The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano State, for allegedly attempting to smuggle cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil to Saudi Arabia.
The suspect was arrested on Friday, October 16, 2026, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah via Addis Ababa.
According to the agency, Ahmad told operatives that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, gave her the gallon, prompting his arrest at the airport car park.
A search of the container reportedly revealed parcels of cannabis weighing 511.75 grammes.
The NDLEA also announced the seizure of 8,725 kilogrammes of powdered tramadol, valued at more than N6.98bn, from a shipment at the Apapa Port in Lagos State.
The agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed the seizures in a statement issued on Sunday, detailing a series of anti-drug operations across several states.
“At the Kano airport, NDLEA officers on Friday, 16th October 2026, intercepted a female passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, with a gallon of palm oil containing parcels of cannabis weighing 511.75 grammes during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa,” the statement said.
On the tramadol seizure, the agency said its operatives, working with the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies, uncovered the shipment at the APM terminals in Apapa on October 2.
The consignment, imported from India and declared as maize starch, was subjected to laboratory analysis, which confirmed that it contained tramadol hydrochloride powder.
According to the agency, the shipment was separated from its concealment on Wednesday, October 14, revealing 349 bags with a gross weight of 8,725kg and an estimated street value exceeding N6.98bn.
In a separate operation at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos on October 12, NDLEA operatives reportedly recovered 55kg of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis valued at N165m.
The drugs were allegedly packed in brown cartons and concealed inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.
The agency also reported a raid on Idumota Market in Lagos on October 14, during which operatives arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovered 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from her store.
The following day, two men, Idowu Daudu and Ahmed Oniyinde, both aged 35, were arrested in the Mushin area. Daudu was allegedly found with 59.95kg of skunk, while Oniyinde was found with 61.23kg of the same substance.
In another operation on October 15, operatives acting on intelligence intercepted a truck travelling from Trade Fair Market along the Iyana Oba axis of Lagos.
The operation led to the arrest of the loading manager, Tajudeen Adeduntan, and his assistant, Azeez Sikiru. A search of the truck reportedly uncovered 18,000 tablets of tramadol 250mg concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the communities of Warake, Ivhiaro and Ewe/Irue in Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16, arresting six suspects.
The suspects included 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was allegedly found with 179kg of skunk in Warake; 53-year-old Ayo Aigberadion, with 220.8kg in Ewe/Irue; 57-year-old Ali Garba, with 5.852kg; and 45-year-old Habib Braimoh, with 100 grammes.
Others were Musa Mubid, 35, who was allegedly found with 2kg of cannabis, cannabis seeds, tramadol, Swinol and diazepam, and Hope Okoro, 35, who was found with 237 grammes of Loud.
In Ondo State, the agency said its operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on Saturday, October 17, destroying 7,500kg of skunk cultivated across three hectares and arresting five suspects.
The operation also yielded 92 bags of skunk weighing 1,267kg, 11kg of cannabis seeds and 3kg of fresh cannabis stems, bringing the total weight of the recovered exhibits to 1,281kg.
In another operation in Owo, Ondo State, operatives reportedly tracked a 53-year-old suspect, Okunebe Ndidi, to his hideout in Ameyinti on Friday, October 16, where they recovered 25 bags of cannabis weighing 375kg.
In Bauchi State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Volkswagen Golf wagon driven by 35-year-old Shamsu Garba at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area on Wednesday, October 14.
The operation reportedly led to the recovery of 894,800 tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets.
On the same day, officers patrolling the Bauchi-Gombe Road recovered 291 blocks of cannabis weighing 265kg from an abandoned vehicle at Tudun Natsira village.
The agency said the seizures formed part of a series of coordinated operations targeting drug trafficking and distribution networks across the country.
The reported operations underscore the NDLEA’s continued efforts to disrupt the movement of illicit drugs through airports, seaports, markets and road networks, as well as dismantle cannabis cultivation and distribution activities.
