The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 417.3 kilograms and with street value worth ₦1,042,500,000 from one hotel in Lagos State.
It said the drug was recovered during a raid of the 80-room hotel located at Victoria Island, Lagos which is suspected of being used as cover for distributing illicit substances.
Spokesman of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi confirmed this in a statement on Sunday.
He said the hotel was raided by operatives of the NDLEA who after hours of combing the rooms recovered 589 bags of the illicit drug.
“At least, three suspects: Eze Ayitu; Ofuokwu Samuel; and Emmanuel Ameh were arrested in the course of the operation at the five-storey hotel building between Friday 25th and Saturday 26th April 2025 while two other suspects: Noble Philip and his partner Kenneth are currently at large.
“Items suspected to be proceeds of illicit drug trade recovered from the premises housing The Hook Hotel also known as Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge located at 16 Waziri Ibrahim street, off Elsie Femi Pearse street, Victoria Island, Lagos, include: Toyota Prado Land Cruiser Jeep (Lagos AKD 472 OZ); Toyota Sienna Vehicle (Lagos KJA 79 HJ); Volkswagen Delivery Van (Lagos AAA 525 JE); Kia Ceranto Car (Lagos BDG 860 GQ); Grand Caravan Dodge (Lagos APP 847 YF); 74 new TV sets; 10 used TV sets; and 13 refrigerators, among others,” Babafemi explained.
The statement said in
another major interdiction in Jigawa State with a follow up operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence also on Wednesday 23rd April seized consignments of opioids being moved from Kano to Niger Republic and Yobe state through Jigawa.
Babafemi said ” The psychoactive substances were being moved in a Toyota Sienna vehicle marked ABJ 182 NW at about 2:30am on Wednesday along Kano- Ringim road, Gumel town when anti-narcotic officers on patrol intercepted them with two suspects: Abba Ibrahim, 28, and Shuaibu Umar, 29 arrested.
“Recovered from the Sienna vehicle were 200,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 217,500 capsules of pregabalin.
“A swift follow up operation in Kano led to the arrest of the supplier, 41-year-old Jamilu Muhammad, at his residence located at Mil Tara, Layin Technical area of Kano while additional 1,584,000 pills of tramadol 250mg stacked inside a Nissan 18-seater bus marked DAL 372 XA and a room in his house were discovered and evacuated.
“This brings the total number of the recovered opioids to 2,001,500 pills.”
He also stated that operatives have again intercepted another shipment of 46 wraps of cocaine weighing 547grams hidden in body cream going to the Saudi Arabia.
Babafemi explained that this is coming barely a week after NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered 20 parcels of cocaine concealed inside religious books going to the same Saudi Arabia at a logistics company in Lagos.
“The seizure was made on Wednesday, 23rd April at a courier firm in Lagos.
“Another consignment intercepted same day include: 1.8kg pentazocine injection and 60grams bromazepam tablets heading to Canada.
“At the Seme border area of Badagry Lagos, three Ghanaian ladies were on Sunday 20th April arrested at the Gbaji check point by NDLEA operatives while attempting to smuggle combined 4.8kilograms of Ghana Loud, a strong strain of cannabis into Nigeria.
“The suspects arrested include: Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.
“In Kano, a 60-year-old grandma Safiya Shamsu was on Friday, 25th April nabbed at Samegu area of Kumbotso LGA with 5.6kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, while another suspect, Muntari Labaran, 35, was taken into custody following the seizure of 100 litres of codeine syrup from him at Yelwa area of Dala LGA.
“A total of 3,814.9kg skunk was destroyed on two farms in Ugbodu community, Ovia North East LGA, Edo State on Thursday, 24th April when NDLEA operatives raided the plantations where three suspects: Samuel Samson, 26; Daniel Peter, 20; and Abel Edah, 31, were arrested,” the statement.
Babafemi said the War Against Drug Abuse, (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
“Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Dan-Doro Community Arabic Secondary School, Doro, Katsina; St. James Anglican School, Badariya, Kebbi; Federal Government Girls College, Tambuwal, Sokoto; and members of Oganiru age grade, Onitsha, Anambra, while the Lagos State Strategic Command of NDLEA paid WADA advocacy visit to the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, among others,” he said.
In his reaction, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig.- Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers and men of DOGI in Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Edo and Seme Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
Marwa equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.(vitalnewsngr.com)
