Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed in a duvet and packaged for export to the United Kingdom. The illicit cargo was discovered at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

Two suspects, Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun, linked to the consignment, were promptly arrested following the discovery by NDLEA officers on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Six parcels of the psychoactive substance, with a gross weight of 3.50 kilograms, were hidden inside the duvet.

In his statement, Austin Balogun, identified as the main agent who hired Adakole, confessed that he was paid N700,000 to facilitate the shipment to the UK. However, he admitted to using a portion of the funds for export handling charges and spending the bulk on securing an apartment.

In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun, during a raid at Igbo Olumo in the Ikorodu area. The raid led to the recovery of seven liters of Skuchies, a psychoactive substance made from black currant, cannabis, and opioids. Additional items seized included three locally made double-barrel rifles, one locally made double-barrel pistol, one English-made pistol, one locally made single-barrel rifle, three cartridges, an empty 9mm cartridge, and an iron-head axe.

Further enforcement action in Lagos on Sunday, January 19, resulted in the seizure of 47 kilograms of Skunk, another cannabis strain, and 25.46 kilograms of nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas," at the notorious Akala area of Mushin.

In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers arrested 26-year-old Adepoju Taiwo on Thursday, January 23, along Iworoko Road, Ilokun, Ado-Ekiti. He was found in possession of 1.950 kilograms of Canadian Loud. Similarly, on Monday, January 20, NDLEA operatives apprehended Auwal Sani at Bode Saadu in the Moro Local Government Area of Kwara State, recovering 50,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg, weighing 36.56 kilograms.

Meanwhile, in Kano State, operatives arrested a Nigerien national, Abubakar Lami, 45, along with two accomplices, Abba Sani, 35, and Auwal Aliyu, 32, at Gadar Tamburawa. The operation led to the seizure of 13.1 kilograms of Skunk and 125 liters of a new psychoactive substance known as Suck and Die. Additionally, a cannabis plantation was discovered and destroyed at Gefen Kasa in the Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area, with a suspect, Sabo Ali Muhammad, 45, apprehended in connection with the farm.

In a nationwide effort to curb drug abuse, NDLEA commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to schools, worship centers, workplaces, and traditional institutions across the country. The sensitization programs were held at several institutions, including Army Children Secondary School in Oyo, Government Day Secondary School in Gwadangwaji, Kebbi State, St. Dominic Comprehensive College in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, and District Junior College in Agege, Lagos, among others.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the Lagos, Kano, Kwara, and Ekiti commands for their recent successes in arrests and seizures. He also praised all NDLEA commands nationwide for their efforts in intensifying the WADA social advocacy and sensitization activities across their respective areas of responsibility.