The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound cannabis consignment concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, while seizing 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol worth over ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The operations, carried out across several states, also led to the seizure of large consignments of cannabis, tramadol and other illicit substances, as well as the arrest of dozens of suspects, including an 85-year-old grandmother in Edo State.
At the Kano airport, NDLEA operatives on Friday, October 16, 2026, intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa.
A search revealed 511.75 grammes of cannabis, popularly known as skunk, concealed in a gallon of palm oil.
Ahmad reportedly told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies, uncovered a shipment of powdered tramadol imported from India at the APM terminals in Apapa.
The consignment, discovered on October 2 and separated from its concealment on October 14, had been declared as maize starch. A confirmatory test at the NDLEA forensic laboratory identified the substance as tramadol hydrochloride powder.
The seized drugs weighed 8,725 kilogrammes, packed in 349 bags, with an estimated street value of over ₦6.98 billion.
At the Tin Can Port in Lagos, operatives on October 12 discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at ₦165 million, concealed in a Toyota Sienna vehicle inside a 40-foot shipping container.
Further operations in Lagos led to the arrest of Elizabeth Chidera Kalu at Idumota Market on October 14, with 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly recovered from her store.
Two 35-year-old men, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, were also arrested in Mushin on October 15 with 59.95 kilogrammes and 61.23 kilogrammes of skunk, respectively.
In another operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck coming from Trade Fair Market along Iyana Oba following intelligence reports. Two suspects, identified as Tajudeen Adeduntan, a loading manager, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, were arrested.
A search of the truck uncovered 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16, arresting six suspects and recovering various quantities of illicit drugs.
Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk in Warake.
Other suspects included Ayo Aigberadion, 53, with 220.8 kilogrammes of skunk at Ewe/Irue; Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852 kilogrammes; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grammes; Musa Mubid, 35, with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on October 17, destroying 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares of land.
Five suspects were arrested during the operation. They were identified as Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35.
The operatives also recovered 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and three kilogrammes of fresh cannabis stems, bringing the total recovered exhibits to 1,281 kilogrammes.
In another operation in Owo, NDLEA officers on October 16 tracked 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi to a hideout in Ameyinti, where they recovered 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes.
In Bauchi State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon driven by Shamsu Garba, 35, at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on October 14, recovering 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.
The same day, officers on patrol along the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano State, two suspects, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on October 13 with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
Another suspect, 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu, was arrested at Niger Street, Malan Kato, on October 14 with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis.
At Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road in Kaduna, another suspect, John Ayo David, 39, was arrested with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg.
In Abuja, NDLEA operatives arrested 42-year-old Odo Jonas Ejike in the Utako area on October 17 with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond the seizures and arrests, the agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
The campaign included awareness programmes at Nawar-Ur-Deen High School in Ogboro, Oyo State; Elf Junior Secondary School in Bojude, Gombe State; Cherubim and Seraphim Primary School in Ikorodu, Lagos; Harmony Secondary School in Lokoja, Kogi State; and Government Secondary School in Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River State.
Other locations included Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology in Port Harcourt, Mesh International School in Benin City, Edo State, and Abu Hanifa Academy in Kano Municipal.
Commending officers of the Apapa, Tin Can, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and Federal Capital Territory Commands, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain the intelligence-driven crackdown on drug trafficking networks.
He also called for the continuation of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement operations with public education and prevention efforts.