National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) officers intercepted a 74-year-old man, Ikwuakalom Nwakoro Emeka, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
Emeka, who claimed to be traveling to London for vacation, was caught attempting to board a British Airways flight with 11kg of cocaine.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, the drugs were found wrapped in foil and balloons, hidden inside food items like ground dry pepper.
In a separate operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Maryam Olalowo on March 9 at a Victoria Island hotel.
She was caught with 89g of cocaine and 20g of “Canadian Loud” cannabis while accompanied by her three children.
Following her confession that the drugs belonged to her husband, Ibrahim Olalowo Olatunji, he was taken into custody, and Mrs. Olalowo was released.
Ibrahim confirmed ownership of the illicit drugs in his statement while further investigation revealed that he had previously been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for a similar offence in 2015.
In another interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects: Kalilou Simpara and Saidu Ibrahim at Ebetu Ero, Lagos Island where they recovered 68,000 pills of tramadol 250mg and 225mg after they had loaded the exhibits into their truck and preparing to transport them to Benin Republic on Monday 9th March.
A follow-up operation was conducted on Wednesday 11th March at Idumota market, Lagos Island, where the actual owner of the consignment, Nnamdi Cyprian, was arrested.
A search of his shop led to the discovery of a parcel already prepared for waybill delivery, containing 1,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg.
Another raid at Idumota market on Friday 13th March led to the arrest of Nwanosike Kelvin and the recovery of 47,500 ampoules of pentazocine injection from his shop.
While a 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi was arrested at Bebeji area of Kano with 386kg skunk on Tuesday 10th March, NDLEA officers in Abuja recovered 282.2kg skunk from a suspect Isah Wako, 42, in Gwagwalada area of the FCT on Friday 13th March.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives raided the Egwa forest reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon LGA where a suspect Chinedo Odalonu,33, was apprehended and a total of 4,218.96kg skunk destroyed on two farms with 16.5kg of same substance recovered.
No fewer than 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup were intercepted in two containers at the Apapa seaport in Lagos on Saturday 14th March during a joint examination of the shipments by NDLEA officers, men of Customs and other security agencies.
The containers had earlier been watch-listed by NDLEA following credible intelligence on concealment of opioids in them.
The War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of ERCC Secondary School, Duguru, Nasarawa; Awoyemi Commercial High School, Okeho, Oyo; Ogunu Primary School, Ogunu, Delta; Seven Angels University Secondary School, Ikot Enobong, Calabar, Cross River; and Edo National College, Iguobazuwa, Edo state, while the Zone 11 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Edo and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/CEO of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
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