— 20.5kg cocaine found in cups and cream containers; nearly 25,000kg skunk destroyed in Edo, Osun forests
In a sweeping crackdown on international drug trafficking networks, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has smashed two major cocaine cartels operating out of Lagos, arresting six suspects including the mastermind, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, a self-styled businessman and real estate developer.
According to the NDLEA, the operations—spanning over three weeks—led to the interception of six UK-bound cocaine shipments concealed in stainless cups, body cream, and hair gel containers. The seizures were made by operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, following a series of intelligence-led investigations.
The first breakthrough came on September 16, 2025, when officers intercepted 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.4 kilograms hidden within cocoa butter body cream containers. A cargo agent was immediately arrested, leading investigators to the suspected kingpin, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode.
After weeks of surveillance and coordination with the police, Ode was arrested at the Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Lagos, where he had earlier reported a dispute. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to owning the consignment, which he said he purchased for over ₦150 million. Ode, who recently returned from the United Kingdom after 27 years in Europe, claimed to have lived in Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the UK.
A separate NDLEA operation uncovered another syndicate attempting to export cocaine to the United Kingdom through similar concealment methods. The unraveling of the network began on September 26, when 2.1kg of cocaine hidden inside hair cream containers was intercepted at the airport’s export shed.
The arrest of a cargo agent led to the apprehension of Smith David Korede, a furniture maker based in Mafoluku, Oshodi, where 1.4kg of cocaine was also recovered. Two additional consignments—each weighing 1.0kg and bound for the UK—were seized in quick succession, all traced back to Korede.
On October 2, two more UK-bound cocaine shipments were intercepted at the MMIA export shed. The NDLEA arrested Ogunbiyi Oluseye Taiwo and Popoola Francis Olumuyiwa in connection with the finds. One consignment was disguised as a crayfish package containing 12 stainless cups concealing 1kg of cocaine, while another had 36 hair cream containers used to hide 1.6kg of the drug.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives at courier hubs in Lagos intercepted 6.3kg of Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in bedsheets and hibiscus flowers from Thailand. In Kano, a joint NDLEA-Customs operation along the Danbatta-Daura Road led to the arrest of 38-year-old Sa’adu Ali, with 290,450 pills of Tramadol and Pregabalin seized.
Across other states, multiple arrests and seizures were recorded:
- In Lagos, a notorious dealer known as SammyBless (John Igbe) was arrested in Lekki with 550 grams of Colorado (synthetic cannabis). Three others were nabbed in Mushin with 109kg of skunk, 20 bottles of codeine, and 2kg of nitrous oxide.
- At the Trade Fair Complex, 3,700 bottles of codeine syrup and 550,000 expired Diclofenac tablets were recovered.
- In Kwara, Salisu Abubakar was caught with 27,700 Tramadol pills, while in Kaduna, Blessing Ovaka, 50, was arrested with 498.5kg of skunk.
- In Osun, operatives destroyed 14,000kg of cannabis on 5.6 hectares of farmland and arrested three suspects.
- In Edo, over 10,897kg of skunk was destroyed in Ovia North East, with two suspects arrested.
NDLEA teams also intercepted 3.2kg of Loud along the Okene–Lokoja highway, leading to the arrest of Tobi Odubote, 34, in Abuja. Another suspect, Ismail Abdurrahim, was caught with 25.5kg of skunk along the Abaji–Abuja expressway.
The agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign also intensified nationwide with sensitization visits to schools, markets, and communities across Adamawa, Katsina, Niger, Lagos, and Imo states.
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the agency’s operatives for their “tenacity and professionalism,” vowing that every layer of the drug cartels would be dismantled.
“These operations show our resolve to target every link in the chain — from couriers to kingpins,” Marwa said. “Every arrest and seizure means lives saved and communities protected, in Nigeria and abroad.”
He commended officers from the MMIA, Kano, Edo, Kwara, Kaduna, Ogun, Osun, Kogi, and FCT commands for their dedication to the NDLEA’s anti-drug mission.