Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted a consignment of cocaine concealed in specially printed Islamic religious books destined for Saudi Arabia.
The bust was one of several operations conducted across the country during the week under review.
NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, revealed the discovery on Sunday, noting that the agency’s operatives had to rely on their alertness and meticulousness to detect the hidden drugs.
The consignment, which consisted of 20 parcels of cocaine weighing a total of 500 grams, was uncovered on Tuesday, 15th April 2025, at a courier company in Lagos. According to Babafemi, the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation was screening export packages destined for Saudi Arabia when the drugs were found buried within the pages of the religious books.
On the same day, NDLEA officers at another courier company intercepted five parcels of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 2.8 kilograms. The illegal substances were concealed in a carton shipped from the United States of America.
In a separate operation in Kano, NDLEA operatives arrested a 22-year-old suspect, Muhammad Mohammed, believed to be a supplier of illicit drugs to bandits. He was apprehended on Sunday, 13th April along Bichi–Kano road while en route to Katsina. He had 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private parts using Sellotape.
Also in Kano, another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, aged 43, was arrested on the same day at the Research Rimin Kebe area in Nasarawa, Kano. He was found in possession of 68 blocks of skunk, a cannabis variant, weighing 30 kilograms.
A major raid was carried out in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Wednesday, 16th April, where NDLEA operatives stormed a residence along Major General Isaiah Allison Street, Opolo. The operation led to the recovery of 557.2 kilograms of skunk, 5.6 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 29.8 grams 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 operatives intercepted a delivery van in the Surulere area on Thursday, 17th April, seizing 1,100 kilograms of skunk and arresting the driver, Ismail Abdullahi.
Further north, a raid was conducted in Zaria, Kaduna State on Friday, 18th April, where operatives stormed the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, aged 30. The operation resulted in the recovery of 31,950 pills of tramadol (225mg) and diazepam.
In Kebbi State, operatives on patrol along Bagudo road on the same day intercepted a vehicle transporting bags of charcoal from Malabil, Benin Republic. A search of the vehicle uncovered 97 kilograms of skunk hidden in the sacks of charcoal. Three suspects—Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28—were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Another arrest was made in Abatete, Anambra State, where a 48-year-old man, Okafor Marcel, was found in possession of 11.5 kilograms of skunk. Similarly, in Osogbo, Osun State, NDLEA operatives apprehended 27-year-old Ajala Mercy on Tuesday, 15th April. From her room at Dada Estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital, the officers recovered 43 litres of “skushi,” a cocktail of black currant, cannabis, and opioids.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided two cannabis farms located in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East Local Government Area. A total of 3,717.8625 kilograms of cannabis grown on 1.487145 hectares of land were destroyed, and 136.5 kilograms of processed cannabis were recovered.
At the Tincan Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officials arrested Basorun Usman Kayode, 40, a suspect who had been on the run for two years. He was linked to the 2023 seizure of 107 kilograms of Loud imported from Canada. Another suspect, Dauda Yakubu, was also arrested on Monday, 14th April for distributing illicit drugs within the seaport community.
The NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse campaign with social advocacy activities across the country. These included sensitisation lectures for students and staff at St. Michael Anglican Primary School, Epe, Lagos; Community Grammar School, Ipoti Ekiti, Ekiti State; College of Education, Minna, Niger State; as well as traders at Igbona Market, Osogbo, Osun State; Marian Market, Calabar, Cross River State; and drivers and commuters at Peace Mass Transit Park, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State, among others.
Commending the efforts of the operatives involved, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said, “While commending the officers and men of DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tincan Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, I equally praise their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.”
