NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a fresh consignment of the notorious stimulant known as Captagon in Kwara State, as part of a sweeping nationwide crackdown that also led to multiple arrests, major drug seizures, and the recovery of explosive materials.

The agency, in a statement by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi on Sunday, disclosed that operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara intercepted a passenger, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, with 10,000 pills of Captagon—an amphetamine widely associated with militant groups in the Middle East. The seizure marks a renewed attempt by traffickers to reintroduce the drug into Nigeria nearly five years after its first recorded interception at Apapa seaport in Lagos.

Captagon, often referred to as a “terror drug,” is known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, heightened aggression, and reduced fear, making it a substance reportedly exploited by extremist groups, including Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to sustain combat operations.

Babafemi said the latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made last Tuesday when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara state intercepted a trailer conveying passengers. A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu led to the recovery of 10 packs of captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.

In a related operation at the same patrol point, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck concealing large quantities of controlled drugs, including tramadol capsules, injections, and other sedatives hidden in a specially constructed compartment.

He said in another interdiction operation at the Bode Saadu patrol point, NDLEA officers on Friday 24th April intercepted a trailer marked RMY-70XA. A search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of tramadol; 6,000 ampuoles of tramadol injection; 3,000 tablets of Co- Codamol and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam, concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer. A 24-year-old suspect Aminu Isah has been taken into custody in connection with the seizure.

Meanwhile, in Oyo State, operatives uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking attempt involving ingestion. A 33-year-old businessman, Eze Emeka, was apprehended along the Ibadan-Oyo expressway after a body scan confirmed he had swallowed illicit substances. Under observation, he excreted 45 wraps of cocaine weighing over one kilogramme. Investigations revealed he intended to smuggle the drugs via trans-Saharan routes through Algeria into Europe.

Further operations across the country yielded significant results. In Edo State, officers intercepted a truck carrying over 1.1 million opioid pills bound for Onitsha, leading to the arrest of two suspects. In Lagos, a suspect was caught transporting 810 kilograms of a potent cannabis strain, while in Bauchi, another individual was arrested with over 150 kilograms of skunk.

In Ekiti, nearly 470 kilogrammes of cannabis were recovered from a residential building, while a major raid in Cross River State led to the destruction of 20,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland.

In a development highlighting the intersection of drug trafficking and security threats, NDLEA operatives in Niger State seized 394 components used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a suspect. The materials have been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation.

Chairman of NDLEA, Buba Marwa, described the Captagon seizure as a significant breakthrough and a warning sign of attempts by criminal networks to revive dormant trafficking routes.

“We are not just seizing drugs; we are dismantling the enablers of violence and insecurity,” Marwa said, assuring Nigerians that the agency remains vigilant in preventing the spread of dangerous substances.

He commended operatives across affected states for maintaining a balance between enforcement and public sensitization through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, which continues to target schools, communities, and institutions nationwide.

The NDLEA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that substances like Captagon do not gain a foothold in Nigeria, warning traffickers that enforcement efforts remain intensified across all borders and transit routes.

NDLEA Intercepts ‘Terror Drug’ Captagon in Kwara, Arrests Suspects Nationwide in Major Anti-Narcotics Sweep

Troops Recover Three Motorcycles During Manhunt in Kaduna

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Sector 7, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), have recovered three motorcycles during a fighting patrol in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Security sources said the operation was carried out at about 1:40 a.m. on April 25 as part of an ongoing manhunt for fleeing criminal elements.

The troops conducted the patrol around the Dogo Fili Forest, a known hideout for suspected criminals in the area.

“During the operation, troops recovered three motorcycles believed to have been abandoned by the criminals on sighting the advancing forces,” the source said.

The recovered items are currently in the custody of the troops for further necessary action.

The development is part of sustained efforts by security agencies to deny criminal elements freedom of movement and dismantle their operational capabilities in Kaduna State.

Troops Recover Three Motorcycles During Manhunt in Kaduna

Operation Wetie: Gov. Makinde’s Dangerous Rhetorics.

By: Inuwa Bwala.

I cannot still fathom what he means, but one thing is clear that, invoking the spirit of any form of violence, under whatever circumstances, is unstatesmanly and most uncharitable.

What people should always bear in mind, is the fact that, it takes a little issue to spark a larger crisis.

One can ignite crisis, but no one knows the dimenssions it could assume, neither can one predict when it will end.

It is with these at the back of my mind that, I think, the remarks credited to Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde, in which he tried to invoke the memory of the infamous “operation wetie”, was both dangerous and irresponsible of a leader.

No one wants to remember the horrors of the 1st and 2nd World wars. Neither do Nigerians pretend to cherish the memories of the civil war.

The 1st world war alone cost humanity more than 22 million lives.
And what started the 1st world war was a minor spark: the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Ferdinand Frantz in Sareyevo on June 28th 1914 by a Serb Nationalist.

Closer home, a minor skirmish in Maiduguri, when, the then, Borno state Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff deployed Operatives of Operation Flush,to enforce the use of helmets by Motorcyclists, that ignited the Boko Haram Insurgency.

The crisis has consumed hundreds of lives and dislocated socio-economic lines. It is still ravaging the Nation and there does not appear any solution in sight.

Leadership requires maturity, tactfulness and proportion and not a licence for irresponsible ranting by desperate Politicians.

When Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde talked about “Operation Wetie”: apparently referencing that dark, violent chapter in Nigeria’s political history from the 1960s, people hailed him.

But for those who were witnesses to and know what “Operation Wetie” means, it was indeed a very dangerous rhetoric.

“Wetie” means “wet it” in Yoruba. During the 1965 Western Region elections crisis, describing the practice of dousing political opponents, their homes, properties and vehicles with petrol and setting them ablaze.

It erupted after highly disputed 1965 western region elections, alleged to have been rigged.
The violence was part of the struggle between Chiefs Ladoke Akintola and Obafemi Awolowo.

That crisis gave the region the nickname “Wild Wild West,” as a result of the massive destruction of lives and property, that partly triggered the January 15, 1966 coup: the coup that truncated Nigeria’s First Republic.

Using that era as a rhetoric
during the Ibadan Summit of All Opposition Political Party Leaders, Makinde in my understanding was subtly threatning the ruling party, APC, against perceived moves to foist a one-party political structure on Nigeria.

The governor was essentially saying, history will repeat itself, with Ibadan/Oyo as the epicentre, just like that of that 1960s violence.

But no matter the level of provocation, perceived to have been done to those who gathered in Ibadan, awakening the memories of that wetie era was like scratching an old would.

Except perhaps for Makinde, the people of the south west have never seen it as a pride, that the crisis in the region during that regency, led to them being labbeled as the wild-wild west.

If the world could go to war, over the assasination of one individual, in a third rate country, our leaders should be careful about what they say or do in public.

At the risk of sounding combative, I srate that, neither threats of violence or war, nor invoking the era of operation wetie, could give Governor Makinde what he wants, the best way to go is to call out his fellow travellers to embibe the spirit of tolerance and persuation, the two cardinal principles of democracy.

Operation Wetie: Gov. Makinde’s Dangerous Rhetorics.