Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Lagos, Nigeria — Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have apprehended a wanted female drug kingpin and recovered a large consignment of cocaine concealed inside her Lagos residence, in what authorities describe as a major blow to an organised trans-border drug trafficking syndicate.
NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi disclosed that the suspect, 39-year-old Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, was arrested at her home on Onasanya Street in Surulere, Lagos, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, following months of intelligence-led surveillance and follow-up operations linked to an earlier crackdown on the syndicate. A thorough search of her apartment uncovered 23.50 kilograms of cocaine stashed in a black suitcase in her children’s room — a haul NDLEA officials say has a street value of more than ₦5 billion. She reportedly admitted ownership of the seized consignment.
The arrest is part of a continuing operation that began nearly 20 months ago, after NDLEA operatives dismantled a major cocaine trafficking cartel led by a couple, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Dauda. The duo were arrested on May 25, 2024, on the Lagos–Badagry Expressway while attempting to deliver cocaine to Ghana, with authorities recovering 42 blocks weighing 47.5 kg, and a further 10 kg seized during a follow-up raid on their home in Ogun State, bringing the total to 57.5 kg at that time.
Shodunke Simbiat had reportedly gone underground after those earlier arrests, but sustained NDLEA intelligence efforts eventually identified her as a key stash keeper within the trafficking organisation. Her arrest in Lagos followed confirmed links to the dismantled network and months of tracking before operatives located her residence and executed the search that led to the staggering discovery in her children’s room.
NDLEA officials say the operation reflects a broader nationwide push against illegal drug distribution and trafficking, with the agency also reporting other recent seizures and arrests: NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) intercepted 1,020 pills of tramadol and tapentadol concealed in a passenger’s luggage; another suspect was arrested at the Seme border with 3,400 tramadol tablets; and significant cannabis and synthetic drug seizures were made in Kogi, Oyo and Osun States.
The arrest of a woman of Simbiat’s profile — a suspected kingpin rather than a low-level courier — has drawn particular attention from anti-narcotics officials, who described her as a prominent member of the criminal syndicate. Authorities say her capture disrupts a major supply channel in trans-border narcotics movements and sends a signal of intensified action as Nigeria enters the festive period, when drug trafficking and abuse historically surge.
NDLEA Chair and Chief Executive Officer Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended operatives nationwide for their professionalism and urged continued vigilance and enforcement efforts across all NDLEA commands, emphasising the importance of maintaining high standards of operational conduct in both drug supply control and drug demand reduction activities.
The suspect now faces federal drug trafficking charges, and investigations are ongoing as authorities work to determine whether additional accomplices or networks remain active within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
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