EXCLUSIVE: Court Documents, Memos Reveal Dirty Drug Deals Involving NDLEA Officials

It is something many Nigerians had long suspected, that officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, collaborate and protect barons of domestic and international drug trade. The suspicion of official complicity was deepened when 35 operatives were sacked in late last year after Orderly Room Trial for corruption.

THE WHISTLER obtained over 90 documents including NDLEA internal memos and reports showing how some former and serving officials of the agency aided the drug trade in Nigeria. The website also obtained reports revealing full names and aliases, locations, contact addresses and trade routes of over 200 drug barons, and names and ranks of serving NDLEA operatives allegedly working with them.

The corruption, which the NDLEA said led to the sack of some of the operatives, is a subject of a case at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, Abuja.

Officials and operatives of the agency were accused by one of the sacked operatives of complicity in drug trade, according to court documents deposed to at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria(NICN). The officials are accused of “strong links” to nearly 200 drug barons operating within and outside the country.

Some of the court documents detailed how some NDLEA officials allegedly negotiate with drug barons and attached voice notes which contain threats against barons when negotiations don’t favour them.

In one of the voice notes, a senior lady official explained to one of the sacked operatives of the increasing official collaborations with the drug barons and couriers. She also revealed names of the officials and operatives(withheld).

Available evidence seen by this website reveal alleged rot in the agency where operatives make huge sums of money from illicit drug business. One of the aggrieved operatives revealed how senior operatives collected N25 million from one of the drug dealers in Balogun Market in Lagos.

How Officials Protect Drug Barons

According to one of the former operatives of the agency (name withheld), some officials and operatives at the Special Enforcement Team, SET, usually headed by a commander in 2019, provided the necessary cover for drug barons and their couriers. The unit was headed by Zirangey Sunday Drambi at the time.

He explained that officials kept details of the drug barons and couriers, and once there were shipments to be made, the officials would be contacted with details, which usually involved the names of the barons, their couriers, and how they were dressed to facilitate their passage through the airport.

The operatives are also given details of the airline, sea shipments and routes, time of arrival and weight of the drug. Subsequently, compromised officials would be stationed at the airports or seaports to clear them and ensure they get to their destinations safely, after which they “collect their share of the deal.”

Top officials “do post their loyalists among the junior and senior officers to these interdiction points to secure and monitor DTO’s consignments and shipments after which a huge amount of money is paid to them,”an official stated in one of the reports obtained by this website.

According to the documents, Nigerian airports notorious for these illicit deals are the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. The airports are well staffed by NDLEA operatives, who easily clear the couriers.

Recall the Intelligent Rapid Team, IRT, of the Inspector General of Police, then headed by Abba Kyari, had arrested two drug traffickers – Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne – on January 19th, 2022 at Enugu International Airport with about 21kg of cocaine and indicted NDLEA Officers and operatives in Enugu, through video evidence of confession which went viral few months ago.

Umeibe and Ezenwanne, who have been sentenced to a few years in prison, entered a plea bargain. It was gathered that they mentioned names of four major drug barons as their sponsors. Checks revealed these barons are also mentioned in the documents obtained by this medium.

The drug couriers also route their shipment through sea from Ghana, providing the name of a particular drug trafficker who uses only that route because “he is well protected by the agency, “and that their “harbour area is around Lekki to Ajah sea shore.”

One of the dismissed operatives who claimed to have adequate knowledge of how drug barons and their couriers are monitored revealed that NDLEA officials wiretap their telephone lines (some of which were obtained by this paper) to avoid “cheating”, so that they can get “good bribes based on the quantity of the drugs.”

In order to protect these barons, officials usually advise them to get new sim cards for their telephones but the sims would be registered by “abokis” who don’t know exactly the implications but are paid handsomely, the official revealed.

“Some of these barons, especially the ones in Nigeria, register more than five sim cards and make use of them,” he said, providing proof of about one of the barons who had three lines but no longer use them.

