Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said on Monday that it has seized cannabis worth N724.5 million and arrested five suspects.
Mitchell Ofoyeju, the state NDLEA Commander, said the illicit drugs were seized by his operatives on Saturday, April 11, 2026, and the two trucks in which they were being conveyed from Sabongida-Ora in Edo were heading to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement, Ofoyeju said the 483 bags of drugs, weighing 7,245 kilogrammes, were packed into two articulated trucks used for transporting alcoholic drinks.
He gave the names of suspects arrested in connection with the illicit consignment as: Ibrahim Abu, 29 years; Abu Abdullazeez, 28 years; Jibril Jaminu, 35 years; Andrew Moses, 22 years and; Ganiyu Abu, 21 years, who are all males and indigenes of Etsako East and Etsako West Local Government Areas of Edo State.
According to Ofoyeju, “The Edo State Command of the NDLEA has recorded a monumental operational success, with the interception of two articulated trucks laden 7,245 kilogrammes of skunk cannabis and the arrest of five suspected drug traffickers. The estimated street value of the drugs is N724.5 million.
“This is the first time in the history of the command that two trucks laden with illicit drugs are being intercepted at a time, thereby disrupting the inter-state drug trafficking network.”
The Commander described the successful interception as a clear message to drug barons and traffickers that Edo State is not a haven for criminal trade, noting that the large volume of this seizure, highlighted the scale of the threat the agency was combating.
Ofoyeju stated further that, “A breakdown reveals the first truck, with registration number OYO LUY 172 XC, contained 260 bags weighing 3,900 kilogrammes. The second truck, OYO LUY 281 XC, carried 223 bags weighing 3,345 kilogrammes. The combined haul totalled 483 bags with a gross weight of seven thousand, two hundred and forty-five kilogrammes (7,245kg).
“Preliminary investigation indicates that the illicit shipment originated from Sabongida-Ora in Owan West LGA and was destined for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, before the interception. The colossal damage it would have caused to the FCT and entire north central, save for our intervention, is better left unimagined.
“The trucks and exhibits have been moved to the command headquarters in Benin City for further documentation and investigation, which has commenced in earnest. However, both trucks will be confiscated as instrumentalities of drug crime.
Ofoyeju reiterated that the operation aligned with the strategic mandate and zero-tolerance directive set forth by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd).