Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and the railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The 38-year-old suspect was intercepted on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 of the airport while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
A thorough search by NDLEA operatives led to the recovery of 16 parcels of white powdery substance hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, plus 195 wraps of the same substance concealed in the railings of four travelling bags.
The substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80 kg.
During interrogation the suspect claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was meant for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He reportedly told investigators that he raised the money from compensation he received following an injury sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
NDLEA’s spokesperson Femi Babafemi said the arrest was part of a series of intelligence-led operations by the anti-narcotics agency across the country, which also resulted in the seizure of large consignments of illicit drugs at seaports and the destruction of cannabis farms.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne seaports have intercepted container consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis and codeine-based syrup worth over N5 billion, following months of intelligence and tracking the movement of the shipments from their ports of origin.
At the Apapa port in Lagos, NDLEA officers acting on intelligence subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 percent examination with men of Customs and other stakeholders. A search of one of the containers on Saturday, 3rd September, yielded 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124 kg, worth N372,000,000, concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne port in Rivers State, two containers watch-listed by NDLEA based on processed intelligence were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies, during which 40 packs of Loud weighing 22 kg were found hidden in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles (Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra) shipped in one of the containers, while the second container held 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The container had left India for Saudi Arabia, where the history of its origin was deleted, to avoid being targeted. The codeine and Loud consignments have a combined street value of N833,200,000.
At the Tincan Island port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 29th September, conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, with Customs and other stakeholders. As a result, a total of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5 kg were concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, with 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in the container. The consignment was worth over N3.8 billion in street value.
A total of 20,234 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State, on Wednesday, 30th September, by NDLEA operatives, while a suspect, Agbo Dennis, 41, was arrested on Tuesday, 29th September, 2026, at the West of Mines area of Jos North, Plateau State, following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385 kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday 28th September raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, where they recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol, while a 23-year-old, Ekundayo Taiwo, was nabbed on Wednesday 30th September in a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market following the seizure of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine hidden in a bottle of an energy drink as a waybill package from a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway the previous day.
In Kogi state, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway on Wednesday, 30th September, intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and found a waybill concealing two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1 kg. In a follow-up operation, the owner of the consignment, Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, 29, was arrested at Utako, Abuja.
The residence of a suspect, Saturday Omimi, 35, was raided at Uyere community, Ovia North-East LGA, Edo State, on Friday, 2nd October, where NDLEA officers recovered 32.2 kg of cannabis sativa. The same day, Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, 23, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grams of Loud, 12 grams of Colorado, 19 grams of Tramadol, 16 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of Swinol, and 4 grams of Molly.
Six years after jumping bail, 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, 29th September. Idris was facing trial at the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State, in connection with the possession and dealing in 198 kilograms of skunk. He, however, jumped bail granted by the court since December 2020 and evaded arrest since then.
With the same vigour, commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week. These include a WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of St Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the onslaught against drug trafficking networks, while continuing with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
