Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs ingeniously concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing items destined for the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and at a courier company in Lagos.
Babafemi disclosed that two suspects had been taken into custody in connection with the discoveries.
“One of them, a cargo agent, Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on October 7, 2025, following the discovery of 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in 10 pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he presented in a carton for airfreight to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the export shed of the Lagos airport,” Babafemi added.
He further stated that another suspect, Olawale Hakeemot, a 48-year-old UK-based public health assistant, was apprehended on October 12 at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the MMIA, Ikeja.
He said she was found with 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom.
“Attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by the NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday, October 16,” he added.
In Adamawa State, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Bello Buba, at a checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, with 38,270 pills of tramadol hidden in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic.
He said the suspect allegedly drove from the Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria.
“A suspect, Bello Buba, was intercepted at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic car he drove all the way from Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria on Sunday, October 12,” he said.
In Ekiti State, the agency destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti, recovering an additional 1,140 kilograms packed in 70 bags. Three suspects — Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20) — were arrested during the operation, which lasted between October 12 and 13.
Similarly, 17,400 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed on 6.96 hectares of farmland in Aponmu Forest Reserve, Akure, Ondo State, on October 12.
“In Oyo State, Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun, 32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro, 30, were nabbed with 596kg skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were arrested with 273kg of the same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday, October 16,” he added.
In Ogun State, Joseph Andrew was arrested with 88 kilograms of cannabis at Ona-Imeko on October 15, while in Imo State, Festus Udoh (42) was apprehended with 13,000 pills of opioids along the Onitsha-Owerri Road.
In Enugu, NDLEA operatives recovered 74.5 kilograms of cannabis from the store of Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo-Agu village on October 18, while in Lagos, 11 bags of cannabis weighing 117 kilograms were seized from the base of a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, in Mushin the same day.
“A total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container earlier watch-listed by the NDLEA coming from India during a joint examination of the shipment with men of Customs service and other security agencies at the Apapa port on Tuesday, October 14,” the statement added.
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