The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Tuesday, December 9, arrested a female drug kingpin, Shodunke Yetunde Simbiat, at her residence on Onasanya street, Surulere, Lagos, recovering over ₦5 billion worth of cocaine.
Simbiat was a central stash keeper for a drug cartel led by Bolanle Lookman Dauda and his wife, Olayinka Toheebat Dauda, who were arrested in May 2024 along the Lagos-Badagry expressway.
The couple was intercepted along the Lagos-Badagry expressway with 47.5 kilograms of cocaine, while a subsequent search of their Agbara, Ogun state residence yielded an additional 10 kilograms.
The agency said 39-year-old Simbiat went underground following the arrest of the syndicate leaders but was eventually traced and apprehended.
She admitted ownership of the 23.5 kilograms of cocaine worth over ₦5 billion, which was discovered inside a suitcase in her children’s room.
According to the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Sunday, a businessman was intercepted at the airport while attempting to board a flight to Italy with illicit drugs in his luggage.
“Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives attached to terminal II departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, 18th December, intercepted a 36-year-old businessman, Nwanwene Robinson Destiny, with a total of 1,020 pills of tramadol 225mg and tapentadol 200mg.
“This was concealed in his luggage while attempting to board a Royal Air-Maroc flight to Milan, Italy, where he’s based.
Nwanwene Robinson Destiny
“He claimed the successful trafficking of the opioids to Italy would have fetched him €200.00 from the person he was to deliver them to,” the statement read.
At the Seme border in Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested a 48-year-old Beninese national, Leokadi Josu, with 3,400 tramadol tablets while attempting to enter Nigeria.
Leokadi Josu
Another suspect, Abdullahi Adamu, 30, was apprehended on Friday, December 19, along the Okene-Lokoja highway with 28.4 kilograms of skunk and synthetic cannabis.
Abdullahi Adamu
In Oyo state, NDLEA operatives intercepted a Toyota Hiace bus along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Friday, December 19, recovering 125,000 capsules of tramadol and 1,800 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
Two suspects, Ogunlade Kazeem, 54, and Adeleke Ismail, 30, were also arrested on Wednesday, December 17, at Challenge motor park, Ibadan, with 185.4 kilograms of cannabis.
Ogunlade Kazeem, Adeleke Ismail
Further enforcement actions were recorded in Osun state, where officers arrested Charles James, 45, during a forest raid on Friday, December 19, and seized 405 kilograms of skunk.
Charles James,
In Kaduna state, Jamilu Zakari, 42, was arrested with 14,960 tramadol pills concealed in kolanut sacks along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Jamilu Zakari
The agency stated that it also continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across schools, transport hubs, workplaces, and communities nationwide.
Commending officers involved in the operations, NDLEA chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.) urged personnel to remain vigilant during the festive season and maintain professionalism in drug enforcement and public sensitisation efforts.
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