The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 1.63 million tramadol pills concealed in specially modified trailers and dismantled a transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo–Benin Republic–Nigeria corridor.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the intelligence-led operation followed an earlier seizure of 558,900 tramadol pills from a truck that entered Nigeria through the same route.
On July 2, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway en route to Kano, recovering 853,000 tramadol (250mg) pills hidden beneath the cargo floor. The 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru, was arrested.
A second trailer was intercepted on July 4 along the same route, leading to the recovery of 777,000 tramadol (250mg) pills concealed in another fabricated compartment. Its driver, Muhammed Nuhu, 22, was also arrested.
Investigations revealed that the three consignments intercepted on June 21, July 2, and July 4 were linked to the same cross-border drug trafficking syndicate.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepted 4.70kg of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed in cartons labelled “Odugwu” and shipped from Canada via British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.
The agency arrested cargo agents Ali Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, followed by Edeh Stanislus, who allegedly attempted to collect the consignments. The suspected owner, Chioma Nneka Mokeme, 44, was later apprehended with police support in Surulere, Lagos.
According to NDLEA, Mokeme allegedly confessed that a Canada-based associate introduced her to the illicit drug trade.
