A group of drug traffickers abandoned a large consignment of narcotics valued at over ₦40 million in the Ijegun area of Lagos State after fleeing the scene to avoid arrest by a naval patrol team.
According to reports, the suspects hurriedly jumped out of their operational vehicle and escaped on foot upon sighting a Nigerian Navy patrol unit, leaving behind the drugs concealed in multiple bags.
The incident has heightened concerns over the growing presence of illicit substances in Lagos communities and underscored the need for stronger collaboration between residents and security agencies to curb drug trafficking.
Confirming the development, the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Commodore Paul Pnfa Nimmyel, said the interception aligns with the Navy’s ongoing efforts to combat drug smuggling and enhance maritime and coastal security across the state.
In a briefing delivered through the Executive Officer of NNS BEECROFT, Captain Idongesit Udoesien, Nimmyel explained that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Thursday, October 2, 2025, by personnel of the Base Quick Response Team (QRT) in collaboration with internal security operatives from Operation MESA.
“Acting on credible intelligence, our officers intercepted a van with a foreign registration number around Ijegun,” he said. “The vehicle was discovered to be loaded with 20 bags of suspected cannabis, weighing approximately 840 kilograms.”
He added that the suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled immediately after spotting the patrol team.
“Accordingly, the vehicle and the recovered cannabis sativa have been handed over to Marine Commander Morrison Emmanuel Udo of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos Command, for further investigation and necessary action,” he confirmed.
Commodore Nimmyel noted that the operation was part of an ongoing series of targeted actions directed by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, aimed at dismantling illegal maritime activities, particularly the trafficking of narcotics and other contraband through Nigeria’s waterways.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to maintaining vigilance along the state’s coastal corridors and working closely with other security agencies to safeguard communities against the menace of drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.
