NDLEA intercepts ₦10bn cocaine, loud at Lagos ports
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, a 55-year-old clothing trader at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, over an attempt to export 3.30 kilograms of cocaine concealed within the walls of cartons used to package food items bound for the United Kingdom.
Onuigbo was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of his cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos the previous day.
In the course of the investigation, three cargo agents, Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed, and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim who handled the shipment were initially arrested.
Their arrest led to the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who delivered the consignment to the cargo agents. Okakpu’s arrest provided the crucial lead that identified Onuigbo as the kingpin behind the syndicate, resulting in his eventual arrest while attempting to dispatch another batch of cocaine to the UK.
In a separate operation, a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, was arrested on Tuesday, July 21, at her Surulere residence in Lagos following the seizure of her consignment containing 2.80 kg of “Loud”, a synthetic strain of cannabis which arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20.
Additionally, a joint cargo examination at the Lagos airport on Friday, July 24, yielded 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250 mg worth over ₦2.2 billion in street value.
The shipment, which arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight, was intercepted following actionable intelligence processed by the agency.
This seizure came on the heels of another interception at a Lagos courier firm on Wednesday, July 22, where NDLEA operatives uncovered a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap heading to the UK.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, a joint examination on Monday, July 20, uncovered a container with three vehicles used to conceal 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5 kg, valued at over ₦7.1 billion on the street.
The NDLEA’s operations extended beyond drug interdiction to arms control and field raids across several states.
On Wednesday, July 22, operatives on patrol in Baure, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani in possession of 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition, including 200 pieces of 7.62 mm and 123 rounds of 7.6 mm ammunition.
On the same day, 30-year-old Abubakar Amadu was arrested during a stop-and-search operation along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway in Jere after operatives found 73 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition hidden inside jerricans of red palm oil.
Both suspects have been handed over to relevant security agencies for further investigation. Meanwhile, in Edo State, a raid on Sunday, July 19, at Ilushi community in Esan South East Local Government Area led to the recovery of 1,286 kg of cannabis and 86 kg of cannabis seeds from a warehouse, while Ojore Onweze, 45, was caught with 60 kg of skunk, and George Agwumede, 30, was apprehended with 13 kg of the same substance.
Alongside enforcement efforts, various NDLEA commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization campaigns across schools, places of worship, workplaces, and communities nationwide, including outreach activities for students and staff at Government Day Secondary School in Sabon Wuse, Niger State; Government Girls Secondary School in Shekara, Kano State; and Otto Primary School in Ebute Metta, Lagos State.
Commending the officers and men across the DOGI, MMIA, Apapa, Edo, Kaduna, and Katsina Commands for their successful operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balanced approach in their ongoing drug control efforts.