By JKNewsMedia Reporter
ILLICIT DRUGS concealed in coffee sachets and book parcels have been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as it recorded multiple arrests and seizures across ports, courier firms and several states.
The agency said its operatives intercepted various quantities of Ketamine, Ecstasy and Tramadol pills hidden inside sachets of coffee mix and parcels of books destined for Zambia and the United Kingdom (UK).
The interceptions were made at a courier company in Lagos on 24 and 29 December 2025.Fa
The seizures coincided with the arrest of 22 Indian crew members of a merchant vessel, MV Aruna Hulya, following the discovery of 31.5kg of cocaine at the GDNL terminal, Apapa port, Lagos.
NDLEA operatives recovered the cocaine from hatch 3 of the vessel on Friday 2 January 2026 as the ship was reported to have originated from the Marshall Islands.
Those taken into custody in connection with the cocaine seizure included the master of the vessel, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 other crew members as the agency listed the remaining suspects as 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 arrested a wanted female drug kingpin identified as a major illicit drug distributor in Ibadan. The agency said the arrest took place on Monday 29 December 2025 following an intelligence led operation.
The suspect, Fatima Ilori, aged 65 and popularly known as Mama Kerosine, was linked to the seizure of 238.4kg of skunk, a strain of cannabis. She was arrested alongside another female suspect, Olusanya Abosede, aged 35, at the Onireke Elekuro area of Ibadan.
NDLEA also reported operations in Borno State where it said the supply chain of illicit drugs to insurgents was further disrupted as its operatives arrested two suspects and seized large consignments of illicit substances.
One suspect, Isa Mohammed, aged 26, was arrested after operatives intercepted 9,150 ampoules of Tramadol Injection along the Maiduguri Gamboru Ngala road on Friday 2 January 2026. Another suspect, Musa Samaila, aged 30, was arrested at Biu market on the same day with 34,000 capsules of Tramadol.
In Lagos, the agency said not less than 400kg of skunk was recovered along with a van at the Mobolaji Johnson area on New Year Day, Thursday 1 January 2026. In Jigawa State, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect, Bilya Ibrahim, aged 39, at a motor park in Hadejia town on Tuesday 30 December 2025.
The agency said he was attempting to transport 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8kg. The suspect reportedly procured the drugs from Taraba State and was conveying them to Nguru in Yobe State.
Further seizures were recorded in Kwara State where NDLEA officers recovered 238.50kg of skunk from the home of a suspect at the Asadam area of Ilorin on Tuesday 30 December 2025.
The agency also seized a total of 32,000 pills of Tramadol and Diazepam from another suspect, Abubakar Rabiu, aged 32.
The seizure took place at Bode Saadu in Moro Local Government Area on Wednesday 31 December 2025.
Beyond enforcement operations, the agency said its commands and formations across the country continued War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities during the past week.
These activities included enlightenment lectures to students and staff of Madrasatu Fadimatul Zahra Sabuwar Abuja Kankia in Kankia Local Government Area of Katsina State, members of the Topo Youth Progressive Organisation in Topo Badagry, Lagos, and residents of the Madalla community at the palace of the Hakimi Madalla in Niger State.
While commending officers and men of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation, Apapa, as well as the Oyo, Borno, Lagos, Kwara and Jigawa Commands for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa rtd, enjoined them and their colleagues nationwide to intensify the agency’s ongoing drug control efforts.
