Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted consignments of cocaine and cannabis concealed in food flasks.
The agency said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80 kilograms were discovered hidden in the false bottom of food flasks bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the seizure, which took place on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at the airport’s export shed, led to the arrest of two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39).
He said further investigations identified a 52-year-old freight forwarder, Agoro Moninuola, as the sender of the consignment.
The statement partly read, “Operatives intercepted 12 large parcels of cocaine concealed in the false bottom of food flasks heading to the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic Airlines flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
“The cocaine consignment with a gross weight of 2.80 kilograms was intercepted on Thursday, 9th April 2026, by NDLEA operatives attached to the export shed of the Lagos airport, while two cargo agents involved in the export bid, Ama Ufeim (33) and Ogabi Monday Akorede (39), were swiftly arrested.
“Further investigation revealed a 52-year-old freight and forwarding agent, Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola, as the sender of the consignment, and he was arrested in a follow-up operation.”
In a related development, he said NDLEA operatives at the import shed of the Lagos airport intercepted 2.90 kilograms of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack food packs.
Babafemi added that the consignment arrived from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight on April 8.
“Two cargo clearing agents, Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested in connection with the seizure before the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was arrested in a follow-up operation at 3 Oba Ogunji Road, Ogba, Lagos, on Monday, April 13,” he added.
Outside Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives intensified their crackdown on illicit drugs.
In Kaduna State, he said officers on patrol along the Kaduna–Zaria highway intercepted a cement-laden trailer transporting 847 kilograms of skunk, another cannabis variant, adding that the driver, Umar Haruna (33), was arrested.
In Cross River State, he said a 53-year-old woman, Alice Udoh, was apprehended on April 16 when NDLEA operatives, supported by soldiers, raided a forest in the Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area.
During the operation, Babafemi added that 15,000 kilograms of skunk cultivated on six hectares of farmland were destroyed, while 119 kilograms were recovered.
Similarly, in Edo State, he said officers raided a cannabis farm in Saboro Camp, Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying 2,281.43 kilograms of the substance.
“Three suspects — Nweke Smart (27), Christopher Egbe (62), and Monday Ayan (45) — were arrested, with 38.5 kilograms of cannabis and seeds recovered from two of them,” he added.
In Delta State, he said two suspects, Sunday Odili (49) and Ijenebe Joshua (39), were arrested with 87.838 kilograms of skunk and seeds in the Okwo area.
Back in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects, Chinedu Ogbekene and Zindozin Bienvenu, along the Mile 2 axis of the Lagos–Badagry Expressway while transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection to Ghana.
“On the same day, NDLEA operatives raided a two-storey building at Petti, Lagos Island, where a total of 95.8 kilograms of skunk was recovered,” he added.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the operatives for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and public sensitisation under the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse campaign.
He urged officers nationwide to sustain the momentum in the fight against drug trafficking.
