In a sweeping three-week operation across Lagos and other parts of the country, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled two major drug cartels behind multiple cocaine consignments bound for the United Kingdom. The operation led to the arrest of the syndicate’s kingpin, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, along with five others, and the interception of 20.5 kilograms of cocaine ingeniously concealed in stainless steel cups, body cream jars, and hair gel containers.
The breakthrough came on September 16, 2025, when NDLEA officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.40kg, concealed inside cocoa butter body cream containers. A cargo agent was arrested on the spot. According to Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the Agency, follow-up investigations revealed Alhaji Hammed Ode as the mastermind behind the consignment.
Babafemi disclosed that the suspected kingpin, who returned to Nigeria in 2024 after over 27 years in Europe, had posed as a businessman and real estate developer. Following intelligence gathering, the NDLEA secured the cooperation of the Nigeria Police after it was discovered that Ode had earlier reported a civil dispute at the Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos. This led to his eventual arrest. During interrogation, Ode admitted ownership of the drugs, which he claimed to have acquired for over ₦150 million.
In a parallel operation, five more UK-bound cocaine shipments were intercepted. On September 26, NDLEA officers uncovered 2.10kg of cocaine hidden in hair cream containers at the MMIA export shed. The arrest of a cargo agent led them to Smith David Korede, a furniture maker based in Oshodi, Lagos. A search of his premises yielded another 1.40kg of cocaine, while a third consignment of 1.00kg linked to him was also intercepted at the airport.
Two additional seizures were made on October 2, involving cocaine hidden in stainless steel cups and hair cream containers concealed within crayfish packages. Two suspects, Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa, were arrested in connection with these consignments, which weighed 1.00kg and 1.60kg respectively.
In a related crackdown, NDLEA operatives thwarted an attempt to smuggle 6.3kg of Loud, a potent cannabis strain, into Lagos from Thailand. The drugs were hidden in bedsheets and hibiscus flower packages and intercepted through a courier company. In Kano, a joint operation with the Nigeria Customs Service along the Danbatta-Daura road resulted in the arrest of 38-year-old Sa’adu Ali and the seizure of 290,450 pills of Tramadol and Pregabalin capsules.
A notorious drug dealer known as John Igbe, alias “SammyBless,” who operated across Lekki and Ajah, was arrested with 550 grams of synthetic cannabis (“Colorado”). In Mushin, three suspects were apprehended with 109kg of skunk, codeine syrup, and nitrous oxide. Another bust at the Trade Fair Complex, Alaba, uncovered 3,700 bottles of codeine syrup and over 550,000 expired tablets of Diclofenac.
Enforcement activities also extended to Kwara, Kaduna, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Kogi, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where multiple traffickers were arrested and large quantities of illicit substances were seized. In Edo State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a vehicle transporting 244.5kg of skunk and arrested one suspect. A massive operation on October 3 led to the destruction of over 10.8 tonnes of cannabis on four farms in Ovia North East LGA, where two suspects were also arrested.
Meanwhile, in Abuja, a parcel from Lagos containing 3.2kg of Loud was intercepted, leading to the arrest of the recipient, Tobi Odubote. Another trafficker, Ismail Abdurrahim, was apprehended with 25.5kg of skunk along the Abaji-Abuja expressway.
Beyond arrests and seizures, the NDLEA continued its grassroots sensitization under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative. Campaigns were held in schools, markets, and places of worship in Adamawa, Katsina, Niger, Lagos, and Imo states. The Imo State Command also paid a WADA advocacy visit to the First Lady of the state, Barr. Chioma Uzodinma.
NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers involved in the operations for their diligence and commitment. He reaffirmed the agency’s resolve to dismantle drug networks from the street-level dealers to top-level cartel leaders, stating that each successful operation represented lives saved and communities secured both in Nigeria and beyond.
