Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested Adekoya Adebukonla Mary, a 43-year-old makeup artist, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Gatekeepers News reports that Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, 22nd June 2025.
The suspect, who claimed she was travelling to India for fibroid surgery, was arrested after 2.20 kilograms of cocaine were discovered concealed in the walls of her luggage.
The arrest was made on Monday, June 16, 2025, following credible intelligence. Adekoya was placed under surveillance, allowed to check in her luggage, and apprehended at the boarding gate of her Qatar Airways flight to India via Doha.
Two large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.2kg hidden in its lining were revealed when her suitcase was searched.
Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted she was embarking on the trip for financial benefit, using a pretext of going for fibroid surgery in India.
Further investigations revealed that she was recruited and sponsored by a wanted drug kingpin, Akeem Ayinde Adekanbi, owner of Rockford Hotel in Sango, Ogun State, and resident of Igbe Laara, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos.
At a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operation and General Investigation (DOGI) on Thursday 19th June intercepted a shipment of sewn female dresses containing 1.3kg Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, going to Bahrain, while at another courier firm the previous day, Wednesday 18th June, operatives uncovered 850grams of cocaine concealed in cloth hangers heading to Australia.
In Bauchi state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Monday 16th June arrested the duo of Ibrahim Galadima, 37, and Ibrahim Muhammed, 28, along Bauchi-Darazo road. A total of One Million and Thirteen Thousand (1,013,000) pills of opioids namely: tramadol, diazepam, and exol-5 were recovered from them.
While 38-year-old Bishir Isyaku was nabbed on Tuesday 17th June at Gwargwaje along Kaduna-Zaria expressway with 14.2kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in two sacks of charcoal and seven cartons of rubber solution weighing 198kg, NDLEA operatives in Abuja on Wednesday 18th June arrested Murtala Adamu, Ahmed Ismai’l and four others during raid operations at Karu Abattoir and Torabora areas of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Recovered from them include 6.9kg of skunk and 59 grams of methamphetamine.
In Kano, NDLEA officers on patrol along Zaria-Kano road on Thursday 19th June arrested Umar Hamisu, 19, and Dahiru Abdullahi, 32, with 56.2kg skunk, while another suspect Obiwuru Henry, 27, was nabbed same day with 23,720 capsules of tramadol and 1,400 ampoules of pentazocine along Jaba road Fagge LGA. Similarly, Abubakar Modu, 60, was nabbed with 36.6kg of skunk and Abdulkadir Muhammed, 28, with 32kg of same substance along Zaria-Kano road on Saturday 21st June.
A 22-year-old female Student of Kwara State Polytechnic, Olotin Nifemi, notorious for selling illicit substances to other students, was on Thursday 19th June arrested at her base along Kwara Poly road, Ilorin, with 1kg of skunk.
A total of 4,226.11kg of skunk was destroyed at Ugbada camp, Uzebba forest, Owan West LGA, Edo state when NDLEA operatives raided the camp to destroy cannabis farms on Friday 20th June. A suspect, Albert Shamaki, 33, was nabbed during the operation. Operatives had on Thursday 19th June raided the Big Jamaya supermarket at Emado community in Esan West LGA where a suspect Esther Abumere, 28, was arrested and assorted illicit drugs recovered.
Illicit substances seized include: Colorado, Loud, Molly, Tramadol, and other opioids. Another raid at a provision shop at Idumeka Igueben led to the seizure of 1.143kg of skunk and arrest of a female suspect, Eko Gift, 38.
Babafemi noted that the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA Commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
Some of them include: WADA sensitization lecture delivered to students and staff of Government Day Arabic Secondary School, Guri, Jigawa; Government College, Lafia, Nasarawa; Atodo Secondary School, Ankpa, Kogi; Natsugunne Junior Secondary School, Jabba, Kano; and Shallom Academy, Ibagwa, Enugu, while the Osun State Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at his palace in Ile Ife, among others.
NDLEA Chairman/CEO Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) commended the officers and men of the MMIA, DOGI, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Edo, and FCT Commands for their outstanding work.
He also lauded all commands across the country for maintaining a strong balance between drug supply suppression and demand reduction efforts.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, DOGI, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Edo, and FCT Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for pursuing a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
