Monday, October 19, 2026 -The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has seized 8,725kg of powdered tramadol worth over N6.98 billion at the Apapa port in Lagos and arrested an 85-year-old woman with 179kg of cannabis in Edo State.
The agency also intercepted cannabis concealed in a gallon
of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano and
recovered large quantities of illicit drugs in Lagos, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano,
Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
In a statement on Sunday, NDLEA Director of Media and
Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the operations, conducted between October 12 and
17, 2026, led to several arrests and major drug seizures.
At the Apapa port, operatives working with the Nigeria
Customs Service and other agencies uncovered a shipment of powdered tramadol
from India on October 2. The cargo had been declared as maize starch, but
laboratory tests confirmed it was tramadol hydrochloride.
When the shipment was separated from its concealment on
October 14, it comprised 349 bags weighing 8,725kg, with an estimated street
value of more than N6.98 billion.
At the Tincan port, Lagos, on October 12, officers also
discovered 55kg of Canadian Loud worth N165 million hidden in brown cartons
inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.
At the Kano airport on October 16, operatives intercepted
Fatimah Ahmad during the clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa. A search revealed 511.75 grams of cannabis
concealed in a gallon of palm oil.
Fatimah told the officers that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya,
had given her the gallon. He was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In Lagos, operatives raided Idumota market on October 14 and
arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu, recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam
injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
The following day, two 35-year-old men, Idowu Daudu and
Ahmed Oniyinde, were arrested in Mushin with 59.95kg and 61.23kg of skunk,
respectively.
Also on October 15, officers intercepted a truck coming from
Trade Fair market along Iyana Oba and arrested its loading manager, Tajudeen
Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru.
"A search of the truck led to the recovery of 18,000
pills of tramadol 250mg, concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo
insecticide," the statement said.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Warake, Ivhiaro and
Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and
16, arresting six suspects.
They included 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was found with
179kg of skunk in Warake; Ayo Aigberadion, 53, with 220.8kg at Ewe/Irue; Ali
Garba, 57, with 5.852kg; and Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grams.
Others were Musa Mubid, 35, found with 2kg of cannabis,
cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam, and Hope Okoro, 35, who had 237
grams of Canadian Loud.
In Ondo State, officers raided a cannabis farm at Okemoro
Isinbode camp forest on October 17 and destroyed 7,500kg of skunk cultivated on
three hectares of land.
Five suspects were arrested: Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon
Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35.
The operatives also recovered 92 bags of skunk weighing
1,267kg, 11kg of cannabis seeds and 3kg of fresh stems, totalling 1,281kg.
In a separate operation in Owo on October 16, 53-year-old
Okunebe Ndidi was traced to his hideout in Ameyinti, where officers recovered
25 bags of cannabis weighing 375kg.
In Bauchi State, officers arrested Shamsu Garba, 35, at
Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14 after
intercepting his Volkswagen Golf wagon. They recovered 894,800 pills of
tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.
The same day, operatives on patrol along the Bauchi-Gombe
Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265kg from an abandoned vehicle
at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were
arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on October 13 with 30,100 tablets of
tramadol 225mg. Murtala Dayyabu, 54, was arrested at Niger Street, Malan Kato,
the following day with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest
of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with
496.5kg of cannabis.
At Food Palace, Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna, officers arrested
John Ayo David, 39, with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In the FCT, 42-year-old Odo Jonas Ejike was arrested in the
Utako area on October 17 with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen.
Mohamed Buba Marwa, retd., commended officers of the Apapa, Tincan, Mallam
Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and FCT
commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
He urged them and other officers across the country to
sustain efforts against drug trafficking networks while maintaining the
agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
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