NDLEA Intercepts Malaysian Returnee With Meth Consignment Concealed In Loud Speakers
Arrests trans-border drug trafficker with 8,740 ampoules of fentanyl injection, others
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu (a.k.a Richard) with two giant music speakers used to conceal four large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.700kilograms for distribution in Yola and Mubi, in Adamawa State, and across the border into the neighbouring Cameroon.
A statement signed by NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, said Ndubuisi was arrested inside a commercial transport bus at an NDLEA checkpoint at Namtari along Ngurore-Yola road, in Adamawa State on Monday, April 7, 2025. He was found with two new music speakers used to conceal four packages of methamphetamine and monetary exhibit of N22,300 cash.
In his statement, he claimed he returned to Nigeria to continue his illicit drug trade after serving out his jail term in Malaysia, where he had been arrested, convicted and sent to prison for drug trafficking offences.
In another interdiction exercise, NDLEA officers in a joint border operation with Customs personnel at the Nigeria/Cameroon border in Mfum, Cross River State, arrested a trans-border drug trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu, with 8,740 ampoules of assorted opioids, weighing 395kg. They include: 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl injection, 2,160 ampoules of morphine sulphate injection, 3,010 ampoules of phenobarbital sulphate injection, 2,160 ampoules of pethidine injection, and 330 ampoules of midazolam injection.
In Kano State, NDLEA operatives on Friday, April 11, 2025, arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 pills of tramadol 225mg and 250mg at Bachirawa area of Kano, while 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was nabbed in a follow-up operation at Wazobia motor park in Gwagwalada, FCT Abuja, following the seizure of a consignment of 8,960 pills of tramadol by NDLEA officers on routine check along Gwagwalada expressway on Monday, April 7.
Also, not less than 124 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, packaged in 11 jumbo bags were on Friday, April 11 recovered from the boot of a Lexus car marked KTU 54 CU driven by a suspect, Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins, 58, along Mokwa-Jebba Road, in Niger state.
Meanwhile, Babafemi added that the NDLEA Commands across the country continued to balance their drug supply reduction operations with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA), social advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities in the past week. Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of New Era Secondary School, Nteje, Anambra; Promise Land College, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos; Cherryfield College, Jikwoyi, FCT; Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Ogbomoso, Oyo state; Nurul Faruq Islamic Academy, Gombi, Adamawa state, while the Kwara state command paid a WADA advocacy visit to Oloro of Oro kingdom, Oba Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye Titiloye Olufayo II, among others.
While commending the efforts of the officers and men of Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Kano and Niger State Commands of the Agency for job well done, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), tasked them and their compatriots nationwide not to rest on their oars but continue to raise the bar in their offensive action against drug cartels with an equal measure of drug demand reduction efforts.
