Felix Mbata, Lagos state
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have delivered another major blow to drug cartels with the interception of consignments of captagon — popularly called the ‘Jihadi drug’ — and millions of opioid pills worth over N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday 30th August 2026.
According to the statement, the captagon shipment was intercepted on Saturday 22nd August 2026 following the arrest of a 49-year-old cross-border kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra, Ghana aboard an African World Airlines flight.
A search of his carton of local bathing soap, popularly called “Ghana Soap”, led to the recovery of 47,200 pills of the illicit amphetamine drug worth over N1.5 billion, concealed within blocks of soap.
Captagon, notorious for funding extremist activities in conflict zones, was first intercepted in Nigeria by NDLEA in September 2021 at Apapa Port. During interrogation, Akinbile claimed he was meant to deliver the consignment in the North.
In another operation at the same airport, NDLEA recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg with a combined weight of 2,787.40kg and street value of over N4.6 billion from four abandoned consignments at the import shed.
Three consignments of 900,000 Tramaking tablets arrived from Bangladesh via RwandAir, while 3,000,030 Tapentadol tablets came from Amsterdam on Qatar Airways. The shipments were retrieved on Friday 28th August after a joint examination with Customs.
SAFE CRACKED IN RIVERS, ARRESTS IN ONDO AND DELTA
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives raided the notorious Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt and recovered a fireproof iron safe. When cracked open on Tuesday 25th August, it yielded 237g of Colorado, 316g of cocaine, and 10g of heroin.
In Ondo, three suspects were arrested on Friday 28th August with 728kg of skunk along Ipele-Idoani road. Two others were nabbed at Aponmu forest with 341kg on Wednesday 26th August.
In Delta, over 176,000 pills of assorted opioids including tramadol and molly were recovered between 26th and 28th August.
A 31-year-old US-returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun, was also arrested in Lekki on 19th August while taking delivery of 3.350kg of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain from the UK.
WADA ADVOCACY CONTINUES
Across the country, NDLEA Commands sustained War Against Drug Abuse, WADA sensitization in schools, worship centers and communities. The Ondo and Taraba Commands also paid advocacy visits to Governors Dr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Dr. Agbu Kefas respectively.
Commending the officers, Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them to sustain the balanced approach and the momentum against traffickers who now hide drugs in everyday items like soap.