NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor With 40kg Skunk, Seizes 500 IED Components in Niger

By Tgnews Reporter

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking and related crimes, arresting a former Lagos councillor and uncovering dangerous explosive materials in separate operations across Nigeria.

The agency arrested 45-year-old Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former two-term councillor at the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council and current legislative aide. He was apprehended at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, following credible intelligence.

NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi stated that a raid on the property led to the recovery of 40 kilograms of skunk a potent strain of cannabis from one of the rooms. During questioning, Olalekan admitted ownership of both the drugs and the residence. He confirmed his past service representing the Orimedu community in the council.

In Abuja, NDLEA officers intercepted 32-year-old businessman Emeka Hyginus Okwor in a vehicle traveling from Obollo-Afor, Enugu State, to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory. A search of his luggage uncovered 1,000 pills of tapentadol hidden inside baby diapers.

The suspect confessed he was delivering the opioids to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he runs a provision store.

Along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State, patrol teams seized 1.55 kilograms of Colorado a synthetic cannabis strain concealed in a standing fan carton.

The consignment belonged to 36-year-old Cameroonian national Mey Ali Muhamat from Maroua, who was traveling by commercial bus from Lagos to Cameroon via Lokoja, Kano, and Maiduguri.

In a major security-related bust in Niger State, operatives on the Mokwa–Jebba road stopped a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State. They discovered 500 pieces of improvised explosive device (IED) components hidden in a white sack, destined for Pelegi.

A follow-up raid led to the arrest of the intended recipient, 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, in Mashegu Local Government Area.

Other notable seizures included 122,000 tramadol pills and 700 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a truck’s false compartment in Yola, Adamawa State, amid 2,000 cartons of local drinks.

Additional arrests occurred in Kano (20-year-old Muhammed Ali with 11,283 tramadol pills), Ogun (Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa with 46kg skunk in Ogere), Delta (Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22, with 18.63kg skunk, codeine syrup, and various pills in Ogwashi-Uku), and Edo (Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, linked to over 1,910kg of cultivated skunk destroyed in Egbisi Forest, plus another 176.5kg seized from Alaba Adeboye in Ikhin).

NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa praised the officers from the affected commands for their dedication. He emphasized the agency’s dual strategy of tough enforcement combined with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization programs in schools, workplaces, and communities nationwide, including recent sessions in Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Lagos, Sokoto, Ebonyi, and Anambra states.

The operations highlight ongoing threats from drug trafficking networks and their potential links to other criminal activities in Nigeria.