In a major anti-narcotics breakthrough, the NDLEA has foiled a highly sophisticated smuggling attempt at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Operatives arrested 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs. Mary Yetunde Barek, after uncovering 13 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed within fake plantain peels. The packages were meticulously designed to mimic fresh produce and hidden among food items in her baggage.
According to a Sunday statement by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, the UK-based caregiver was intercepted at Lagos airport’s Terminal 2 departure hall. The arrest occurred on June 28, 2026, as she attempted to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London. Security operatives searching her bags discovered 31 large wraps of cocaine, weighing 13 kilograms, deceptively shaped like plantain bunches. The suspect has since confessed to owning the illicit cargo.
In a related development, a sting operation in the Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday, June 29, 2026, led to the arrest of Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. Onyeka was apprehended following the seizure of 5.80 kilograms of cocaine cleverly concealed within the double walls of nine cartons of Orijin bitters. The illicit shipment was part of a consolidated cargo bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nwabueze’s arrest in Anambra followed the initial interception of 36 parcels of cocaine, weighing 5.80 kilograms, hidden inside the double walls of the herbal drink cartons. The breakthrough came after NDLEA operatives rounded up four key suspects in Lagos: cargo agent Alalade Taiwo Azeez; driver Ndem Ogbonna Kelechi; Okeke Tochukwu Chimezie, an ASPANDA market trader who facilitated the delivery; and Igwilo Chidi Henry, the accomplice who supplied the Orijin bitters cartons. Tracking this supply chain ultimately paid off, enabling operatives to unmask Nwabueze as the syndicate’s mastermind while he was hiding in Aziora village, Ozubulu, Anambra State.
In a series of coordinated weekend sweeps across Taraba, Kaduna, and Ebonyi states, NDLEA operatives intercepted massive hauls of illicit drugs. Acting on credible intelligence on Saturday, July 4, officers along the Zaki-Biam Road in Wukari, Taraba State, arrested 30-year-old Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke. He was caught smuggling 43,980 capsules of Tramadol—trafficked from Onitsha, Anambra State—cleverly concealed inside two vehicle fuel tanks. Meanwhile, a July 2 raid in Gwantu, Kaduna State, netted two suspects, Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, while 65-year-old Francis Ifara Eja was nabbed on July 4 with 231.7 kilograms of skunk in Ikwo, Ebonyi State.
Age proved to be no barrier in the illicit drug trade as the NDLEA dismantled syndicates in Plateau and Gombe. Operatives in Plateau State arrested 75-year-old Alhaji Babani on Friday, July 3, seizing 15 kilograms of skunk from him at Kurgwi, Qua’an Pan LGA.
Earlier on July 1,
a targeted intelligence-led raid at Kuri village in Gombe’s Yamaltu-Deba LGA netted two suspects, Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36. Operatives at the scene recovered a massive haul of 587 blocks of cannabis sativa, tipping the scales at 556 kilograms.
Driven by the same unwavering dedication, the agency’s formations across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization efforts. Throughout the past week, grassroots campaigns effectively reached schools, religious centers, workplaces, and various communities to educate citizens on the dangers of substance abuse.
Key initiatives featured dedicated WADA enlightenment lectures delivered to students and staff across the country. Participating institutions included Girls Secondary School in Abagana, Anambra State; Government Technical College in Obe, Enugu State; Adeola Odutola College in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; and the FCE Staff Demonstration School in Kabuga, Kano State.
Commending the officers across the MMIA, Taraba, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Plateau, and Gombe commands for the successful arrests and seizures, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (Rtd), lauded their ability to balance robust drug supply reduction operations with active WADA sensitization activities.
Marwa ultimately charged the operatives, alongside their counterparts nationwide, to continually raise their operational standards.
