Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have thwarted an attempt to smuggle a significant consignment of cocaine to the United Kingdom through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The illicit drugs, weighing approximately 2.80 kilograms, were discovered skillfully hidden within the false bottoms of food flasks at the airport’s export shed on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The shipment was intended for transport aboard a Virgin Atlantic Airline flight before being intercepted by vigilant officers.
The operation led to the immediate arrest of two cargo agents, 33-year-old Ama Obinna Ufeim and 39-year-old Ogabi Monday Akorede, who were involved in the export bid.
Subsequent investigations by the agency identified 52-year-old Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, a freight and forwarding agent, as the primary sender of the consignment, resulting in his arrest during a follow-up operation.
In addition to this seizure, the NDLEA recorded several other major breakthroughs across the country, including the interception of high-strain cannabis concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States and the destruction of over 17,000 kilograms of “skunk” during forest raids in Edo and Cross River states.
In Lagos, the agency also arrested a 29-year-old fashion designer, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, in connection with a separate drug importation case involving cannabis hidden in food packages.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA,Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the various commands for their successful supply reduction efforts.
He emphasized that these enforcement actions, coupled with the agency’s ongoing “War Against Drug Abuse” (WADA) sensitization activities in schools and communities, remain vital to maintaining the current tempo in the fight against narcotics.