The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted Europe-bound illicit substances, including methamphetamine and opioids, concealed in cartons, winter jackets, and body cream containers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja and a courier firm in Lagos.
In a Sunday statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, two of the consignments heading to Italy were moved through the Lagos airport, where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
According to the statement, one of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy, on Friday, 20th March 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin light body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.
In another drug bust, NDLEA operatives at the departure hall of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, 18th March, “intercepted a passenger, Christian Agbonhese, who was attempting to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Milan, Italy.
“Upon a thorough search of his luggage, no fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan.”
At a courier firm in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Monday, 16th March, “intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped to Lagos from the United States. Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand.”
In Kano, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, 18th March arrested a suspect, “Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed on the same day at Naibawa Gabas, with 95.5kg of the same psychoactive substance.”
The statement added, “Not less than 21, 737 bottles of codeine-based syrup were recovered from a store at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos when NDLEA operatives raided the area on Wednesday, 18th March, while two suspects: Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara were arrested on the same day on the 3rd mainland bridge, conveying 8,380 bottles of the same substance.
“While a 97.5kg skunk was recovered from the home of a suspect, Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, on Monday, 16th March, NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Wednesday, 18th March intercepted a commercial bus along Gwagwalada expressway in the FCT. A thorough search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in its body compartments. The bus driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was promptly taken into custody.”
In Oyo state, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was arrested on Tuesday, 17th March, at “Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from the Benin Republic through the Oyan river.”
The statement further reads, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, 17th March, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, 20th March. Acting on credible intelligence, NDLEA operatives in Taraba state on Tuesday, 17th March, intercepted a suspect, Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo highway while conveying 77,660 capsules of tramadol to Gombe.”
In Adamawa state, “no fewer than six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola on Tuesday, 17th March. Suspects who are joint owners of the consignment include: Ramatu Aliyu; Jungudo Abdullahi; Najid Abdullahi; Musa Mohammed; Usman Abdulrahim; and Musa Mohammed. They were all arrested in swift follow-up operations.”
Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, while commending the officers and men of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa Commands for the arrests and seizures, enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
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