NDLEA Apprehends Shrine Chief In Lagos, Confiscates 2.7 Tons Of Skunk

Following a three-month manhunt, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency agents have apprehended Bariu Aliu, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko Shrine, in the Alpha Beach neighborhood of Ajah, Lekki.

Bariu, also known as “Malo,” was apprehended after 2,760 kilograms of skunk were recovered from his shrine on October 25, 2024.

A statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, revealed that while two of Bariu’s accomplices had been arrested, charged, and convicted last year, the chief priest was identified as the leader of the drug syndicate operating from the shrine.

Babafemi stated, “In Lagos, the traditional chief priest of the Igunuko shrine at Alpha Beach, Ajah Lekki, where 2,760 kg of skunk was recovered on October 25, 2024, Bariu Aliu (alias Malo), has been arrested by NDLEA operatives after a three-month manhunt.

“Though two of his accomplices were arrested at the shrine last year and subsequently charged and convicted in court, Bariu was identified as the syndicate leader.”

He also disclosed that operatives intercepted a 40-foot trailer loaded with 2,217.6 kilograms of Skunk, a strain of cannabis, during an intelligence-led operation in the Kagini area of Kubwa, Abuja.

Babafemi said, “A 40-foot trailer loaded with skunk, weighing 2,217.6 kilograms, was intercepted by NDLEA operatives while being distributed into six vehicles at an abandoned fuel station in Kagini, Kubwa, Abuja, for onward distribution to some northern states.

“The intelligence-led operation, which took place at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, January 11, 2025, led to the seizure of the large illicit consignment, the trailer, six vehicles—comprising a Toyota Van, Toyota Camry, Toyota Sienna, a JAC 4-wheel-drive Hilux, a Toyota Corolla, and a Vento Passat—and the arrest of a suspect, 42-year-old Isaac Monday Desmond.

“The consignment was loaded onto the trailer at Uzebba in the Owan Local Council Area of Edo State.”

In another raid in the FCT, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects, Anthony Nnamdi, 42, and Abba Ali, 27, in Nyanya, where they recovered 1.398 kilograms of cocaine and a precursor substance used in preparing crack cocaine.

Babafemi added that 20 wraps of cocaine weighing 330 grams were intercepted from a cargo shipment bound for Australia at a logistics firm in Lagos. The cocaine was concealed in face cream containers.

Additionally, he revealed that 338,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup, valued at over ₦1.19 billion, were seized from two containers flagged by the agency. The illicit consignments were discovered during joint examinations by NDLEA operatives, Customs, and other security agencies on January 9 and 10, 2025, at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State.

In Kano, a suspect, 23-year-old Habibu Ya’u, was arrested during a raid at Gadar Tamburawa, Zaria Road, on January 9. NDLEA officers recovered 45 blocks of cannabis, weighing 24.2 kilograms, and 40,800 pills of opioids, including tramadol.