NDLEA intercepts N6.2bn drugs hidden in Ghana soap, opioids at Lagos airport

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted consignments of captagon, popularly known as the “Jihadi drug,” and millions of opioid tablets worth over N6.2bn at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

The agency disclosed this in a statement released on Sunday by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the NDLEA, operatives at the Lagos airport on Saturday, August 22, 2026, arrested a 49-year-old cross-border drug kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra, Ghana, aboard an African World Airlines flight.

The statement partly read, “NDLEA intercepted consignments of captagon, widely known as ‘Jihadi drug’ and millions of opioid pills worth over N6.2 billion at the MMIA, Ikeja, Lagos.

The captagon shipment was seized at the Lagos airport on Saturday, August 22, 2026, following the arrest of a 49-year-old cross-border kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who arrived from Accra, Ghana aboard an African World Airlines flight.

“A search of his carton of local bathing soap, popularly called ‘Ghana Soap,” led to the recovery of 47,200 pills of the illicit amphetamine drug worth over N1.5 billion concealed within blocks of soap.

“Captagon, which is notoriously dubbed the ‘Jihadi drug’ for its use in funding extremist activities in conflict zones, was first intercepted in Nigeria by NDLEA in September 2021 at the Apapa port in Lagos. After his arrest, Akinbile claimed he was meant to deliver the consignment in the North.”

In a separate operation at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 3,900,030 tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 2,787.40kg and an estimated street value of more than N4.6bn.

The drugs were recovered from four abandoned consignments at the import shed of the MMIA after no one showed up to claim them.

The agency said three of the consignments contained 900,000 tablets of Tramaking, weighing 815.40kg, which arrived on RwandAir flights from Bangladesh.

The fourth consignment contained 3,000,030 tablets of Tapentadol, weighing 1,972kg, and arrived aboard Qatar Airways from Amsterdam.

The consignments, which had been placed under surveillance, were formally retrieved following a joint examination by NDLEA operatives, the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders on Friday, August 28.

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Also, a 31-year-old United States returnee, Sowunmi David Oludotun, was arrested on August 19 at Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, after he allegedly showed up to take delivery of 3.350kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis imported from the United Kingdom.

In Rivers State, NDLEA operatives raided the notorious Abuja Down/Up area of Port Harcourt and recovered a fireproof iron safe containing different illicit drugs.

The agency said the safe was cracked open with a welding machine on Tuesday, August 25, leading to the recovery of 237g of Colorado cannabis, 316g of cocaine and 10g of heroin.

In Ondo State, three suspects—Oyedele Daniel, 42; Taye Saliu, 36; and Kehinde Saliu, 36—were arrested on Friday, August 28, along the Ipele-Idoani Road with 728kg of skunk recovered from their truck marked KRE 120 XB.

Two other suspects, Uche Joseph, 35, and Godwin Umeh, 21, were arrested at Aponmu Forest on Wednesday, August 26, with 341kg of the same substance.

Similarly, in Delta State, more than 176,000 pills of assorted opioids, including tramadol and Molly, were recovered in two interdiction operations conducted between Wednesday, August 26, and Friday, August 28.

Commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Ondo and Delta Commands for the operations, the NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), urged personnel across the country to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control.

Marwa also directed the operatives to maintain the momentum against drug traffickers who, he said, were becoming increasingly desperate and exploring different methods to move illicit consignments.

He specifically warned against attempts to conceal drugs in everyday household items.

“Drug traffickers are desperate to explore every means, including concealment in everyday household items like soap, to move their illicit consignments,” Marwa said.

He urged NDLEA personnel to remain vigilant and sustain their efforts against drug trafficking across the country.