…Recovers 38,270 Tramadol Pills in Adamawa, Destroys 70,650kg Skunk in Ekiti, Ondo Forests
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing en route to the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The operations, carried out at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, and a courier company in the state, led to the arrest of at least two suspects connected to the attempted exports.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi in a statement shared on the agency’s Facebook page on Sunday, a cargo agent, Boladale Riliwan, was apprehended on October 7, 2025, after operatives discovered 15 parcels of skunk — a potent strain of cannabis — hidden in 10 giant rechargeable electrical bulbs intended for shipment to the DRC.
Similarly, 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a UK-based public health assistant, was arrested on October 12 at the airport’s Terminal 2 while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester. NDLEA officers discovered 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed inside frozen snails in her luggage.
In a related operation on October 16, NDLEA officers at a Lagos courier firm intercepted a parcel containing 810 pills of bromazepam hidden among female clothes bound for the United States.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, operatives arrested Bello Buba at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, with 38,270 tramadol pills concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic. The suspect reportedly drove from Benin Republic to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria.
In a major clampdown on cannabis cultivation, NDLEA destroyed 53,250 kilograms of skunk grown on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State, and seized 1,140 kilograms from nearby storage sites between October 12 and 13. Three suspects — Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20) — were arrested during the operation.
Similarly, another 17,400 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 6.96 hectares of farmland at the Aponmu Forest Reserve in Akure, Ondo State, on October 12.
Other coordinated operations across the country yielded multiple seizures and arrests:
Oyo State: Six suspects were nabbed with a total of 869kg of skunk in Igboora and Igangan.
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Ogun State: Joseph Andrew was arrested with 88kg of skunk at Ona-Imeko, while Festus Udoh (42) was caught with 13,000 opioid pills along the Onitsha–Owerri road in Imo State.
Enugu State: NDLEA recovered 74.5kg of skunk from the store of Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo-Agu village.
Lagos: Operatives seized 117kg of skunk from the base of Ramoni Olukowi in Mushin, and jointly with Customs, intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container shipped from India through Apapa Port.
Across various states, NDLEA commands also intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns in schools, religious institutions, and communities, educating young Nigerians about the dangers of drug abuse.
Commending the operatives for their sustained efforts, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers in Lagos, Ekiti, Adamawa, Ondo, Oyo, Enugu, Ogun, and Imo Commands for their diligence.
He urged them and their colleagues nationwide to “remain steadfast and balanced” in their approach to the agency’s ongoing drug control mission.
