The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder worth more than 6.98 billion naira at the Apapa Port in Lagos, and separately arrested a female passenger attempting to smuggle cannabis to Saudi Arabia concealed in a gallon of palm oil. The agency's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed both seizures in a statement on Sunday, covered by Channels TV, Punch and The Sun.
The Apapa seizure began on October 2 during a joint examination of cargo declared as maize starch, carried out with the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies. A confirmatory test at the NDLEA forensic laboratory identified the substance as tramadol hydrochloride powder. When the powder was separated from its concealment on October 14, it filled 349 bags with a gross weight of 8,725 kilogrammes.
Who was arrested at the Kano airport?
The passenger, Fatimah Ahmad, was arrested on Friday, October 16, during the outward clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah via Addis Ababa at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. Operatives found 511.75 grammes of cannabis hidden in a gallon of palm oil she was carrying. She told officers her cousin, Abubakar Yahaya, had given her the gallon, and Yahaya was arrested at the airport car park.
What else did NDLEA seize across the country?
The statement detailed a nationwide sweep. At the Tin Can Port in Lagos, officers found 55 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud, valued at 165 million naira, hidden in a Toyota Sienna inside a 40-foot container on October 12. At Idumota Market, Elizabeth Chidera Kalu was arrested on October 14 with 10,600 ampoules of diazepam injection and 6,500 tablets of Molly in her store. In Mushin, two men were arrested on October 15 with about 121 kilogrammes of skunk between them.
Along the Iyana Oba axis, a truck allegedly moving illicit drugs from the Trade Fair Market was intercepted with 18,000 tramadol pills concealed in cartons labelled as Rambo insecticide. In Edo State, six suspects were arrested in raids across Owan East Local Government Area between October 15 and 16, including an 85-year-old woman found with 179 kilogrammes of skunk.
In Ondo State, operatives raided a cannabis farm in the Okemoro Isinbode camp forest on October 17, destroying 7,500 kilogrammes of skunk cultivated on three hectares and arresting five suspects. In Bauchi State, a Volkswagen Golf wagon was intercepted at Ragwam village in Katagum Local Government Area with 894,800 tramadol capsules and Exol-5 tablets, while 291 blocks of cannabis were recovered from an abandoned vehicle on the Bauchi-Gombe road.
Why the Apapa Port seizure matters
Apapa is Nigeria's busiest container port, and a single concealed consignment of nearly nine tonnes of tramadol represents one of the largest single seizures at the facility. Tramadol abuse has been linked to banditry and violent crime in the country's north, and the volume seized here would have supplied a substantial illicit market. The joint examination model, in which NDLEA works alongside Customs, is the mechanism that keeps such cargo from slipping through.
The Saudi-bound arrest also highlights a persistent problem for Nigerian travellers: drugs concealed in everyday items, from food containers to clothing, with the carrier often claiming ignorance. NDLEA has repeatedly warned passengers to refuse packages from acquaintances, a warning this case underlines, since the suspect named the cousin who handed her the gallon. Security agencies' pressure on drug supply lines continues alongside military operations against armed groups in the country's forests.
Frequently asked questions
- How much tramadol was seized at Apapa? 8,725 kilogrammes of tramadol powder in 349 bags, valued at over 6.98 billion naira.
- Where was the cannabis arrest made? At the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, during clearance of an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah.
- Who announced the seizures? NDLEA's Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, in a Sunday statement.
Sources: Channels TV (October 18, 2026), Punch (October 2026), The Sun (October 2026).
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