Lekki, Italy-Based Tycoons Caught Red-Handed: NDLEA Uncovers Massive Drug Importation Plot

The 43-year-old was apprehended on Monday, March 24, 2025, at Bay Lounge on Admiralty Way, Lekki, while awaiting the delivery of his latest drug shipment. His arrest followed the interception of his cargo, which arrived in Nigeria on March 12 in seven large cartons at a Lagos logistics firm, as confirmed by NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation.

A subsequent search of his Lekki residence uncovered 94 grams of the same psychoactive substance, a cannabis crusher, and various drug paraphernalia, bringing the total quantity of drugs seized from him to 32.24 kilograms. During interrogation, Ebenezer confessed to being involved in the drug trade since 2017.

In a statement on Sunday, March 30, 2025, NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, also revealed that NDLEA officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, thwarted an attempt by another businessman, Omoruyi Terry, to smuggle 1,400 tramadol pills (225mg) weighing 800 grams to Italy. Terry was intercepted at the Terminal 2 screening area while preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight.

Meanwhile, in Katsina, four suspects, including Baraka Abubakar, Haruna Alitine, Muhammad Babangida, and Hamisu Lawal, were apprehended during a raid in Godai village, Daura LGA, with 684 blocks of compressed skunk (423 kg) and 86,000 diazepam pills. The suspects were found repackaging the drugs when arrested, while the female suspect was caught with large quantities of skunk in her home.

In Edo State, between March 24 and March 28, NDLEA operatives destroyed approximately 13,198 kilograms of cannabis sativa in various forest locations and seized an additional 158 kilograms. In Niger State, officers patrolling the Mokwa-Jebba road intercepted a car loaded with 77.6 kilograms of compressed skunk, while another 50 kilograms were recovered from a suspect’s residence in Wawa village, Borgu.

Other drug seizures included 108.5 kilograms of skunk recovered from storage facilities at Aria New Market in Enugu, 25 kilograms of skunk from a suspect in Ilorin, Kwara State, and various quantities of illicit substances in Oyo State.

NDLEA Chairman/CEO, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers for their consistent efforts in curbing drug trafficking and for their balanced approach to both reducing drug supply and addressing drug demand through community sensitization initiatives.