March 22, (THEWILL) — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled multiple attempts by drug trafficking organisations to smuggle illicit substances to Europe using concealed methods at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and a courier facility in Lagos.
The agency said traffickers deployed desperate tactics, hiding methamphetamine and opioids in the walls of cartons, winter jackets and containers of body cream. However, their efforts were thwarted through vigilant screening and intelligence-led operations.
A statement signed on Sunday by the spokesperson of the Agency, Femi Babafemi, stated that two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments. One of them, Friday Ehianuka, 37, was apprehended on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed inside containers of skin-lightening body cream packed in his luggage.
During interrogation, Ehianuka, who resides in Milan, reportedly admitted he was to be paid a fee in euros upon successful delivery of the drugs.
In a related operation on Wednesday, March 18, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s departure hall arrested another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, 38, who was attempting to board a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Milan. A search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 pills of opioids, including tramadol and tapentadol, ingeniously hidden inside two large winter jackets.
At a Lagos courier firm, NDLEA officers, on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of “Loud”, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, concealed in a carton shipped from the United States. In the same vein, an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the walls of a carton to New Zealand was also foiled.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA operations across the country led to a series of arrests and major seizures. In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, and Uche Johnson Festus, 47, on March 18, with a combined 198kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle and Naibawa Gabas.
In Lagos, a raid at Otto in the Ijora area resulted in the recovery of 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup, while two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge with 8,380 bottles of the same substance.
Similarly, in Edo State, 97.5kg of skunk was recovered from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. In the Federal Capital Territory, operatives intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada expressway, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol concealed within the vehicle’s body compartments, leading to the arrest of the driver, Aminu Ali, 27.
In Oyo State, Bankole Bari was arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa Local Government Area, with 71.2kg of skunk allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from the Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
Further seizures were recorded in Kaduna, where operatives recovered 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 from Lawal Anas, 28, along the Kaduna-Zaria highway. Another suspect, Musa Shuaibu, 22, was arrested at the same location with 7,290 tablets of tramadol. In Taraba State, Aliyu Adamu, 26, was intercepted along the Takum-Jalingo highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol en route to Gombe.
In Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol concealed in a truck in Yola. The suspects—Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim and another Musa Mohammed—were identified as joint owners of the consignment.
Meanwhile, NDLEA Commands nationwide sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities. Outreach programmes were conducted in Ebonyi, Lagos, Cross River, Enugu and Ogun states, among others.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers across the various commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control through enforcement and preventive advocacy.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and curbing substance abuse nationwide.
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
