The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended a syndicate led by a couple, Agbakoba John Mmadu, 54, and Agbakoba Ijeoma Chinwe, 39, along with their associate, Okoye Ifeoma Maryjane, 31, for their involvement in the packaging, distribution, and trafficking of cocaine within and outside Nigeria.
NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, detailed the months-long intelligence gathering and surveillance that culminated in the arrests by the Agency’s special operations unit. The bust took place on July 3, 2024, with Mmadu being apprehended at Ago Palace Way, Okota, while Chinwe and Maryjane were nabbed at Plot 2205 Eugene Ndubisi Close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.
The raid yielded significant seizures: seven parcels of cocaine weighing 7.652 kilograms from Mmadu and 122 compressed pellets of cocaine weighing 2.42 kilograms from Chinwe and Maryjane, totaling 10.1 kilograms with a street value exceeding N2.1 billion.
Further operations saw NDLEA agents intercept a 350-gram cocaine consignment in Benue state on July 4. Concealed in an MP3 speaker, the drugs were tracked to their owner, Odeh Anthony, 25, through a swift follow-up operation at Flight Motor Park, Otukpo.
In Adamawa state, NDLEA operatives on July 3 arrested Chadian national Yves Ahmat Gali, who was found with a loudspeaker concealing 20 compressed blocks and nine plastic containers of “Loud,” a potent cannabis strain weighing 5.200 kilograms, during a stop and search along Ngurore-Yola road.
In Kano, a youth corps member, Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, was arrested on July 3 with 1.250 kilograms of “Loud” at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila area. In Osun state, Akarabata community head in Ile-Ife, Ba’ale Ige Babatunde, 50, was apprehended on July 5 with 5 kilograms of fresh cannabis plants.
Additionally, NDLEA operatives in Ondo state raided Ikota forest in Ifedore LGA, destroying 42,500 kilograms of cannabis on 17 hectares of farmland and recovering 73.5 kilograms for prosecution during a five-day operation ending July 1. In Abuja, the FCT, agents arrested Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20, on July 6 along Abaji-Gwagwalada road with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup, 13,540 tramadol pills, 50,000 diazepam pills, and 59 rophynol pills.
The NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities nationwide. Activities included lectures at Community Grammar School (Junior) in Ibadan, Candy Secondary School in Agu Awka, Community High School in Umuida, Enugu Ezike, the School for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Kofar Nasarawa, and Sabo motor park in Kaduna.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) praised the agency’s efforts in both drug supply reduction and WADA sensitization, urging continued vigilance and dedication from all officers and commands.
