NDLEA has arrested Fugitive Drug Kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie after 7 years and seized over 101,000kg of illicit substances across 13 states.
In a sweeping nationwide crackdown, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious drug baron, Okpara Paul Chigozie, after seven years of evading capture. The high-profile arrest coincides with a series of coordinated operations that led to the seizure of over 101,150 kilograms of illegal drugs in 13 states within one week.
Spokesman for the agency, Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday, describing it as a significant victory in the war against narcotics.
Okpara, 60, had been on the NDLEA’s wanted list since 2019 for his role in a transnational drug trafficking network. He was finally cornered at his hideout on Michael Ojo Street, Isheri, in Lagos on Sunday, July 13, shortly after one of his drug couriers was apprehended along the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
According to Babafemi, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi was intercepted in the early hours of the same day while ferrying hard drugs to Onitsha, Anambra State, in a white Toyota Sienna. A subsequent search using sniffer dogs uncovered 7.6kg of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the vehicle’s compartments.
A follow-up raid at Okpara’s residence yielded an additional 1.8kg of cocaine and 1.3kg of methamphetamine, confirming his continued involvement in large-scale narcotics distribution.
The NDLEA also recorded multiple seizures at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA). On July 16, officials, in collaboration with Aviation Security personnel, intercepted 7,790 pills of tramadol and rohypnol from the luggage of Italy-bound Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, who intended to sell the drugs overseas.
The next day, operatives at the MMIA export shed uncovered 1.7kg of skunk, cleverly hidden in packs of Golden Morn cereal and destined for Pakistan. Chioba Robert Uchenna, who presented the consignment for export, was arrested on the spot.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA raided Sarah Sam Hotels in Kosofe, seizing 1.3kg of cannabis, nearly a kilogram of drug-infused gummies, and over 22 grams of skunk from a suspect identified as Obayemi Oyetade. Three vehicles and the 20-room hotel—believed to be a family-run operation—were also impounded.
In Kaduna, three suspects—Onyeka Madu, Monday Nwadishi, and Emmanuel Madu—were arrested with nearly 743kg of skunk and Colorado, a synthetic form of cannabis, at Narayi High Cost, Chikun LGA.
The agency’s operation extended across the country:
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Kano: 36,000 tramadol pills recovered from Lawan Rabiu along Danbatta-Kazaure road.
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Gombe: Aliyu Abubakar was caught with 25,000 tramadol and Exol-5 pills at Gombe Roundabout, while Mohammed Adamu and Furaira Idris were arrested with 29kg of skunk in Yemaltu Deba LGA.
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Borno: 74,360 opioid pills intercepted from a Mercedes Benz on Baga Road in Maiduguri; suspect Audu Modu, 44, detained.
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Bayelsa: 63-year-old Akuna Nelson arrested with 163 litres of skuchies in Yenagoa.
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Kogi: Four men arrested with 2kg of meth along Okene-Lokoja highway.
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Abia: NDLEA stormed Nduka Obi’s drug den in Aba, recovering heroin, cocaine, meth, tramadol, and N736,000 in cash.
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Enugu: 45,000 tramadol pills confiscated from 30-year-old Chisom Okpalaeke on Onitsha–Enugu expressway.
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Taraba: 10,000 tramadol capsules and a gram of cannabis seized from Ngwokwoka Thomas and Mohammed Audu in Gassol LGA.
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Osun: The agency destroyed 101,150kg of skunk stashed in a forested area.
NDLEA Chairman and CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the inter-agency collaboration and stressed the importance of balancing drug supply suppression with preventive education. He highlighted the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative’s school sensitization campaigns across Niger, Adamawa, Enugu, Anambra, and Kano as critical to breaking the cycle of addiction.
The agency’s relentless operations mark a renewed momentum in its national fight against drug trafficking, with the arrest of Okpara signaling a strong warning to drug cartels operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.