Okpara Paul Chigozie
Source: Africa Publicity
Operatives of a special operations unit of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 60-year-old Nigerian drug kingpin, Okpara Paul Chigozie.
According to NDLEA, Okpara had been on its wanted list since 2019.
His arrest on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at a hideout in the Isheri area of Lagos State marks the end of seven years of evading justice.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, says Okpara was apprehended at 72 Michael Ojo Street, Isheri, following the interception of one of his drug couriers at 5:45 a.m. the same day at Ilasamaja, along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
The courier, 51-year-old Achebe Kenneth Nnamdi, was arrested while en route to Onitsha, Anambra State, in a white Toyota Sienna van. A search of the vehicle using sniffer dogs uncovered 7.6 kilograms of cocaine and 900 grams of methamphetamine hidden within the car’s compartments.
A follow-up operation at Okpara’s residence led to the recovery of an additional 1.8 kilograms of cocaine and 1.3 kilograms of methamphetamine.
In a related operation at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on Wednesday, July 16, NDLEA officers, in collaboration with Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security personnel, intercepted 7,790 pills of Tramadol and Rohypnol.
The drugs were found in the luggage of an Italy-bound passenger, Omoregie Nice Uyiosa, who was travelling via Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight. He confessed to purchasing the drugs with plans to sell them in Italy at a profit.
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