NDLEA recovers illicit drugs worth ₦1.042bn after Lagos hotel raid

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recovered illicit substances valued at ₦1.042 billion after raiding an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, allegedly used as a distribution hub for drugs.

According to the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA officers, after hours of intensive search between Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, 2025, recovered 589 bags of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 417.3 kilograms. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is ₦1,042,500,000.

Three suspects—Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh—were arrested during the operation at the five-storey hotel complex identified as The Hook Hotel (also known as Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge) located at 16 Waziri Ibrahim Street, off Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island.

Two additional suspects, Noble Philip and his partner Kenneth, remain at large.

Items suspected to be proceeds from illicit drug activities were also recovered from the premises. These include:

Toyota Prado Land Cruiser Jeep (Lagos AKD 472 OZ)

Toyota Sienna Vehicle (Lagos KJA 79 HJ)

Volkswagen Delivery Van (Lagos AAA 525 JE)

Kia Cerato Car (Lagos BDG 860 GQ)

Grand Caravan Dodge (Lagos APP 847 YF)

74 new television sets, 10 used TVs, and 13 refrigerators, among others.

Meanwhile, NDLEA’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted another Saudi-bound shipment of 46 wraps of cocaine weighing 547 grams, concealed in body creams.

The seizure was made on Wednesday, April 23, at a courier firm in Lagos.

Additionally, a consignment comprising 1.8kg of pentazocine injection and 60 grams of bromazepam tablets destined for Canada was intercepted the same day.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Jigawa State, acting on intelligence, seized opioid consignments being transported from Kano to Niger Republic and Yobe State.

The drugs were intercepted at about 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23, along the Kano-Ringim road in Gumel town. Two suspects, Abba Ibrahim (28) and Shuaibu Umar (29), were arrested with a Toyota Sienna vehicle carrying: 200,000 pills of tramadol (250mg), 217,500 capsules of pregabalin.

A swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of 41-year-old Jamilu Muhammad at his residence in Mil Tara, Layin Technical area of Kano.

Further search led to the discovery and seizure of an additional 1,584,000 pills of tramadol (250mg) hidden inside a Nissan 18-seater bus (DAL 372 XA) and a room in his house, bringing the total recovered opioids to 2,001,500 pills.

At the Seme Border area in Badagry, Lagos, three Ghanaian women were arrested at the Gbaji checkpoint on Sunday, April 20, while attempting to smuggle a combined 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud, a high-grade cannabis strain, into Nigeria.

The suspects are identified as Haziza Zubairu (42), Samirat Mustapha (43), and Jamila Salifu (26).

In Kano, a 60-year-old grandmother, Safiya Shamsu, was apprehended on Friday, April 25, at Samegu area of Kumbotso LGA with 5.6kg of skunk (another potent cannabis strain).

Also, 35-year-old Muntari Labaran was arrested in the Yelwa area of Dala LGA following the seizure of 100 litres of codeine syrup.

Further afield in Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 3,814.9kg of skunk cultivated on two farms in Ugbodu community, Ovia North East LGA, during a raid on Thursday, April 24.

Three suspects—Samuel Samson (26), Daniel Peter (20), and Abel Edah (31)—were arrested during the operation.

Meanwhile, the NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy activities continued nationwide, with sensitization lectures delivered at:

Dan-Doro Community Arabic Secondary School, Doro, Katsina

St. James Anglican School, Badariya, Kebbi

Federal Government Girls College, Tambuwal, Sokoto

Oganiru Age Grade, Onitsha, Anambra

Additionally, the Lagos State Command paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, HRM Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the efforts of the officers and men of DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Edo, and Seme Commands.

He also praised the various commands across the country for their balanced approach to reducing both the supply and demand of illicit drugs.