NDLEA operatives have captured a cocaine trafficking network led by a couple, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Dauda, operating in Lagos and Ogun States. In two significant operations, authorities seized multi-billion-naira worth of the illicit drug.
The duo was apprehended on May 25, 2024, by a specialized task force of NDLEA, with support from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, at Ibiyealong along the Lagos-Badagry expressway. They were intercepted while attempting to transport the consignment across the land border to Ghana.
As per a statement issued by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Tuesday, the arrest yielded 42 blocks of the Class A drug, weighing 47.5 kilograms.
“A swift follow-up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms,” the statement read in part.
During another operation conducted by the special operation unit, Babafemi stated that a seizure of no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg, was made from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Ifeanyi, at the renowned Idumota market in Lagos Island.
An additional seizure of 790 ampoules of the hazardous opioid, weighing 5.273kg, was made from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Benjamin, who was also apprehended at Idumota market.
Fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than heroin, currently accounts for over 70 percent of overdose deaths and is a significant contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.
Two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Taofik Ajibola, 35, were also arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them.
At the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on 25th May, intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5kg concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325. The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.
“A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment. A bribe of six million naira offered NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as an exhibit for the prosecution of the case,” the statement added.
In response to the apprehension of the drug kingpins and the confiscation of the hazardous illicit drugs, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Marwa (Retd), lauded the dedication and tenacity of the officers and personnel of the special operation unit in targeting and dismantling drug cartels and kingpins.
He also commended the effective collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, emphasizing the importance of all commands and formations within the agency maintaining relentless efforts in their offensive against the drug underworld.
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