The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted multiple drug consignments ingeniously concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs and women’s clothing, bound for the United States, the United Kingdom and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The seizures, made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier firm in Lagos, led to the arrest of two suspects.
One of them, cargo agent Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on 7 October after operatives found 15 parcels of skunk, a potent cannabis strain hidden inside 10 giant rechargeable bulbs destined for the DRC.
Five days later, on 12 October, Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a 48-year-old UK-based Public Health Assistant, was stopped at Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport. Officers discovered 2,300 tablets of tramadol (225mg) tucked away in frozen snails in her luggage bound for Manchester.
Another smuggling attempt was thwarted on 16 October when 810 bromazepam pills were found hidden in female garments meant for export to the United States.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers intercepted Bello Buba at a checkpoint in Yola South with 38,270 tramadol tablets concealed inside the spare tyre, boot and door panels of his vehicle. The drugs had reportedly been transported from Benin Republic.
The agency also destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis grown on over 21 hectares of farmland in Ekiti, while another 1,140 kilograms were recovered during operations in Ekiti and Ondo States, leading to several arrests of men aged between 20 and 27.
Further recoveries were recorded in Oyo, Ogun, Imo and Enugu States, where suspects were caught with large quantities of skunk and opioids. In Lagos, a Mushin resident was arrested with 117 kilograms of skunk, and a joint operation with Customs at Apapa port intercepted 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India.
Commending the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers for their vigilance and urged them to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control through both enforcement and education.
The agency continues its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, sensitising schools, workplaces and communities nationwide on the dangers of illicit substances.
