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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs and female clothes heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Democratic Republic of Congo at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos.
The agency said in a statement yesterday that at least two suspects linked to attempts to export the illicit substances have already been taken into custody.
The Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who issued the statement, said 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 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the export shed of the Lagos airport.
Another suspect in custody is 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, who is a UK-based Public Health Assistant.
She was arrested on Sunday, October 12, at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, following the discovery of frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg in her luggage while heading to Manchester, United Kingdom, on a Qatar Airways flight.
Attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday, October 16.
In Adamawa, 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.
Not less than 53,250 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 21.3 hectares of cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State, with 70 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 1,140kg recovered by NDLEA operatives during an operation that lasted between Sunday and Monday, October 12 and 13.
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Suspects arrested include: Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20. This followed the destruction of 17,400kg skunk on 6.96 hectares of plantation by NDLEA operatives at Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, Ondo State, on Sunday, 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 same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday, October 16.
While Joseph Andrew was arrested in possession of 88kg skunk on Wednesday, October 15, by NDLEA operatives at Ona-Imeko, Ogun State, another suspect Festus Udoh, 42, was nabbed with 13,000 pills of opioids along Onitsha-Owerri road, Imo State.
In the same vein, a total of 74.5kg skunk was recovered from the store of a suspect Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo-Agu village, Enugu State, on Saturday, October 18.
In Lagos, no fewer than 11 bags of skunk weighing 117kg were recovered from the base of a suspect Ramoni Olukowi in Mushin area on Saturday, October 18, while a total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container earlier watch-listed by 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.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities among others in the past week.
These include: WADA advocacy lecture to students and staff of Commercial Grammar School, Igogo Ekiti; Junior Secondary Smart School, Kasarawa, Katsina; Government Technical College, Ahoada, Rivers; Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Yau Danzabuwa, Babura, Jigawa State; Attarbiyya Community College, Hotoro, Kano; Fuga Mixed Secondary School, Fuga, Edo State; St. Cyprian Special Science School, Nsukka, Enugu and St. Peter’s College, Olomore, Abeokuta, Ogun State, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Lagos, Ekiti, Adamawa, Oyo, Enugu, Ogun, Ondo, and Imo Commands for the arrests and seizures, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country not to relent in their ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
