Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a drug trafficking syndicate that concealed cocaine in tins of palm kernel oil for export to the United Kingdom, leading to the arrest of a suspected kingpin in Lagos.

A statement by the spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said the three-week operation began on March 11, 2026, when NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, intercepted 3.1 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in tins of palm kernel extract at the export shed.

He revealed that two suspects, Idris Amoo and Akinlami Adedoyin, were arrested in connection with the shipment.

A follow-up sting operation on April 2 led to the arrest of the sender, Ezemuwo Joel, who was operating under a false identity. His arrest exposed the alleged leader of the syndicate, identified as King Arinze, 52, who was subsequently apprehended at his hideout in the Isolo area of Lagos.

Babafemi said NDLEA operatives later raided the suspect’s warehouse in Bucknor, Isolo, where they recovered 886 tins prepared for drug concealment, along with industrial tools including a sealing machine, tin openers, paint sprays, and 52 grammes of cannabis. The suspect reportedly confessed to draining oil from the tins to conceal cocaine.

In a separate operation in Borno State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 28-year-old woman, Aisha Adamu, alleged to be a supplier of illicit drugs to bandit groups operating across the North-east and parts of Chad. She was intercepted along Gamboru Ngala road with 4.3 kilogrammes of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis.

Meanwhile, a pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ, Agonvi Sea Beach, Badagry, Pastor Afolabi Hodonu, and his wife, Success Hodonu, were arrested at the Gbaji checkpoint in Lagos last Thursday, with NDLEA officers recovering 11 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in hidden compartments of their vehicle.

Babafemi said their arrest followed the earlier apprehension of a suspected fake security agent, Sunday Samuel, who was intercepted at the same checkpoint last Monday with 24.5 kilogrammes of skunk.

In Adamawa State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck conveying 48,000 pills of tramadol along Namtari road in Yola South. The driver, Abdulaziz Korede, was arrested, while a subsequent operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, Idris Adamu.

Babafemi said other operations across the country led to multiple arrests and seizures. In Osun State, a 60-year-old woman was arrested with 15 kilogrammes of skunk in Osogbo, while in Ondo State, operatives recovered 351 kilogrammes of skunk from a forest in Akure.

In Benue State, a 66-year-old suspect was arrested with 28,600 capsules of tramadol in Aliade, while in Edo State, NDLEA operatives recovered 1,378 kilogrammes of skunk from a warehouse in Egbanke community.

Similarly, in Oyo State, a suspected drug dealer, Ayantola Omodunmomi, was arrested in Ibadan, where 45.6 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered. The agency said she used her 11-year-old daughter to distribute illicit drugs.

The NDLEA also said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign continued nationwide, with awareness programmes conducted in schools across Oyo, Lagos, Kano, Anambra, and Zamfara states.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Buba Marwa, commended officers across various commands for the arrests and seizures.

“These successful operations are a testament to the agency’s evolving intelligence capabilities and our unwavering commitment to choking the supply lines of drug cartels,” he said. (AriseNews TV)