Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency arrested a drug baron and five cartel members in Lagos on Thursday, uncovering a massive stash of opioids worth N6.7 billion. The raid targeted a warehouse at 23 Sunny Billa East Street, Bucknor, Isheri, where agents seized 7.2 million tramadol pills and 52.6 million ml of codeine syrup. The operation followed intelligence about a pre-Christmas distribution plot.
Agents first nabbed two suspects, Egbo Innocent Udalor and Chukwe Emmanuel, on Wednesday at Apple Junction, Festac, while they hauled 300 cartons of opioids in a truck. A follow-up strike the next day led to the arrests of Onyekachi Nwanagu, Nwoye Sunday Ali, Nnacho Ogochukwu, and Oraghalia Chukwuebuka Philip at the hideout.
The haul, transported in 11 trucks to NDLEA’s Lagos facility, could have fuelled widespread addiction and crime. Officials valued the tramadol at N3.96 billion and the codeine at N2.76 billion.
NDLEA chief Mohamed Buba Marwa hailed the bust as a win for Nigerians. “This seizure represents a victory for the people and confirms our commitment to President Bola Tinubu’s mandate,” he said. Marwa warned drug lords that no one escapes justice, no matter how hidden.
These poisons prey on the young and desperate, turning lives into ruins one dose at a time. Each pill seized spares a family quiet heartbreak, a reminder of the human cost in shadows of greed.
