The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has recorded significant successes in its nationwide offensive against illicit drug trafficking, intercepting hard drugs hidden in coffee sachets and parcels bound for Europe and Southern Africa, arresting 22 Indian crew members over a cocaine shipment at the Apapa seaport, and apprehending a long-wanted female drug kingpin in Ibadan.
Operatives at a courier company in Lagos intercepted consignments of ketamine, ecstasy and tramadol pills concealed in coffee mix sachets and book parcels destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom. The seizures, made on December 24 and 29, 2025, followed intelligence-driven surveillance and careful tracking of the shipments.
In a related operation, NDLEA officers on Friday, January 2, 2026, arrested 22 Indian nationals, including the master of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, after 31.5 kilograms of cocaine were discovered hidden in hatch three of the ship at the GDNL terminal, Apapa port, Lagos. The vessel, which sailed from the Marshall Islands, was thoroughly searched, leading to the discovery of the illicit drugs. Those arrested include the ship’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, alongside 21 crew members.
Meanwhile, in Oyo State, operatives on Monday, December 29, 2025, arrested a wanted female drug baron, Fatima Ilori, popularly known as “Mama Kerosine,” during an intelligence-led operation in Ibadan. The 65-year-old grandmother, identified as a major distributor of illicit drugs in the state capital, was arrested at the Onireke/Elekuro area along with another suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35. The arrest followed the seizure of 238.4 kilograms of skunk linked to the suspects.
In the North-East, the agency disrupted drug supply routes to insurgents in Borno State with the arrest of two suspected suppliers and the seizure of large quantities of opioids. One suspect, Isa Mohammed, 26, was arrested along the Maiduguri–Gamboru Ngala road on Friday, January 2, 2026, with 9,150 ampoules of tramadol injection. Another suspect, Musa Samaila, 30, was arrested the same day at Biu market with 34,000 capsules of tramadol.
Elsewhere, operatives recovered no fewer than 400 kilograms of skunk and a van at the Mobolaji Johnson area of Lagos on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026. In Jigawa State, a suspect, Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested at a motor park in Hadejia on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, while attempting to transport 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8 kilograms from Taraba State to Nguru in Yobe State.
In Kwara State, officers on Tuesday, December 30, recovered 238.5 kilograms of skunk from the residence of a suspect in the Asadam area of Ilorin. Another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, 32, was arrested at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, with 32,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam.
Beyond enforcement, the agency sustained advocacy efforts under the War Against Drug Abuse initiative.
Sensitisation activities during the period included enlightenment lectures at Madrasatu Fadimatul Zahra in Sabuwar Abuja, Kankia Local Government Area of Katsina State; engagement with members of the Topo Youth Progressive Organisation in Badagry, Lagos; and community outreach at the palace of the Hakimi of Madalla in Niger State.
Commending officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation and various state commands for their professionalism and dedication, the agency’s leadership urged personnel nationwide to intensify drug control and demand-reduction efforts. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks, protecting communities and safeguarding the country from the dangers of substance abuse and illicit drug trade.
