Inside NDLEA’s war against drugs barons

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been at the forefront of the war against drug trafficking in the country. The agency has recorded tremendous successes as no week passes without a bust in the media. With tons of seizures and multibillion naira bust, is the war against illicit drugs far from over?  Operations […]

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been at the forefront of the war against drug trafficking in the country. The agency has recorded tremendous successes as no week passes without a bust in the media. With tons of seizures and multibillion naira bust, is the war against illicit drugs far from over? 

Operations of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), which led to the recent busting of a major warehouse in a secluded estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, where 1.8tonnes (1,855kgs) of cocaine worth over N194 billion in street value were seized, show that more still need to be done on drug scourge in Nigeria.

• Gunmen kill businesswoman’s son, abduct daughter in Kwara
• 49-yr-old neighbour raped my late 3-yr-old daughter, threatened her – Mother

The spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, had said the seizures appeared to be the biggest in the history of the agency’s operations.

He also said that four drug barons, including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager were arrested in the well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos State.

Kingpins of the cocaine cartel in custody include Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo state; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, who hails from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa, Ondo State and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston, Jamaica.

They are all members of an international drug syndicate the agency has been trailing since 2018.

Located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, the warehouse was raided on September 18, 2022, while the barons were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between Sunday night and Monday, September 19.  

Preliminary investigation reveals that the Class A drugs were warehoused in the residential estate, from where the cartel was trying to sell them to buyers in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world. They were stored in 10 travellers’ bags and 13 drums.  

At least 1.8 tonnes of N194bn worth of cocaine was on Tuesday destroyed following an order of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

Speaking at the crushing and setting ablaze of the illicit drug in the Badagry area of Lagos State, the chairman/chief executive of the agency, Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (retd), said tougher time awaited drug barons and cartels operating in Nigeria if they failed to back out of their criminal trade and embrace legitimate ventures.

Marwa, represented by the agency’s director, Prosecution and Legal Services, Deputy Commander-General of Narcotics (DCGN), Sunday Joseph, said the sheer volume of the drug haul, with street value put at $278, 250,000, equivalent to N194bn spoke volume about the extent of the nefarious activities of the drug underworld.

He said this had made it imperative for Nigerians to continue to support the NDLEA in the renewed war against illicit drugs.

According to him, out of the 1.8 tonnes seizured, 1,828 blocks of the cocaine was crushed and set ablaze, while the remnant would be secured for the purpose of prosecution of the suspects who were brought to witness the procedure and sign the certificate of destruction.

“The agency is proceeding with the prosecution of those arrested in connection with this consignment. On this, the public can be rest assured that the NDLEA shall pursue the trial to a logical conclusion.

“Since January 25, 2021 when we commenced our offensive action against drug traffickers, the agency has secured record convictions. Presently, 2, 904 drug offenders are serving various jail terms, while other cases are ongoing in court, which we are confident will end in positive results too.

“The bust of the syndicate responsible for the cocaine warehoused in Ikorodu is a message to drug cartels that their investments in the illicit trade will go up in flames; they also risk losing their freedom because the present the NDLEA is committed to arresting, prosecuting and ensuring the conviction of those involved in illicit drugs.

“That is not all, we now also go after their assets acquired with the proceeds of the criminal trade,” he said.

Marwa said the fact that the Ikorodu operation was conducted clinically without any skirmish or bloodshed was a further testimony to the evolution of the NDLEA and its new capabilities, and a pointer to the fact that the game had changed in the war against illicit drugs.

He commended the agency’s international partners, especially the American Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) that supported the cocaine syndicate bust.

He also commended the Nigerian military that provided additional firepower during the operation, and other law enforcement agencies that have been supporting efforts to rid Nigeria of illicit drugs.

While soliciting for more support for the agency’s work, Marwa said, “The safety of our society is the responsibility of everyone of us. Every citizen shall be fulfilling his or her civic duty by assisting the agency to clean up our communities and cities by joining our War Against Drug Abuse (WADA).”  

Buhari congratulates Marwa  

Reacting to the development, President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa, on uncommon feat.  

In a telephone call to the chairman of the anti-narcotics agency from New York when he was attending the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77), President Buhari said the news of the recovery gladdened his heart.  

