, and Emmanuel Madu were arrested.
In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was intercepted with 36,000 tramadol pills along Danbatta-Kazaure Road, while Aliyu Abubakar was apprehended with 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 at the Gombe roundabout.
Two more suspects, Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris, were taken into custody in Gombe State after officers discovered 29kg of compressed skunk at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA.
In Borno State, a routine patrol along Baga Road in Maiduguri led to the discovery of 74,360 opioid pills hidden in a Mercedes-Benz C180. Audu Modu, 44, was arrested in connection with the stash.
The operations reached Bayelsa, where 63-year-old Akuna Nelson was caught in Yenagoa with 163 litres of “skuchies,” a potent local drug cocktail.
In Kogi State, four men—Ikechukwu Abugu, Sunday Ani, Chukwu Christian, and Emmanuel Olisakwe—were stopped along the Okene-Lokoja highway. Officers found 2kg of methamphetamine during a vehicle search. The group was traveling from Onitsha to Minna.
In Abia State, NDLEA agents stormed a known drug base operated by Nduka Obi, 39, at Niger Street in Aba. A variety of narcotics were seized, including heroin, cocaine, meth, tramadol, and N736,000 in cash suspected to be proceeds from drug sales.
Finally, in Enugu State, 30-year-old Chisom Okpalaeke was intercepted along the Onitsha-Enugu expressway with 45,000 pills of tramadol.
Still in Taraba, two suspects—Ngwokwoka Thomas and Mohammed Audu—were caught with 10,000 tramadol caps and a gram of cannabis in Dan Anacha, Gassol LGA.
The string of arrests and seizures across multiple states paints a grim picture of Nigeria’s battle with narcotics. But it also shows a determined agency ramping up its resolve to confront this crisis at every front—from high-level traffickers to street-level dealers, airports to hotel rooms, highways to city centers.
As Nigeria grapples with the growing complexities of substance abuse and trafficking, these operations reflect a critical pushback by the NDLEA—targeted, relentless, and increasingly effective.
