Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 54-year-old man, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, following the seizure of 1,116 kilogrammes (over one tonne) of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, during a raid on a warehouse in Ikole Ekiti, Ekiti State. The operation was carried out on Saturday, May 23, 2026, when NDLEA operatives raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi community, Ikole-Ekiti, and recovered the massive haul of the illicit substance. The suspect was arrested at the scene in connection with the seizure.
The Ekiti raid was part of a coordinated nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking and distribution networks. According to a statement issued by NDLEA spokesman Femi Babafemi, the agency remains committed to sustaining its crackdown on drug cartels and criminal networks involved in the distribution of illegal substances nationwide. The suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, is currently in NDLEA custody and will face charges in court as soon as investigations are concluded.
The seizure in Ekiti was one of several operations carried out by the NDLEA over the same weekend. In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, the agency arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman, Ting Hung Kiong, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 31 kilogrammes of “Canadian Loud,” a synthetic strain of cannabis, into Nigeria. The suspect was apprehended on Sunday, May 17, 2026, upon arrival in Nigeria from Thailand via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, aboard an Emirates Airline flight.
At the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday, May 20, intercepted a passenger, Onyeka Valentine Emeka, who later excreted 185.36 grammes of cocaine after being placed under observation. At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide, was arrested on Wednesday, May 21, while attempting to board a flight to Milan, Italy, via Addis Ababa. A search of his luggage revealed 10,280 pills of Tramadol and Tapentadol concealed inside a carton.
In Lagos, NDLEA operatives at a courier company intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) hidden in bicycle luggage carriers destined for the Netherlands; 66 pills of Tramadol 225mg concealed in a soap container destined for the United States; and 18 tablets of Tramadol 225mg concealed in a body cream container heading to the United Kingdom. The agency also recovered a major shipment of Tapentadol at the import shed of the Lagos airport, with 1,825,710 tablets of the opioid, valued at N2.19 billion, being handed over to the NDLEA by the Nigeria Customs Service on Friday, May 22.
In Edo State, operatives raided the Igwe community in Owan East Local Council, where 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489 kilogrammes, as well as cannabis seeds weighing 9 kilogrammes, were recovered. In Kano State, a suspect, Isah Sani, 30, was arrested with 196,000 pills of Exol-5 on Wednesday, May 20, along the Zaria-Kano Road. At the Seme border in the Badagry area of Lagos State, NDLEA officers recovered 59 kilogrammes of skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry, on Tuesday, May 19.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), commended officers and men of the MMIA, NAIA, AIIA, Edo, Ekiti, Seme and Kano commands, as well as those of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), for the arrests and seizures. He praised their drug supply reduction efforts, which he said were balanced with War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities, and urged them to continue raising the operational bar.
As of Monday, May 25, 2026, the suspect, Ogundana Adebayo Julius, remains in NDLEA custody pending the conclusion of investigations and his arraignment in court.
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