The growing nexus between drug trafficking and insecurity is under renewed scrutiny, following major interceptions by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) across several states.
According to NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, operatives in Kwara State intercepted 10,000 pills of Captagon, a highly addictive stimulant linked to terror groups, along the Bode Saadu road.
The suspect, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, was arrested after a search revealed the consignment concealed in a passenger vehicle. The seizure comes five years after the agency recorded the first Captagon bust in Africa at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, raising concerns over renewed attempts to establish trafficking routes into Nigeria.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 33-year-old businessman, Eze Prince Emeka, along the Ibadan-Oyo expressway. A body scan confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs, and under observation, he excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms in three rounds. Investigations indicate the suspect was attempting to move the drugs through trans-Saharan routes, with Algeria as a transit point and Europe as the final destination.
In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck along the Benin-Lagos expressway conveying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo and Omijie Malik, were arrested, with the consignment reportedly heading to Onitsha, Anambra State.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, operatives recovered 394 improvised explosive device components from a suspect transporting them along the Kontagora-Zuru road. Authorities say the materials will be handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation, highlighting concerns over the intersection of drug trafficking and broader security threats.
Across other operations, NDLEA also destroyed 20,000 kilograms of skunk on eight hectares of farmland in Cross River State, recovered hundreds of kilograms of cannabis in Ekiti and Bauchi States, and arrested suspects in Lagos linked to large-scale drug distribution networks.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
