Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered multiple drug trafficking attempts involving concealed narcotics, leading to a series of arrests across Nigeria.
At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, NDLEA officials intercepted 12 parcels of cocaine ingeniously hidden in the false bottoms of food flasks.
The illicit consignment, weighing 2.80 kilograms, was bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight and was seized on April 9, 2026.
According to a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, were immediately arrested in connection with the shipment.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of a 52-year-old freight forwarder, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, identified as the sender.
In a separate operation at the airport’s import shed a day earlier, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States on a Delta Airlines flight.
Two clearing agents were initially detained, while the intended recipient, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was later apprehended in Ogba, Lagos.
In a separate operation in Kaduna State, officers on patrol along the Kaduna-Zaria highway intercepted a cement truck carrying a staggering 847 kilograms of skunk, packaged in 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, 33, was arrested.
In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA operatives and military personnel led to the destruction of 15,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across six hectares of farmland in the Uwet community.
A 53-year-old suspect, Alice Sunday Udoh, was arrested at the scene, with an additional 119 kilograms recovered.
Similar raids in Edo and Delta states resulted in the destruction and seizure of large quantities of cannabis and the arrest of multiple suspects.
In Edo, three individuals were arrested following the destruction of over 2,200 kilograms of cannabis at a farm in Ovia North East LGA. In Delta, two suspects were caught with nearly 88 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.
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Back in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects along the Mile 2–Badagry expressway while transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injections allegedly destined for Ghana.
Another raid on a building on Lagos Island yielded 95.8 kilograms of skunk.
Meanwhile, the agency has sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programs in schools and communities nationwide, targeting young people and vulnerable groups.
Commending the efforts of officers across various commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the balance between enforcement and preventive education.
He urged personnel to maintain momentum in combating drug trafficking and abuse.
The latest operations underscore NDLEA’s intensified efforts to disrupt drug supply chains and promote awareness amid rising concerns over narcotics distribution within and beyond Nigeria.
