LAGOS/Nigeria: A 41-year-old Canadian, Adrienne Munju, has been arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for attempting to smuggle a large quantity of illicit drugs into the country.
Munju, who arrived in Nigeria on a KLM flight from Canada on 3rd October 2024, was found with 74 parcels of Canadian Loud, a highly potent form of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20kg.
During routine clearance, NDLEA officers discovered the drugs concealed in two of her three bags. Munju confessed to having been recruited online to deliver the narcotics to Lagos in exchange for CAD $10,000, which she had hoped to use for her master’s degree tuition in Canada.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Port Harcourt Ports in Onne, Rivers State, intercepted over 13 million opioid pills, including Tramadol, Tramaking, Tamol-X, Royal Tapentadol, and Carisoprodol.
The drugs, along with more than 338,000 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup, were discovered in three containers that arrived from India. The seized substances, valued at over N9 billion, were uncovered during a joint examination conducted by the NDLEA, Nigerian Customs, and other port officials on 2nd and 3rd October 2024.
“The opioids were recovered during a thorough 100% examination of the cargoes,” said NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, emphasising the agency’s vigilance in curbing the influx of harmful drugs into the country.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, NDLEA officers at the Tincan Seaport seized 100 parcels of Canadian Loud, weighing 50kg. The drugs were hidden in a container carrying imported vehicles from Canada. Acting on intelligence, operatives traced the shipment to a warehouse in Ikorodu, where the drugs were found concealed inside a Toyota Sienna. A suspect, Abubakar Shuaibu Ibrahim, has been arrested in connection with the haul.
In Taraba State, two men, Pako Thomas and Emmanuel Anyigor, were arrested after NDLEA operatives intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Jalingo. A search of the bus revealed opioids hidden within its compartments. In a related incident in Wukari, another suspect, Chibuzor Okafor, was apprehended with 80 blocks of cannabis weighing 38kg, cleverly hidden inside bags of garri.
Further arrests were made in Lagos, where Bolanle Ajenifuja was detained in the Afo-Media area of Ojo. NDLEA agents discovered 700 litres of a dangerous mixture known as “skuchies,” a cocktail of local chapman and illicit drugs.
Additionally, three suspects—Ezekiel Akpele, Elijah Michael, and Goddard John—were apprehended in a raid on cannabis farms at the Edo-Ondo border. The raid resulted in the destruction of over 9,966kg of cannabis plants and the recovery of 48kg of processed psychoactive substances.
Across the country, NDLEA officers continue their efforts through the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Recent events included lectures at Government Science Secondary School in Katsina, Akanu Ibiam Memorial Seminary School in Ebonyi, and Dominion Secondary School in Akwa Ibom, among others.
Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), Chairman of the NDLEA, commended the officers for their successful operations. He praised their commitment to both supply reduction and demand reduction initiatives, which are critical in tackling the country’s drug problem.
