Borno police arrest 103 suspects in Maiduguri drug and crime raids
- Police in Borno say they arrested 103 people in Maiduguri between 29 October and 2 November.
- The raids targeted drug dealing, thuggery and other vices in crime-prone areas of the city.
- Items recovered include wraps of Indian hemp, tramadol, codeine syrup, knives and live ammunition.
The Borno State Police Command says it has arrested 103 people in Maiduguri over drug offences, thuggery and other social vices, following a week of raids across the city.
The operations ran from 29 October to 2 November 2026 and were carried out by the command's Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Social Vices Unit, working with other security agencies, police spokesperson ASP Keneth Daso said in a statement on Tuesday.
Police said the raids covered known crime hotspots including Gwange, Santiago, Texaco, Ajari, Budum, Shehuri, Bulabulin, Abbaganaram, Baga Road, Mairi Kuwait, Jiddari, Kaleri, Damboa Road, Circular and Moduganari, among others.
The suspects were picked up for public nuisance, possession and sale of illicit drugs, and possession of dangerous weapons, according to the statement. They are being screened and investigated, and police said those found culpable will be prosecuted.
What was recovered
Items listed by the police include 889 wraps of Indian hemp, 104 wraps of Erinmo, seven packs of Colorado and two quantities of methamphetamine, also known as Ice.
Also recovered were eight bottles of codeine syrup, 266 tablets of D5, 13 tablets of Diazepam, 11 tablets and seven capsules of Tramadol, and 300 capsules plus 12 tablets of Exole.
Other items were four ice bunkers, one bottle of Methylene Chloride, popularly called "Suck and Die", four sharp knives, one cutlass, one axe, 11 rounds of live ammunition, three sets of shisha pots and 11 ice bulbs.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, who ordered the operations, praised the operatives and the agencies that joined them, the statement said. He said the command will keep running intelligence-led operations and breaking up criminal hideouts.
Police asked residents to keep passing credible information on suspicious activity and criminal hideouts through the command's communication channels.
Why it matters
Drug abuse and street thuggery are daily worries for families in Maiduguri, and seizures of tramadol, codeine and methamphetamine point to how easily such substances move through neighbourhoods.
For residents, the test will be whether the arrests lead to prosecutions and calmer streets, or whether the same spots fill up again after the patrols end.
