Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound consignment of skunk concealed in palm oil at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and uncovered 8,725kg of powdered tramadol worth over N6.98 billion at Apapa port, Lagos.
At Kano airport on Friday October 16, officers intercepted Fatimah Ahmad with 511.75g cannabis hidden in palm oil during clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, arresting her cousin Abubakar Yahaya who gave her the gallon at the car park. At APM Terminals Apapa, joint examination with Customs on October 2 uncovered tramadol powder from India declared as maize starch, which weighed 349 bags, 8,725kg when separated on October 14. At Tincan Port on October 12, 55kg Canadian Loud worth N165m was found hidden in a Toyota Sienna inside a 40ft container.
Nationwide, NDLEA seized thousands of kilograms of cannabis and opioids in Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and FCT, arresting dozens including 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka with 179kg skunk in Edo, destroying 7,500kg skunk on three hectares in Ondo, and recovering 894,800 tramadol and exol-5 pills in Bauchi, while Chairman Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended officers and urged sustained offensive against trafficking networks.
