Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have seized consignments of illicit drugs hidden in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothes bound for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to a statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier company in Lagos.
Babafemi said two suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures.
“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.
Babafemi said another suspect, a 48-year-old UK-based public health assistant, Olawale Hakeemot, was arrested 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 operatives intercepted a suspect, Bello Buba, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South Local Government Area, with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed 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 drugs 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, he said operatives destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti and recovered 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, Babafemi added that 17,400 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed on 6.96 hectares of farmland in the 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, Babafemi said Joseph Andrew was arrested with 88 kilograms of cannabis at Ona-Imeko on October 15, while in Imo State, 42-year-old Festus Udoh was caught with 13,000 pills of opioids along the Onitsha-Owerri Road.
Also in Enugu, he said operatives recovered 74.5 kilograms of cannabis from the store of one Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo-Agu village on October 18. In Lagos, 11 bags of cannabis weighing 117 kilograms were recovered from the base of a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, in Mushin on 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.
On October 12, PUNCH Metro reported that a 52-year-old businessman, Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, had excreted 69 wraps of cocaine after his arrest by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
Ejiofor, who runs boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, Anambra State, was intercepted upon arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, on an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941 on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, following credible intelligence.
PUNCH.
