Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs concealed in coffee sachets and arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, as the agency intensified nationwide operations against drug trafficking and abuse.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Mr. Femi Babafemi, disclosed that quantities of Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills hidden in sachets of coffee mix and book parcels destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom were seized at a courier company in Lagos on December 24 and 29, 2025.
The seizures coincided with the arrest of 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, following the discovery of 31.5 kilogrammes of cocaine at the GDNL terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos, on January 2, 2026. The cocaine was reportedly concealed in Hatch 3 of the vessel, which originated from the Marshall Islands.
Those detained include the vessel’s master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 other crew members: Bharati Manoj Kumar, Bhalerao Nilesh Mukund, Nadar Anthony Macson David, Kolusu Srinivasa Rao, Sagar Gaurav, Francis Anto Beemas Nester, Jagdeep Singh, Jai Parkash, Prabhukhan Singh, Nevage Sandesh Suresh, Pandey Prashant, Nittu Anand, Akash Babu, Dasari Raju, Reddy Nandika Sanjeeba, Rana Nivesh, Melethil Insaf Rahman, Barla Chantanya Krishna, Ghosh Arijit, Mondal Raihan and Gangwar Shiv Om.
In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives on December 29 arrested a wanted female drug kingpin, Fatima Ilori, popularly known as “Mama Kerosine,” during an intelligence-led operation in Ibadan. The 65-year-old was apprehended alongside another suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35, at the Onireke/Elekuro area of the state capital. The arrest followed the seizure of 238.4 kilogrammes of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, linked to the suspect.
In Borno State, the agency disrupted alleged drug supply routes to insurgents with the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of large consignments of opioids. One suspect, Isa Mohammed, 26, was arrested along the Maiduguri–Gamboru Ngala road with 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol injection, while Musa Samaila, 30, was apprehended at Biu Market with 34,000 capsules of Tramadol on the same day.
In Lagos, about 400 kilogrammes of skunk and a van were recovered at the Mobolaji Johnson area on January 1, 2026. In Jigawa State, a suspect, Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested at a motor park in Hadejia on December 30 with 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8 kilogrammes, allegedly trafficked from Taraba State to Yobe State.
Similarly, in Kwara State, NDLEA officers on December 30 recovered 238.5 kilogrammes of skunk from a suspect’s residence at the Asadam area of Ilorin. Another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, 32, was arrested at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area on December 31 with 32,000 pills of Tramadol and Diazepam.
Beyond enforcement, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaigns across the country, targeting schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities in states including Katsina, Lagos and Niger.
Commending the officers and men of the Apapa, Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Kwara and Jigawa commands for their operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), urged them to intensify ongoing drug control efforts nationwide.
