Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered a major drug trafficking operation involving cocaine concealed in dried fish heads, popularly known as “okporoko,” in a coordinated crackdown spanning multiple states.
The agency disclosed on Sunday that the illicit consignment, weighing 5.80 kilograms, was intercepted by its Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command following credible intelligence on trans-border criminal activities.
According to the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the seizure was made during a sting operation in the Ojo area of Lagos on March 19, 2026.
Babafemi said operatives arrested a suspected drug kingpin, Akputa Dickson Ejike, 36, who was found in possession of three jumbo bags.
A subsequent search revealed 237 wraps of cocaine carefully concealed inside dried fish heads, with the shipment destined for Delhi, India.
In a related development, the agency arrested an 80-year-old suspect, Oke Samuel, during a raid at Mosafuneto camp in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State. Items recovered from him included 2.2 kilograms of skunk and 1.8 grams of methamphetamine.
The NDLEA also recorded further breakthroughs in Lagos, where officers attached to its Directorate of Operations and General Investigation intercepted two separate consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a courier firm on March 25.
One of the shipments, traced to Cotonou, Benin Republic, contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in automobile filters, while another parcel comprised 40 ampoules of morphine sulphate and nine ampoules of fentany both classified as highly controlled substances.
In another operation, the agency’s Special Operations Unit raided a residence on Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos, leading to the arrest of a suspected drug syndicate leader, Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, 46, also known as “Iya Ghana,” alongside her associate, Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka, 31.
The operatives recovered 135 blocks of “Ghana Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, weighing 76.30 kilograms. Investigations revealed that Jolayemi allegedly ran a cross-border drug distribution network between Nigeria and Ghana under the guise of a textile business.
On the same day, another suspect, Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, was arrested at Doyin bus stop in Surulere, Lagos, with 78 blocks of the same cannabis strain weighing 41 kilograms.
Across other states, NDLEA intensified its clampdown on illicit drug activities. In Ondo State, operatives raided an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North, arresting Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley, 37, and seizing 894.72 kilograms of skunk.
Similarly, in Benue State, 116.7 kilograms of skunk were recovered from a suspect, Saater Nyam, during a raid in Pevi village, Guma Local Government Area.
In Edo State, officers uncovered a warehouse in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area, on March 23, leading to the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of skunk alongside 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
Meanwhile, in Taraba State, NDLEA operatives intercepted a truck conveying 135 kilograms of compressed skunk concealed in bags of animal feed along the Garbachede-Gombe route. Two suspects, Osama Mamuda, 21, and Auwal Umar, 22, were arrested in connection with the haul.
The agency said the operations underscore its renewed offensive against drug trafficking networks and the increasing sophistication of concealment methods employed by traffickers.
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