By Nkechi Eze
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted an Italy-bound businessman with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in shoe soles and the railings of travelling bags, as the agency uncovered drug consignments worth over N5 billion at major seaports across the country.
According to an official statement signed by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 38-year-old suspect, Philip Tunde, was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
A search of his luggage led to the recovery of 16 parcels of a white powdery substance concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps hidden in the railings of four travelling bags. The substance tested positive for cocaine and weighed 4.80kg.
During interrogation, Tunde allegedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the travelling bags was intended for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He reportedly said the money used to purchase the drugs came from compensation paid to him following an injury sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne ports have intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup following intelligence-led operations and months of tracking.
At the Apapa Port, officers, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination. The search of one container led to the recovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million.
The drugs were concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on the NDLEA watch list were subjected to joint examination. Officers recovered 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg from one of the containers, concealed in a travelling bag and three vehicles — a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
The NDLEA said the container originated from India and was shipped to Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was allegedly deleted in an attempt to avoid detection. The Loud and codeine consignments recovered at Onne were valued at N833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port, Lagos, operatives on September 29 conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, leading to the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg.
The consignment, concealed in a Toyota Sienna and Hyundai Elantra alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags, was valued at more than N3.8 billion.
In a related operation in Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area.
The operation was conducted on Wednesday, September 30, following the arrest of a suspect, while a 41-year-old man, Agbo Dennis, was also arrested the previous day in the West of Mines area of Jos North, Plateau State, with 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28, recovering 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
A follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market two days later led to the arrest of 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo following the seizure of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine concealed inside an energy drink bottle and sent as a waybill package.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja Highway intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and discovered a waybill containing two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg.
A follow-up investigation led to the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, recovering 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
On the same day, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grammes of Loud, 12 grammes of Colorado, 19 grammes of tramadol, 16 grammes of methamphetamine, four grammes of Swinol and four grammes of Molly.
The agency also announced the arrest of a 47-year-old fugitive, Idris Mohammed Kurra, six years after he allegedly jumped bail in a drug trafficking case before the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State.
Kurra, who was arrested on September 29, had been facing trial over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk. The NDLEA said he had been on the run since December 2020 after securing bail from the court.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of St. Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.
Commending the officers and men involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd.), urged them to sustain the intelligence-driven fight against drug trafficking networks across the country.
Marwa also called for the continuation of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with prevention, public awareness and other measures aimed at reducing drug abuse and trafficking.
