Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted 339,800 bottles of codeine-based syrup at the Apapa seaport in Lagos while also arresting multiple suspects and seizing large quantities of cannabis, popularly known as skunk, in separate operations across Kano, Abuja and Edo states.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the codeine consignments were discovered in two containers at Apapa Port on Saturday, March 14, 2026, during a joint examination by NDLEA officers, officials of the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies. The containers had earlier been placed on a watch list by the agency following credible intelligence indicating that opioids were concealed in the shipments.
In related operations, NDLEA operatives arrested 42-year-old Magaji Dan Azumi at the Bebeji area of Kano on Tuesday, March 10, with 386 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, officers of the agency in the Federal Capital Territory recovered 282.2 kilograms of skunk from a suspect, Isah Wako, 42, during an operation in the Gwagwalada area of Abuja on Friday, March 13.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided the Egwa Forest Reserve in Aduan village, Orhionmwon Local Government Area, where Chinedo Odalonu, 33, was apprehended. During the operation, officers destroyed 4,218.96 kilograms of skunk cultivated on two farms, while 16.5 kilograms of the substance were recovered as exhibits.
The agency also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign across the country in the past week. Sensitisation lectures were delivered to students and staff of several schools including ERCC Secondary School, Duguru in Nasarawa; Awoyemi Commercial High School, Okeho in Oyo; Ogunu Primary School, Ogunu in Delta; Seven Angels University Secondary School, Ikot Enobong in Calabar, Cross River; and Edo National College, Iguobazuwa in Edo State.
Meanwhile, the Zone 11 Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as part of efforts to strengthen the anti-drug campaign in the state.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers of the agency in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Edo Commands for the arrests and seizures recorded in the past week. He also praised personnel across other commands for maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction operations and drug demand reduction initiatives nationwide.
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