By Nkechi Eze
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate that concealed cocaine in tins of palm kernel extract bound for the United Kingdom, arresting multiple suspects including the alleged kingpin in Lagos after a three-week intelligence-driven operation.
The breakthrough began on March 11, 2026, when NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside tins of palm kernel extract at the export shed of the airport.
Two suspects linked to the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin, were immediately arrested.
According to a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, further investigation led to a coordinated sting operation on April 2 that resulted in the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Ezemuwo Joel, who allegedly operated under a false identity as Ajayi.
Joel’s arrest eventually exposed the alleged leader of the syndicate, King Arinze, 52, who was apprehended at his hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.
NDLEA operatives subsequently raided his warehouse at 11 Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, where they recovered 886 tins of palm kernel extract prepared for drug concealment, industrial tools including a sealing machine and tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis sativa and a pack of hand gloves.
Arinze reportedly confessed to personally draining the oil from the tins before concealing cocaine inside them.
In a separate operation in Borno State, NDLEA operatives on April 1 arrested a suspected drug courier supplying bandit groups operating between Nigeria’s North-East and neighbouring Chad.
The suspect, Aisha Adamu, 28, was intercepted along the Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
Meanwhile, a pastor identified as Afolabi Hodonu, 45, who leads the Celestial Church of Christ in Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border in Badagry, and his wife, Success Hodonu, 35, were arrested on April 2 at the Gbaji checkpoint in Lagos.
NDLEA operatives discovered 11 kilograms of skunk hidden in compartments of their Honda Pilot SUV.
Their arrest followed the earlier apprehension of a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, at the same checkpoint on March 30 while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from the Seme border into Lagos.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Namtari road in Yola intercepted a trailer carrying 48,000 pills of tramadol.
The truck driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, was arrested, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged recipient, Idris Adamu.
Other operations across the country also recorded major seizures. In Osogbo, Osun State, a 60-year-old suspect, Idiatu Oladejo, was arrested with 15 kilograms of skunk.
NDLEA operatives also raided the Itaogbolu forest in Akure, Ondo State, recovering 351 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.
In Benue State, 66-year-old Aminu Usman Gembu was arrested at Aliade with 28,600 capsules of tramadol.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives raided a warehouse in Egbanke community, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where 1,378 kilograms of skunk were recovered and a suspect, Roland Owie, 37, was arrested.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspected drug dealer, Ayantola Omodunmomi, also known as Iya Elle, following intelligence that she used her 11-year-old daughter, Anjola, to deliver drugs to customers. A total of 45.6 kilograms of skunk was recovered from her warehouse.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools and communities nationwide, including outreach programmes in Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Anambra and Zamfara states.
Commending officers and men of the agency for the successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised commands across the country for sustaining efforts to reduce both drug supply and demand.
“These successful operations are a testament to the agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels,” Marwa said.
“Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them,” he added.
