The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 132 suspects and seized more than 220kg of illicit drugs in a sweeping crackdown across Abuja, in what officials describe as a coordinated effort to disrupt entrenched trafficking networks.
NDLEA said the arrests were made during a two-week operation between 11 and 25 April, following what it described as extensive intelligence gathering and surveillance.
In a statement on Friday, the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the raids targeted known drug hotspots across the Federal Capital Territory, including Torabora Hills, Gwarinpa, Wuse, Garki, Kubwa, Apo and the Suleja axis.
According to Babafemi, the operation was carried out by the agency’s Directorate of Operations and General Investigation in collaboration with the FCT Strategic Command, with the aim of dismantling hubs linked to substance abuse, trafficking and associated crime.
Among the substances recovered were 214.79kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis, alongside quantities of diazepam, tramadol, methamphetamine, cocaine and codeine syrup.
The raids, he added, were not without confrontation. NDLEA operatives reportedly met resistance in parts of Durumi and the Suleja market area, where suspected drug syndicates attempted to repel the crackdown.
However, Babafemi said officers were able to subdue the groups and complete the operation without casualties, disrupting supply chains in several of the targeted locations.
The agency has in recent months intensified enforcement efforts in Abuja and other urban centres, as authorities grapple with rising concerns over drug abuse and its links to wider criminal activity.
