The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized illicit drugs valued at more than ₦7.1 billion at two Lagos ports and arrested dozens of suspects, including an 85-year-old woman in Edo State, during operations across several states.
The agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, October 18, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
The largest seizure involved 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol worth more than ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos. According to the NDLEA, operatives working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies discovered the shipment from India, which had been declared as maize starch.
The consignment was uncovered on October 2 at the APM terminals, while the process of separating the drugs from their concealment was completed on October 14. Laboratory tests confirmed that the substance was tramadol hydrochloride packed in 349 bags.
At Tin Can Island Port, NDLEA operatives discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a cannabis strain, valued at ₦165 million on October 12. The substance was concealed in brown cartons inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.
The two port seizures had a combined estimated street value exceeding ₦7.14 billion.
In Edo State, six suspects were arrested during raids conducted between October 15 and 16 in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area.
Babafemi said the suspects included 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk, a cannabis variety, in Warake.
Another suspect, 53-year-old Ayo Aigberadion, was arrested with 220.8 kilogrammes of cannabis in Ewe/Irue. Other suspects were found with varying quantities of cannabis and other substances, including tramadol and diazepam.
In Kano State, operatives intercepted Fatimah Ahmad at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on October 16 during the clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight travelling to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.
The agency said officers found 511.75 grammes of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil she was carrying. Ahmad reportedly told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the container. He was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
The crackdown also covered several locations in Lagos. At Idumota Market, operatives arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu on October 14 and recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
The following day, officers arrested two men in Mushin, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
In another operation along Iyana Oba, officers intercepted a truck carrying 18,000 pills of tramadol concealed in cartons labelled as insecticide. The suspects arrested were identified as Tajudeen Adeduntan, a loading manager, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru.
In Ondo State, the agency said it destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk at a cannabis plantation in Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on October 17. Five suspects were arrested during the operation.
The NDLEA said its operations also yielded drug seizures in other parts of the country, including Bauchi, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory.
Babafemi said the agency’s chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks.
