Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has delivered a decisive blow to international drug trafficking syndicates, intercepting 1.2 kilogrammes of cocaine cleverly concealed inside 25 ordinary-looking phone chargers that were destined for Saudi Arabia through a courier company in Lagos. The agency's spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the breakthrough in a statement on Sunday, August 9, 2026, warning that traffickers are increasingly exploiting everyday items to evade detection, and urging members of the public to exercise extreme caution before delivering parcels on behalf of others. “On the surface value, these are phone chargers but @ndlea_nigeria officers won't fall for that. Concealed in there are consignments of cocaine going to Saudi Arabia,” Babafemi declared.
The operation at the Lagos courier firm was part of a coordinated crackdown that spanned multiple states and uncovered a web of trafficking attempts across Nigeria. In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives intercepted 500 grammes of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of a backpack destined for Italy at another logistics company on Monday, August 3, 2026. The agency also seized 2.3kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, imported from the United States at a shipping company in Lagos on Tuesday, August 4. In a startling development at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, NDLEA operatives arrested a 30-year-old Italy-based businessman, Joseph Cyril, after he ingested 98 wraps of cocaine weighing 1.510kg while attempting to travel to Italy through Addis Ababa and France. Cyril, who arrived in Nigeria from Italy on July 13, allegedly ingested the drug at a hotel in Awka, Anambra State, and agreed to transport it for €3,500 to raise money to relocate to Germany, where his family is based.
The agency's operations extended beyond the airports and courier firms. On Tuesday, August 4, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Akure-Ilesha Expressway intercepted a truck heading north with 1,633kg of skunk concealed in bags of rice chaff. Two suspects, Buba Jamilu, 40, and Sanusi Ibrahim, 30, were arrested in connection with the consignment. An additional 147kg of skunk was recovered from Ita Ogbolu Forest during a raid on Monday, August 3. In Oyo State, operatives raided a drug warehouse in Elebure village, Orire Local Government Area, on Monday, August 3, recovering 731.03kg of cannabis and arresting a 57-year-old suspect, Felicia Thompson, while her partner, Thompson Vincent Nwaka, remained at large.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers recovered 65 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 604.5kg at Ewe Luleha in Owan West Local Government Area on Wednesday, August 5. In Abia State, a suspected drug joint operator, Chibuike Charles, 31, was arrested during a raid at Samec by Powerline, Osisioma Local Government Area, where 7kg of skunk was seized. A wanted drug dealer, Adome Claude Sikuru, was arrested at the Fibre Market drug area in Badagry, Lagos, on Saturday, August 8, following a three-month manhunt, with 88.5kg of skunk recovered from him at the time of his arrest. At the Tincan Island Port Complex in Lagos, a joint examination by NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies on Tuesday, August 4, uncovered 73 cartons containing 442 packets of cookies and gummies infused with cannabis, weighing 309.4kg. A suspect, Larry Nnaji, has already been arrested in connection with that seizure.
The agency's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Marwa (retired), commended the officers for their successful operations and enjoined them to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to drug control efforts. Babafemi reiterated the agency's repeated warnings to the public against helping to deliver parcels or luggage on behalf of others without proper verification. “This is why we keep warning people not to help anyone deliver any parcel or luggage on their face value because of the desperation by traffickers,” he said. The interception of cocaine in phone chargers bound for Saudi Arabia underscores the growing sophistication of drug syndicates and the relentless efforts of the NDLEA to stay ahead of their tactics. As traffickers devise ever more creative methods to conceal their illicit cargo, the agency remains vigilant, determined to protect Nigeria's borders and dismantle the networks that fuel the global drug trade.
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