The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit substances cleverly hidden in export goods at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos.
The seizures, according to the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi disclosure on Sunday, stated that the targeted destinations including the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), led to the arrest of two suspected traffickers.
Further revelation by the agency, indicated that one of the suspects, identified as Boladale Riliwan, was taken into custody on 7 October 2025 after NDLEA officers at the airport’s export shed discovered 15 parcels of skunk concealed inside ten giant rechargeable bulbs. The illicit package was meant to be airfreighted to the DRC.
Another suspect, Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a 48-year-old public health assistant based in the UK, was arrested on 12 October while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester. Officers reportedly found 2,300 pills of Tramadol 225mg hidden in frozen snails packed in her luggage.
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A separate syndicate also ran out of luck after NDLEA operatives, during a routine inspection at a courier company in Lagos on 16 October, uncovered 810 pills of Bromazepam stuffed in women’s clothing destined for the United States.
In a series of related operations across the country, the agency’s commands in Adamawa, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Imo, Enugu, and Lagos States recorded significant drug seizures and arrests.
While in Adamawa, one Bello Buba was intercepted with 38,270 Tramadol tablets concealed in different compartments of his Honda Civic, which he reportedly drove from Benin Republic.
NDLEA teams also destroyed over 21 hectares of cannabis farms in Ekiti State, recovering more than 1,100 kilograms of skunk and arresting three suspects, while a similar operation in Ondo State led to the destruction of nearly seven hectares of cannabis plantation.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives discovered 117 kilograms of skunk in a Mushin hideout and jointly intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India in a container earlier flagged by the agency at the Apapa Port.
Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa, commended the officers for their vigilance and urged them to sustain their balanced approach to enforcement and drug demand reduction through the ongoing War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to dismantling trafficking networks and preventing Nigeria from being used as a transit hub for illicit drug trade.
