Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, while attempting to smuggle them to the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the interceptions occurred over the weekend following coordinated operations at the airport and courier companies in Lagos. Two suspects linked to the export attempts are currently in custody.
One of the suspects, a cargo agent identified as Boladale Riliwan, was arrested on October 7, 2025, after NDLEA officers discovered 15 parcels of skunk — a potent strain of cannabis — hidden inside ten rechargeable electrical bulbs meant for export to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another suspect, 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a UK-based public health assistant, was arrested on October 12 at the airport’s departure hall. She was found with frozen snails used to conceal 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg while boarding a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom.
The agency also thwarted an attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam concealed in female clothes to the United States at a courier company in Lagos on October 16.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives intercepted one Bello Buba at a checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South Local Government Area, with 38,270 pills of tramadol hidden inside the spare tyre and door compartments of his car.
The agency also destroyed 53,250 kilograms of skunk cultivated on a 21.3-hectare cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State, and recovered 70 bags of the same substance weighing 1,140kg. Three suspects — Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20) — were arrested in connection with the operation.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives in Ondo State destroyed another 17,400kg of skunk on nearly seven hectares of farmland at the Aponmu Forest Reserve in Akure.
Across other states, several suspects were arrested with varying quantities of drugs. In Oyo, six men were arrested with a total of 869kg of skunk in Igboora and Igangan. In Ogun State, Joseph Andrew was caught with 88kg of skunk in Ona–Imeko, while in Imo, 42-year-old Festus Udoh was nabbed with 13,000 pills of opioids.
In Enugu State, NDLEA officers recovered 74.5kg of skunk from the store of a suspect, Joseph Chukwujama, while in Lagos, 11 bags weighing 117kg were seized from a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, in Mushin.
The agency also intercepted a container shipment of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India during a joint examination with Customs and other security agencies at the Apapa Port on October 14.
Babafemi said the agency remains committed to dismantling drug trafficking networks across Nigeria and urged citizens to report suspicious activities in their areas.
