Nigeria’s drug trafficking networks appear determined to turn everyday items into suspicious cargo, but the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its officers are making life increasingly difficult for those who believe illicit drugs can pass through the country disguised as harmless goods. In a series of reported operations across several states, officers intercepted cannabis concealed in a gallon of palm oil at Kano airport, uncovered powdered tramadol worth more than ₦6.98 billion at Lagos’ Apapa port and arrested dozens of suspects, including an 85-year-old grandmother in Edo State. Apparently, even palm oil, insecticide cartons and imported vehicles have found themselves caught up in Nigeria’s increasingly bizarre drug-trafficking drama.
Palm Oil for Jeddah, Tramadol for the Market: The Unusual Cargoes
According to the NDLEA account, officers at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport intercepted Fatimah Ahmad on Friday, October 16, 2026, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, via Addis Ababa. A gallon of palm oil in her possession reportedly contained 511.75 grams of cannabis. Fatimah allegedly told investigators that her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon, prompting his arrest at the airport car park. The incident offers a sharp reminder that familiar household containers can become objects of suspicion when traffickers attempt to exploit ordinary travel routines.
At the Apapa port in Lagos, the reported discovery was considerably larger. A joint examination involving the NDLEA, Customs and other agencies uncovered a shipment from India declared as maize starch. Laboratory testing reportedly identified the substance as tramadol hydrochloride powder. The consignment was subsequently separated from its concealment and weighed 8,725 kilograms across 349 bags, with an estimated street value exceeding ₦6.98 billion.
If the declaration and laboratory findings are confirmed in the case, the shipment illustrates the serious challenge posed by attempts to move controlled substances through legitimate international trade channels. For anyone hoping that a few official-looking shipping documents could make nearly nine tonnes of tramadol disappear into the maize-starch business, the reported outcome was an expensive disappointment.
85-Year-Old Woman Among Suspects as NDLEA Intensifies Nationwide Drug Crackdown
The reported operations extended beyond Kano airport and Apapa port. At Lagos’ Tin Can port, officers allegedly found 55 kilograms of Canadian Loud, valued at ₦165 million, hidden in brown cartons inside a Toyota Sienna transported in a 40-foot container. In Idumota market, a raid reportedly led to the recovery of 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly from a store. Elsewhere in Lagos, officers reportedly seized 18,000 tramadol tablets concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide and arrested two men linked to the truck carrying the consignment. The reported methods of concealment suggest that traffickers were willing to make almost anything—from a vehicle to a household product—part of their delivery strategy.
In Edo State, the agency reported the arrest of six suspects, including 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, allegedly found with 179 kilograms of skunk in Warake. Other reported operations yielded cannabis, tramadol and related substances across Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory. In Ondo, officers reportedly destroyed 7,500 kilograms of cannabis growing across three hectares of farmland, while further seizures included hundreds of thousands of opioid tablets and capsules in Bauchi and Kano.
Officers also reported recovering 496.5 kilograms of cannabis in Kaduna and substantial quantities of tramadol in Kaduna and Abuja. The age of one suspect may attract public attention, but the central issue remains the evidence against each individual, the source of the substances and the networks allegedly supplying and distributing them.
The NDLEA also reported continuing its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) awareness campaign in schools, workplaces, worship centres and communities across several states. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) commended the officers involved and urged them to sustain intelligence-led enforcement alongside prevention and public education. That combination matters: seizures can disrupt supply, but lasting progress also requires effective investigations, fair prosecution, prevention programmes and support for people affected by substance use.
The reported operation presents a sobering picture of the scale and variety of Nigeria’s drug-trafficking challenge, from a palm-oil gallon at an international airport to a multi-tonne shipment at a major seaport. Arrests and seizures are important, but allegations must still be tested through due process, and the wider supply chains must be investigated if enforcement is to deliver lasting results. Stay with OGM News NG for further updates as more details emerge about the investigations, the suspects and the networks behind these reported consignments.
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