NDLEA intercepts U.S., UK, DRC-bound illicit drug consignments at Lagos airport
October 19, 2025
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another major success in its fight against narcotics trafficking with the interception of illicit drug consignments destined for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, who said the operation was carried out following credible intelligence on drug smuggling through courier channels.
According to Babafemi, the drugs were cleverly concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing to evade detection. NDLEA operatives, however, uncovered the items during intensive screening exercises conducted at a courier company in Lagos.
At least two suspects linked to the export attempt have already been arrested. One of them, a cargo agent, was nabbed on Oct. 7 after presenting a carton containing ten pieces of giant rechargeable bulbs stuffed with fifteen parcels of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis. The consignment was reportedly bound for the DRC.
Another suspect, a 48-year-old UK-based public health assistant, was apprehended at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport on Oct. 12. She had attempted to travel to Manchester, United Kingdom (UK Home Office) on a Qatar Airways flight with 2,300 pills of tramadol (225mg) concealed in frozen snails.
Similarly, NDLEA officers foiled another attempt to export 810 pills of bromazepam, hidden inside female clothes destined for the United States, during an inspection at a courier facility in Lagos on Oct. 16.
NDLEA expands nationwide crackdown
In another operation, NDLEA operatives in Adamawa intercepted a suspect at a checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South Local Government Area, with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed inside a car’s spare tyre, boot, and door compartments. The suspect was reportedly smuggling the drugs from Benin Republic into Nigeria.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers destroyed a 21.3-hectare cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti and seized 1,140kg of skunk during a raid that lasted between Oct. 12 and 13. This came just days after the destruction of another 17,400kg skunk farm spanning 6.9 hectares at Aponmu Forest Reserve, Akure, Ondo State.
Operations also extended to Oyo, Ogun, and Imo States. In Oyo, four suspects were arrested with 596kg of skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while two others were nabbed with 273kg of the same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan. In Ogun, a suspect was caught with 88kg skunk at Ona-Imeko, and another with 13,000 opioid pills along the Onitsha–Owerri Road in Imo State.
In Enugu, NDLEA officers uncovered 74.5kg skunk from a store at Umuogbo-Agu Village, Nsukka, while in Mushin, Lagos, another operation yielded 117kg of the drug from a suspected dealer’s base.
Joint operations yield more results
Babafemi further disclosed that the NDLEA, working in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup shipped from India. The container, which had been earlier placed under NDLEA watch, was seized at the Apapa Port in Lagos during a joint inspection on Oct. 14.
The Director also noted that NDLEA’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign continued nationwide, with sensitisation programmes held in schools, worship centres, and workplaces. Some of the institutions covered include Commercial Grammar School, Igogo Ekiti; Government Technical College, Ahoada, Rivers; and St. Cyprian Special Science School, Nsukka, Enugu State.
Through the WADA initiative, the NDLEA continues to strengthen public awareness and community resilience against drug abuse – a key part of Nigeria’s broader anti-narcotics strategy.
Marwa commends officers, urges consistency
According to Babafemi, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), commended the officers and men of the agency’s Lagos, Ekiti, Adamawa, Oyo, Enugu, Ogun, Ondo, and Imo Commands for their resilience and dedication.
Marwa urged them and their counterparts across Nigeria to sustain their “balanced approach” to the agency’s anti-drug war, combining enforcement with education and rehabilitation.
He noted that NDLEA’s latest achievements demonstrate the agency’s growing capacity to disrupt international and domestic drug networks while maintaining professionalism and inter-agency cooperation.
“The new wave of NDLEA drug interception across Nigeria reaffirms our zero-tolerance for narcotics trafficking and our renewed focus on public health, youth safety, and national security,” Marwa stated. GMTNewsng