He alleged that NDLEA officers also use the fake registration SIM cards to carry out their conversations with the barons, as well as fake accounts for drug proceeds extorted from drug barons.

Arrested Drug Traffickers Are Killed To Cover Evidence

To ensure that officials are protected, a former operative explained in a chat that any baron or their couriers, especially new ones arrested by the agency, are allegedly killed if there was enough evidence of compromise.

Not less than 27 drug barons and couriers have been allegedly killed and more than that number have equally disappeared or can not be reached since 2018, a senior former operative said, showing proof in some official documents to the website.

It was gathered that one of the drug barons – Farm planters (name withheld) in Ondo State was allegedly injected with poison in 2019 and died shortly after his release from prison but not without parting with undisclosed sums of money, which a source said “was very big money.”

An insider explained that Lagos Island and Mainland are not in the wiretap room and none has been arrested because “it is one of the biggest sources of making money. They are rather tapped to monitor their proceeds but not tapped for official monitoring,” he explained, providing names of the drug barons, who he said are the “biggest in the ‘business’.”

He revealed that “corrupt operatives” at the agency saw him as a threat to their shady deals due to his position in the intelligence unit, and alleged refusal to compromise.

He told this paper that there are several cases in court for illegal dismissal but this medium could only confirm one.

He revealed that drug barons also fight back, endangering lives of uncompromising operatives.He gave the examples of what happened in Ondo State in 2018, when “Four Ondo State officers were killed while on patrol because the cannabis farm planter (drug lord) became angry with operatives of the agency.

“The drug lord had paid millions to some operatives but saw his warehouse destroyed, losing millions of naira, to another ‘gang’ of operatives trying to extort money from him.

“Angered that his tonnes of harvested cannabis sativa were destroyed, he sent assassins after the four operatives and had them killed. NDLEA identified the drug lord and the assassins but the ‘agency did nothing’,’’ he said in official documents of intelligent reports written concerning the incident at the time, and forwarded to this paper.

Dismissed Operatives Sue NDLEA, Accuse 7 Senior, 4 Junior Officers Of Colluding With Barons

While there are several court cases that have been allegedly instituted against the agency, one of the senior operatives who has filed a case against the NDLEA said the agency is so powerful that cases against it are always swept under the carpet and never listed for hearing.

One of the court cases was instituted by an operative, Williams Olubukola Olanrewaju, who alleged that he was set up while he was working with the agency. His last place of posting was Yobe State command.

He told this medium that he was hurriedly posted to Yobe State Command, Damaturu after they saw him as a threat among his intelligence team members posted to all interdiction points, with posting references of NDLEA/FIN/88/VOL. VII/237 and NDLEA/ADM/131/VOL.XIII/450 respectively.

In a 55-page court affidavit deposed to at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja, marked NICN/Abj/248/2022 and filed on August 15, 2022 between William Olubukola Olanrewaju Vs The Chairman, NDLEA & 4 Ors, Olanrewaju, who is represented by a team of six lawyers led by Sunday Adaji Esq, said he worked until March 24, 2022, when he was served a Notice of Punishment without management investigation and later “dismissed unlawfully.”

Our Correspondent who visited the head office of the NICN situated at Area 11, Garki Abuja confirmed the case where Olanrewaju described Zirangey Sunday Drambi as his “superior officer” with the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, DCGN.

The Claimant listed NDLEA as the first defendant while the National Chairman of the agency, Buba Marwa, was listed as the second defendant. Zirangey Sunday Drambi, Samuel Okereke Abarogu, Assistant Commander of Narcostic, ACN, and Taupyen Sunday, also ACN, were listed as 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents all of SET/SIU.

The court affidavit explained that while working at the SET/SIU Lekki office at Professor Kiumi Akingbehin Street, by Mike Adegbite Avenue, Lekki, Lagos, the Claimant had issues with his senior officers over “their corrupt activities ranging from frustrating him from accessing vital information, collecting bribes from suspects, missing files, aiding and abetting, tampering with drugs seized, and seizure of drug from a drug courier and refusing to arrest the person caught with hard drug.”

