By Nkechi Eze
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former councillor in Lagos State and intercepted several illicit drug consignments across the country, including narcotics hidden in baby diapers and components suspected to be for improvised explosive devices.
The agency disclosed that the suspect, Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, a former two-term councillor at the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council in Lagos State, was arrested following intelligence linking him to drug trafficking.
According to a statement issued by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the 45-year-old suspect, who currently works as a legislative aide, was apprehended on March 2, 2026, at his residence in Ilado, Ibeju-Lekki.
A search conducted at the residence led to the recovery of 40 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the rooms.
During interrogation, Olalekan reportedly admitted ownership of the drugs and the property where they were discovered. He also confirmed that he had previously served two terms as councillor representing the Orimedu community in the local government council.
In another operation in the Federal Capital Territory, NDLEA officers on March 3 intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, while travelling in a vehicle from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in Abuja.
A search of his luggage revealed 1,000 pills of tapentadol 250mg concealed inside baby diapers.
The suspect admitted ownership of the drugs and disclosed that he was transporting them to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State, where he runs a provision store.
On the same day, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State intercepted a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 1.55 kilograms, hidden inside a carton of a standing fan.
The drugs were linked to a Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, 36, from Maroua in Cameroon. He was travelling in a commercial bus from Lagos en route to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri.
Meanwhile, in Niger State, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Mokwa–Jebba road on March 4 carrying 500 components suspected to be used in the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The items were concealed in a white sack and were reportedly meant for delivery to a recipient in Pelegi. A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended receiver, Osama Abdullahi, 21, in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives also uncovered 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the false bottom of a truck transporting 2,000 cartons of local beverages. The vehicle was intercepted in Yola on March 4.
Other operations across the country also resulted in multiple arrests and seizures.
In Kano State, a suspect identified as Muhammed Ali, 20, was arrested at Gadar Tamburawa with 11,283 tramadol pills.
In Ogun State, NDLEA operatives carried out a raid in Ogere where two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, were arrested with 46 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, in Delta State, two suspects, Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22, were apprehended in Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
NDLEA operatives in Edo State also destroyed 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms in Egbisi Forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of Eke London, 48, and his accomplice Austin Isusi, 49.
In a separate operation at Ikhin town in Owan East Local Government Area of the state, another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was arrested with 176.50 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency said it continued its nationwide War Against Drug Abuse campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, workplaces, religious centres and communities across several states including Oyo, Niger, Zamfara, Lagos, Sokoto, Ebonyi and Anambra.
Commending officers involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised commands in Lagos, FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Edo, Ogun, Delta and Adamawa for their vigilance and professionalism.
He urged officers across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control through enforcement, prevention and public enlightenment efforts.
