Illicit drugs and assets worth multi-billion-naira were also seized from them after weeks of intelligence-led operations across and outside the country.
This was as the anti-narcotics agency intercepted $4.8m, CFA57m suspected fake currencies on Lokoja-Abuja Highway, while a Sokoto district head was sentenced to five years in jail over drug dealing.
These were revealed in a press release by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing the activities of the agency in the past one week.
The arrest of the wanted drug lords came on the heels of the interception of consignments of cocaine and heroin buried in the bellies of two traffickers heading to Paris, France and Doha, Qatar.
According to the release, the two traffickers were arrested by NDLEA officers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.
NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos last Tuesday, succeeded in taking Hakeem Babatunde Salami into custody.
He is the arrowhead of “Tajudeen Babatunde Abioye Transnational Criminal Organisation” involved in the illicit trade of several narcotics including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and ephedrine.
The organisation plies its illicit drug trade between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique and Europe.
Hakeem Babatunde Salami fled Nigeria to South Africa upon the arrest of a member of his syndicate, Suleiman Babatunde Oba, at the Lagos Airport on 25 August over attempt to export 25.10kgs of ephedrine to South Africa.
Hakeem Babatunde Salami was however smoked out of hiding through partnership with South African authorities and other intelligence and investigative mechanisms.
Some of his luxury vehicles have been seized and his home in Surulere Lagos sealed, while other members of the cartel already in custody include Suleiman and Godwin Edet Mathew.
In his statement, Hakeem Babatunde Salami claimed that he was into the importation of building materials from China to Nigeria.
He further stated that he used to sell gold in South Africa before delving into the illicit drug trade about two years ago.
The head of another cartel, Okafor Ikechukwu Williams (aka Jantu) and his wife, Okafor Ifeyinwa Grace, have also been taken into custody.
NDLEA operatives raided the hideout of the couple at 9 Awa Street, Ago Palace, Okota area of Lagos on Thursday, 5th October.
The NDLEA agents recovered from the hideout 27.566 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a blue box and two sacks, ready for export to Europe and Asia.
Their Lexus RX350 marked ABJ 512 AY parked in the house was also seized during the operation. Their arrest followed weeks of intelligence gathering about the activities of the criminal network.
At the Abuja Airport, operatives, on Friday, 6th October, arrested a drug trafficker, Nwofor Ejiogu Charles (45), during the outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight QR 1432 to Doha.
After body scan revealed he ingested cocaine, he was placed under observation during which he excreted 75 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.653kgs.
At the point of his arrest, Nwofor, who was the last passenger to board his flight, offered to compromise an NDLEA officer with $3,000 to free him.
The following day, Saturday, 7th October, another trafficker, Nwufo Charles Okwudili (45), was also arrested while attempting to board Lufthansa Airlines flight LH 0595 to Paris, France via Frankfurt, Germany.
After being put through body scanner, he was taken into recovery room where he excreted 96 wraps of heroin he ingested with a total weight of 1.413kgs.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Okene-Lokoja-Abuja Expressway, last Tuesday, intercepted a commercial bus coming from Lagos to Kano.
A search of the bus led to the seizure of US$4,880,000 and Fifty-Seven Million Céfa, (CFA57,000,000) suspected to be counterfeits.
A Sokoto Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Ahmad Mahmud, has sentenced an acting district head, Alhaji Umar Mohammed (aka Dan Bala) to five and a half years in jail.
The acting district head was jailed on a four-count charge of possession and dealing in 436.38kgs cannabis and 7kgs psychotropic drugs brought against him by NDLEA in October 2022.
He was convicted and sentenced to two years on Counts One and Two with an option of N1million fine, and eight months on Counts Three and Four without an option of fine.
Operatives in Edo State, Wednesday, stormed the Orue Forest, Owan West Local Government Area where they arrested Happy Akashili (37) and Solomon Uwesue (40).
They were arrested in a hut located inside a cannabis farm measuring 2.367308 hectares which was destroyed, with 92kgs already processed skunk recovered. 49kgs of same substance were also seized at Ogbeturu Camp.
NDLEA commands across the country also continued with the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns to schools, markets, worship centres and communities.
Some of these include: WADA sensitisation lecture on Drug Use and Mental Health for students of 15 secondary schools in Ibadan metropolis at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State;
WADA sensitisation lecture for students of Ascension College, Iworo Imeke, Badagry Lagos;
WADA sensitisation lecture at Modern Comprehensive College, Amokwe, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu;
WADA sensitisation lecture for students of national secondary school, Awka; Students of JIBWIS Islamic Science Secondary school, Herwagana, Gombe;
Students of Government College, Makurdi, Benue; students of Government Secondary School (Boys), Kafin Maiyaki, Kano and students of JNI Special Model primary School, Gusau, Zamfara.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) had commended the efforts of the NAIA, MMIA, Kogi, Sokoto and Edo commands of the agency.
He as well commended the Special Operations Unit targeting the drug cartels, for jobs well done in the past week.
Marwa assured that officers and men of the agency will never let down their guards, no matter the tricks and distractions orchestrated against it by criminal networks.
