In a dramatic crackdown that underscores Nigeria’s unrelenting war against drug trafficking, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 66 carefully concealed parcels of Loud—a high-grade strain of cannabis—disguised as green tea at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
The consignment, weighing a staggering 62.2 kilograms, was intercepted on Thursday, June 5, 2025, following weeks of high-level intelligence gathering and surveillance. Traced from Thailand through the United Arab Emirates aboard an Emirates Airlines flight, the illicit cargo had been flagged and closely monitored by NDLEA operatives for more than three weeks before its interception in a coordinated joint examination with airport security stakeholders.
But the crackdown didn’t stop there.
In a related operation in Lagos on Monday, June 2, NDLEA agents intercepted 1,665 kilograms of skunk cannabis in a targeted raid along the Lekki-Ajah Expressway. Two suspects—Gidado Abdulrasaq Ayinde and Obanla Oluwafemi—were arrested at the scene and are now in custody facing prosecution.
The anti-narcotics agency’s sweep continued across the country, with significant seizures and arrests recorded in Kaduna and Edo States.
In Kaduna, a 29-year-old suspect, Goodluck Nnaemeka, was arrested on Tuesday, June 3, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway with a sizable pharmaceutical haul: 612 bottles of codeine-based syrup and 2,970 pills of flunitrazepam, a sedative often misused by drug-dependent individuals.
That same day, NDLEA operatives nabbed Kabiru Musa, a notorious 52-year-old drug dealer known on the streets as KB, at Kurmin Mashi. The fugitive had previously evaded capture after 25.7kg of skunk was recovered from his base. His arrest is seen as a major breakthrough in the NDLEA’s effort to dismantle drug syndicates operating in Northern Nigeria.
In Edo State, the agency uncovered a secret cannabis stash hidden in a vehicle’s spare tyre compartment along Auchi Road. The car, an Audi station wagon with registration number AAA 975 XU, was driven by 45-year-old Atari Israel, from whom 9kg of Loud was recovered.
The spotlight, however, turned intensely to Benin City, where two young women—Favour Joy and Joy Igwe—were arrested in a daring operation in the Ikpoba Hill area on Tuesday, June 3. The haul from their arrest included:
106.57kg of skunk
1kg of Loud
800 grams of Colorado (a synthetic cannabinoid)
302 grams of methamphetamine
The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, confirmed these developments in a statement on Sunday, hailing the series of operations as clear evidence of the agency’s renewed momentum in flushing out narcotics from Nigeria’s streets.
> “These operations are a strong signal to drug barons that their tricks, no matter how sophisticated, will be uncovered and dismantled,” Babafemi said. “We remain committed to safeguarding the health, safety, and future of Nigerians by curbing the trafficking and abuse of illicit substances.”
The NDLEA’s latest string of victories has not only disrupted multiple drug supply chains but also reaffirmed the agency’s relentless resolve in the face of evolving smuggling tactics.
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