The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recently uncovered multiple shipments of illegal drugs cleverly hidden within frozen snails, electrical bulbs, and women’s clothing destined for the United States, United Kingdom, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These shipments were intercepted at Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and a local courier firm, where NDLEA operatives also detained at least two individuals connected to the smuggling attempts.
According to NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi, on October 7, 2025, Boladale Riliwan, a cargo handler, was apprehended after authorities found 15 packages of lagos-driver-abandons-car-cannabis-stop-search/” title=”Driver Ditches Car Loaded with Bags of Cannabis, Flees During … Stop…and…Search”>ndlea-raids-taraba-cannabis-farm-destroys-178750kg/” title=”… Strikes Big: Destroys Massive 178,750kg Cannabis Farm Spanning 71.5 Hectares in Taraba”>skunk cannabis concealed inside ten large rechargeable electrical bulbs. These items were packed in a carton intended for airfreight to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Lagos Airport export terminal.
Another arrest occurred on Sunday, October 12, when Olawale Oyebola Hakeemot, a 48-year-old Public Health Assistant based in the UK, was caught at the departure lounge of Terminal 2, MMIA. She was attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to Manchester with 2,300 tramadol 225mg tablets hidden inside frozen snails in her luggage.
Babafemi further revealed that NDLEA officers foiled an attempt by a separate group to smuggle 810 bromazepam pills concealed within female garments bound for the United States. This seizure took place at a courier company in Lagos on Thursday, October 16.
In Adamawa State, operatives arrested Bello Buba at an NDLEA checkpoint in Namtari, Yola South LGA. Authorities recovered 38,270 tramadol tablets hidden in the spare tire, boot, and door compartments of his Honda Civic, which he had driven from Benin Republic into Nigeria on Sunday, October 12.
Meanwhile, in Oyo State, four suspects-Aliyu Muhammed (50), Babarinde Segun (32), Ogunbiyi Sanjo (30), and Ajani Oluro (30)-were detained with 596kg of skunk cannabis at Apata-Ako, Igboora. Additionally, Jacob Afolabi (30) and Salako Oluwatobi (25) were arrested with 273kg of the same drug at Odo-Oyan, Igangan, on Thursday, October 16.
In Lagos, NDLEA agents recovered 117kg of skunk cannabis from 11 bags found in the possession of Ramoni Olukowi in the Mushin area on Saturday, October 18.
Furthermore, a joint inspection involving NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies at Apapa Port on Tuesday, October 14, led to the seizure of 80,000 bottles of codeine-based syrup concealed in a container arriving from India, which had been previously flagged for monitoring.
