The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 43-year-old woman, Adekoya Adebukonla Mary, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for attempting to smuggle 2.20 kilograms of cocaine concealed in her suitcase. Adekoya, who claimed she was traveling to India for fibroid surgery, was apprehended on Monday, June 16, 2025, shortly before boarding a Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha.
According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director, Media & Advocacy, the agency’s operatives, acting on intelligence, monitored Adekoya until she checked in her luggage and was arrested at the boarding gate. A search of her luggage revealed two parcels of cocaine factory-fitted in the walls of the bag. In her statement, Adekoya admitted she was recruited for the smuggling trip under the guise of a medical trip and promised financial compensation.
Investigators linked the operation to a suspected drug baron, Akeem Ayinde Adekanbi, who is currently at large. He is believed to reside in the Igbe Laara area of Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos State, and owns Rockford Hotel in Sango, Ogun State. The NDLEA is working to apprehend the suspect and bring him to justice.
In other operations, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted illicit drug consignments concealed in unusual items at courier firms in Lagos. On Wednesday, June 18, a package destined for Australia was found to contain 850 grams of cocaine hidden in cloth hangers. A day later, a shipment of female dresses bound for Bahrain was discovered with 1.3 kilograms of Loud, a potent variant of cannabis.
The NDLEA also made significant seizures in other parts of the country. In Bauchi State, a total of 1,013,000 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5, were seized from two suspects, Ibrahim Galadima and Ibrahim Muhammed, along the Bauchi-Darazo road. In Kaduna State, Bishir Isyaku was arrested with 14.2 kilograms of skunk hidden in charcoal sacks and 198 kilograms of rubber solution.
In the Federal Capital Territory, six suspects were arrested during raids in the Karu Abattoir and Torabora areas. Recovered drugs included 6.9 kilograms of skunk and 59 grams of methamphetamine. Along the Zaria-Kano road in Kano State, Umar Hamisu and Dahiru Abdullahi were arrested with 56.2 kilograms of skunk. On the same day, Obiwuru Henry was arrested with 23,720 tramadol capsules and 1,400 ampoules of pentazocine.
The NDLEA continued its crackdown on illicit drug peddlers, arresting two other suspects, Abubakar Modu and Abdulkadir Muhammed, with 36.6 kilograms and 32 kilograms of skunk, respectively. In Kwara State, NDLEA officers arrested Olotin Nifemi, a 22-year-old student of Kwara State Polytechnic, for allegedly dealing drugs. She was found in possession of one kilogram of skunk.
In Edo State, the NDLEA destroyed 4,226.11 kilograms of cannabis in Uzebba forest, Owan West Local Government Area, during a raid. One suspect, Albert Shamaki, was arrested. Another operation in the state led to the arrest of Esther Abumere, 28, and the recovery of various illicit drugs, including Colorado, Loud, Molly, tramadol, and other opioids.
The NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended officers across the MMIA, DOGI, and the various state commands involved in the week’s arrests and seizures. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to balancing drug supply reduction with demand reduction efforts. The agency continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign with sensitization lectures in schools across Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kano, and Enugu states. The Osun State Command also visited the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at his palace in Ile Ife.
