June 08, (THEWILL) – Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 66 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, disguised as green tea at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the seizure was made on Thursday, June 5, 2025, following credible intelligence received prior to the consignment’s arrival at the airport’s cargo terminal on May 11.
“The NDLEA had watch-listed the shipment and maintained surveillance for over three weeks before inviting relevant stakeholders for a joint examination last Thursday,” Babafemi said.
He noted that the Loud consignment, weighing 62.20kg, originated from Thailand and arrived Nigeria via the United Arab Emirates on an Emirates Airlines flight. It was neatly concealed in green tea packaging to evade detection.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday, June 2, intercepted a consignment of 1,665kg of skunkalong the Lekki-Ajah Expressway. Two suspects—Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi—were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Elsewhere, along the Abuja–Kaduna Expressway, operatives from the Kaduna State Command arrested 29-year-old Goodluck Nnaemeka on Tuesday, June 3, with 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam.
That same day, a notorious drug dealer, 52-year-old Kabiru Musa, a.k.a. KB, was arrested in the Kurmin Mashi area. A total of 25.7kg of skunk had earlier been recovered from his base.
In Edo State, 9kg of Loud was found hidden in the spare tyre compartment of an Audi station wagon with registration number AAA 975 XU, driven by one Atari Israel, 45.
In another operation, two young women—Favour Joy and Joy Igwe—were apprehended on Tuesday, June 3, at the Ikpoba Hill area of Benin City. Recovered from them were 106.57kg of skunk, 1kg of Loud, 800 grams of Colorado, and 302 grams of methamphetamine.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns continued across the country during the week.
Lectures were delivered to students and staff of institutions such as Sir Usman Nagogo College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Katsina; Fountain of Knowledge International Academy, Abakaliki, Ebonyi; Prof. Eyo Ita Municipal Model Primary School, Calabar, Cross River; Millennium High School, Egbeda, Lagos; and Community Secondary School, Ichida Anaocha, Anambra.
Additionally, NDLEA’s Zone 13 Command paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, Dr. Edmund Dakoru, Mingi XII, in Bayelsa State.
Commending the agency’s operatives in Lagos, Kaduna, and Edo for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised all commands nationwide for maintaining a strong balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction initiatives.
