NDLEA Arrests Ex-Lagos Councillor, Seizes Drugs Hidden in Baby Diapers, Intercepts IED Components in Niger
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a former councillor in Lagos State and intercepted multiple consignments of illicit drugs and suspected explosive materials in a series of operations across several states.
The agency said the arrests and seizures were recorded during coordinated enforcement operations conducted in Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Niger, Adamawa, Kano, Ogun, Delta and Edo states.
NDLEA operatives arrested a 45-year-old former councillor of Ibeju-Lekki, Sheleru Sadiq Olalekan, following intelligence linking him to illicit drug trafficking. The suspect, who previously served two terms representing the Orimedu community in the local government council and currently works as a legislative aide, was apprehended on Monday, March 2, 2026, at his residence in Ilado area of Ibeju-Lekki.
During a search of the property, officers recovered 40 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the rooms. The suspect reportedly admitted ownership of both the drugs and the building where they were found.
In another operation in Abuja, NDLEA officers on Tuesday, March 3, intercepted a 32-year-old businessman, Emeka Hyginus Okwor, who was travelling from Obollo-Afor in Enugu State to Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory. A search of his luggage revealed 1,000 pills of tapentadol (250mg) concealed inside baby diapers.
According to the agency, the suspect confessed that he was transporting the consignment to Guduwa village in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State where he operates a provision store.
Also on March 3, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Kabba–Obajana highway in Kogi State intercepted a commercial bus conveying a consignment of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis, weighing 1.55 kilograms. The drugs were hidden inside a carton of a standing fan and belonged to a 36-year-old Cameroonian national, Mey Ali Muhamat, who was travelling from Lagos to Cameroon through Lokoja, Kano and Maiduguri.
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In a related development, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Mokwa–Jebba road in Niger State intercepted a commercial bus from Ibadan carrying 500 components suspected to be used in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The materials were concealed in a white sack meant for delivery to a recipient in Pelegi community.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of the intended recipient, identified as 21-year-old Osama Abdullahi, in Pelegi town within Mashegu Local Government Area.
Further operations in Yola led to the interception of 122,000 pills of tramadol and 700 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the false bottom of a truck marked ENU 645XX transporting 2,000 cartons of local drinks.
In Kano State, NDLEA officers arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Muhammed Ali, at Gadar Tamburawa on March 3 with 11,283 tramadol pills.
Similarly, in Ogun State, operatives raided Ogere community and arrested two suspects, Nazifi Mudansir and Kabiru Musa, found in possession of 46 kilograms of skunk.
In Delta State, two suspects—Joy Chukwuma, 25, and Eugene Felix, 22—were arrested on March 7 at Ogwashi-Uku with 18.63 kilograms of skunk, 10.8 litres of codeine-based syrup and 4,268 pills of tramadol and swinol.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives also destroyed 1,910.25 kilograms of skunk on two cannabis farms in Egbisi forest in Uhumwonde Local Government Area of Edo State, where two suspects, Eke London, 48, and Austin Isusi, 49, were arrested. Another suspect, Alaba Adeboye, 47, was apprehended at Ikhin town in Owan East Local Government Area with 176.50 kilograms of skunk.
Beyond enforcement activities, the agency also intensified its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy campaign in schools, workplaces and communities across the country over the past week. Sensitisation lectures were held in several institutions, including Government Senior College Apata in Ibadan, Government Girls Secondary School Katcha in Niger State, Government Girls Day Secondary School Tsafe in Zamfara, and Sango Junior Secondary School Agege in Lagos.
Other schools that hosted the campaign include Government Day Secondary School Illela in Sokoto State, Archbishop Akinola International Secondary School Afikpo in Ebonyi State and Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School Abagana in Anambra State.
Commending the officers and men involved in the operations, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Buba Marwa, praised commands in Lagos, the FCT, Kano, Niger, Kogi, Ogun, Delta, Adamawa and Edo states for their vigilance and professionalism.
Marwa urged the officers to sustain the agency’s balanced approach to drug control, which combines enforcement operations with preventive education and community engagement.
By PRNigeria
