Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothes bound for the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The operations took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a courier company in Lagos.

According to the NDLEA, two suspects linked to the exports have been arrested. One of them, identified as Boladale Riliwan, was apprehended on October 7, 2025, after 15 parcels of skunk — a potent strain of cannabis — were discovered hidden in 10 giant rechargeable electrical bulbs at the Lagos airport. Another suspect, a 48-year-old UK-based public health assistant, Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, was arrested on October 12 after officers found 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails inside her luggage while heading to Manchester on a Qatar Airways flight.

A separate attempt to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes to the United States was also foiled by NDLEA operatives at a courier firm in Lagos on October 16.

In Adamawa State, officers intercepted a suspect, Bello Buba, at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, with 38,270 tramadol pills concealed inside a car tyre, boot, and door compartments. He reportedly drove from Benin Republic to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria.

Meanwhile, operatives destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis (skunk) cultivated on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti State, between October 12 and 13, while 1,140kg of the same substance packed in 70 bags were recovered. Three suspects — Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20 — were arrested. Similarly, 17,400kg of cannabis were destroyed on 6.96 hectares in Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, Ondo State.

In other operations, NDLEA officers arrested multiple suspects across Oyo, Ogun, Imo, and Enugu States with varying quantities of cannabis and opioids. Notably, 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup imported from India were intercepted in a container at the Apapa Port during a joint operation with Customs and other security agencies on October 14.

Across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign with sensitization programs in schools, religious centres, and communities in Ekiti, Katsina, Rivers, Jigawa, Kano, Edo, Enugu, and Ogun States.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers of MMIA, Apapa, and state Commands for their successful arrests and seizures. He urged them to sustain their balanced and relentless approach to the agency’s ongoing drug control efforts.