Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have recorded significant breakthroughs in the interception of illicit drug consignments across several states, including Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, Taraba, Adamawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The agency disclosed that desperate attempts by Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTOs) to smuggle substances such as methamphetamine and opioids to Europe were foiled at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and at a courier facility in Lagos.
The drugs were concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers.
Two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of two suspects. One of them, Friday Ehianuka, 37, was apprehended on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome. He was found with 2,698 pills of tramadol (225mg) concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream packed in his luggage.
In his statement, Ehianuka, a Milan-based resident, admitted he was to be paid in Euros upon successful delivery of the drugs.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives arrested another suspect, Christian Agbonhese, 38, at the airport’s departure hall on Wednesday, March 18. Agbonhese, who was scheduled to travel to Milan via Lufthansa Airlines, was found with 28,470 pills of opioids. The substances—comprising tramadol and tapentadol—were hidden inside two large winter jackets.
Meanwhile, at a Lagos-based courier firm, NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels containing “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis weighing 1 kilogram, shipped from the United States. Another attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed within the walls of a carton to New Zealand was also thwarted.
Beyond Lagos, the agency reported similar enforcement successes across the FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Adamawa States as part of its ongoing nationwide operations.
The NDLEA also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools, religious centres, workplaces, and communities. Beneficiaries included students and staff of institutions such as Girls High School, Abakaliki; New State High School, Mushin; Cornerstone Secondary School, Cross River; Community Secondary School, Enugu; and St. John’s Academy, Ogun State.
Commending officers and personnel across various commands for their efforts, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, urged continued commitment to the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, combining enforcement with preventive education.
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