The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disrupted a major drug-smuggling operation at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA). Agents intercepted consignments of cocaine and tramadol pills concealed inside 71 vehicle side mirrors, intended for export to Libreville, Gabon.
NDLEA’s Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the first batch included 57,420 pills of tramadol 225mg and 57 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.60kg. The items were headed out on Air Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday, July 19, 2025. Cargo agent Ihekweme Osinachi Benedict was arrested at the airport. Another suspect, Uzochukwu Godspower Chukwurah, was detained the following day after investigators seized an additional 1kg of cocaine from four more mirrors—raising the total to 2.60kg of cocaine and 68 pellets.
Meanwhile, on August 1, authorities arrested businesswoman Nwafor Roseann Nneka at her shop in the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo. NDLEA agents had earlier intercepted 100 grams of cocaine and 300 grams of phenacetin hidden inside gift lipsticks destined for Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Nneka admitted to buying the lipsticks for concealment while her husband remains on the run.
NDLEA raids across the country continued with arrests in Abuja, Lagos, Benue, Edo, Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Kano, Osun, and Delta States. Confiscated items included strong cannabis strains “Canadian Loud,” “skunk,” and “Colorado”—methamphetamine, and large quantities of tramadol and other opioids. One major arrest in Benue recovered over 100,000 tramadol pills; another in Bayelsa netted 41,705 tablets at a suspect’s home and shop.
In Benue state alone, NDLEA agents seized 3.3kg of synthetic cannabis in Lagos’s Mushin district, 16.5 litres of skuchies in Yaba, 233.5kg of cannabis in Edo, 77.5kg of skunk in Ibadan, and 12.5kg of skunk with 1kg of tramadol and 14.4 litres of codeine in Delta. In Osun, two suspects were caught with 90kg of skunk, methamphetamine, a vehicle, and cash.
The swift actions by NDLEA highlight a nationwide crackdown on drug smuggling, concealment, and trafficking rings across major cities, reinforcing Nigeria’s determination to curb illegal drug trade.
