By Deborah Nnamdi
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing bound for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the seizures were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and at a courier company in Lagos. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the discoveries.
One of the suspects, identified as cargo agent Boladale Riliwan, was apprehended on October 7, 2025, after operatives discovered 15 parcels of cannabis (skunk) hidden inside 10 rechargeable electrical bulbs he attempted to ship to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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 Lagos airport while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester. She was found with 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails.
In Adamawa State, operatives intercepted one 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. The suspect allegedly drove from the Benin Republic to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA officers destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti and recovered 1,140 kilograms packed in 70 bags. Three suspects—Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20—were arrested during the two-day operation. Similarly, 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, four suspects—Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun, 32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro, 30—were arrested with 596 kilograms of cannabis at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while two others, Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were nabbed with 273 kilograms of the same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Ogun State arrested Joseph Andrew 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.
In Enugu, 74.5 kilograms of cannabis were recovered 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.
Babafemi further disclosed that 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container from India during a joint examination at the Apapa Port on October 14.
He also confirmed the arrest of a 52-year-old businessman, Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, after he excreted 69 wraps of cocaine upon arrival from Bangkok, Thailand, on October 8. Emeka, who operates boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, was intercepted following credible intelligence.
