The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) elite special operations unit has successfully apprehended 60-year-old Okpara Paul Chigozie, a notorious and long-wanted drug kingpin, bringing an end to his seven-year cat-and-mouse game with the law.
Okpara was caught attempting to ship large quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine to the Southeast and other parts of the country.
The suspect, who had been on the NDLEA’s wanted list since 2019, was finally apprehended at his hideout at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri, in the Ojo area of Lagos State, on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
His arrest followed the interception of some of his consignments at 05:45 hours on the same day at Ilasamaja along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
According to Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, a team of NDLEA officers, acting on credible intelligence, arrested one of Okpara’s couriers, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, in an early morning operation while he was heading to Onitsha, Anambra State, in a white Toyota Sienna vehicle.
Babafemi said in a statement sent to Persecondnews on Sunday that the agency’s sniffer dogs were subsequently brought in to search the vehicle, after which 7.6kg of cocaine and 900 grammes of methamphetamine were found hidden in secret compartments of the people carrier.
A follow up operation was promptly carried out at Okpara’s hideout in Isheri where additional 1.8kg cocaine and 1.3kg methamphetamine were recovered from his residence.
The statement reads: “In an operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, in a joint operation with Aviation Security personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recovered 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, on Wednesday, July 16.
“The suspect who was going to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight claimed he purchased the drugs himself, hoping to sell them in Italy at higher prices.
“In another arrest at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives at the export shed on Thursday July 17 intercepted 17 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 1.70kg concealed in packs of popular cereal, Golden Morn, going to Pakistan as part of a consolidated cargo. A suspect, Chioba Robert Uchenna who presented the consignment for shipment was arrested.
“In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday July 19 raided Sarah Sam Hotels located at 115 Ogudu road in Kosofe where different party drugs are being distributed and sold. The raid followed credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed a suspect Obayemi Oyetade as the arrowhead of the drug network.
“At the time of the operation, 1.30kg Chocolate Cannabis, 900grams of gummies and 22.9grams of skunk were recovered from Obayemi’s room in the hotel, which is a 20-room facility run as a family business, housing his mother and siblings. Other items recovered from the hotel include three vehicles.
“Three suspects: Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi and Emmanuel Madu were on Saturday July 19, arrested during an intelligence-led raid at Narayi High Cost area of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, where 742.866 kilograms of skunk, and Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis were seized from them.”
The statement also reads: “In Kano, Lawan Rabiu was apprehended with 36,000 pills of tramadol along Danbatta-Kazaure road on Wednesday, July 16, while another suspect, Aliyu Abubakar, was found with 25,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5.
“At Gombe roundabout on Friday July 18, the duo of Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested same day with 49 blocks of compressed skunk that weighed 29kg at Kwadom, Yemaltu Deba LGA, Gombe state.
“In Borno, NDLEA officers on patrol along Baga road, Maiduguri, on Saturday July 19 intercepted 74,360 pills of opioids in a Mercedes Benz C180 car marked GUB 409 AA and arrested Audu Modu, 44, in connection with the seizure.
“In Bayelsa state, a 63-year-old grandma Akuna Nelson was on Thursday July 17, arrested at Osiri area of Yenagoa in connection with the seizure of 163 litres of skuchies.
“Four suspects: Ikechukw Abugu, 42; Sunday Ani, 18; Chukwu Christian, 46; and Emmanuel Olisakwe, 55, were on Thursday July 17, arrested by NDLEA operatives along Okene-Lokoja highway, Kogi state in connection with the seizure of 2kg methamphetamine recovered during a search of their vehicle coming from Onitsha, Anambra state to Minna, Niger state.
“In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Monday July 14 raided the base of a notorious drug dealer, Nduka Obi, 39, at 4 Niger street, Ugwa road, Aba, where various quantities of tramadol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and a total of N736,000 monetary exhibit were recovered from him.”
The statement further added: “A total of 45,000 pills of tramadol were seized from a suspect Chisom Okpalaeke, 30, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Onitsha – Enugu expressway, Enugu state on Wednesday July 16.
“Officers of the Taraba state command of the agency same day apprehended the duo of Ngwokwoka Thomas, 44, and Mohammed Audu, 44 with 10,000 caps of tramadol and a gram of cannabis at Dan Anacha, Gassol LGA.”
The War Against Drug Abuse(WADA), social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
These included WADA sensitization lectures delivered to students and staff at several schools: Government Day Secondary School, Badeggi, Niger; Dah Model Academy, Ngurore, Adamawa; Icon Academy, Nsukka, Enugu; Government Technical College, Nkpor, Anambra and Madrisatul Tahfizul Qur’an Wa Ulumud Deen, Jaba Fagge, Kano state; among others.
The NDLEA Chairman/CEO, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa, commended the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Lagos, Kaduna, Osun, Bayelsa, Gombe, Borno, Abia, Kogi, Enugu, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week.
He also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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