The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. In a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA……
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, with 4.80 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in the soles of shoes and railings of travelling bags at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
In a statement signed by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, the agency said Tunde was arrested on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the joint screening point of Terminal 2 while preparing to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
A thorough search of the suspect led to the recovery of 16 parcels of white powder concealed in the soles of eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes, as well as 195 wraps of the same substance hidden in the railings of four travelling bags.
The substances tested positive for cocaine, with a combined weight of 4.80kg.
During interrogation, Tunde claimed he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the consignment hidden in the bags was intended for delivery to his partner in Italy.
He also said he raised the money from compensation paid to him following an injury sustained at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy, where he lost the tips of two fingers.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at the Apapa, Tincan Island and Onne seaports have intercepted consignments of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, and codeine-based cough syrup worth over N5 billion following months of intelligence gathering and tracking of the shipments from their ports of origin.
At the Apapa port in Lagos, NDLEA officers, acting on intelligence, subjected two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, to 100 per cent examination alongside Customs officials and other stakeholders.
A search of one of the containers on Saturday, September 3, led to the recovery of 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124kg and valued at N372 million. The drugs were concealed in two refrigerators and two cartons.
At the Onne Port in Rivers State, two containers placed on the NDLEA watchlist following processed intelligence were subjected to joint examination with Customs and other security agencies.
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The exercise led to the discovery of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22kg hidden in a travelling bag and three of five vehicles shipped in one of the containers.
The second container contained 109,600 bottles of codeine-based cough syrup weighing 16,440kg. The container had departed India for Saudi Arabia, where the history of its origin was deleted to avoid detection.
The codeine and Loud consignments had a combined street value of N833.2 million.
At the Tincan Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29, conducted a joint examination of a watch-listed container from Montreal, Canada, alongside Customs and other stakeholders.
The operation resulted in the seizure of 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5kg and valued at over N3.8 billion. The consignment was concealed in a Toyota Sienna and a Hyundai Elantra, alongside 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in the container.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives destroyed 20,234kg of skunk cultivated on 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farm in Area 4, Ife South Local Government Area, on Wednesday, September 30.
In Plateau State, a suspect, Agbo Dennis, 41, was arrested on Tuesday, September 29, at the West of Mines area of Jos North following the seizure of 33 bags of skunk weighing 385kg.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Monday, September 28, raided an unoccupied compound at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, where they recovered 209,000 tablets of tramadol.
A 23-year-old suspect, Ekundayo Taiwo, was later arrested on Wednesday, September 30, at Ladipo Spare Parts Market during a follow-up operation.
His arrest followed the seizure of 61 grams of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, and 24 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside a bottle of energy drink and packaged as a waybill consignment from a commercial bus driver along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
In Kogi State, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Okene-Lokoja highway on Wednesday, September 30, intercepted a Lagos-Abuja commuter bus and discovered two sachets of methamphetamine weighing 1kg concealed in a waybill.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma, at Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, the residence of a suspect, 35-year-old Saturday Omimi, was raided at Uyere community, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, on Friday, October 2, where officers recovered 32.2kg of cannabis sativa.
The same day, Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, 23, was arrested at Auchi Bypass, Benin City, with 59 grams of Loud, 12 grams of Colorado, 19 grams of tramadol, 16 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of Swinol and 4 grams of Molly.
The agency also announced the arrest of 47-year-old fugitive Idris Mohammed Kurra, six years after he allegedly jumped bail in a drug case before the Federal High Court, Jos, Plateau State.
Kurra was arrested by NDLEA operatives on Tuesday, September 29. He had been facing trial over the possession and dealing in 198kg of skunk but allegedly jumped bail granted by the court in December 2020 and remained at large since then.
The NDLEA also said its commands and formations across the country sustained their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities during the past week.
The activities included enlightenment lectures for students and staff of St. Paul’s Secondary School, Oji, Enugu; Olu-Odo Primary School, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos; Government Junior Secondary School, Tsamiya, Kano; Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti; and Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State, among others.
While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Apapa, Tincan, PHPC, Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau and Osun Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them and their colleagues across the country to sustain the onslaught against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa also urged the officers to continue with the agency’s “current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.”
