Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a 20,000-litre fuel tanker containing 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in a specially designed compartment in Ondo State.
The tanker, marked MKA 960 XC, was intercepted on Friday, September 4, along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway after the driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by NDLEA officers. The driver reportedly abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.
A subsequent search of the tanker uncovered a concealed compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, alongside the legitimate fuel cargo reportedly being transported to Jos, Plateau State. The NDLEA described the seizure as a significant breakthrough, noting that the tanker had allegedly evaded arrest during previous operations.
The seizure was part of a wider intelligence-led crackdown conducted across nine states, including Lagos, Adamawa, Ondo, Kaduna, Bauchi, Ekiti, Kogi, Taraba and Enugu. The operations resulted in the recovery of large quantities of cannabis, tramadol, methamphetamine, codeine and other controlled substances.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives seized 966,200 tablets of Tramadol 225mg, valued at over N1.1 billion, concealed among thrift trousers in a 21-carton consignment from Pakistan. Another 57.8kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, valued at more than N173 million, was recovered from a shipment from Singapore.
The agency also intercepted 598.08kg of cannabis-laced cookies and gummies at the Tincan Port in Lagos, while significant quantities of opioids and other controlled substances were recovered in Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Ekiti, Kogi and Enugu states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks. He warned that traffickers using legitimate business fronts, false identities and sophisticated concealment methods would continue to face intensified enforcement.
