The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 50-year-old widow and fashion designer, Mrs Ifeoma Henrietta Ezewuike, disguised as a pregnant woman, for attempting to traffic 1.3 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Ezewuike, who owns Golden Star Creation, a fashion outfit in Lagos, was intercepted on Friday at the Jibowu bus terminal in Yaba while preparing to board a vehicle to Abuja. A follow-up raid on her residence led to the discovery of 200 grams of a cutting agent used in cocaine processing.
According to NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect confessed that she inherited the drug trade from her late husband, despite running her fashion business for more than two decades.
The NDLEA described the arrest as part of a coordinated nationwide operation targeting drug traffickers and illegal cannabis farms.
In Lagos, operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation intercepted 90 parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 48.6 kilogrammes. The drugs were concealed in three cartons of imported kitchen sinks shipped from the United States.
In Adamawa, a raid on the residence of Idris Garba led to the arrest of his associate, a 55-year-old Boniface Nnaji, while 354,480 tramadol pills and two vehicles were seized.
In Kano, five suspects were apprehended and 452,070 opioid pills, including pregabaline and tramadol, were recovered alongside 140 litres of codeine syrup.
In Kogi, NDLEA officers at Idah waterside intercepted 5,000 tramadol capsules, 400 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 ampoules of diazepam from a trafficker crossing from Anambra.
In Kwara, 2,289.49 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered in Ajase-Ipo during three operations involving three trucks and five suspects. Two dispatch riders were also arrested in Abuja’s Jabi district, one carrying pentazocine injections and the other with skunk prepared for delivery.
The crackdown extended to several states in the South. In Delta, NDLEA operatives supported by the military destroyed 25,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on four plantations in Ndokwa West. Similar raids in Ondo led to the destruction of 25,025 kilogrammes on three farms in the Uso area.
In Edo, officers arrested 54-year-old Fodo Stella Sunday with 901 kilogrammes of skunk in a warehouse, while 14,233.37 kilogrammes were destroyed on plantations in Owan West.
In Ekiti, 96 kilogrammes were seized from two suspects in Ikere-Ekiti, while in Taraba, a joint NDLEA–Civil Defence team destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes cultivated on three hectares in Bali Local Government Area.
According to the agency, the seizures and destruction exercises across the country in the past week accounted for more than 75,000 kilogrammes of illicit drugs, making it one of the largest single-week crackdowns in recent months.
Even as enforcement intensified, NDLEA formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign. Sensitisation lectures were delivered in Islamiyya schools in Katsina and Kano, while advocacy visits were paid to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the Andoma of Doma in Nasarawa State.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers for their professionalism and urged them to sustain a balanced strategy that combines law enforcement with education and community engagement.
Ezewuike’s arrest adds to a string of high-profile crackdowns by the NDLEA, including the interception of N7.8 billion worth of opioids at Onne Port and the arrest of a Lagos pastor linked to cannabis trafficking.
