No fewer than 47 suspected drug traffickers have been arrested by operatives of the Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with over 541 kilograms of drugs in the state.
The Edo State Commander of the anti-drug agency said the suspects were arrested in May.
Ofoyeju disclosed this while reeling out the scorecard of the Command in the period under review, in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in Benin City.
He said the suspects were arrested in different locations in Ekpoma, Esan West and Auchi in Etsako West Local Government Areas of the State.
He gave the names of some of the arrested suspects in Ekpoma as Lucky Omen, Joseph Osin, Prince Aniete, and Esther Okes (female).
He also gave the names of some of the suspects arrested in Auchi to include Abdulmalik Sunday, and Abayomi Precious.
Ofoyeju added that the suspects were nabbed at different drug hotspots in the two local government areas respectively.
The commander revealed that the arrests comprised 25 males and 22 females nabbed during intelligence-led operations at various drug flashpoints across the state.
According to him, a breakdown of the seizures showed that Cannabis sativa dominated the haul, with 540.6253 kg. Other substances seized included 0.2701 kg of psychotropic substances, including tramadol, Swinol, diazepam, and Rohypnol; 0.1415 kg of methamphetamine; and 1.4 litres of codeine syrup.
“The most significant seizure came from Lucky Omen, from whom a giant bag of cannabis sativa weighing 27.3kg was recovered. Joseph Osin was found with 743 grams of Cannabis sativa. Prince Aniete was caught with 373 grams of Loud, 11 grams of Tramadol, and 3 grams of Swinol. Esther Okes was found in possession of 194 grams of Cannabis sativa.
“In a similar operation, officers raided drug hotspots within Auchi town, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state. The raid led to the arrest of two suspected drug traffickers: Abdulmalik Sunday, 30, and Abayomi Precious, 29.
“Items recovered from Abayomi Precious include 238 grams of Loud, 3 grams of Colorado, 22 grams of Tramadol (100mg), 23 grams of Swinol, and 2 grams of Rohypnol. Abdulmalik Sunday was found with 18 grams of Loud, 58 grams of Colorado, 14 grams of Tramadol, 5 grams of Swinol, and 53 grams of methamphetamine”, he said.
He also added that the Command’s legal unit recorded three convictions in court as five new cases were charged, while 94 cases are pending at the Federal High Court in Benin City.
He explained that in the area of drug demand reduction, the command counselled 31 clients comprising 24 males and 7 females.
Ofoyeju said all the counselled clients have been released to their families, while eight others are currently undergoing rehabilitation.
He added that investigations have commenced into the cases of the arrested suspects while they would be charged in court upon the conclusion of investigations.