…Agency Seizes ₦7bn Tramadol, Arrests 85-Year-Old Woman in Drug Raids
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 511.75 grammes of cannabis concealed in a keg of palm oil bound for Saudi Arabia and seized powdered tramadol worth over ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
The agency also arrested dozens of suspects and recovered large consignments of cannabis, tramadol, diazepam and other illicit substances in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NDLEA disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, October 18, 2026, by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
In Kano, operatives intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa. A search revealed 511.75 grammes of cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil.
Ahmad reportedly told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, gave her the keg and instructed her to deliver it to someone in Saudi Arabia. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
At the APM terminals in Apapa, Lagos, NDLEA operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies, uncovered 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol shipped from India and declared as maize starch.
The consignment was discovered on October 2, while its separation from the concealment was completed on Wednesday, October 14. The shipment comprised 349 bags of tramadol hydrochloride powder, with an estimated street value of more than ₦6.98 billion, according to the agency.
In another operation at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos on Monday, October 12, operatives discovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at ₦165 million, hidden inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle transported in a 40-foot container.
At Idumota Market, Lagos, officers arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu on Wednesday, October 14, and recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
The following day, operatives arrested two 35-year-old men in Mushin: Idowu Daudu, with 59.95 kilogrammes of skunk, and Ahmed Oniyinde, with 61.23 kilogrammes of the same substance.
Also on October 15, a truck travelling from Trade Fair Market was intercepted along Iyana Oba following intelligence reports. The agency arrested the loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru, after recovering 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested six suspects during raids in Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue communities in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16.
Among those arrested was 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk in Warake. Other suspects were Ayo Aigberadion, 53, with 220.8 kilogrammes at Ewe/Irue; Ali Garba, 57, with 5.852 kilogrammes; Habib Braimoh, 45, with 100 grammes; Musa Mubid, 35, with two kilogrammes of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam; and Hope Okoro, 35, with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on Saturday, October 17, destroying an estimated 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated across three hectares.
Five suspects — Asikpo Ekpeyoung, 43; Solomon Okpani, 22; Ubong Friday, 35; Joseph Friday, 22; and Ekenimi Seth, 35 — were arrested. The agency also reported recovering 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267 kilogrammes, 11 kilogrammes of cannabis seeds and three kilogrammes of fresh stems, amounting to 1,281 kilogrammes of exhibits.
In a separate operation in Ameyinti, Owo, on Friday, October 16, officers recovered 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375 kilogrammes from the hideout of 53-year-old Okunebe Ndidi.
In Bauchi State, operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon driven by 35-year-old Shamsu Garba at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on Wednesday, October 14. The agency said 894,800 pills of tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets were recovered.
The same day, officers patrolling the Bauchi–Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265 kilogrammes from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
In Kano, Ali Abdullahi, 38, and Ibrahim Adamu, 23, were arrested along the Zaria–Kano Road on Tuesday, October 13, with 30,100 tablets of tramadol 225mg. On Wednesday, October 14, officers arrested 54-year-old Murtala Dayyabu at Niger Street, Malan Kato, with 100,000 tablets of Exol-5.
In Kaduna State, a raid at Kayimi village led to the arrest of Mohammed Sani, 48; Zaharadeen Shafiu, 29; and Yakubu Abdullahi, 20, with 496.5 kilogrammes of cannabis.
At Food Palace on Ali Akilu Road, Kaduna, officers arrested John Ayo David, 39, with 49,500 tablets of tramadol 225mg. In Abuja, a 42-year-old suspect, Odo Jonas Ejike, was arrested in Utako on Saturday, October 17, with 29,500 capsules of tramadol.
Beyond the seizures and arrests, the agency said its commands and formations sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign during the week, reaching schools, religious centres, workplaces and communities across the country.
Beneficiaries included Nawar-Ur-Deen High School, Ogboro, Oyo State; Elf Junior Secondary School, Bojude, Gombe State; Cherubim and Seraphim Primary School, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Harmony Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State; Government Secondary School, Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Cross River State; Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology, Port Harcourt; Mesh International School, Benin City, Edo State; and Abu Hanifa Academy, Kano Municipal, Kano State, among others.
Commenting on the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the Apapa, Tin Can, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Kano and FCT commands for their professionalism and intelligence-led operations.
Marwa urged them and other personnel across the country to sustain pressure on drug trafficking networks while maintaining the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
