NDLEA Intercepts US, UK, DRC-bound Illicit Drug Consignments At Lagos Airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs and female clothes heading to the United States, United Kingdom and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The consignments were intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos, where operatives of the anti-narcotic agency also arrested at least, two suspects linked to them.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, a cargo agent, Boladale Riliwan was arrested on October 7, 2025 following the discovery of 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in ten pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he presented in a carton for airfreight to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the export shed of the Lagos Airport.

Another suspect, a 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a UK-based Public Health Assistant, was arrested on Sunday October 12, at the departure hall of terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja following the discovery of frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg in her luggage while heading to Manchester, United Kingdom, on a Qatar Airways flight.

Babafemi also said attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday October 16th.

In Adamawa State, a suspect Bello Buba was arrested by operatives at an NDLEA check point in Namtari, Yola South LGA.

A total of 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic car which he drove from Benin Republic for smuggling into Nigeria were seized on Sunday October 12th.

In Oyo state, Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun, 32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro, 30, were nabbed with 596kg skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were arrested with 273kg of same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday 16th October.

In Lagos, no fewer than 11 bags of skunk weighing 117kg were recovered from the base of a suspect Ramoni Olukowi in Mushin area on Saturday, October 18.

A total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were also seized in a container earlier watch-listed by NDLEA on its way from India during a joint examination of the shipment with men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies at the Apapa Port on Tuesday, October 14th.