“I deeply appreciate the work you have put into the eradication of the drug menace. It gladdens my heart as I continue to follow the successes achieved under your leadership.

“You have demonstrated that choosing you to lead this fight against wicked merchants of death is very good. Please keep up the good work,” Buhari said.  

Since the assumption of Marwa as the NDLEA helmsman, the agency has been recording unprecedented daily feats in the war against drug abuse in the country.  

Prior to the largest cocaine seizure, the NDLEA, on August 4, 2022, destroyed 560,068.31414kgs of assorted illicit drugs in Badagry, also in Lagos.  

18,940 arrested in 18 months  

Marwa had also said the NDLEA was winning the anti-drug war, revealing that since his assumption of office as chairman of the NDLEA, the agency had arrested over 18,940 suspected traffickers, comprising 17,444 males and 1,496 females, including 12 barons – from January 2021 to July 2022.

Also, the agency recorded 2,904 convictions and seizures of over 3.6million kilograms of narcotics and other psychotropic substances.

Marwa also said the agency had seized no fewer than 286 assets and 600 accounts, and had blocked over 600 accounts of drug offenders between January 2021 and August 2022.

Also, on August 23, NDLEA officials arrested a cleaner at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, a 34-year-old Ohiagu Sunday, who led a drug syndicate at the international wing of the airport.

Sunday was arrested following the arrest of an intending passenger on an Air Peace flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirate, Obinna Jacob Osita. He was arrested with three bags, two of which contained eight blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 4.25kg and concealed in cassava product, gari and crayfish.

One other member of the airport syndicate who works with Sunday was also arrested, while operatives are after another suspect.

On August 2, Marwa said in Abuja that the agency had busted two major clandestine laboratories in Lagos and Anambra states, where an illicit drug, crystal methamphetamine, called Mkpuru Mmiri in local parlance, was produced for distribution across Nigeria, as well as export.

He said the operation followed the abuse of the drug and its devastating effects on the youth in the last quarter of 2021, predominantly in the South East.

He said the operation led to the arrest of four kingpins and a cook.

Furthermore, on September 25, operatives of the NDLEA arrested a 75-year-old man, Usman Bokina Bajama (Clemen), alongside 21 other suspects in operations across seven states.

During the operations 1,001,387 bottles/capsules of banned new psychoactive substance, akuskura and tramadol, as well as 2,536kgs of cannabis, were seized, while over 10 hectares of its farms were destroyed in Edo and Adamawa states.

Nigerians have raised the alarm over the rising menace of akuskura, especially in the North, which is being abused, even by the elderly and housewives .

International views

While Nigeria has for long been on international focus as a major cocaine and heroin transit hub for European, Asian and North American markets by the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime (UNODC), the efforts of the federal government is also acknowledged by the international community.

Drug menace in the country has also been linked to the spike in the activities of kidnappers and bandits, especially that they now demand drugs as part of ransom.

More works for NDLEA

The trial of Abba Kyari, suspended deputy commissioner of police, who was also the head of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Squad (IRS), with four other police officers, is ongoing. Their alleged collaboration with drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were sentenced to six years in prison in June by a Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, shows that the drug war should go beyond the streets.

The international connections and high-wired scheming by drug lords and their cohorts mean that the NDLEA should deepen its collaboration with international anti-drug agencies.

Reward for hard work

To scale up its performance, the NDLEA had promoted its officers and other ranks.

A security expert and advocate against drug abuse, Shola Mese, who called for more employment of competent hands into the agency, said the current workforce was inadequate.

 “The challenge doesn’t end there. In most states there are hardly reliable operational vehicles and firearms for officials to fight drug traffickers or convey apprehended suspects to court,” Mese said.

N580m for four armoured vehicles

As part of efforts to boost the anti-drug war, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N580.5million for the procurement of four armoured vehicles for the agency.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said this in Abuja on Wednesday at the end of the council’s meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Today, a memo was presented by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation seeking an approval for the award of a contract for the supply of four customised armoured security vehicles of 14-seater model for the NDLEA.

“The contract sum is N580,500,000 only, inclusive of 7.5 per cent value added tax, with a delivery period of 16 weeks,” Malami stated, adding that the decision was to encourage and safeguard the lives of NDLEA personnel.