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, the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Naijaonpoint reports that the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, disclosed that the interceptions were made at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a courier company in Lagos.
Babafemi said two suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures.
He said, “At least, two suspects linked to attempts to export the illicit substances have already been taken into custody. One of them, a cargo agent Boladale Riliwan was arrested on 7th October 2025 following the discovery of 15 parcels of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in 10 pieces of giant rechargeable electrical bulbs he presented in a carton for airfreight to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the export shed of the Lagos airport.”
Similarly, a 48-year-old UK-based Public Health Assistant, identified as Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, was arrested on Sunday, 12th October at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.
Babafemi stated Oyebola was found with 2,300 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom.
He added, “Attempt by another syndicate to export 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothes going to the United States was also thwarted by NDLEA officers at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday 16th October.”
In another development, a suspect, Bello Buba, was on Sunday, 12th October, intercepted at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA.
Buba was found with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed in the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic car while driving from the Benin Republic to smuggle the consignment into Nigeria.
Babafemi also said operatives destroyed 53,250 kilograms of cannabis on 21.3 hectares of farmland in Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti State and recovered an additional 1,140 kilograms packed in 70 bags.
He said, “Not less than 53,250 kilograms of skunk were destroyed on 21.3 hectares of cannabis farm in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti state, with 70 bags of the same psychoactive substance weighing 1,140kg recovered by NDLEA operatives during an operation that lasted between Sunday 12th and Monday 13th October. Suspects arrested include: Matthew Emmanuel, 26; James Moses, 27; and Israel Samuel, 20. This followed the destruction of 17,400kg skunk on 6.96 hectares of plantation by NDLEA operatives at Aponmu forest reserve, Akure, Ondo state on Sunday 12th October.
”In Oyo state, Aliyu Muhammed, 50; Babarinde Segun,32; Ogunbiyi Sanjo, 30; and Ajani Oluro,30, were nabbed with 596kg skunk at Apata-Ako, Igboora, while Jacob Afolabi, 30, and Salako Oluwatobi, 25, were arrested with 273kg of same substance at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday 16th October.
“While Joseph Andrew was arrested in possession of 88kg skunk on Wednesday 15th October by NDLEA operatives at Ona – Imeko, Ogun state, another suspect Festus Udoh, 42, was nabbed with 13,000 pills of opioids along Onitsha- Owerri road, Imo state. In same vein, a total of 74.5kg skunk was recovered from the store of a suspect Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo – Agu village, Enugu state on Saturday 18th October.”
Babafemi added that no fewer than 11 bags of skunk weighing 117kg were recovered from the base of a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, in the Mushin area of Lagos state on Saturday, 18th October, while a total of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in a container earlier watch-listed by NDLEA coming from India during a joint examination of the shipment with men of the Customs service and other security agencies at the Apapa port on Tuesday, 14th October.
© 2025 Naijaonpoint, a division of NOP Media Inc. Contact us via [email protected]