- NDLEA Uncovers Frozen Snails, Electrical Bulbs Used to Conceal Drugs Bound for Abroad
- NDLEA operatives also intercepted 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothing
- NDLEA operatives also recovered 74.5kg of skunk from the store of Joseph Chukwujamaa
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted several consignments of illicit drugs concealed in frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and female clothing, intended for export to the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the agency confirmed that two suspects linked to the foiled attempts have been arrested.
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This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to Babafemi, one of the suspects, a cargo agent identified as Boladale Riliwan, was apprehended on October 7, 2025, after officers discovered 15 parcels of skunk (a potent strain of cannabis) hidden inside ten giant rechargeable electrical bulbs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The consignment was being prepared for airfreight to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Another suspect, 48-year-old Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a UK-based public health assistant, was arrested on October 12 at the departure hall of Terminal 2 of the Lagos airport. NDLEA officers reportedly found 2,300 pills of Tramadol 225mg concealed in frozen snails inside her luggage as she attempted to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester, United Kingdom.
In a related operation, NDLEA operatives also intercepted 810 pills of bromazepam hidden in female clothing destined for the United States through a courier company in Lagos on October 16.
Beyond Lagos, the agency made several other significant seizures across the country.
In Adamawa State, a suspect identified as Bello Buba was arrested at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA, with 38,270 pills of tramadol concealed inside the spare tyre, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic. He reportedly drove the vehicle from Benin Republic in an attempt to smuggle the drugs into Nigeria.
Similarly, NDLEA operatives destroyed 53,250 kilograms of skunk on 21.3 hectares of cannabis farmland in Ilawe Ekiti, Ekiti State, and recovered 70 bags of the same substance weighing 1,140kg during the operation.
Three suspects Matthew Emmanuel (26), James Moses (27), and Israel Samuel (20) were arrested during the raid, which took place between October 12 and 13.
This followed another destruction of 17,400kg of skunk on 6.96 hectares of farmland at Aponmu Forest Reserve, Akure, Ondo State, on October 12.
Other operations across states yielded similar results:
In Oyo State, six suspects were arrested with 869kg of skunk during raids in Igboora and Igangan.
In Ogun State, Joseph Andrew was caught with 88kg of skunk, while in Imo State, Festus Udoh (42) was arrested with 13,000 pills of opioids along the Onitsha–Owerri road.
NDLEA operatives also recovered 74.5kg of skunk from the store of Joseph Chukwujamaa at Umuogbo–Agu village, Enugu State, on October 18.
In Lagos, the agency seized 117kg of skunk from a suspect, Ramoni Olukowi, at his Mushin base on October 18, while at the Apapa Port, a joint security inspection led to the interception of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup in a container shipped from India on October 14.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers and men involved in the successful operations across the country.
He urged them to sustain the momentum and remain committed to the agency’s balanced approach of enforcement and drug demand reduction.
“The NDLEA will continue to disrupt the supply chain of illicit drugs and dismantle trafficking networks across Nigeria,” Marwa said.
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