The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound cannabis consignment concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, and uncovered 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder worth over ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The Agency intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, with 511.75 grammes of cannabis concealed in the palm oil container during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa, on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The Director of Media and Advocacy of NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to ThelensNG on Sunday.
According to the statement, Ahmad told operatives that the container had been given to her by her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, who was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives uncovered 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol hydrochloride powder at the Apapa Port in Lagos after a joint examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on October 2. The consignment, imported from India and declared as maize starch, was confirmed to be tramadol following laboratory tests. When separated from its concealment on Wednesday, October 14, the shipment was found in 349 bags, with a street value estimated at over ₦6.98 billion.
At the Tincan Port in Lagos, operatives on Monday, October 12, discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at ₦165 million, during a joint examination of a container with Customs officials and other agencies. The substance was packed in brown cartons and concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle transported in a 40-foot container.
Elsewhere in Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided Idumota Market on Wednesday, October 14, arresting Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovering 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
The following day, Thursday, October 15, two 35-year-old men were arrested in the Mushin area of the state. They were identified as Idowu Daudu, who was found with 59.95 kilogrammes of skunk, and Ahmed Oniyinde, who had 61.23 kilogrammes of the same substance.
In another operation, operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a truck conveying illicit drugs from Trade Fair Market along Iyana Oba on Thursday, October 15. Two suspects, Tajudeen Adeduntan, the loading manager, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, were arrested.
A search of the truck led to the recovery of 18,000 tablets of tramadol, each weighing 250mg, concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
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 and recovering various quantities of illicit drugs.
The suspects included 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was arrested with 179 kilogrammes of skunk at Warake; 53-year-old Ayo Aigberadion, with 220.8 kilogrammes at Ewe/Irue; 57-year-old Ali Garba, with 5.852 kilogrammes; 45-year-old Habib Braimoh, with 100 grammes; and 35-year-old Musa Mubid, who was found with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam. Another suspect, 35-year-old Hope Okoro, was arrested with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, raided a cannabis farm in Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on Saturday, October 17, and destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares of land.
Five suspects were arrested in connection with the operation. They were identified as 43-year-old Asikpo Ekpeyoung; 22-year-old Solomon Okpani; 35-year-old Ubong Friday; 22-year-old Joseph Friday; and 35-year-old Ekenimi Seth.
Exhibits recovered included 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds, and three kilogrammes of fresh cannabis stems, bringing the total recovered exhibits to 1,281 kilogrammes.
In another operation in the Owo area of Ondo State on Friday, October 16, operatives tracked 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi to his hideout in Ameyinti, where they recovered 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes.
In Bauchi State, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, October 14, intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon belonging to 35-year-old Shamsu Garba at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.
On the same day, operatives on patrol along the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano State, two suspects, 38-year-old Ali Abdullahi and 23-year-old Ibrahim Adamu, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on Tuesday, October 13, with 30,100 tablets of tramadol, each weighing 225mg.
Another suspect, 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu, was arrested on Wednesday, October 14, at Niger Street, Malan Kato, with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
Similarly, a raid by NDLEA operatives at Kayimi village in Kaduna State led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20; with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis.
In a separate operation at Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road in Kaduna, 39-year-old John Ayo David was arrested with 49,500 tablets of tramadol, each weighing 225mg.
A 42-year-old suspect, Odo Jonas Ejike, was arrested in the Utako area of the FCT, Abuja on Saturday, October 17, with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
In the same vein, the Agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across the country during the week, with Commands and formations conducting enlightenment programmes in schools, worship centres, workplaces, and communities.
The activities included lectures for students and staff of Nawar-Ur-Deen High School, Ogboro, Oyo State; Elf Junior Secondary School, Bojude, Gombe State; Cherubim and Seraphim Primary School, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Harmony Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State; Government Secondary School, Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River State; Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Port Harcourt; Mesh International School, Benin City, Edo State; and Abu Hanifa Academy, Kano Municipal, Kano State, among others.
Commending officers and men of the Apapa, Tincan, MAKIA, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano, and FCT Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), urged them and their colleagues nationwide to sustain the crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also encouraged the Agency’s personnel to maintain the current balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with continued public education and sensitisation.
