NDLEA smashes cocaine syndicate in Lagos, arrests couple, recovers N2.1bn worth of drugs

●Nabs Osun monarch, Chadian, and Youth Corps member for drug trafficking

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) raided the Lagos base of a high-profile cocaine syndicate led by a couple, Mmadu Agbakoba and Chinwe Agbakoba, along with their associate, Ifeoma Okoye.

Large consignments of cocaine intended for export and local distribution were recovered during the operation.

The raid, carried out by the NDLEA’s special operations unit, followed months of intelligence gathering and surveillance on the syndicate notorious for packaging, distributing, and trafficking cocaine within and outside Nigeria.

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NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrests and details of the operation in a statement on Sunday.

Babafemi reported that the 54-year-old Mmadu Agbakoba was apprehended at Ago Palace Way, Okota, while his wife, Chinwe, 39, and their associate, Ifeoma Okoye, 31, who also served as their stash keeper, were arrested at Plot 2205 Eugene Ndubisi Close, Lilly Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, on Wednesday.

The raid resulted in the seizure of seven parcels of cocaine weighing 7.652 kilograms from Mmadu and 122 compressed pellets of cocaine weighing 2.42 kilograms from Chinwe and Ifeoma.

The total seizure amounted to 10.1 kilograms, valued at over N2.1 billion.

In Benue State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of 350 grams of cocaine concealed in an MP3 speaker at a checkpoint along Enugu Road, Otukpo, last Thursday.

A follow-up operation at Flight Motor Park in Otukpo led to the arrest of the owner, 25-year-old Odeh Anthony.

In another operation, NDLEA officers arrested a Chadian national, Yves Ahmat Gali, on a commercial bus along Ngurore-Yola Road in Adamawa State.

Gali was found with a loudspeaker concealing 20 compressed blocks and nine plastic containers of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 5.2 kilogrammes.

In Kano, operatives arrested youth corps member Yusuf Abdulrahman, 25, at Corpers Lodge, Sumaila, with 1.25 kilograms of Loud.

In Osun State, the head of Akarabata community in Ile-Ife, Ba’ale Ige Babatunde, 50, was arrested last Friday with fresh cannabis plants weighing 5 kilogrammes.

In Ondo State, a raid on Ikota Forest in Ifedore Local Government Area resulted in the arrest of two suspects, Monday Ali, 49, and Jimoh Alewi, 37.

NDLEA operatives destroyed 42,500 kilograms of cannabis on 17 hectares of farmland and recovered 73.5 kilograms for prosecution during a five-day operation that concluded last Monday.

In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA operatives arrested Sanusi Mamman, 28, and Usaini Ibrahim, 20, in a vehicle on Abaji-Gwagwalada Road with 1,132 bottles of codeine syrup, 13,540 pills of tramadol, 50,000 pills of diazepam, and 59 pills of rophynol.

The suspects claimed they were transporting the opioids from Onitsha, Anambra State.

Babafemi noted that the NDLEA’s efforts to reduce drug supply are balanced with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centers, workplaces, and communities. NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the Special Operations Unit and various state commands for their achievements and urged them to maintain the momentum.