NDLEA Nabs Malaysian Returnee with Meth Hidden in Speakers, Arrests Cross-Border Fentanyl Trafficker
By Femi Babafemi, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja
In a major breakthrough in the fight against drug trafficking, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a 41-year-old ex-convict and Malaysian returnee, Ndubuisi Udatu, also known as Richard, with a consignment of methamphetamine concealed in giant music speakers.
Udatu was intercepted on Monday, April 7, 2025, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, along the Ngurore-Yola road in Adamawa State. He was traveling in a commercial bus when officers discovered two new music speakers containing four large parcels of methamphetamine weighing 2.7 kilograms. A cash sum of N22,300 was also recovered from him.
During interrogation, Udatu confessed to returning to Nigeria to continue drug trafficking after completing a prison sentence for similar offences in Malaysia.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service officers, arrested a trans-border trafficker, 35-year-old Odoh Peter Ikechukwu, at the Mfum border in Cross River State. He was caught with 8,740 ampoules of dangerous opioids weighing 395 kilograms. The haul included 1,080 ampoules of fentanyl, 2,160 of morphine sulphate, 3,010 of phenobarbital sulphate, 2,160 of pethidine, and 330 of midazolam.
In Kano, NDLEA officers arrested 27-year-old Aliyu Ibrahim on Friday, April 11, 2025, in the Bachirawa area with 20 ATM cards and 25,600 tablets of tramadol (225mg and 250mg). In a follow-up operation in Abuja, 48-year-old Gambo Lawan was also arrested at Wazobia Motor Park, Gwagwalada, following the earlier seizure of 8,960 tramadol pills during a routine stop along the Gwagwalada expressway.
Similarly, in Niger State, a significant seizure was made along the Mokwa-Jebba road where 124 kilograms of cannabis, commonly known as skunk, was recovered from the boot of a Lexus vehicle with registration number KTU 54 CU. The 58-year-old driver, Ademiluyi Adedapo Collins, was taken into custody.
In addition to enforcement efforts, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign across the country. Recent sensitisation campaigns were conducted in schools and communities, including New Era Secondary School, Nteje, Anambra; Promise Land College, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos; Cherryfield College, Jikwoyi, FCT; Federal Polytechnic Ayede, Ogbomoso, Oyo; and Nurul Faruq Islamic Academy, Gombi, Adamawa. In Kwara State, the command paid an advocacy visit to the Oloro of Oro Kingdom, Oba Joel Olaniyi Oyatoye Titiloye Olufayo II.
Commending the efforts of the officers in Adamawa, Cross River, FCT, Kano, and Niger State Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), urged personnel nationwide to intensify their efforts in combating drug cartels while reinforcing drug demand reduction initiatives.
