Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), arresting a former Lagos councillor and multiple suspects across the country while seizing tons of narcotics, including cannabis, methamphetamine, and tramadol, in a series of coordinated nationwide operations.
In Lagos State, Sheleru Olalekan, 45, a former two-term councillor representing Orimedu in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area and currently a legislative aide, was arrested on March 2, 2026. NDLEA officers recovered 40 kilograms of skunk, a potent cannabis strain, from his residence in Ilado. The suspect reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs.
In the Federal Capital Territory, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, 32, was intercepted on March 3 while transporting 1,000 tapentadol 250mg pills hidden inside baby diapers from Enugu State to Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State. Kogi State also saw the seizure of 1.55 kilograms of Colorado, a synthetic cannabis, from a Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, during a highway patrol along the Kabba–Obajana road.
NDLEA’s nationwide crackdown continued with seizures of 122,000 tramadol pills and 700 grams of methamphetamine in Adamawa State, 46 kilograms of skunk in Ogun State, and 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine syrup, and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol in Delta State.
Edo State authorities destroyed 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on farms in Egbisi Forest, Uhumwonde LGA, while multiple suspects were arrested in Ikhin, Owan East LGA. Additional arrests in Kano, Niger, and Adamawa states underscore the agency’s relentless operations to disrupt drug networks across Nigeria.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised the efforts of the agency’s commands in Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta, and Adamawa for sustaining a nationwide approach to drug control. He emphasized the importance of continued WADA awareness campaigns, particularly in schools and communities, to prevent drug abuse among youths.
“This series of operations demonstrates the NDLEA’s commitment to a balanced strategy of enforcement and education,” Marwa said. “Our officers remain focused on dismantling illicit drug networks while educating the public on the dangers of substance abuse.”
As the agency strengthens its enforcement and sensitization campaigns, Nigerians nationwide are reminded of the importance of vigilance and reporting suspicious activities to aid in the fight against drug-related crimes.
