The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Nigerian man, Ndubuisi Udatu, a former convict recently returned from Malaysia, for attempting to smuggle methamphetamine concealed inside two large music speakers.
According to a press release on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the meth parcels, weighing 2.7 kilograms, were intended for distribution within Adamawa State and for trafficking into Cameroon. Udatu, who also goes by the name Richard, was caught aboard a commercial bus by officers stationed at a checkpoint in Namtari, along the Ngurore-Yola highway, on April 7. Alongside the drugs, officers also recovered N22,300 in cash.
During questioning, the suspect admitted that he had returned to Nigeria to resume the drug business after completing a prison sentence in Malaysia, where he was convicted of a similar offense.
In a separate joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service at the Mfum border in Cross River State, NDLEA operatives apprehended a suspected trans-border trafficker, 33-year-old Peter Odoh. He was caught with 8,740 ampoules of various opioid injections, collectively weighing 395 kilograms. The confiscated substances included fentanyl, morphine sulphate, phenobarbital, pethidine, and midazolam.
Elsewhere, NDLEA officers in Kano arrested Aliyu Ibrahim, 27, on April 11 in the Bachirawa area. He was found with 25,600 tramadol tablets and 20 ATM cards. His arrest led to a follow-up operation that resulted in the capture of 48-year-old Gambo Lawan at Wazobia Motor Park in Gwagwalada, Abuja. Lawan’s arrest was linked to a previous seizure of nearly 9,000 tramadol pills during a routine check along the Gwagwalada expressway on April 7.
In a related operation in Niger State, officers intercepted a Lexus vehicle along the Mokwa-Jebba road and recovered 124 kilograms of cannabis sativa, popularly known as skunk. The drugs were packed in 11 large bags hidden in the car’s trunk. The driver, identified as Ademiluyi Adedapo, 58, was immediately taken into custody.
While these enforcement actions continue, the NDLEA is also actively engaging in drug prevention campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. The agency carries out sensitization efforts across schools, religious institutions, markets, and local communities.
NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd.), praised the efforts of the agency’s personnel in Adamawa, Cross River, Abuja, Kano, and Niger, commending their commitment to curbing drug trafficking across the country.
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