NDLEA Seizes Cocaine Heading To UK, Arrests Suspects In Nationwide Drug Raids

The cocaine consignment, weighing 2.80 kilograms, was discovered hidden in the false bottom of food flasks and was reportedly bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight. The interception took place on April 9, 2026, at the export section of the Lagos airport. Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39), were arrested in connection with the shipment, while further investigation led to the apprehension of a 52-year-old freight forwarder, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, identified as the alleged sender.

In a separate operation at the airport import shed, NDLEA officers intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs and shipped from the United States aboard a Delta Airlines flight. Two clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested, while the intended recipient, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was later tracked down and arrested at his residence in Ogba, Lagos.

In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer loaded with cement along the Kaduna–Zaria expressway, uncovering 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 847 kilograms. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna (33), was taken into custody.

In Cross River State, a 53-year-old suspect, Alice Sunday Udoh, was arrested following a joint operation involving NDLEA operatives and soldiers in a forest at Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area. During the raid, 15,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated on a six-hectare farm were destroyed, while 119 kilograms were recovered.

Further nationwide operations led to additional seizures. In Edo State, NDLEA operatives destroyed a cannabis farm in Ovia North-East Local Government Area, with 2,281.43 kilograms of skunk eradicated and several suspects arrested. In Delta State, two individuals were apprehended with 87.838 kilograms of skunk and cannabis seeds.

In Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects along the Mile 2–Badagry Expressway while attempting to transport 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection to Ghana. Another raid on Lagos Island led to the recovery of 95.8 kilograms of skunk.

The agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign through sensitisation programmes across schools and communities in multiple states, including Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, and Lagos, aimed at educating students and the public on the dangers of drug abuse.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers across various commands for their sustained efforts, praising the balance between drug supply reduction operations and public sensitisation campaigns, while urging them to maintain momentum in the national anti-drug drive.