NDLEA intercepts Captagon in Kwara, seizes large drug consignments nationwide
By: Zagazola Makama
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives have intercepted a consignment of Captagon, a highly addictive stimulant linked to terrorist financing, in Kwara State, alongside other large-scale drug seizures and arrests across the country.
In a statement on Sunday, the agency said operatives on patrol along the Bode Saadu axis on April 21 intercepted a trailer conveying passengers, leading to the arrest of a 33-year-old suspect, Nasiru Mu’azu, with 10,000 pills of Captagon and other pharmaceutical opioids concealed in his possession.
The agency described Captagon as a dangerous amphetamine-type substance associated with insurgent groups in parts of the Middle East, noting that its abuse promotes aggression, sleeplessness and reckless behaviour.
NDLEA said another operation at the same axis on April 24 led to the interception of a trailer marked RMY-70XA, with officers recovering large quantities of tramadol capsules, injections and other controlled drugs hidden in a fabricated compartment. A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Oyo State, operatives intercepted a passenger bus along the Ibadan–Oyo Expressway, where a 33-year-old suspect, Eze Prince Emeka, was found to have ingested cocaine. The agency said he later excreted 45 pellets of the drug weighing about 1.043 kilograms.
Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck loaded with over 1.1 million pills of pharmaceutical opioids, arresting two suspects identified as Osagie Igbinibo and Omijie Malik.
In Lagos, a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, was arrested with 810 kilogrammes of Arizona cannabis, while in Bauchi State, another suspect, Muktar Bello, was arrested with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5 kilogrammes.
The agency also reported the recovery of 466.8 kilogrammes of skunk from a suspect’s residence in Ekiti State, as well as the destruction of about 20,000 kilogrammes of cannabis on an eight-hectare farm in Cross River State, where operatives also recovered processed cannabis.
In Niger State, NDLEA said operatives intercepted a suspect conveying 394 components suspected to be used for the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the Kontagora–Zuru road. The items have been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations, describing the Kwara Captagon seizure as a significant blow to drug trafficking networks.
Marwa warned that Captagon and similar substances are often exploited by criminal and terrorist groups to enhance aggression and sustain violent operations, adding that the agency would intensify surveillance across all entry and transit routes.
He assured that NDLEA would continue to disrupt drug supply chains while sustaining nationwide advocacy campaigns against substance abuse.
“The agency remains fully committed to ensuring that no illicit drug network finds a foothold in Nigeria,” he said.
Zagazola reports that the NDLEA has in recent weeks intensified nationwide operations targeting drug trafficking, abuse and related criminal activities.
