The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of captagon, popularly described as the “Jihadi drug”, and millions of opioid tablets worth more than N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The agency also arrested several suspects and recovered various quantities of illicit drugs in separate operations across Lagos, Rivers, Ondo and Delta states.

A 49-year-old suspected cross-border drug trafficker, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, was arrested on August 22, 2026, after arriving in Lagos from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight.

According to the NDLEA, a search of his luggage containing cartons of Ghana soap led to the discovery of 47,200 captagon tablets concealed inside blocks of soap. The consignment was estimated to have a street value of more than N1.5 billion.

NDLEA intercepts 3.9 million opioid tablets

In a separate operation at the airport’s import shed, NDLEA operatives recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg from four abandoned consignments.

The agency said the drugs weighed approximately 2,787.4 kilogrammes and had an estimated value of more than N4.6 billion.

The NDLEA also arrested a 31-year-old US returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun, in Lekki, Lagos, with 3.35kg of Loud, a potent strain of synthetic cannabis allegedly imported from the United Kingdom.

Drugs recovered in Rivers, Ondo, Delta

In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives raiding a suspected drug den in the Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt recovered a fireproof safe.

The agency said the safe was forced open, leading to the discovery of 237 grammes of Colorado, 316 grammes of cocaine and 10 grammes of heroin.

In Ondo State, three suspects were arrested with 728kg of skunk, while two other suspects were apprehended with an additional 341kg of the illicit substance.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives in Delta State recovered more than 176,000 opioid tablets, including tramadol and Molly, in separate operations.

Marwa commends officers

The agency said its commands across the country also continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns in schools, communities, worship centres and workplaces.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and directed them to sustain efforts against drug traffickers.

Marwa urged personnel to remain vigilant, particularly as traffickers increasingly adopt sophisticated methods to conceal illicit substances in ordinary household and commercial items.

The latest seizures, the agency said, underscore its continued efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks and prevent illicit substances from entering communities across the country.