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Suspected trafficker busted with 26kg of Loud at Lagos airport after Dubai flight
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80-year-old woman, three brothers, and multiple suspects caught with cannabis, pills, codeine
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NDLEA uncovers 101kg of Loud hidden in canned food at Apapa seaport
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Chinese businessman, Liang Tak You, and an 80-year-old woman, Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, alongside several other suspects across the country, in a nationwide operation targeting drug syndicates and illicit supply chains.
According to a statement signed by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the arrest of Liang Tak You took place on Friday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. The suspect, a Malaysian-based Chinese national, was apprehended following intelligence reports after arriving in Nigeria from Bangkok via Dubai.
“The suspect reportedly travelled to Thailand to pick up two suitcases containing 50 parcels of Loud, weighing 26.10kg, before flying to Nigeria,” the statement read.
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Babafemi added that NDLEA operatives tracked the suspect throughout his travel route and arrested him after he had passed immigration and other airport protocols. “He was picked up at the airport’s exit point,” the statement confirmed.
In another major bust, the NDLEA arrested Mrs. Grace Ekpeme, 80, on Saturday, July 26, at her residence in Calabar South, Cross River State, after over 3kg of skunk was found in her possession.
The statement continued: “Also in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, July 23, intercepted a suspect, Chidi Agbafo, along the Epe–Ajah Expressway while transporting 21.7kg of Colorado and 3.8 litres of codeine syrup in a commercial bus heading to Warri and Oghara in Delta State.”
At the Apapa seaport, officers working jointly with Customs and other security agencies discovered 101kg of Canadian Loud on Friday, July 25. The drugs were packed in tins labelled as ‘Bean Salad Mix’ and concealed in Toyota Sienna buses shipped from Canada.
The NDLEA also reported arrests on the Abuja–Kaduna highway, where operatives intercepted 71,000 pills of tramadol, diazepam, and Exol-5 with a suspect identified as Usman Musa, travelling to Kano.
In Borno State, Binta Usman, 30, was arrested in Maiduguri with 30.1kg of skunk, while a follow-up raid led to the capture of her accomplice, Bala Abdullahi.
In Ondo State, a cannabis plantation at Bending Corner Forest in Idoani, Ose LGA, was dismantled. Three brothers—Nanna, Chizom, and Maxwell Ozirinye—were arrested, and over 2,500kg of cultivated skunk was destroyed.
A separate raid in Edo State led to the arrest of Bright Sunday Okon, 26, with quantities of Colorado, Loud, Arizona, methamphetamine, and other drugs recovered. In Nasarawa State, 105.4kg of skunk was found in an abandoned car.
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In other state-wide crackdowns:
Bashir Abdullahi was arrested in Niger with 6,400 tramadol pills
Jamiu Omolaja, a notorious dealer, was caught in Ogun State with 113kg of skunk
In Gombe, Adamu Adamu, also known as “Dankyado,” was arrested with over 10,000 tramadol capsules
In Kogi, a consignment of skunk hidden in garri and dried scent leaves was intercepted, with Kindness Bala, 27, arrested in Abuja as part of the follow-up
The statement added: “On Saturday, July 26, NDLEA recovered 23,600 pills of tramadol, 300 ampoules of pentazocine injection, and 700 grams of skunk from a truck in Ayingba, Kogi State.”
Meanwhile, the NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued with sensitisation programmes held across schools in Oyo, Ebonyi, Sokoto, and Lagos States. Traditional rulers in Awka and Ukpo, Anambra, also received advocacy visits.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the efforts of officers nationwide. “The agency’s balanced focus on drug supply and demand reduction continues to yield commendable results,” the statement added.
