OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former two-term councillor in Lagos State and intercepted several illicit drug consignments in multiple states as part of intensified operations against drug trafficking across Nigeria.
News Point Nigeria reports that the suspect, 45-year-old Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former councillor at the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council and currently a legislative aide, was arrested at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
According to the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided his residence,, where 40 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, were discovered in one of the rooms.
During interrogation, Olalekan reportedly admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where they were found.
He also confirmed that he had previously served two terms representing the Orimedu community in the local government council.
In a separate operation in Abuja, NDLEA officers intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, travelling in a vehicle from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory.
A search of his luggage revealed 1,000 pills of tapentadol concealed inside baby diapers.
The suspect reportedly confessed that he was transporting the drugs to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.
Another interception occurred along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State, where NDLEA operatives on patrol seized 1.55 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, hidden inside a standing fan carton.
The drugs were traced to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, from Maroua in the Republic of Cameroon. He was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon via Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Mokwa–Jebba road intercepted a commercial bus coming from Ibadan in Oyo State.
A search uncovered 500 pieces of improvised explosive device (IED) components concealed inside a white sack intended for delivery to a recipient in Pelegi.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
Meanwhile, in Yola, Adamawa State, NDLEA officers uncovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a false compartment of a truck conveying 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
Other arrests were made across several states. In Kano, a 20-year-old suspect, Muhammed Ali, was apprehended with 11,283 pills of tramadol. In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives raided the Ogere community and arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, in possession of 46 kilograms of skunk.
In Delta State, two suspects — Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22 — were arrested in Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 48-year-old Eke London and his accomplice, Austin Isusi, 49, in Egbisi Forest, Uhumwonde Local Government Area, where 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms were destroyed.
Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was apprehended in Ikhin town, Owan East Local Government Area, with 176.5 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said it has continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign through educational programmes in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.
Recent sensitisation activities included lectures for students and staff of Government Senior College, Apata in Ibadan, Oyo State; Government Girls Secondary School in Katcha, Niger State; Government Girls Day Secondary School in Tsafe, Zamfara State; and Sango Junior Secondary School in Agege, Lagos. Similar programmes were also conducted in schools across Sokoto, Ebonyi and Anambra states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and personnel of the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa commands for their efforts.
He urged them to remain committed to the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement actions with public awareness and prevention initiatives.