Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered consignments of illicit drugs cleverly concealed in food flasks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, officers intercepted 12 parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80 kilograms.
The drugs were hidden in the false bottoms of food flasks and were being prepared for shipment to the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.
The seizure took place on April 9, 2026, at the airport’s export shed.Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39), were arrested at the scene. Further investigations led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola.
n a related operation at the airport’s import section, NDLEA officers also intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis.
The drugs were concealed in snack packages and had arrived from the United States on a Delta Air Lines flight on April 8.Initially, two clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were apprehended. A follow-up operation later led to the arrest of the consignee, 29-year-old fashion designer Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, at his residence in Ogba, Lagos.
Beyond Lagos, NDLEA intensified its anti-drug operations across the country. In Kaduna State, officers intercepted a trailer carrying 847 kilograms of skunk along the Kaduna–Zaria highway, arresting the driver, Umar Haruna (33).In Cross River State, a 53-year-old woman, Alice Udoh, was arrested during a raid on a forest in Akamkpa Local Government Area.
The operation led to the destruction of 15,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated across six hectares, with an additional 119 kilograms recovered.Similarly, in Edo State, operatives destroyed 2,281.43 kilograms of cannabis during a raid on a farm in Ovia North East Local Government Area.
Three suspects were arrested, and 38.5 kilograms of cannabis and seeds were recovered.
In Delta State, two individuals, Sunday Odili (49) and Ijenebe Joshua (39), were apprehended with 87.838 kilograms of skunk and seeds.
Back in Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested two suspects along the Lagos–Badagry Expressway for transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection intended for Ghana.
On the same day, a raid on a building in Lagos Island led to the recovery of 95.8 kilograms of skunk.
The NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the operatives for their efforts, urging them to sustain the fight against drug trafficking while continuing public awareness campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse initiative.