Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted multiple 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 on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the interceptions 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 seizures.
Babafemi said one of the suspects, a cargo agent identified as Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on October 7, 2025, after NDLEA officers discovered 15 parcels of skunk (a strain of cannabis) hidden inside 10 giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he had presented for air freight to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He added that 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, MMIA, Ikeja.
“She was found with 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom,” Babafemi stated.
The agency also foiled an attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes destined for the United States through a courier company in Lagos on October 16.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives intercepted Bello Buba at a 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 drove all the way from Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria,” Babafemi said.
In Ekiti State, operatives destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti and recovered 1,140 kilograms already harvested and packed in 70 bags. Three suspects — Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20) — were arrested during the two-day operation between October 12 and 13.
Similarly, in Ondo State, the agency destroyed 17,400 kilograms of cannabis on 6.96 hectares of farmland in the Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, on October 12.
Babafemi further disclosed that NDLEA officers arrested several suspects across the Southwest. In Oyo State, Aliyu Muhammed (50), Babarinde Segun (32), Ogunbiyi Sanjo (30), and Ajani Oluro (30) were arrested with 596 kilograms of skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi (30) and Salako Oluwatobi (25) were nabbed with 273 kilograms of the same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on October 16.
In Ogun State, Joseph Andrew was arrested with 88 kilograms of cannabis at Ona-Imeko on October 15, while in Imo State, Festus Udoh (42) was caught with 13,000 pills of opioids along the Onitsha–Owerri Road.
Also in Enugu, NDLEA operatives recovered 74.5 kilograms of cannabis from the store of one Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo-Agu village on October 18. In Lagos, officers seized 11 bags of cannabis weighing 117 kilograms from the base of a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, in Mushin the same day.
Babafemi added that a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Apapa Port on October 14 led to the interception of a container with 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India.
Earlier, on October 12, PUNCH Metro reported the arrest of Ejiofor Godwin Emeka, a 52-year-old businessman who excreted 69 wraps of cocaine after arriving at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, from Bangkok, Thailand, aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 941. Ejiofor, who operates boutiques in Lagos and Onitsha, was apprehended based on credible intelligence.
