By Nkechi Eze
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has thwarted multiple attempts by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, to Europe, intercepting consignments ingeniously concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja and a courier firm in Lagos.
In a statement issued by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, operatives disclosed that two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
One of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was apprehended on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome. He was found with 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) concealed inside containers of skin-lightening body cream packed in his luggage. Ehianuka, a Milan-based resident, reportedly confessed he was to be paid in euros upon successful delivery of the drugs.
In a separate operation on Wednesday, March 18, NDLEA operatives intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, at the departure hall of the airport while he attempted to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A thorough search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 pills of opioids, including tramadol and tapentadol, hidden inside two large winter jackets. Agbonhese, 38, is also based in Milan.
At a Lagos courier facility, NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted parcels containing 1 kilogram of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, shipped from the United States. In the same vein, an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within carton walls to New Zealand was also foiled.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operations across the country led to significant seizures and arrests. In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, and Uche Johnson Festus, 47, on March 18 with a combined 198 kilograms of skunk at Dan-Tsalle and Naibawa Gabas areas.
In Lagos, a raid at Otto in the Ijora area yielded 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup, while two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the 3rd Mainland Bridge transporting an additional 8,380 bottles.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5 kilograms of skunk from the residence of a suspect, Akeem Idde, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. In the Federal Capital Territory, a commercial bus was intercepted along the Gwagwalada Expressway, leading to the discovery of 91,840 pills of tramadol concealed within the vehicle’s body compartments. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was apprehended on March 17 at Oke-Oyan in Ibarapa Local Government Area with 71.2 kilograms of skunk smuggled into Nigeria through the Oyan River from the Benin Republic.
Further seizures were recorded in Kaduna State, where operatives recovered 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from Lawal Anas, 28, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway. Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 22, was arrested at the same location on March 20 with 7,290 tablets of tramadol.
In Taraba State, NDLEA operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol en route to Gombe.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8 kilograms of tramadol concealed in a truck in Yola. The suspects, identified as Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed, were taken into custody during follow-up operations.
The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign nationwide, reaching schools, workplaces, worship centres, and communities, including institutions in Ebonyi, Lagos, Cross River, Enugu, and Ogun states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers and men across various commands for their efforts, urging them to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug supply reduction and demand reduction through sustained enforcement and public sensitisation.
