00:00Authority in Nigeria, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has arrested three
00:06kinkins operating an international criminal network between Nigeria, Brazil, Australia,
00:13United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates, and seized cocaine worth over 5.3 million dollars
00:19Australian dollars with a naira equivalent of 5.3 billion nairas naira. According to NDLEA,
00:26some of the arrested leaders of the international criminal gang have served jail terms previously in
00:31the United Kingdom for murder and illicit drug-related business. In the details of the
00:37report below, NDLEA also reported that its men intercepted 1.1 billion naira's worth of
00:44codeine consignment in Rivers State, recovered over 653 kilograms collos, loud in Lagos, Abuja
00:52raids. An international organized criminal group, IOCG, operating between Nigeria, UK,
01:00Brazil, Australia, and the United Arab Emirate has been smashed by operatives of the National
01:06Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, who in a two-week-long intelligence-led operations across
01:13parts of Lagos arrested three leaders of the cartel after intercepting large consignment of
01:19cocaine concealed in textile materials and local charms going to Sydney, Australia at the Matala
01:26Muhammad International Airport, MMIA, Akeja, Lagos. The unraveling of the drug syndicate began on
01:33Tuesday 26 August 2025 after NDLEA offices at the export shed of the Lagos Airport intercepted 76
01:42cartons of textile materials going to Sydney, Australia. A thorough search of the shipment led to
01:49the recovery of 16 big blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9 kilograms hidden in the lace materials parked
01:55with local charms to provide spiritual cover against law enforcement detection. A freight agent and
02:02member of the syndicate, Alashupo Michael Oladomeji was the first to be arrested. The consignment was
02:08expected to fetch the syndicate an estimated street value of over 5.3 million Australian dollars,
02:15equivalent of 5.3 billion Nairas. Fast-paced investigation of the operations of the IOCG quickly unmasked
02:22other leaders of the group, Muayazi Ademola Ogunbiye and Shola Adegoke. Ogunbiye, who is the arrowhead of the
02:31syndicate in Nigeria, was arrested at a hotel in Akeja G.R.A. on Wednesday 3 September and swiftly taken to his house in
02:39Leckie area of Lagos where a search led to the recovery of 21 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strain of cannabis with a total
02:46weight of 10.90 kilograms and a double-barrelled pump-action gun, with some cartridges. A house located at 13 Reverend Ogunbiye Street,
02:56Akeja G.R.A., where the criminal group used to package illicit drugs for export was subsequently raided and another leader of the syndicate Shola Adegoke arrested there. A black range
03:08rover SUV marked RBC 459EJ found in the compound was searched and 17 parcels of Loud weighing 9.60 kilograms were recovered. A black Toyota Venza car with registration number FST 771JQ was earlier recovered from Ogunbiye at the point of his arrest at the hotel. Investigations revealed that while Ogunbiye coordinates operations for the group in Nigeria,
03:361 Adabisi Ademola Ogunbiye, Mr. B.B. who is currently hibernating in Dubai, UAE is identified as the ringleader of the criminal network who coordinates their overseas operations. Shola Adegoke was found to have been jailed in the UK in 2021 for dealing in methamphetamine and subsequently deported to Nigeria in 2024.
04:00Ogunbiye was also found to have served a 14-year jail term in the UK over a murder case before returning to Nigeria about eight years ago.
04:09Meanwhile, a Milan-Italy-based Nigerian Gabriel Michael was on Friday 5 September arrested by NDLEA operatives at the departure hall of Terminal 1 of the Lagos Airport while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy.
04:24He was found to have concealed a total of 24,480 pills of Tramadol 100 milligrams, 200 milligrams and 225 milligrams, which he claimed he was going to sell for 19,520 euros. A total of 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup were discovered in a 40-feet container during a joint examination of the shipment by NDLEA office.
04:51and men of Nigeria Customs and other security agencies at the West Africa Container Terminal, WACT, Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onay, Rivers State on Thursday, 4 September. The container which has 220 cartons of ceramic sanitary wares used as cover for the codeine syrup was one of the shipments watch listed and tracked by a special operations unit of NDLEA while the illicit consignment of NDLEA.
05:19while the illicit consignment has an estimated street value of over 1.1 billion nairas.
05:26In the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, NDLEA operatives on a stop and search operation on Thursday, 4 September arrested a dispatch rider Joel Bernard, 32, in Guarimpa area of the FCT while conveying 3.1 kilograms Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
05:46In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence on Monday 1 September arrested the duo of Tunde Ainla, 47, and Oluwale Omotare, 54, while loading 4 distribution vehicles at their 28 Oluwale Street, Ajeshia Suralere home.
06:05Recovered from them include, 9 kilograms of Canadian Loud, 5 kilograms of Colorado and 1,101 compressed blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 611 kilograms, bringing the total weight of the combined seizures to 625 kilograms.
06:24In another raid in Lagos, operatives on Friday 5 September arrested a couple, Andy David, 43, and Andy Esther, 44, with 24.4 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, recovered from their home in Adjagunlay area of the state.
06:42While 45-year-old Musa Issa was arrested with 53.400 kilogram skunk concealed in two cartons in the trunk of his Toyota Avancis car marked ABC 338 SS in Kogi state, Yunusa Zachary, 23, was nabbed in a follow-up operation in Ouchi, Edo state on Friday 5 September in connection with the earlier seizure of 233 kilogram skunk in Karko, Koduna state.
07:11Not less than 11,000 pills of tramadol were recovered from a suspect Ayuk Nelson, 28, when he was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 3 September at 61 Bidder Road, Anitsha, Anambra state, just as operatives on patrol along Minna Bidder Road, Niger state on Tuesday 2 September intercepted a white Toyota Hilux vehicle.
07:35A search led to the seizure of 30 bags of skunk weighing 342 kilograms while the driver Afalani Adele, 54, conveying the consignment was arrested.
07:47In Taraba state, a total of 18,750 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 7.5 hectares of cannabis plantations at Joro Adi village, Ardokola, local government area on Tuesday 2 September.
08:03Owners of the two farms, Mako Zenmar, 55, and Sanititis, 45, were arrested during the operation.
08:13Across the country, NDLEA commands continued their war against drug abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centers, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week.
08:29Instances include, WADA sensitization lecture to offices and men of the Nigerian correctional service, LAFIA, Nasarawa state, ward heads in Kano Municipal Council, Kano state, and members of traditional medicine practitioners association, AUGU local government area, Anambra state, while the COGI state strategic command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the OI of Ahima and chairman
08:57and Aukahi local government area council of traditional rulers, His Royal Highness Al-Hajji Abdurraim Ahmed Ogido, among others.
09:06While commending the offices and men of MMIA, PHPC, Lagos, FCT, Anambra, Taraba, Kaduna, COGI, and Niger commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA,
09:24Brigadier General Mohamed Baba Mawa, retired, enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to intensify the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the agency, Femi Baba Femi, Director, Media.
09:39An advocacy NDLEA stated this on Sunday, the 7th of September, 2025.
09:46A
Comments