Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 12 large parcels of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of food flasks bound for the United Kingdom through a Virgin Atlantic flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The illicit consignment, weighing 2.80 kilogrammes, was uncovered on Thursday, April 9, 2026, by NDLEA officers attached to the export shed of the airport.
Two cargo agents linked to the shipment, Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, were promptly arrested.
Further investigation led to the arrest of a 52-year-old freight forwarder, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, identified as the sender of the consignment.
In a related development, NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Lagos airport intercepted 2.90 kilogrammes of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs.
The consignment arrived from the United States aboard a Delta Airlines flight on Wednesday, April 8.
Two cargo clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested in connection with the seizure.
The consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was subsequently apprehended in a follow-up operation at Oba Ogunji Road, Ogba, Lagos, on Monday, April 13.
In Kaduna State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Kaduna-Zaria Highway intercepted a trailer conveying cement to Hadeja, Jigawa State.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 760 blocks and 33 jumbo bags of skunk, weighing 847 kilogrammes. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, 33, was arrested.
Similarly, a 53-year-old woman, Alice Sunday Udoh, was arrested on Thursday, April 16, during a joint operation, involving NDLEA officers and soldiers in a forest in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.
About 15,000 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on six hectares of farmland were destroyed, while 119 kilogrammes were recovered.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided a cannabis farm at Saboro camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area on Tuesday, April 14, destroying 2,281.43 kilogrammes of the substance.
Three suspects, Nweke Smart, 27; Christopher Egbe, 62; and Monday Ayan, 45, were arrested. Christopher and Monday were reportedly caught with 38.5 kilogrammes of cannabis and seeds.
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Also, in Delta State, two suspects, Sunday Odili, 49, and Ijenebe Joshua, 39, were apprehended at the Powerline area of Okwo on Friday, April 17, with 87.838 kilogrammes of skunk and seeds.
In Lagos, two suspects, Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Aloukou Bienvenu, were arrested on Wednesday, April 15, at Mile 2 along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, while transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection in a truck bound for Ghana.
On the same day, operatives raided a two-storey building in Petti, Lagos Island, recovering 95.8 kilogrammes of skunk.
Meanwhile, the agency intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign across the country, conducting awareness programmes in schools, religious centres and communities, including institutions in Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano and Lagos states.
