The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of Nigeria has seized over six million opioid pills and hundreds of thousands of bottles of codeine syrup, valued at ₦6.5 billion (approximately $4 million), during major operations in Lagos and Rivers states between May 19 and 22.
Acting on targeted intelligence, the NDLEA, alongside customs and other security agencies, uncovered the illicit substances hidden in three containers. In a separate operation, two British nationals, Mhizha Jordan Alexander Tatendra and Ayedipe Andrew Adejuwon—who also holds Nigerian citizenship—were arrested in Lagos following the arrival of a 51.10 kg parcel of “Loud,” a potent cannabis strain.
One of the suspects, Alexander, confessed to being recruited during his vacation in exchange for £1,300. A search of their Lekki residence yielded cash, electronic devices, and nitrous oxide canisters.
Further crackdowns across the country led to the destruction of 77 tons of cannabis in forests in Cross River and Edo, while in Nasarawa, 4,000 kg of the drug were discovered hidden under wood in a truck. Additional drug seizures, including tramadol, diazepam, Colorado, and cocaine, occurred in Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe, Niger, and Lagos.
The NDLEA also intensified its public education efforts with anti-drug lectures in schools across Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Adamawa, and Kano, and paid a courtesy visit to Fulani traditional leader Alhaji Muhammadu Bambado in Lagos.
