Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former two-term councillor in Lagos State and intercepted multiple illicit drug consignments across several states as part of intensified nationwide operations against drug trafficking.
The suspect, 45-year-old Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former councillor at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council and currently a legislative aide, was arrested at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives acting on credible intelligence raided Olalekan’s residence, where they discovered 40 kilograms of skunk—a potent strain of cannabis—hidden in one of the rooms.
During interrogation, Olalekan reportedly admitted ownership of both the drugs and the property where they were recovered. He also confirmed that he previously served two terms as councillor representing the Orimedu community in the local government council.
In a separate operation in Abuja, NDLEA operatives intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, who was travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory.
A search of his luggage uncovered 1,000 pills of tapentadol concealed inside baby diapers. Okwor reportedly confessed that he was transporting the drugs to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he operates a provision store.
Similarly, along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol intercepted 1.55 kilograms of Colorado—a synthetic strain of cannabis—hidden inside a carton containing a standing fan.
The drugs were traced to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, from Maroua in the Republic of Cameroon. He was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon via Lokoja, Kano, and Maiduguri.
In another major operation in Niger State, NDLEA operatives patrolling the Mokwa–Jebba road intercepted a commercial bus travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 500 pieces of improvised explosive device (IED) components concealed in a white sack destined for delivery in Pelegi.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
Meanwhile, in Yola, Adamawa State, NDLEA officers uncovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine concealed in a false compartment of a truck transporting 2,000 cartons of locally produced beverages.
Additional arrests were recorded in several states. In Kano, a 20-year-old suspect, Muhammed Ali, was apprehended with 11,283 pills of tramadol.
In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives raided the Ogere community and arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, who were found in possession of 46 kilograms of skunk.
In Delta State, two suspects—Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22—were arrested in Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup, and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives arrested 48-year-old Eke London and his accomplice, Austin Isusi, 49, at Egbisi Forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area, where 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms were destroyed.
Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was also apprehended in Ikhin town, Owan East Local Government Area, with 176.5 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement actions, the NDLEA said it continues to intensify its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, places of worship, and communities.
Recent awareness activities included lectures for students and staff of Government Senior College, Apata in Ibadan, Oyo State; Government Girls Secondary School in Katcha, Niger State; Government Girls Day Secondary School in Tsafe, Zamfara State; and Sango Junior Secondary School in Agege, Lagos. Similar programmes were also held in schools across Sokoto, Ebonyi, and Anambra states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended officers and personnel of the Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta, and Adamawa commands for their dedication and operational successes.
He urged them to remain steadfast in the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, which combines robust enforcement with sustained public awareness and prevention initiatives.
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