Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a sophisticated drug trafficking syndicate following a three-week intelligence-led operation that led to the interception of cocaine consignments concealed in tins of palm kernel extract bound for the United Kingdom.
The breakthrough began on March 11, 2026, when officers of the agency’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command in Ikeja, Lagos, intercepted 3.10 kilograms of cocaine at the airport’s export shed.
The illicit drugs were carefully hidden inside tins of palm kernel extract prepared for shipment to the UK.
Two suspects linked to the consignment — Idris Olayiwola Amoo and Akinlami Akinsoji Adedoyin — were immediately arrested.
Further investigations and a coordinated sting operation carried out on April 2 led to the arrest of the sender of the shipment, Ezemuwo Joel, who allegedly operated under a false identity, “Ajayi.” His arrest provided investigators with critical leads that exposed the alleged kingpin of the syndicate, 52-year-old King Arinze.
Arinze was tracked to a hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos and subsequently taken to a warehouse located at 11, Ola Ifa Street, Bucknor, Isolo. A search of the facility uncovered 886 tins of palm kernel extract prepared for drug concealment, along with industrial tools including a sealing machine, tin openers, paint sprays, 52 grams of cannabis, and a pack of hand gloves.
Investigators said Arinze confessed to draining the oil from the tins to hide cocaine inside them before resealing the containers for export.
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In a separate operation in Borno State, NDLEA operatives on April 1 arrested a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, along Gamboru Ngala Road. She was allegedly supplying drugs to armed groups operating between Nigeria’s North-East region and Chad. At the time of her arrest, she was found in possession of 4.3 kilograms of Colorado, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis.
Meanwhile, in Lagos State, a pastor in charge of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Sakpo area of Seme border, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, 45, and his wife, Mrs. Success Hodonu, 35, were arrested on April 2 at the Gbaji checkpoint. A search of their Honda Pilot SUV led to the recovery of 11 kilograms of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of the vehicle.
Their arrest followed the apprehension of a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, 35, at the same checkpoint on March 30 while transporting 24.5 kilograms of skunk from Seme border to Lagos.
In Adamawa State, NDLEA officers on patrol along Namtari Road in Yola South intercepted a trailer marked RUW 947 XA conveying 48,000 pills of tramadol on March 30. The truck driver, Abdulaziz Ismail Korede, was arrested, while a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the alleged recipient, Idris Adamu.
Other operations across the country yielded significant seizures. In Osun State, a 60-year-old woman, Idiatu Oladejo, was arrested in Isale Osun, Osogbo, with 15 kilograms of skunk. In Ondo State, operatives raided the Itaogbolu forest in Akure, recovering 351 kilograms of skunk and its seeds.
In Benue State, 28,600 capsules of tramadol were seized from a 66-year-old suspect, Aminu Usman Gembu, in Aliade. In Edo State, a warehouse raid in Egbanke community, Orhionmwon LGA, led to the arrest of Roland Owie, 37, and the recovery of 1,378 kilograms of skunk.
In Oyo State, a 40-year-old suspected drug dealer, Ayantola Omodunmomi, popularly known as “Iya Elle,” was arrested in the Eleta area of Ibadan following intelligence reports that she allegedly used her 11-year-old daughter to deliver illicit drugs to customers. Officers recovered 45.6 kilograms of skunk from her warehouse.
Beyond enforcement actions, NDLEA Commands across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy programmes, delivering sensitisation lectures in schools in Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Anambra, and Zamfara States.
Commending the efforts of officers from MMIA, Seme, Borno, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Edo, Adamawa, and Benue Commands, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised the agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities.
“These successful operations are a testament to the Agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels. Whether they hide behind legitimate businesses, religious titles, or complex concealment methods, we will find them,” Marwa said.
The agency reiterated its resolve to sustain both drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts nationwide, stressing that traffickers will continue to face the full weight of the law.