Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered a drug trafficking syndicate following intelligence-led operations that lasted three weeks, during which cocaine consignments concealed in tins of palm kernel oil were intercepted.
The consignments, destined for the United Kingdom, were discovered in a warehouse during a raid. All three layers of the syndicate were unraveled, leading to the arrest of the kingpin, King Arinze, 52.
The NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to ThelensNG on Sunday.
“The breakthrough began on Wednesday 11th March 2026, when NDLEA officers of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command, Ikeja, Lagos intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine at the export shed of the airport. The illicit substance was meticulously hidden inside tins of palm kernel extract intended for shipment to the UK.
“Two suspects handling the shipment, Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin were promptly arrested. To unravel the sender and the arrowhead of the drug syndicate, a well-coordinated sting operation was carried out on Thursday 2nd April leading to the arrest of the sender of the consignment, Ezemuwo Joel, who operates under a fake identity as Ajayi,” the statement said.
Babafemi revealed that Joel’s arrest led to the identification of the syndicate’s head, Arinze, who was flushed out of a hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.
He was thereafter taken to his warehouse at 11, Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo, where NDLEA operatives recovered 886 tins of palm kernel oil prepared for drug concealment, industrial tools including a sealing machine and tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis sativa, and a pack of hand gloves.
“Arinze has since confessed to personally draining the oil from the tins to conceal the cocaine,” Babafemi stated.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Namtari Road, Yola South on Monday, March 30, intercepted a trailer marked RUW 947 XA transporting 48,000 pills of tramadol. The truck driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, was arrested while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the recipient, Idris Adamu.
Similarly, a 60-year-old Idiatu Oladejo was apprehended with 15kg skunk in Isale Osun, Osogbo, Osun State on Wednesday, April 1, while NDLEA operatives acting on credible intelligence raided the Itaogbolu forest, Akure, Ondo State, where they recovered 351 kilograms of skunk and its seeds.
On the same day, no fewer than 28,600 capsules of tramadol were seized from a 66-year-old Aminu Usman Gembu when he was arrested at Aliade, Benue State.
In Edo State, a suspect Roland Owie, 37, was arrested on Monday, March 30, following the raid of his warehouse at Egbanke community, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where 1,378 kilograms of skunk were recovered.
A notorious drug dealer, 40-year-old Ayantola Omodunmomi (a.k.a Iya Elle) was also nabbed at Eleta area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Wednesday, April 1. Omodunmomi’s arrest followed intelligence and surveillance revealing how she used her 11-year-old daughter, Anjola, to deliver illicit drugs to customers. At the time of her arrest, 45.6 kg of skunk was recovered from her warehouse.
In the same vein, the Agency’s Commands and formations continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities across the country in the past week.
The activities included WADA sensitisation lecture delivered to students and staff of Okere Grammar School, Saki, Oyo; Shasha Comprehensive High School, Alimosho, Lagos; Ma’ahad Ahmad Turaki Islamiyya, Sabon Gari, Kano; Ezi-Awka Community Secondary School, Awka, Anambra; and Madrasatul Ihsan, Area One Tsafe, Zamfara State.
Commenting on the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Seme, Borno, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Adamawa, and Benue Commands for their professionalism and commitment.
Marwa also praised their counterparts across all commands in the country for maintaining a fair balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
“These successful operations are a testament to the Agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels. Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them,” he added.
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