Kingsley Ohens reporting.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major breakthrough in its ongoing crackdown on illicit drug trafficking, intercepting cocaine ingeniously concealed in stockfish and apprehending multiple suspects, including an 80-year-old man found in possession of methamphetamine.
According to the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the operation was driven by credible intelligence on transnational drug syndicates and executed through a coordinated sting by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command in Lagos.
Babafemi disclosed that on March 19, NDLEA operatives intercepted 237 wraps of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms. The illicit substance had been carefully hidden inside dry stockfish heads—locally known as “okporoko”—packed in three jumbo bags. The consignment, allegedly linked to a 36-year-old suspect, Akputa Dickson Ejike, was reportedly bound for Delhi.
In a related development, operatives at a courier facility in Lagos, on March 25, intercepted two additional consignments destined for the United Kingdom. One shipment contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed within automobile filters, while the other comprised 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentanyl.
Expanding its enforcement dragnet, the NDLEA also arrested a suspected female drug baron, Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, popularly known as “Iya Ghana,” during a raid in the Yaba area of Lagos. Recovered from her residence were 135 blocks of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 76.30 kilograms. Another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, was apprehended in Surulere with 78 blocks of the same substance weighing 41 kilograms.
In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives arrested an 80-year-old suspect, Oke Samuel, during a targeted raid along Erinmo Road in Efon-Alaaye. He was found in possession of 2.2 kilograms of skunk and methamphetamine. Similarly, in Ondo State, officers recovered a staggering 894.72 kilograms of skunk from an uncompleted building, leading to further arrests.
Additional operations carried out across Benue State, Edo State, and Taraba State resulted in the seizure of various illicit substances, including cannabis, codeine-based syrup, and drugs concealed in animal feed.
Beyond enforcement, the agency continues to intensify its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign, conducting sensitisation programmes in schools nationwide, notably in Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano, and Lagos States.
Commending the officers involved, the NDLEA reaffirmed its dual commitment to curbing drug supply while simultaneously addressing demand through sustained public education and advocacy.
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