The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State and seized 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol valued at more than ₦6.98 billion at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The operations were part of a nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking that also led to multiple arrests and seizures across several states.
The cannabis was discovered on Friday, 16 October 2026, during the screening of a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, travelling on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa. NDLEA operatives found 511.75 grammes of cannabis, also known as skunk, hidden inside the palm oil container. Ahmad reportedly told officers that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon. Yahaya was subsequently arrested at the airport car park.
At the Apapa Port in Lagos, NDLEA officers working alongside the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies uncovered a shipment of powdered tramadol from India on 2 October. The consignment had been declared as maize starch, but laboratory tests identified the substance as tramadol hydrochloride. When the drugs were separated from their concealment on 14 October, officers found 349 bags weighing a total of 8,725 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦6.98 billion.
The agency also reported other seizures across the country. At Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, officers recovered 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, valued at ₦165 million from a Toyota Sienna hidden inside a shipping container. In a separate operation at Idumota Market, operatives arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly. Officers also intercepted a truck along Iyana Oba carrying 18,000 tramadol tablets concealed in cartons labelled as insecticide.
Further operations in Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna states resulted in additional drug seizures and arrests. In Ondo State, officers reportedly destroyed 7,500 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on three hectares of farmland and arrested five suspects. NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain efforts against drug trafficking networks. The agency also said it would continue public awareness campaigns under its War Against Drug Abuse initiative.