He said, “They saw him as a threat to their corrupt activities and so planned to get him out of the Unit, which they eventually did.”

He listed officers involved in the alleged corrupt practices as: “a. Zirangey Sunday Drambi, with the rank of Deputy Commander General of Narcotics – DCGN (Director of Agency Intelligence); b. Kehinde Olubunmi George, with the rank of Chief Narcotic Agent – CNA; c. Samuel Okereke Abarogu, with the rank of Assistant Commander of Narcotic – ACN; d. Azeez Abiodun Lawal, with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Narcotic 1 ASNI.”

Others are “Osifuye Femi Johnson, with the rank of Deputy Commander of Narcotics DCN, Desmond Ukeh, with the rank of Chief Narcotic Agent- CNA g. Attah Ifeanyichukwu, with the rank of Chief Narcotic Agent – CNA, and Jeff Alazigha, with the rank of Assistant Commander of Narcotic ACN.”

The rest are “Chigorom Orji, with the rank of Chief Narcotics Agent – CNA; Oguledo Anthony, with the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics II-AND II; and Omotoso Solomon Gbadebo, with the rank of Deputy Commander of Narcotics-DCN.”

The claimant accused the officers of using one Barrister Benson Ndakara, who is not an employee of NDLEA, to “extort arrested targets.”

The Court papers alleged that, “The corrupt officers always instructed the barrister to arrest suspects for extortion and promised them that their cases would be frustrated if they could pay them through the lawyer.

“Also, all SET/SIU arrested suspects used Barrister Benson Ndakara for their cases as the corrupt officers only advised/introduced arrested suspects to use Barrister Benson Ndakara as their lawyer.”

Olanrewaju further averred in his statement on oath that “he has evidence, including those in his office desktop computer, laptop and devices, to prove his allegations of the corrupt practices perpetrated by the mentioned officers.”

He told this paper that all his laptops, desktop, flash drive and computer devices containing hard core evidence were collected by Zirangeyi and others, and that he prayed the court to grant him relief for them to be returned.

According to the statement on oath regarding the allegation before the court, he explained “that on September 24, 2019, he and other officers of the 2 defendants, including, Azubuike Stella, Paul Dimgba, Tapgun Manjel, Attah Ifeanyichukwu, Chigorom Orji, and George Kehinde, collected 3 kilogramme of Heroin from one Charles Cole Osiyemi at Farm City Lounge, Lekki, close to SIU office in Lekki.”

He explained that he, alongside “Azubuike Stella, played the major role in the operation leading to interception of the Heroin from Charles, the drug courier.”

He stated that on September 25, 2019, he asked Samuel Abarogu Okereke what he would “put in the investigation report but he told me not to write anything in the report because the 3kg of heroin would be kept for evidence in future arrest.”

Explaining that he was shocked, but that he quickly realised Samuel Abarogu Okereke and Zirangey “had tampered with the 3 kilogramme of Heroin. The 3 kilogramme of Heroin ought to have been taken to the NDLEA’s “Central Exhibit for safe keeping,” he said as the normal practice and guide of operations of the agency.

He further averred in his statement on oath that Zirangey “was aiding and abetting as he refused to arrest Mr. Charles Cole Osiyemi the target, from whom the 3 kilogramme of Heroin was intercepted,” adding that, this was in spite of the fact that he had provided “the details of his whereabouts in his Intelligence Report before the drug interception day.”

THE WHISTLER was able to obtain details of the interception of the 3kg of Heroin from the target (name withheld), including photographs of the four accomplices with Osiyemi and Charles driver, and their call log between Samuel Abarogu Okereke and Osiyemi.

