An 85-year-old woman was apprehended in Edo State in possession of 179 kilograms of cannabis, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confiscated 8,725 kilograms of powdered tramadol, with a value exceeding N6.98 billion, at the Apapa port in Lagos.
At Kano’s Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, authorities found cannabis hidden in a gallon of palm oil. They also seized significant amounts of illegal substances in Lagos, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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The operations, which took place from October 12th to the 17th, 2026, resulted in numerous arrests and significant drug seizures, according to a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, the Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA.
On October 2, agents from various agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, discovered a cargo of powdered tramadol from India at the Apapa port. The shipment was actually tramadol hydrochloride, despite the fact that it was listed as maize starch.
Estimates put the shipment’s street value at about N6.98 billion; when unloaded from its concealment on October 14, 349 bags weighing 8,725 kg were inside.
On October 12, authorities at the Tincan port in Lagos found 55 kilograms of Canadian Loud, valued as N165 million, concealed in brown cartons within a 40-foot container containing a Toyota Sienna.
A flight from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was cleared by agents at the Kano airport on October 16. Fatimah Ahmad was intercepted during this process. A gallon of palm oil was found to contain 511.75 grams of cannabis, according to the search.
The gallon was provided to Fatimah by her cousin Abubakar Yahaya, she informed the police. The police then took him into custody in the airport parking lot.
Elizabeth Chidera Kalu was apprehended during a raid on Idumota market in Lagos on October 14. Operatives seized 6,500 tablets of Molly and 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection from her store.
Mushin police detained two individuals the next day, Idowu Daudu,35, and Ahmed Oniyinde,61.23, for having 59.95 kg of skunk, respectively.
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A truck travelling from Trade Fair market along Iyana Oba was stopped by police on October 15. Tajudeen Adeduntan, the loading manager, and Azeez Sikiru, his assistant, were taken into custody. The statement stated that during the search of the truck, 18,000 pills of tramadol 250 mg were found, hidden in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
On October 15 and 16, NDLEA agents detained six individuals during raids in the communities of Warake, Ivhiaro, and Ewe/Irue in the Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State.
Grace Ehimeka, 85 years old, was discovered in Warake with 179 kilograms of skunk; Ayo Aigberadion, 53 years old, was located at Ewe/Irue with 220.8 kilograms; Ali Garba, 57 years old, had 5.852 kilograms; and Habib Braimoh, 45 years old, had 100 grams.
Additional suspects included Hope Okoro, also 35 years old, and Musa Mubid, who was discovered with 2 kilograms of Canadian Loud, as well as cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol, and diazepam.
On October 17, authorities from Ondo State conducted a raid at a cannabis plantation in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest. They confiscated 7,500kg of skunk grown on three hectares of land.
Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35, were the five individuals apprehended.
There were a total of 1,281 kg seized by the agents, including 92 skunk bags weighing 1,267 kg, 11 kg of cannabis seeds, and 3 kg of fresh stems.
On October 16, police in Owo uncovered 375 kg of cannabis in 25 bags after tracing the suspect, 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi, to his hiding in Ameyinti.
At Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area in Bauchi State, authorities apprehended 35-year-old Shamsu Garba after seizing his Volkswagen Golf waggon on October 14. The amount of tramadol and Exol-5 pills retrieved was 894,800.
On the same day, while patrolling the Bauchi-Gombe Road, operators found 265 kg of cannabis in 291 blocks inside an abandoned car in the community of Tudun Natsira.
On October 13, police in Kano detained 38-year-old Ali Abdullahi and 23-year-old Ibrahim Adamu while they were driving along the Zaria-Kano Road with 30,100 tramadol 225 mg tablets in their possession. The following day, 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu was apprehended at Niger Street in Malan Kato with 100,000 Exol-5 tablets.
A raid at Kayimi village in Kaduna State resulted in the arrest of 48-year-old Mohammed Sani, 29-year-old Zaharadeen Shafiu, and 20-year-old Yakubu Abdullahi, along with 496.5 kg of cannabis.
John Ayo David, 39, was apprehended by authorities at Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road in Kaduna in possession of 49,500 tramadol 225 mg tablets.
Odo Jonas Ejike, 42, was apprehended in the Utako sector of the FCT on October 17th in possession of 29,500 tramadol capsules.
The officers of the following commands: Apapa, Tincan, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano, and FCT were praised by the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, retd., for their professionalism and intelligence-driven operations.
He emphasised the need of continuing to combat drug trafficking networks while also upholding the agency’s balanced stance on drug control, and he challenged these officers, along with others nationwide, to do just that.