₦airaland Forum

NDLEA Arrests Wanted Drug Kingpin, Intercepts Consignments In Cereal Packs

Operatives of a special operations unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a wanted 60-year-old drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie, ending seven years of evading the long arm of the law, even as he was caught attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.

Okpara who has been on the wanted list of NDLEA since 2019 was eventually nabbed at his hideout at 72 Micheal Ojo Street, Isheri in Ojo area of Lagos state on Sunday 13th July 2025 following the interception of some of his consignments at 5:45am same day at Ilasamaja along Apapa-Oshodi expressway. In the early morning operation, a team of NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence arrested one of Okparas couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi while heading to Onitsha, Anambra state in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle.

The agencys sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in to search the vehicle after which 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine were found hidden in body compartments of the space bus. A follow up operation was promptly carried out at Okparas hideout in Isheri where additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg methamphetamine were recovered from his residence.

At[b] the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Wednesday 16th July recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa. The suspect who was going to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs himself, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices. [/b]

In another arrest at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives at the export shed on Thursday 17th July intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg concealed in packs of popular cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo. A suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna who presented the consignment for shipment was arrested.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 19th July raided Sarah Sam Hotels located at 115 Ogudu road in Kosofe where different party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed a suspect Obayemi Oyetade as the arrowhead of the drug network. At the time of the operation, 1.30kg Chocolate Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from Obayemis room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel include three vehicles.

Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and Emmanuel Madu were on Saturday 19th July, arrested during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, where 742.866 kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis were seized from them. In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was nabbed with 36,000 pills of tramadol along Danbatta-Kazaure road, on Wednesday 16th July.

While a total of 25,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered from a suspect Aliyu Abubakar, at Gombe roundabout on Friday 18th July, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA, Gombe state.

In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga road, Maiduguri, on Saturday 19th July intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the seizure, while in Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on Thursday 17th July arrested at Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.

Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday 17th July arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi state in connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger state.

In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Monday 14th July raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street, Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and a total of N736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from him.
While a total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Onitsha - Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday 16th July, officers of the Taraba state command of the agency same day apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and Mohammed Audu, 44 with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan Anacha, Gassol LGA.

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 Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger; Dah Model Academy, Ngurore, Adamawa; Icon Academy, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Nkpor, Anambra and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur'an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge, Kano state; among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.

Femi Babafemi
Director, Media & Advocacy
NDLEA Headquarters Abuja
Sunday 20th July 2025

chokekachy:
NDLEA Arrests Wanted Drug Kingpin, Intercepts Consignments In Cereal Packs

Great job by NDLEA!

This is quite commendable to nip in the bud this menace that has destroyed so many lives!

Okpara Paul Chigozie

The usual suspects..... nothing new

IPIGSRSHALLOW:
Okpara Paul Chigozie

The usual suspects..... nothing new

Yes by default, they don't disappoint when it comes to drug trafficking.

They can do anything for the money. And these people always claim to be saints and knowledgeable. Tueh smh to the southeast

Good one.
But really NDLEA should stop making public how the drugs were concealed. They will stay ahead of many other packages in transit that are concealed the same way. But once you say it, those guys will quickly change their tactics and halt any current shipments. It's just logical.

The people who accuse His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) of drug trafficking have a lineage of drug trafficking.

They tell you about how His Excellency, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) has dented the image of Nigeria while they have done worst damage to the reputation of this country across country’s and continents.

At this point, I think it’s time we include ethnicity in all our means of identification

Still doing drugs at this kind age. What a shame . Tufiakwa

How I wish the Intelligence gathering the NDLEA are using can be adopted by the security agencies to curb insericurity and arms smuggling,insericurity can be greatly reduced.

Operatives of NDLEA have ARRESTED wanted de
drug kingpin, 60 years old OKPARA PAUL CHIGOZIE and his courier/transporter 51 years old ACHEBE KENNETH NNAMDI. very good job weldone NDLEA imagine after 7 years he refused to quit .Nah wah oo

Make dem
Both home and away they must be involved

Owobokiri
I’m not the OP
7demons
Tochi3
Gidgiddy
I blame Lord Lugard

I don’t understand, can someone tell me what’s going on and why a state of emergency has not been declared as regards drugs in the southeast?? If strict measures can be put in place that any drugs offender is straight execution ,”do you think this things won’t stop?? Yet this region project drugs on individuals in other regions??

add to the list of IGBO criminals
India (Maharashtra) Gabriel Onyeka (Nigerian cyberfraud) Online fraud May 2025
India (New Delhi) Onainor & John et al. Scam (fake lottery/gift) July 21, 2025
Nigeria (Lagos) Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff International drug trafficking Feb 2025

NAFDAC AND NDLEA WAS SETUP FOR THEM, GLOBAL CRIMINALS USING NIGERIAN PASSPORT!
They are simply called Nigerians or Africans!

I'm really afraid how is NDLEA gotting information?? Is very scary

Another one bites the dust.
Unfortunately the drug world has a crazy network and more branches sprout everyday.

Obi should be campaigning against drug trafficking in his region, not campaigning to be president.

If you ask him now, he would probably say that they are freedom fighters

chokekachy:
NDLEA Arrests Wanted Drug Kingpin, Intercepts Consignments In Cereal Packs

Yamayama people and their so called development business. Going everywhere with their evil business. Ghana don suffer their own for overrating this people as hard working instead of hard drugging.

winj3:
add to the list of IGBO criminals
India (Maharashtra) Gabriel Onyeka (Nigerian cyberfraud) Online fraud May 2025
India (New Delhi) Onainor & John et al. Scam (fake lottery/gift) July 21, 2025
Nigeria (Lagos) Ogbonnaya Kevin Jeff International drug trafficking Feb 2025

NAFDAC AND NDLEA WAS SETUP FOR THEM, GLOBAL CRIMINALS USING NIGERIAN PASSPORT!
They are simply called Nigerians or Africans!

They will probably be from anambra state. I don't blame them cos obi increased poverty and so his people result to commiting crime all over the world. Obi can never condemn the drug pledders since they are is people.

The cVrsed tribe at it again
The cVrsed tribe at it again

The cVrsed tribe at it again