Olanrewaju also accused Zirangey in the court papers, seen by our Correspondent, of being responsible for some missing files at the SIU (Sensitive Investigative Unit) of the NDLEA office in Lekki, Lagos State.

He alleged that Zirangey “used his position as senior officer” to “extort money from suspects on trial in the courts of law. What he always does after extorting money from targets is that he would steal the case file of the targets from the SIU in order to put an end to their prosecution in the court.

“The case of one Olusegun Folorunso Ayodele (target) is one among several cases of missing files at the SIU, Lekki, Lagos. Olusegun Folorunso Ayodele is a clearing agent. He is a courier agent to drug traffickers. He was arrested and not prosecuted. He was released without proper Order.

“Olusegun Folorunso Ayodele’s case file got missing in order to hinder the prosecution of another drug trafficker by name, Uba Harris Etochukwu Alaekwe. Owing to the missing case file, one Irene Ehizibolo member of the SIU fled without trace till date,” court processes showed.

He accused Zirangey and others of killing suspects mysteriously once they are aware that he knew about the deals. Citing an example, he alleged that, “The case of one target named OSAMA (nickname) is one instance. Osama is a farm planter in Ondo State. He paid some money into the account of Omotoso Solomon Gbadebo. After paying the money, he was released, and immediately he was released, he died. Omotoso Solomon Gbadebo is one of the corrupt officers.”

Part of the court documents also alleged that in August 2019, Saheed Oyewole Akanbi, whom he described as “a notorious international drug traffickers” was also killed after he was aware of “Zirangey’s illegal deals, which also involved “one Sani Ibrahim Sani, the ACGN (the director of Admin and Establishment,” of the Agency.

He claimed in the court documents that Zirangey and his accomplices stopped him from investigating “one Mr. Tajudeen of Holland (residing in Mozambique as at 2019 and who also has a residence in Lekki, Lagos State.”

He added that the case was handed over to him by the Commander on Drugs in Cotonou, Republique du Benin along with the National Crime Agency – UK country attaché. As such, they vowed to get him out of the SET/SIU.

He further claimed that he was arrested, tortured and dehumanized on 2nd of October, 2019, and that he was detained in a secret place by the alleged corrupt NDLEA officers for 14 days, without food for 8 days.

He prayed the court to declare as illegal his orderly room trial, that he is still validly in the service of NDLEA, a perpetual injunction restraining the NDLEA and it’s officers from further subjecting him to inhuman and degrading treatment as well as restoration of his monthly salary of eighty-two thousand naira (N82,000.00k) and the sum of thirty million naira (N30,000,000.00k) being compensation for violating his right to personal liberty as guaranteed by section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Chapter AB (Chapter 10 LFN 1990) and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948.

NDLEA Responds

When confronted with the allegations, the Director, Media and Advocacy of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, dismissed Olanrewaju’s allegations against operatives of the agency as “afterthoughts.”

He said internal investigations conducted by the agency found that Olanrewaju was “in constant communication with drug barons.”

According to Babafemi, “Orderly room trial was conducted and he was recommended for dismissal for breach of oath of office.

“The Chairman of the agency still referred the Orderly Room Trial to another committee, which still revealed his connivance with drug barons.

“All the while, he denied any involvement with the drug barons. It was later during the Orderly Room Trial when he was confronted with evidence that he admitted to his role especially in the case of Alhaji Wasiu Akinlade Alabama.”

He pointed out that Olanrewaju “was in constant contact with the drug baron before and after he was placed under watch. He told Wasiu of the interception.”

He explained that Olanrewaju was recommended and charged before the “’Junior Disciplinary Committee” in accordance with extant laws of the agency, “as an officer who joined the agency in 2011.”

He wondered why he did not accuse the officers listed in the court case of connivance during his trial saying the same “officers who tried him were the ones he is accusing of working in cahoots with drug barons,” which “is after thoughts.”

He further pointed out that the new system that has been put in place in the agency under the current management makes it “very hard” for traffickers to beat the trap in their illicit trade.