The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intercepted illicit drugs worth more than ₦3.4 billion in a nationwide crackdown.
The agency recovered over 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids.
It also seized about 6,000 kilograms of potent cannabis strains during operations across eight states and the Federal Capital Territory.
NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy Femi Babafemi disclosed the arrests and seizures in a statement on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
However, one of the major seizures involved 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis.
The consignment weighed 603.75 kilograms and had an estimated street value of ₦1.8 billion.
NDLEA operatives also intercepted 292.48 kilograms of skunk from a suspected trafficker along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State.
The suspect, aged 49, was arrested on September 16 while allegedly transporting the drugs in a Toyota Sienna bus.
NDLEA said the suspect had allegedly presented himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
According to the agency, he used a forged police identification card to avoid scrutiny at checkpoints.
An accomplice, identified as a 39-year-old man, was also arrested during the operation.
The agency said investigations are continuing into the alleged drug trafficking network.
The allegations against the suspects remain unproven until established through due legal process.
Mechanic allegedly used workshop as drug store
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested a 45-year-old man at an auto-repair workshop on Agbor Road, Benin City.
The agency alleged that the mechanic used the workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs.
Operatives recovered 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud and 152 grams of methamphetamine from the location.
Operatives also recovered a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.
Over one million opioid pills recovered
At Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives monitored a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada.
The container arrived in Nigeria on September 12 and was later subjected to a joint examination.
The operation involved NDLEA, customs, and other security agencies.
More than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules were recovered.
Codeine syrup, methamphetamine, and Exol tablets were also found concealed inside eight sacks.
The shipment was reportedly headed from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba in Nasarawa State.
More arrests in Lagos and Gombe
NDLEA also reported several other drug seizures during the nationwide operations.
In Lagos, a suspected drug dealer was arrested at his residence in Aguda, Surulere.
Operatives recovered 48,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg from the suspect.
Another operation at a logistics company resulted in the seizure of seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59 kilograms.
A separate suspect was arrested in Apongbo with 998.38 kilograms of nitrous oxide gas.
In Gombe State, NDLEA officers recovered 154,480 tramadol capsules from two suspects at Barunde and Gombe main market.
NDLEA intensifies nationwide crackdown
The latest seizures form part of NDLEA’s wider campaign against drug trafficking and distribution across Nigeria.
The agency has reported several major operations this month involving cannabis, opioids, methamphetamine and other controlled substances.
Earlier in September, NDLEA announced the interception of more than two million opioid pills and large cannabis consignments during operations across nine states.
The agency has also continued dismantling clandestine drug operations, including an industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory uncovered earlier this month.
The suspects arrested during the latest operations are expected to face investigation and, where evidence supports prosecution, legal proceedings.
NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the operatives involved in the seizures.
The agency said its intelligence-led operations would continue as it targets drug trafficking networks, storage locations and distribution routes across the country.
