At least 20 suspects, including a 43-year-old female make-up artist, have been arrested as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) launched a sweeping crackdown on drug trafficking across Nigeria. Among the high-profile seizures was a consignment of cocaine concealed in clothes hangers and sewn into dresses packed inside travellers’ luggage.
According to a statement released on Sunday, June 22, 2025, by the NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babajide, Adekoya Adebukonla Mary, a make-up artist, was apprehended at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. She was caught with 2.20 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the walls of her suitcase while attempting to board a Qatar Airways flight to India, claiming she was traveling for fibroid surgery. Babajide explained that the arrest on Monday, June 16, was based on credible intelligence. Surveillance allowed her to check in her luggage before being intercepted. Investigation revealed she was recruited and sponsored by a drug kingpin, Akeem Ayinde Adekanbi, who owns Rockford Hotel in Sango, Ogun State, and resides in Igbe Laara, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Further operations by the NDLEA Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) uncovered additional trafficking attempts at courier services in Lagos. On June 19, 1.3kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, was discovered sewn into female dresses destined for Bahrain. A day earlier, 850 grams of cocaine were found hidden in clothes hangers en route to Australia.
In Bauchi State, two men — Ibrahim Galadima (37) and Ibrahim Muhammed (28) — were arrested along the Bauchi-Darazo road with 1,013,000 opioid pills, including tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5. On June 17, Bishir Isyaku (38) was caught on Kaduna-Zaria Expressway with 14.2kg of skunk disguised in charcoal sacks and 198kg of rubber solution.
Meanwhile, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), six suspects including Murtala Adamu and Ahmed Isma’il were arrested during raids at Karu Abattoir and Torabora areas. Recovered items included 6.9kg of skunk and 59 grams of methamphetamine.
Kano State also saw multiple arrests. On June 19, Umar Hamisu (19) and Dahiru Abdullahi (32) were caught with 56.2kg of skunk. Another suspect, Obiwuru Henry (27), was found with over 23,000 tramadol capsules and 1,400 pentazocine ampoules. Additionally, Abubakar Modu (60) and Abdulkadir Muhammed (28) were apprehended with 36.6kg and 32kg of skunk respectively.
In Ilorin, Kwara State, a 22-year-old female student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Olotin Nifemi, notorious for supplying drugs to other students, was arrested with 1kg of skunk.
A major cannabis operation was dismantled in Edo State on June 20, when NDLEA operatives raided Ugbada camp in Uzebba forest, Owan West LGA, destroying 4,226.11kg of skunk. One suspect, Albert Shamaki (33), was arrested. Additional raids in Esan West and Igueben LGAs led to the arrests of Esther Abumere (28) and Eko Gift (38), with seizures of Colorado, Loud, Molly, Tramadol, and 1.143kg of skunk.
NDLEA continues its aggressive push to dismantle drug trafficking networks across the country, signaling a zero-tolerance stance against narcotics distribution.
