NDLEA Raids Hotel Used as Cover, Seizes ₦1.042 Billion Worth of Drugs, Arrests Suspects Across States
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has raided a newly opened 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, recovering illicit drugs valued at over ₦1.04 billion. Operatives seized 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 417.3 kilograms, after combing through the five-storey building between Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, 2025.
Three suspects Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh were arrested during the operation. Two others, identified as Noble Philip and his partner Kenneth, remain at large.
The hotel, known as The Hook Hotel (also referred to as Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge) located at 16 Waziri Ibrahim Street, off Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, was allegedly being used as a cover for illicit distribution activities. Items suspected to be proceeds from drug trafficking, including several vehicles — a Toyota Prado Jeep, Toyota Sienna, Volkswagen Delivery Van, Kia Ceranto, and a Grand Caravan Dodge — as well as 74 new and 10 used television sets, and 13 refrigerators, were also recovered.
In a statement, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the Lagos Command for the success of the operation, describing it as “a major breakthrough in the ongoing fight against drug cartels using hotels and lounges as safe havens.”
Meanwhile, in another major operation, NDLEA operatives in Jigawa State intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle loaded with 200,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 217,500 capsules of pregabalin. The seizure occurred around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 23, along the Kano-Ringim Road, Gumel town. Two suspects, Abba Ibrahim, 28, and Shuaibu Umar, 29, were arrested.
A swift follow-up operation in Kano led to the arrest of Jamilu Muhammad, 41, at his residence in Mil Tara, Layin Technical area. Authorities recovered an additional 1,584,000 tramadol pills hidden inside a Nissan 18-seater bus and a room in his house, bringing the total haul to 2,001,500 pills.
“This interdiction is a clear warning to criminal networks that we are a step ahead,” Marwa said.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted another drug shipment destined for Saudi Arabia. Forty-six wraps of cocaine, weighing 547 grams, were concealed inside body cream containers at a courier firm on Wednesday, April 23. That same day, officials also seized 1.8 kilograms of pentazocine injection and 60 grams of bromazepam tablets headed for Canada.
At the Seme border area of Badagry, Lagos, three Ghanaian women Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26 — were arrested on Sunday, April 20, while attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud cannabis into Nigeria.
In Kano, a 60-year-old grandmother, Safiya Shamsu, was arrested in the Samegu area of Kumbotso Local Government Area on Friday, April 25, with 5.6 kilograms of skunk, a potent cannabis strain. Similarly, Muntari Labaran, 35, was apprehended with 100 litres of codeine syrup in the Yelwa area of Dala Local Government Area.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 3,814.9 kilograms of skunk across two farms in Ugbodu community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area. Three suspects Samuel Samson, 26; Daniel Peter, 20; and Abel Edah, 31 were arrested during the operation on Thursday, April 24.
Meanwhile, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued nationwide with sensitization lectures delivered in schools across Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto states, and advocacy visits to community groups, including a courtesy visit by the Lagos State Strategic Command to the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, HRM Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi.
Commending officers for their relentless efforts, Gen. Marwa said, “Our success lies in maintaining a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction. I salute the courage, professionalism, and commitment of all our commands.”
The NDLEA emphasized that it will continue its aggressive pursuit of drug traffickers and intensify its preventive education efforts.