.....The agency says it recovered 377,600 bottles of codeine syrup and 324kg of Colorado in Lagos, alongside large consignments of opioids and cannabis in several states.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested a 48-year-old businessman allegedly attempting to export 1.55kg of cocaine to India, while officers seized multi-billion-naira consignments of codeine, cannabis and opioids in a series of operations across Nigeria.
The agency said the arrests and seizures took place between 10 and 14 August, with operations spanning Lagos, Kwara, Oyo, Delta, Plateau, Kano and Edo states.
The latest figures highlight the scale and variety of Nigeria's illicit drug market, from cocaine destined for an overseas market to large quantities of prescription opioids being moved within the country.
Businessman arrested at Lagos airport
NDLEA said officers arrested Nwankwo Innocent Onyebuchi at the departure hall of Terminal II of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
The agency said the suspect was preparing to board a Qatar Airways flight to New Delhi when officers found 1.55kg of cocaine concealed inside the side walls and railings of his checked-in luggage.
According to the NDLEA, Nwankwo told investigators that he had sold his marble business and other assets to raise N23m to buy the cocaine.
He allegedly expected to sell the consignment in India for about N100m.
The suspect remains in custody, according to the agency.
The arrest also shows how traffickers continue to use concealed compartments in luggage to move cocaine through Nigeria's international airports.
In July, the NDLEA said it arrested a businessman at the same Lagos airport over an alleged attempt to export 3.3kg of cocaine to the UK.N2.6bn codeine haul in Lagos
In a separate operation, the agency said it raided a warehouse inside a residential compound on Hakeem Dosumu Street in the Ago Palace area of Okota.
Officers recovered 3,776 cartons containing 377,600 bottles of codeine-based syrup, which the agency valued at more than N2.6bn.
The operation took place between Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August, according to the NDLEA.
The seizure is significant because Nigeria has faced persistent problems with the diversion and non-medical use of pharmaceutical opioids.
A national drug-use survey published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that prescription opioids, including tramadol and codeine, ranked among the most commonly used drugs in Nigeria after cannabis.
The government restricted the production and distribution of codeine-containing cough syrup in 2018 after concerns about widespread misuse.
The World Health Organisation also warns that prolonged or non-medical opioid use can lead to dependence and other health problems, while overdose can cause potentially fatal breathing difficulties.
324kg of Colorado recoveredNDLEA officers also raided the residence of 55-year-old Shoremi Kayode in Ipaja, Lagos.
The agency said they recovered 324kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with an estimated street value of N972m.
Two vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz and a Toyota Corolla, were also recovered.
Taken together, the codeine and Colorado seizures have an estimated street value of about N3.57bn, broadly matching the agency's headline figure of N3.6bn.
Large opioid haul intercepted on Lagos-Ibadan roadIn Oyo State, NDLEA officers arrested two men after stopping their Toyota Sienna on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The agency identified them as 70-year-old Abdulfatai Oyelaran and 50-year-old Abdulrauf Ajadi.
It said officers found 52,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection and 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection in the vehicle.
The seizure is part of a wider pattern of large-scale opioid trafficking reported by the NDLEA in recent years.
In 2025, the agency reported seizing millions of tramadol pills and large quantities of cannabis and codeine in separate operations.
Hundreds of thousands of pills seizedIn another operation along the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway in Delta State, officers arrested Osaro Ikpoba, 43, and Samuel Godbless, 18.
The NDLEA said they recovered:124,100 tramadol pills
786 bottles of codeine syrup
2,598 rohypnol tablets
4,800 diazepam tablets
470 pentazocine ampoules
200 tramadol ampoules
The agency also reported the arrest of 50-year-old Emeka Tony along the Kwale-Ozoro Expressway.
It said officers found 1,244 cartridges and N8m in cash in his possession.
The circumstances surrounding the cartridges and cash were not explained in the statement.
Plateau seizure tops 239,000 tramadol capsulesIn Plateau State, NDLEA officers intercepted a Toyota Corolla along the Riyom-Jos road.
The agency said officers recovered 239,490 capsules of Tramaforce, a brand of tramadol, and arrested a suspect identified as Kasum Sherif.
The scale of the seizure illustrates the continuing challenge posed by pharmaceutical opioids, which can have legitimate medical uses but can cause dependence and other serious harm when misused.
Kano operations uncover cocaine, methamphetamine and cannabis
NDLEA officers arrested six people during a patrol along the Zaria-Kano road.
They were identified as Okodili Ibeabuchi, 60; Onyeka Vincent, 47; Nwanko Wisdom, 36; Success Chigozie, 30; Emmanuel Jude, 27; and Chinedu Peter, 39.
The agency said officers recovered 728,958 pills of tramadol, rohypnol and other opioids, alongside 360g of cocaine, 99.8g of methamphetamine, 50 bottles of codeine syrup and 2.7kg of Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain.
In another Kano operation, officers raided the Zawaciki Gida Dubu area of Kumbotso Local Government Area.
They recovered 171 blocks of skunk weighing 106.8kg and arrested Mustapha Iliya, 30, and Abdulwahab Abdulrashid, 24.
More than 4.6 tonnes of cannabis destroyed in Edo
The NDLEA also reported the destruction of 4,628.9775kg of skunk from two cannabis farms in Edo State.
The farms covered about 1.85 hectares in the Ugboku/Igbanke forest in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
A 40-year-old suspect, Agholor Elebojie, was arrested during the operation, according to the agency.
Another suspect, Kingsley Anigala, 28, was arrested during a raid on drug joints in the Oluku area of Benin City.
The NDLEA said he was found with 25.857kg of Loud and 93g of methamphetamine.
Why the seizures matter
The operations demonstrate that Nigeria's drug-control challenge extends beyond individual users or street-level dealers.
The NDLEA's own mandate covers the interception of illicit drugs at airports, seaports and land borders, as well as enforcement against production, trafficking and possession.
The agency also has responsibility for prevention, counselling and rehabilitation.
That balance matters because seizures alone do not measure the size of the underlying market.
The NDLEA has repeatedly reported major opioid seizures at Nigerian ports.
In 2026, it said a Federal High Court granted an interim forfeiture order involving 17 containers containing opioids valued at more than N33.6bn in street value.
The agency also reported the destruction of about 1.6 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs seized across Lagos, Ogun and Oyo in 2025.
These figures suggest that enforcement agencies are intercepting substantial quantities, but they do not establish how much of the illegal supply escapes detection.
That distinction is important for assessing whether increased seizures represent a reduction in trafficking or simply stronger enforcement.
Enforcement must go beyond arrests
The NDLEA said its War Against Drug Abuse programme continued during the week, including sensitisation sessions for students and staff at schools in Kano and Lagos.
Chairman of the agency, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended officers involved in the operations.
He also praised NDLEA commands nationwide for what he described as maintaining a balance between drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction.
The agency's approach reflects the two sides of Nigeria's drug policy: stopping traffickers while also reducing demand through prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.
The public-health dimension is particularly important for opioids.
WHO says effective treatment exists for opioid dependence and that prevention, treatment and care should form part of the response alongside enforcement.
What happens next?
The suspects arrested in the various operations are expected to face investigation and, where evidence supports charges, prosecution.
The NDLEA will also need to establish the alleged ownership and intended destination of the drugs, identify other people involved in the supply chains and trace any proceeds linked to the trafficking operations.
For the public, the latest seizures offer evidence of continuing enforcement but also underline a wider question: whether arrests and drug destruction are translating into a sustained reduction in drug availability and harmful use.
That will depend not only on the number of seizures made, but also on successful prosecutions, disruption of trafficking networks and access to effective prevention and treatment services.
