The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 2.55 million opioid pills valued at more than N3 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and arrested a newlywed man allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Nigeria.
The opioid seizure was made on September 22, 2026, during a joint inspection of three monitored consignments at the airport’s import shed.
According to the NDLEA, the consignments contained 2,550,000 pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg and Royal Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined weight of 1,640.55 kilogrammes.
The drugs were imported from India and Bangladesh through Qatar Airways, RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines.
The agency described the seizure as one of its major opioid interceptions of the year.
Newlywed arrested with 72 cocaine wraps
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, NDLEA operatives arrested a 25-year-old businessman, Lovely Chukwulobelu, who allegedly ingested 72 wraps of cocaine while attempting to travel to Portugal.
Chukwulobelu was arrested at the airport’s departure hall on September 25 while preparing to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Portugal through Addis Ababa.
The agency said the suspect was placed under observation following his arrest and subsequently excreted all 72 wraps of cocaine.
NDLEA said the suspect previously operated a car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, Lagos, before relocating to Portugal in May 2023.
He reportedly returned to Nigeria recently and got married on September 13.
According to the agency, Chukwulobelu told investigators that he became involved in the alleged drug trafficking in an attempt to cover expenses from his wedding.
Other drug seizures across Nigeria
The NDLEA also reported several other arrests and seizures during operations across the country.
In Bauchi State, operatives arrested Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, along the Maiduguri bypass. The suspects were allegedly transporting 300 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 262.5kg inside a truck with a concealed compartment.
In Edo State, NDLEA officers, supported by soldiers, destroyed two cannabis farms at Eko Camp in Ilushi. The farms had a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23kg.
In Lagos, two women, Odumabo Kehinde, 36, and Obiekwe Chioma, 40, were arrested during a raid on Anifowoshe Street in Mushin. Officers recovered 3.4kg of skunk from them.
Another operation at Ebute-Ero motor park resulted in the arrest of 58-year-old Ugwu Johnson. NDLEA said officers recovered 5.920kg of skunk, 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam and 40,000 pills of tramadol.
In Oyo State, two Togolese nationals, Yinusa Abdulsamad, 35, and Fatai Baba, 33, were arrested along the Iganna-Ilero Road. The agency said they were allegedly transporting 305.6kg of cannabis in two pickup vans as part of a cross-border trafficking operation.
At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, five suspects were arrested with 420 cartons of nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. The consignment weighed 1,688.4kg and was allegedly being transported from the border into Lagos.
The suspects were identified as Kingsley John, 40; John Chibuike Okeke, 44; Lamidi Ismaila, 40; Babatunde Samuel, 42; and Afeesu Idowu, 47.
The NDLEA also said its commands across the country continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities.
The agency said the activities included awareness programmes at schools and religious institutions in Oyo, Edo, Gombe and Kano states, as well as an advocacy visit by its Delta Ports Command to the Olu of Warri.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers involved in the operations and urged personnel across the country to maintain the agency’s ongoing drug-control efforts.
