Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a consignment of cocaine cleverly concealed within the pages of religious books and bound for Saudi Arabia. The seizure, which took place at a courier company in Lagos, was made public in a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, the illicit drug—20 parcels of cocaine weighing a total of 500 grammes—was discovered during a routine search of export cargo on Tuesday, April 15. The packages were hidden inside 20 sets of religious books.
“In a separate operation at another courier company the same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes, concealed in a carton arriving from the United States of America,” Babafemi added.
The NDLEA also reported a string of arrests and drug seizures across several states. Among those apprehended is 22-year-old Muhammad Mohammed, suspected of supplying drugs to bandits. He was intercepted along the Bichi-Kano Road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private parts using Sellotape.
Another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was arrested in the Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano, with 68 blocks of skunk—an illegal strain of cannabis—totaling 30kg.
In Bayelsa State, a raid on a house located on Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo, led to the seizure of 557.2kg of skunk, 5.6kg of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grammes of heroin. Four suspects were arrested at the scene: Sarimiye Suwa Kurtis, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare Paul, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers recovered 1,100kg of skunk from a delivery van, while in Kaduna, one Ike Ani was arrested at a hideout with 31,950 pills of Tramadol 225mg and Diazepam.
Further arrests included three suspects in Kebbi—Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28—linked to the discovery of 97kg of skunk concealed in sacks of charcoal.
In Anambra State, 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was apprehended with 11.5kg of skunk. Meanwhile, in Osun State, a 27-year-old woman, Ajala Mercy, was arrested at Dada Estate, Osogbo, with 43 litres of skushi—a dangerous cocktail of blackcurrant, cannabis, and opioids—found in her room.
Two cannabis farms located in the Egbeta Forest of Edo State were also dismantled. NDLEA operatives destroyed 1.487 hectares of cannabis plants weighing 3,717.86kg and recovered an additional 136.5kg of processed cannabis.
At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested 40-year-old Basorun Usman Kayode, who had been on the run since 2023, in connection with a 107kg Loud seizure from Canada. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, who reportedly distributed drugs within the seaport community, was also arrested on April 14.
NDLEA has reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking and abuse nationwide and called on the public to continue supporting its efforts to rid communities of illicit substances.
