A transnational drug network smuggling tramadol across West African borders has suffered a crushing blow. In a high-stakes interception, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a massive shipment of 1,630,000 pills of high-potency 250mg tramadol.
The disclosure was made on Sunday, July 19, by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, who confirmed that the multi-border operation targeted two heavily modified trailers moving the contraband from Togo through the Benin Republic. The illicit cargo was hidden deep inside specially fabricated compartments welded into the trucks before the vehicles were ultimately halted in Lagos.
This intelligence-driven crackdown comes barely a week after a similar operational breakthrough. Just seven days earlier, NDLEA operatives intercepted 558,900 pills of the same psychoactive substance, which had been smuggled into Lagos via the identical Togo-Benin Republic transit corridor using a truck outfitted with a false bottom compartment.
One of the Kano-bound trucks was successfully tracked and intercepted on July 2, 2026, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. In a meticulous search, NDLEA officers uncovered 853,000 pills of 250mg tramadol hidden inside a custom-fabricated compartment beneath the trailer’s cargo floor. The operation also led to the immediate arrest of the 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru.
Two days later, on July 4, elite NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence tracked and intercepted the second trailer along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The vehicle was also being driven toward its final destination in Kano before it was locked down by authorities.
A meticulous search of the truck revealed another 777,000 pills of high-potency 250mg tramadol hidden inside a custom-fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor. Operatives evacuated the illicit narcotics and immediately arrested the 22-year-old driver, Muhammed Nuhu.
Deep-dive investigations have linked all three major seizures. Evidence reveals that the trucks intercepted on June 21, July 2, and July 4 are owned by the exact same transnational syndicate, exposing a highly organized drug network operating seamlessly along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.
Customs and NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos, have intercepted two separate consignments of ‘Canadian Loud’—a high-potency synthetic strain of cannabis—weighing a combined 4.70 kilograms.
In a bizarre branding twist, the illicit cargoes arrived from Canada packed in cartons with the local moniker ‘Odugwu’ boldly written across them. The shipments slipped into the Lagos airport aboard a British Airways flight on June 24 and an Ethiopian Airlines flight on July 3, respectively.
The seizures triggered a swift follow-up operation, leading to the initial arrest of two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga. Operatives then expanded their net to nab Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, a suspect who arrived to pick up the illicit cargo from a local logistics firm.
The ultimate breakthrough came on July 7, 2026, when authorities unmasked the true mastermind behind the shipments. In a coordinated sting with the Nigeria Police Area C Command in Surulere, Lagos, operatives apprehended 44-year-old businesswoman Chioma Nneka Mokeme.
Under interrogation, Mokeme—who claimed to run a legitimate printing business—confessed that her Canada-based friend, Agbons Collins, lured her into the illicit drug trade.
In a startling development, NDLEA operatives in Rivers State have arrested an 80-year-old grandfather, Chika Ugwoji, for trafficking illicit substances.
The octogenarian was caught red-handed with 800 grams of skunk—a high-potency strain of cannabis—during a targeted raid in the Ahoada area on Tuesday, July 14.
In another major breakthrough, NDLEA operatives in Edo State raided an illicit drug warehouse along Sapele Road in Benin City, leading to the arrest of a married couple. Christian Chukwuka, 32, and Nwanneka Christian, 33, were taken into custody on Monday, July 13, following the operation.
During the raid, authorities seized a massive stash containing 22 bags of cannabis sativa weighing 219.5kg, alongside compressed blocks of premium Canadian Loud weighing 192.67kg.
A cross-border drug alliance was shattered following the interception of 50,000 pills of high-potency 225mg tramadol in Kogi State on Sunday, July 12. The massive seizure triggered an intensive follow-up operation that tracked the illicit supply chain across the country.
Investigating operatives successfully linked the narcotics to a Chadian woman, 38-year-old Hajara Abdullahi, and her Nigerian accomplice, 44-year-old Abdulkarim Jidda. Both suspects were traced to Lagos and arrested during a targeted raid in the Apapa area of the state.
Simultaneously, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intensified its grassroots sensitization drive, executing its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaigns across various states over the past week.
Key educational outreach programs were delivered to students and faculty at several institutions, including Government Day Junior Secondary School in Bakori, Katsina; Colliery Technical School in Ngwo, Enugu; Starlight College in Iganmu Ijora, Lagos; Community Secondary School in Kono, Rivers; Odoro High School in Ikole Ekiti; and Government Junior Secondary School in Gabasawa, Kano
Reacting to the successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, and Kogi Commands for their outstanding brilliance in securing the arrests and multi-million-pill seizures.
Marwa noted that their dedication, alongside the tireless work of their compatriots across the country, has contributed in no small measure to the nation’s ongoing drug control efforts. He ultimately charged the operatives to maintain their momentum and remain fiercely vigilant at all times.
