The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted consignments of captagon, popularly known as the “Jihadi drug,” and millions of opioid tablets worth more than N6.2 billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The agency disclosed the seizures in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, detailing several drug interdiction operations carried out across the country.
At the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 22, 2026, arrested Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, a 49-year-old alleged cross-border drug kingpin who arrived from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight.
A search of his carton of local bathing soap, commonly known as “Ghana Soap,” led to the discovery of 47,200 pills of captagon concealed inside the blocks of soap.
The NDLEA estimated the value of the seized captagon at more than N1.5 billion.
Captagon is an illicit amphetamine-type drug that has been associated with extremist groups and conflict zones, earning it the nickname “Jihadi drug”.
The agency said captagon was first intercepted in Nigeria by the NDLEA in September 2021 at the Apapa Port in Lagos.
Following his arrest, Aikins allegedly told investigators that he was expected to deliver the consignment in northern Nigeria.
In a separate operation at the MMIA, NDLEA operatives recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 2,787.40kg and an estimated street value of more than N4.6 billion.
The drugs were recovered from four abandoned consignments at the airport’s import shed after nobody appeared to claim them.
According to the agency, three of the consignments contained 900,000 tablets of Tramaking, weighing 815.40kg, which arrived on RwandAir flights from Bangladesh.
The fourth consignment contained 3,000,030 tablets of Tapentadol, weighing 1,972kg, and arrived aboard Qatar Airways from Amsterdam.
The consignments had been placed under surveillance before they were formally retrieved following a joint examination by NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant stakeholders on Friday, August 28.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also arrested a 31-year-old United States returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun, at Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, on August 19.
Oludotun was allegedly arrested while attempting to take delivery of 3.350kg of Loud, a potent synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United Kingdom.
In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives raided the Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt, recovering a fireproof iron safe containing different illicit substances.
The agency said the safe was opened with a welding machine on Tuesday, August 25, leading to the recovery of 237g of Colorado cannabis, 316g of cocaine and 10g of heroin.
In Ondo State, three suspects identified as Oyedele Daniel, 42; Taye Saliu, 36; and Kehinde Saliu, 36, were arrested along the Ipele-Idoani Road on Friday, August 28.
The suspects were allegedly found with 728kg of skunk, which was recovered from their truck marked KRE 120 XB.
Two other suspects, Uche Joseph, 35, and Godwin Umeh, 21, were arrested at Aponmu Forest on Wednesday, August 26, with another 341kg of skunk.
In Delta State, NDLEA operatives also recovered more than 176,000 pills of assorted opioids, including tramadol and Molly, during two separate operations conducted between August 26 and August 28.
Commending the officers involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel to maintain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.
Marwa directed officers across the country to sustain pressure on drug traffickers, warning that traffickers were becoming increasingly desperate and adopting new methods to move illicit consignments.
He specifically warned against attempts to conceal drugs in ordinary household items such as soap.
“Drug traffickers are desperate to explore every means, including concealment in everyday household items like soap.”
Marwa urged NDLEA personnel to remain vigilant and continue their efforts to disrupt drug trafficking networks across Nigeria.
