The Drugs where Hidden in Jackets, Carton Walls, Body Cream (Photos)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized large consignments of opioids, cannabis, and methamphetamine during coordinated operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja and a courier facility in Lagos.
The agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that two suspects linked to drug shipments bound for Italy were arrested in separate operations.
According to the statement, the illicit substances were concealed in everyday items, including body cream containers, winter jackets, and carton walls, in a bid to evade detection.
One of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome. NDLEA operatives discovered 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) hidden inside containers of skin-lightening body cream in his luggage. Ehianuka, said to be based in Milan, reportedly admitted he was promised payment in euros upon successful delivery.
In a separate operation on March 18, another suspect, Christian Agbonhese, was arrested at the airport while trying to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan. A search of his luggage uncovered 28,470 pills of opioids, including tramadol and tapentadol, concealed inside two large winter jackets.
Further seizures were made on March 16, when NDLEA officers intercepted parcels containing one kilogram of a strong cannabis strain known as “Loud,” shipped from the United States to Lagos. The operatives also foiled an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine hidden within carton walls to New Zealand.
Beyond Lagos, the anti-drug agency carried out multiple arrests and seizures across the country. In Kano State, a 35-year-old suspect, Abdulkadir Mamuda, was arrested with 102.5 kilograms of skunk, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was apprehended with 95.5 kilograms of the same substance.
In Lagos, operatives raided a storage facility in the Ijora area, recovering over 21,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup. Two additional suspects were also arrested on the Third Mainland Bridge while transporting thousands more bottles.
In Oyo State, a suspect identified as Bankole Bari was arrested in Ibarapa Local Government Area with 71.2 kilograms of skunk allegedly smuggled into Nigeria from the Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
Other operations recorded significant seizures, including 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 recovered along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, and 7,290 additional tramadol tablets seized at the same location days later. In Taraba State, a suspect was intercepted with 77,660 capsules of tramadol en route to Gombe.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8 kilograms of tramadol found in a truck in Yola, with authorities identifying them as joint owners of the consignment.
The NDLEA said the operations form part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking networks across the country.