A 48-year-old Lagos businessman was arrested with 1.55kg of cocaine at the airport, while major seizures were recorded across several states
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has recorded a major series of drug busts across Nigeria, including the arrest of 48-year-old Lagos businessman Nwankwo Onyebuchi with 1.550kg of cocaine concealed inside his luggage at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the agency said on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
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The latest operations, which also produced large seizures of codeine-based syrup, tramadol, cannabis, cocaine and other controlled substances across Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo states, underscore the continuing scale and sophistication of illicit drug trafficking networks operating across the country.
According to NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi, Onyebuchi was arrested at the departure hall of Terminal II while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi, India.
A search of his check-in bag allegedly revealed 1.550kg of cocaine factory-fitted into the walls and railings of the luggage.
Babafemi said the suspect, who deals in marbles in Lagos, admitted that he had sold his business and other assets to raise N23m to finance the consignment, hoping to sell the cocaine in India for as much as N100m.
“In a candid confession that lays bare the desperation that fuels the drug trade, Nwankwo said he had sold off his marble business and every asset he owned to raise the ₦23 million he paid for the consignment, with the expectation of selling it in India for as much as N100 million,” Babafemi said.
The suspect remains in NDLEA custody pending prosecution.
The airport interception formed part of a wider series of intelligence-led operations that produced substantial seizures in different parts of the country.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse within a residential compound at 20 Hakeem Dosumu Street, Ago Palace, Okota, where they discovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
The agency said the controlled substance, recovered between Friday, August 7, and Saturday, August 8, was valued at more than N2.6bn.
In another Lagos operation, operatives raided the residence of alleged drug kingpin Shoremi Kayode, 55, at Ogundare Street, Ipaja Estate, on August 14.
The operation reportedly yielded 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of N972m. A Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla were also recovered.
The scale of the seizures illustrates the diverse nature of the illicit drug market confronting Nigerian enforcement authorities.
The substances recovered range from cannabis and cocaine to prescription medicines and other psychoactive drugs, with trafficking routes extending from residential areas to major highways and international airports.
In Kwara State, NDLEA officers arrested Abubakar Adamu, 50, and Bilyaminu Nuhu, 30, at Kam Wire in Ilorin on August 13. The pair were allegedly found with 55.96kg of skunk in a truck marked DKA 350 XL.
Two other suspects, Abdulfatai Oyelaran, 70, and Abdulrauf Ajadi, 50, were arrested along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Oyo State on August 12.
NDLEA said officers recovered 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection from their Toyota Sienna.
In Delta State, Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18, were intercepted along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway on August 13.
The agency said the operation produced 124,100 pills of tramadol, 786 bottles of codeine syrup, 2,598 tablets of rohypnol, 4,800 tablets of diazepam, 470 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 ampoules of tramadol.
Another Delta operation along the Kwale-Ozoro Expressway led to the arrest of 50-year-old Emeka Tony, from whom officers allegedly recovered 1,244 cartridges and N8m.
In Plateau State, operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla on the Riyom-Jos Road and recovered 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol. A suspect, Kasum Sherif, was arrested.
Kano recorded one of the largest concentrations of pharmaceutical drug seizures during the operations.
Six suspects, identified as Okodili Ibeabuchi, 60; Onyeka Vincent, 47; Nwanko Wisdom, 36; Success Chigozie, 30; Emmanuel Jude, 27; and Chinedu Peter, 39, were arrested along the Zaria-Kano Road on August 10.
NDLEA said the operation yielded 728,958 pills of tramadol, rohypnol and other opioids, alongside 360g of cocaine, 99.8g of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, another synthetic cannabis strain.
A separate raid at Zawaciki Gida Dubu in Kumbotso Local Government Area on August 14 resulted in the recovery of 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg.
Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
The agency’s operations also extended to cannabis cultivation.
In Edo State, NDLEA personnel destroyed 4,628.9775kg of skunk from two cannabis farms covering 1.851591 hectares in the Ugboku/Igbanke forest area of Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
A 40-year-old suspect, Agholor Elebojie, was arrested on one of the farms during the August 12 operation.
Two days later, operatives arrested Kingsley Anigala, 28, during a raid on drug joints in the Oluku area of Benin City. NDLEA said officers recovered 25.857kg of Loud and 93g of methamphetamine.
The latest crackdown follows a broader pattern of increasingly intelligence-driven operations by the agency.
In July, NDLEA intercepted 1.63 million tramadol pills concealed in specially fabricated compartments in two trailers involved in a cross-border trafficking route through Togo and the Benin Republic.
The agency has also continued to combine supply reduction with prevention and public education.
During the latest reporting period, its War Against Drug Abuse campaign included sensitisation sessions for students and staff of Madarasatu Sheikh Muhammad Rabi’u Arabic School in Kano and Olomu Junior Secondary School in Ajah, Lagos.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended personnel involved in the operations across Lagos, Kano, Kwara, Edo, Plateau, Oyo and Delta.
Marwa also praised officers for maintaining what he described as a balance between disrupting drug supply networks and reducing demand through public awareness and prevention programmes.
The breadth of the latest seizures points to a difficult enforcement landscape.
Earlier NDLEA data from Kaduna, for instance, showed that the state command seized more than 12,724kg of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances and arrested 1,107 suspects between June 2025 and June 2026.
At the same time, the sheer volume of recent interceptions raises questions beyond enforcement alone, particularly around the supply chains supporting the distribution of controlled medicines, the cultivation and movement of cannabis, and the international routes used for cocaine trafficking.
For Onyebuchi, the case now moves from the airport interception to prosecution.
For the NDLEA, the wider operation represents another significant strike against a drug economy that continues to adapt its concealment methods, trafficking routes and distribution networks.
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The agency’s challenge will be to ensure that the impressive seizure figures translate into sustained disruption of trafficking networks, successful prosecutions and stronger prevention efforts, rather than isolated victories in an evolving drug market.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
