By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have thwarted multiple attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances to Europe, intercepting consignments concealed in cartons, winter jackets, and body cream containers.
In a statement issued on Sunday, March 22, 2026, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier company in Lagos, alongside coordinated operations across several states.
According to him, two suspects linked to drug shipments bound for Italy were apprehended at the Lagos airport. One of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was arrested on Friday, March 20, 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.
Babafemi said the suspect admitted he was to be paid a negotiated fee in euros if he had successfully delivered the consignment to Italy.
In a separate operation on March 18, NDLEA officers arrested another Italy-bound passenger, Christian Agbonhese, at the departure hall while trying to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage reportedly uncovered 28,470 opioid pills hidden inside winter jackets.
The agency also intercepted additional consignments at a Lagos courier firm, including one kilogram of a potent cannabis strain known as “Loud” shipped from the United States and 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within carton walls and destined for New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, Babafemi said the clampdown extended nationwide, with significant seizures recorded in Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, the Federal Capital Territory, Taraba, and Adamawa states. Among the recoveries were more than 586,000 pills of tramadol and exol-5 along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, 82.8 kilograms of tramadol seized in Adamawa, and large quantities of skunk confiscated in several states.
He added that multiple suspects were arrested in connection with the operations, including a bus driver in Abuja allegedly caught transporting 91,840 tramadol pills concealed in vehicle compartments.
Babafemi further noted that the agency had intensified its War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools and communities nationwide.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain the momentum. He encouraged personnel to continue the agency’s balanced approach to drug control efforts across the country.
