Cartels continue to innovate, but the NDLEA stays steps ahead. In its latest victory against the illicit drug trade, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency dismantled a sophisticated smuggling attempt at the Lagos port. High-potency narcotics, stealthily hidden inside water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands, were uncovered before hitting Nigerian streets.
According to a statement released on Sunday, May 31, by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the illicit drug consignments were intercepted on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at a Lagos courier firm. Operatives discovered 3 kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA (Ecstasy) pills meticulously hidden inside the water Purifiers.
In another major success, NDLEA operatives raided a residence in the Gonin Gora area of Kaduna on Sunday, May 24, arresting a couple, Musa and Mercy Sunday, alongside a 38-year-old accomplice, Salomi Ezekiel. The raid followed the massive seizure of 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing a gross total of 1,246 kilograms from their home.
Meanwhile, a highway interdiction by the agency yielded another critical security breakthrough. NDLEA patrol officers along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway near Jere intercepted Sunusi Musa, 30, with 380 rounds of 7.62mm military-grade ammunition en route to Katsina State. The suspect and the lethal exhibit have been handed over to relevant security agencies for immediate action.
Intelligence-led operations in Niger State yielded further success when NDLEA operatives raided a drug warehouse at Gidan Kukah, Bosso LGA. The operation led to the recovery of 457 kilograms of skunk on Wednesday, May 27, and the swift arrest of a suspect, Godwin Zakka (46), at his residence in Gbeganu, Minna.
NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway on Thursday, May 28, intercepted a Taraba State-bound commercial bus with registration number JAY-158-YF. A thorough search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine, and 200 grams of bromazepam, resulting in the immediate arrest of a suspect, James Maigari Wisdom.
Parallel to the enforcement breakthroughs, the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy drive continued at full throttle across the country. Over the past week, various commands organized high-impact enlightenment lectures in schools, workplaces, and religious centres. Notable institutions reached include Government Secondary School (Adiabo, Cross River), St. Patrick’s Memorial College (Wukari, Taraba), Roman Catholic Mission Nursery and Primary School (Ibeju Lekki, Lagos), and Kings Secondary School (Amawbia, Anambra State).
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers of the Kaduna, Niger, and Enugu commands, alongside the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), for the latest arrests and seizures.
Marwa praised their ability to balance aggressive drug supply reduction with robust WADA sensitization campaigns, charging operatives nationwide to sustain the momentum and never rest on their laurels.
