Monday, April 20th 2026

NDLEA Intercepts Drug Couriers at Airports, Seizes Cocaine, Tramadol and Synthetic Cannabis Nationwide


NDLEA Intercepts Drug Couriers at Airports, Seizes Cocaine, Tramadol and Synthetic Cannabis Nationwide
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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested multiple drug suspects across Nigeria, intercepting cocaine consignments and other illicit substances at major airports and in several states.

In a statement shared on Sunday via X, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi disclosed that three suspects excreted a combined total of 236 wraps of cocaine following their arrests at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.

One of the suspects, Ibeanu, was arrested on Wednesday while boarding a Qatar Airways flight from Kano to China via Abuja and Doha. Acting on intelligence, NDLEA operatives in Abuja ordered that he be removed from the aircraft for screening. A body scan confirmed he had ingested illicit drugs. Under observation, he later excreted 52 pellets of cocaine weighing 735.95 grams.

Ibeanu reportedly told investigators he had previously operated a business on Lagos Island before relocating to Guangzhou, China, in 2024.

In a related operation in Kano, two Angolan nationals — Mbandu Martins Makiadi, 50, and Ngoma Wilson Fernando, 52 — were arrested at the departure hall while preparing to travel to Istanbul via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight. Body scans confirmed drug ingestion. Mbandu excreted 76 wraps of cocaine weighing 920 grams, while Ngoma expelled 108 pellets weighing 1.33 kilograms.

The suspects, both from Luanda, Angola, allegedly claimed they were recruited by an automobile spare parts dealer who promised them $3,000 each upon successful delivery of the drugs in Turkey.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport thwarted an attempt by a convicted drug trafficker, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, to export 1.10 kilograms of cocaine to London on a Virgin Atlantic flight. The drugs were concealed in processed cassava flakes (garri).

Oladimeji, who is currently serving a five-year jail term at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre following his 2025 conviction for attempting to export 17.90 kilograms of cocaine, allegedly coordinated the new smuggling attempt from prison using his logistics company. A staff member who presented the shipment for export was arrested, and investigations traced the operation back to the incarcerated suspect.

In another case at the Lagos airport, NDLEA officials intercepted 1.70 kilograms of skunk concealed in five jerry cans bound for the United Kingdom. The cargo agent was arrested, and subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the principal suspect in Lagos.

Further seizures were recorded nationwide. In Abuja, officers intercepted a parcel from Enugu containing a toy guitar used to conceal 59.2 grams of “Canadian Loud,” a cannabis strain. The owner of the consignment was later apprehended.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided a duplex in Lekki allegedly used for producing and storing Colorado, a synthetic cannabis product. The raid followed the seizure of 73 cartons of nitrous oxide along the Ajah–Epe expressway. One suspect was arrested at the property, where 13.2 kilograms of the synthetic substance and precursor chemicals were recovered.

In Oyo State, a female drug dealer was arrested in Ibadan with quantities of synthetic cannabis, methamphetamine, cash exhibits, and two vehicles. Meanwhile, in Kwara State, operatives intercepted 105,400 pills of tramadol during a vehicle stop in Bode Saadu.

In Edo State, five suspects were apprehended during a raid on a forest camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area, where 563.5 kilograms of skunk were recovered.

Commending officers across various state commands for their professionalism, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, urged personnel nationwide to sustain the agency’s balanced strategy of drug supply reduction and demand control efforts.

 

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