April 19, (THEWILL) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against illicit drug trafficking, intercepting consignments of cocaine and “loud”, a potent strain of cannabis, ingeniously concealed in food flasks and snack packs, while arresting multiple suspects, including a fashion designer, in coordinated operations across the country.
The Agency disclosed that the seizures, carried out at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, and other strategic locations nationwide, underscore its intensified crackdown on drug syndicates and its sustained commitment to safeguarding public health and national security.
Detailing the operations in a statement signed on Sunday by its Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed that at the Lagos airport export shed, NDLEA operatives on Thursday, April 9, 2026, intercepted 12 large parcels of cocaine hidden in the false bottoms of food flasks destined for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight. The illicit consignment, weighing 2.80 kilograms, was discovered during routine cargo screening operations.
Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, linked to the shipment, were immediately apprehended. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the alleged sender, a 52-year-old freight forwarder, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, in a follow-up operation, further exposing the network behind the attempted export.
In a related operation at the import shed of the same airport, NDLEA officers on Wednesday, April 8, intercepted another consignment containing 2.90 kilograms of “loud”, cleverly concealed in snack food packs and shipped from the United States aboard a Delta Airlines flight.
Initial arrests of cargo clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, paved the way for the eventual apprehension of the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, who was arrested on Monday, April 13, at his residence on Oba Ogunji Road, Ogba, Lagos.
Expanding its operations beyond Lagos, the Agency recorded a significant seizure along the Kaduna-Zaria highway. On Monday, April 13, NDLEA operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer en route to Hadeja, Jigawa State. A thorough search revealed 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of skunk, weighing a staggering 847 kilograms. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, 33, was taken into custody.
In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers and military personnel led to the arrest of a 53-year-old woman, Alice Sunday Udoh, during a raid on a forest in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area, on Thursday, April 16. The operation resulted in the destruction of approximately 15,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated on six hectares of farmland, with an additional 119 kilograms recovered.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives stormed a cannabis farm at Saboro camp, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on Tuesday, April 14, destroying 2,281.43 kilograms of the illicit substance. Three suspects—Nweke Smart, 27; Christopher Egbe, 62; and Monday Ayan, 45—were arrested, with the latter two caught in possession of 38.5 kilograms of cannabis and seeds.
Further reinforcing the nationwide clampdown, NDLEA operatives in Delta State arrested two suspects, Sunday Odili, 49, and Ijenebe Joshua, 39, at the Powerline area of Okwo on Friday, April 17, seizing 87.838 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.
Back in Lagos, two suspects, Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Aloukou Bienvenu, were apprehended on Wednesday, April 15, along the Mile 2–Badagry Expressway while transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injections concealed in a truck bound for Ghana. On the same day, a raid on a two-storey building in the Petti area of Lagos Island led to the recovery of 95.8 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement, the NDLEA sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across the country, conducting awareness programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. These included educational outreach at Alfurgan Islamic School, Paiko (Niger State); Edgerly Memorial Girls Secondary School, Calabar (Cross River); Heritage Model School, Ankpa (Kogi); Government Day Junior and Senior Secondary School, Kankia (Katsina); Government Senior Secondary School, Rano (Kano); and De Ambassador Secondary School, Epe (Lagos), among others.
Commending the officers and men involved in the operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded the synergy between drug supply reduction efforts and preventive education initiatives. He urged personnel across commands to sustain the current operational momentum in order to further dismantle drug trafficking networks and curb substance abuse nationwide.
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