The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cocaine concealed in heads of imported dry stock fish and arrested a key member of a Transnational drug syndicate in Lagos State.
In a Sunday statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the suspect, Akputa Dickson Ejike, was arrested by operatives attached to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command of the Agency at the Ojo area of Lagos, following an intelligence on trans-border criminal activities.
The statement reads, “A large consignment of cocaine concealed in heads of imported dry stock fish has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who also arrested a key member of the syndicate involved in shipping the illicit substance across the world, especially to India.
“The smashing of the drug syndicate followed intelligence on their trans-border criminal activities. This led to a well-coordinated sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command of the Agency at the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, 19th March 2026. In the course of the operation, three jumbo-sized bags were found in possession of the kingpin, 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike.
“A search of the bags led to the recovery of Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven (237) wraps of cocaine buried in the heads of imported dry stock fish locally known as “Okporoko.” The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India.”
In another operation in Lagos, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on Wednesday, 25th March, intercepted two illicit consignments heading to the United Kingdom at a courier company.
According to the statement, in one of the shipments that originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine were found concealed in automobile filters, while the second parcel contains 40 ampoules of Morphine Sulphate and nine ampoules of Fentanyl.
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In yet another major interdiction operation, “operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the Agency on Thursday, 26th March, raided the house of a female head of a notorious drug syndicate, 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, where they arrested her and her sales girl, Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka, 31. No fewer than 135 blocks of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 76.30kg, were recovered from them. Omolade, popularly known as Iya Ghana, trades in local fabric on the surface, but beneath, she runs a drug distribution network between Nigeria and Ghana.”
On the same day, the SOU operatives also arrested Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, at Doyin bus stop, Surulere, Lagos, following credible intelligence and a total of 78 blocks of Ghana Loud, weighing 41kg, were seized from him.
In Ekiti state, an 80-year-old grandpa, Oke Samuel, was on Thursday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives during a special raid operation at Mosafuneto camp, Erinmo road, Efon-Alaaye Ekiti.
The statement also revealed that a total of 2.2kg of skunk and 1.8grams of methamphetamine were recovered from him, while 894.72kg of the same psychoactive substance was seized from another suspect, Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley, 37, as operatives of the NDLEA raided an uncompleted building at Ogbese, in Akure North area of Ondo state, on the same day.
In a similar development, not less than 116.7kg of skunk was recovered from a suspect, Saater Nyam, 35, during a raid operation at Pevi village, Guma LGA, Benue state, on Tuesday, 24th March.
Also in Edo state, “NDLEA operatives on Monday, 23rd March, uncovered a warehouse in Ekpoma town, Esan West LGA, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Felix Donald, 25, and the seizure of 576.5kg skunk and 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.”
In Taraba state, “NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Tuesday, 24th March, intercepted a truck marked DUT 457 ZB, conveying 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in bags of animal feed from Garbachede to Gombe state. Two suspects: Osama Mamuda, 21, and Auwal Umar, 22, were nabbed in connection with the seizure.”
Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, while commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, DOGI, Ekiti, Ondo, Benue, Edo and Taraba Commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, 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.
