Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of captagon, widely known as ‘Jihadi drug,’ and millions of opioid pills worth over N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The captagon shipment was seized at the Lagos airport on Saturday, 22nd August 2026, following the arrest of a 49-year-old cross-border kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight.
A search of his carton of local bathing soap, popularly called “Ghana Soap,” led to the recovery of 47,200 pills of the illicit amphetamine drug worth over N1.5 billion concealed within blocks of soap. Captagon, which is notoriously dubbed the ‘Jihadi drug’ for its use in funding extremist activities in conflict zones, was first intercepted in Nigeria by NDLEA in September 2021 at the Apapa port in Lagos. After his arrest, Akinbile claimed he was meant to deliver the consignment in the North.
In another successful interdiction operation at the Lagos airport, no fewer than 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 2,787.40 kilograms and more than N4.6 billion in street value, were recovered from four abandoned consignments at the import shed of the MMIA. Three of the consignments, comprising 900,000 tablets of Tramaking (815.40 kg), arrived aboard RwandAir flights from Bangladesh, while a fourth, comprising 3,000,030 tablets of Tapentadol (1,972 kg), arrived on Qatar Airways from Amsterdam.
The shipments, which had been placed under close watch after no one showed up to claim them, were formally retrieved after a joint examination by NDLEA officers, Customs, and other stakeholders on Friday, 28th August.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has arrested a woman, Mrs. Iyabo Sowunmi, for allegedly attempting to smuggle suspected illicit drugs into the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta.
Sowunmi was reportedly trying to deliver the substance, suspected to be “Colos,” a psychoactive synthetic drug, to her son, Dare Sowunmi, an inmate on death row at the facility.
The NCoS spokesperson in Ogun State, Olayinka Odukoya, disclosed the information in a statement issued on Monday.
According to Odukoya, the woman was arrested at about 1:33pm on Friday, August 28, 2026, during routine screening at the main entrance of the custodial center.
He said the suspected substance was concealed inside a sachet of a popular beverage powder in an attempt to evade detection by security personnel.
Odukoya said, “At approximately 1:33 PM on Friday, August 28, 2026, routine screening procedures at the facility’s main entry point led to the detection of suspicious substances, believed to be the psychoactive synthetic drug commonly known as ‘Colos,’ concealed within a sachet of a popular beverage powder.
“The suspect was attempting to deliver the package to an inmate, Dare Sowunmi, who is currently on death row. Following the interception, officers immediately detained Mrs. Sowunmi. In accordance with inter-agency operational protocols, she has been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for comprehensive investigation and prosecution.”
Reacting to the incident, the Controller of Corrections, Ogun State Command, Abioye Adesina, commended the security personnel for their vigilance and strict adherence to established security protocols.
Adesina said the service would not tolerate attempts to introduce illegal substances or other forms of contraband into custodial facilities.
He said, “Our custodial facilities exist to ensure public safety, reformation, and rehabilitation. We maintain an absolute zero-tolerance policy for drug trafficking or any illegal acts designed to compromise security.
“Attempts to introduce contraband into our facilities: ‘We will take swift legal action against any attempts to introduce contraband into our facilities.'”
The Command urged members of the public to respect the integrity and security of custodial institutions, warning that anyone found attempting to compromise security would face the full weight of the law.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
