By Saminu Ibrahim
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 4.8kg of cocaine concealed in shoes and travel bags belonging to a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The suspect was arrested on September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2, while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
NDLEA operatives recovered 16 parcels of cocaine hidden in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps concealed in the railings of four travelling bags.
The agency said the substances tested positive for cocaine and weighed 4.80kg.
During interrogation, Tunde allegedly disclosed that he paid N16 million cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment in the bags was intended for delivery to a business partner in Italy.
He reportedly said he raised the money from compensation paid to him following an industrial injury sustained while working at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
In separate operations, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tin Can Island and Onne ports have intercepted consignments of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup with a combined street value running into billions of naira.
At the Apapa Port, Lagos, NDLEA officers, working with Customs and other stakeholders, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination.
A search of one of the containers on September 3 led to the recovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two watch-listed containers were subjected to a joint examination following intelligence gathered by the agency.
The operation led to the seizure of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg, hidden in a travelling bag and three vehicles—a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra—out of five vehicles shipped in one of the containers.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg.
According to the NDLEA, the container originated from India and was initially shipped to Saudi Arabia, where its history of origin was allegedly deleted to prevent it from being targeted.
The combined street value of the codeine syrup and Loud seized at the Onne Port was put at N833.2 million.
At the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, NDLEA operatives on September 29 searched a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, in collaboration with Customs and other agencies.
They recovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg, concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags.
The consignment was valued at more than N3.8 billion.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area of Osun State.
The destruction was carried out on September 30, while a 41-year-old suspect, Agbo Dennis, was arrested a day earlier in the West of Mines area of Jos North, Plateau State, after 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg were seized from him.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 and recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
In a follow-up operation at Ladipo Spare Parts Market on September 30, operatives arrested 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo following the seizure of 61 grammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grammes of methamphetamine concealed in an energy drink bottle.
The drugs had allegedly been sent as a waybill package through a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Similarly, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja Highway in Kogi State intercepted a Lagos-Abuja-bound commercial bus on September 30.
A search of a waybill package led to the recovery of two sachets containing methamphetamine weighing 1kg.
A follow-up operation resulted in the arrest of the alleged owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on October 2 and recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
On the same day, another suspect, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grammes of Loud, 12 grammes of Colorado, 19 grammes of tramadol, 16 grammes of methamphetamine, 4 grammes of Swinol and 4 grammes of Molly.
The agency also announced the arrest of 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, a fugitive who allegedly jumped bail six years ago.
Kurra was arrested on September 29 and was facing trial before the Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State, over alleged possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk.
The NDLEA said he had been on the run since December 2020 after allegedly jumping bail granted by the court.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations nationwide continued with its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.
The campaigns were held at St. Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.
Commending officers of the MMIA, Apapa, Tin Can, Port Harcourt Port, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel nationwide to sustain the offensive against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also called for the continuation of the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with prevention, sensitisation and other measures.
