NDLEA seizes cocaine hidden in imported stock-fish, nabs suspected smuggler kingpin
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered a major drug trafficking operation, seizing cocaine ingeniously hidden inside the heads of imported dry stock-fish and arresting a suspected syndicate kingpin linked to international smuggling routes, particularly to India.
The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this on Sunday, noting that the breakthrough followed actionable intelligence on the group’s cross-border activities.
“This led to a well-coordinated sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Strategic Command of the Agency at the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday 19th March 2026.
“In the course of the operation, three jumbo size bags were found in possession of the kingpin 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike.
“A search of the bags led to the recovery of Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven (237) wraps of cocaine buried in the heads of imported dry stock fish locally known as “Okporoko.”
“The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India”.
Further operations in Lagos also yielded significant interceptions. NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) on Wednesday, March 25, intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a courier facility.
One shipment, which originated from Cotonou in the Benin Republic, contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in automobile filters. The second package comprised 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentanyl.
In another major raid, operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit stormed a residence at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday, March 26, leading to the arrest of a suspected drug syndicate leader, 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, and her associate, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka.
Officers recovered 135 blocks of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 76.30 kilograms. Jolayemi, widely known as “Iya Ghana,” reportedly operates a drug distribution network between Nigeria and Ghana while maintaining a cover business in local fabrics.
On the same day, operatives arrested another suspect, 39-year-old Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, at Doyin bus stop in Surulere, Lagos, where 78 blocks of the same cannabis strain, weighing 41 kilograms, were seized.
Outside Lagos, enforcement actions continued across multiple states. In Ekiti State, NDLEA operatives apprehended an 80-year-old suspect, Oke Samuel, during a raid at Mosafuneto camp along Erinmo Road in Efon-Alaaye on March 26. Authorities recovered 2.2 kilograms of skunk and 1.8 grams of methamphetamine from him.
In Ondo State, officers raided an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North, where 894.72 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance were seized from a suspect, Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley, 37.
Meanwhile, in Benue State, operatives recovered 116.7 kilograms of skunk from a suspect, Saater Nyam, during a raid in Pevi village, Guma LGA, on March 24.
In Edo State, a warehouse uncovered in Ekpoma, Esan West LGA, led to the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of skunk alongside 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup on March 23.
In Taraba State, officers acting on intelligence intercepted a truck marked DUT 457 ZB transporting 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in animal feed bags en route from Garbachede to Gombe State.
Two suspects, Osama Mamuda, 21, and Auwal Umar, 22, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Beyond enforcement, the agency also sustained its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign nationwide, delivering sensitisation lectures in schools across Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano and Lagos states.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers from the MMIA, SOU, DOGI, and state commands involved for their recent successes.
He also lauded personnel across the country for maintaining a balanced approach between drug supply reduction and demand reduction efforts.
