The Nationwide Drug Legislation Enforcement Company (NDLEA), Edo State Command, has intercepted 53,520.80kg of various illicit medication, valued at over N777 million, inside the first half of 2025.
Mitchell Ofoyeju, the NDLEA Commander in Edo, disclosed this on Monday in Benin at a media briefing to mark the 2025 Worldwide Day In opposition to Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Commander of Narcotics, Ofoyeju, disclosed that operatives of the command just lately arrested 28-year-old Esther Abumere, a 300-level pupil of Ambrose Alli College, Ekpoma, for possession of illicit medication.
In response to the commander, Abumere was utilizing a grocery store situated within the college surroundings as a canopy to hawk narcotics.
“Her arrest sends a powerful warning to drug barons that, whatever the disguise, they are going to be uncovered,” Ofoyeju acknowledged.
“We have now a obligation to guard each citizen via complete drug provide management and prevention interventions,” he added.
Ofoyeju revealed that the medication present in Esther Abumere’s possession included 31 grams of Colorado, a potent artificial variant of hashish; 763 grams of Canadian Loud, one other robust hashish pressure; and ranging portions of Tramadol capsules.
Extra substances recovered from the grocery store she operated included 146 tablets of Swinol (56g), 93 tablets of Rohypnol (30g), and 56 tablets of Molly (25g).
Throughout interrogation, the suspect reportedly claimed she turned to drug peddling in a bid to repay a mortgage she took from a microfinance {bank}.
The narcotics commander additionally disclosed that the company destroyed 18 hashish farms and secured 24 convictions inside the reporting interval.
As a part of its rehabilitation efforts, the command offered transient counselling interventions to 194 shoppers and efficiently rehabilitated 19 people scuffling with drug use problems, consistent with its mandate.
Ofoyeju urged the general public to assist the company by reporting suspicious drug-related actions, attributing the pervasive crimes like cultism and kidnapping to drug abuse.
“These enemies of the state can run however can not cover. We are going to catch them, seize their medication, hint their illicit wealth, and prosecute them,” he mentioned.
Nairametrics earlier reported that the Nationwide Drug Legislation Enforcement Company (NDLEA) has additionally seized a complete of 1,013,000 capsules of opioids in Bauchi State, as a part of an intelligence-driven operation focusing on drug traffickers throughout the nation
The illicit medication, which included tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, had been intercepted by NDLEA officers appearing on credible intelligence.
In response to an announcement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the company arrested two suspects, 37-year-old Ibrahim Galadima and 28-year-old Ibrahim Muhammed, final Monday, June sixteenth, alongside the Bauchi-Darazo street.
“A complete of One Million and 13 Thousand (1,013,000) capsules of opioids, particularly: tramadol, diazepam and exol-5 had been recovered from them,” he mentioned.
NDLEA says the bust emphasizes its ongoing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and curb the provision of harmful substances in communities throughout the nation.
