A 38-year-old businessman, Philip Tunde, has been arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, after operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) allegedly found 4.80 kilograms of cocaine concealed in his luggage.
Tunde was arrested on September 27, 2026, at the screening area of Terminal 2 shortly before he was due to board a Royal Air Maroc flight to Milan, Italy.
The agency said its operatives discovered 16 packages of cocaine hidden inside eight pairs of trainers and canvas shoes during a search of his luggage. Another 195 wraps were allegedly concealed in the railings of four travel bags.
During questioning, Tunde reportedly told investigators that he paid N16 million in cash for the cocaine concealed in the shoes, while the drugs hidden in the bags were intended for a partner in Italy.
He also reportedly said the money used to purchase the drugs came from compensation he received after losing two fingers in an accident at a plastic manufacturing company in Italy.
The airport seizure was recorded alongside other major drug interceptions by NDLEA operatives at ports in Lagos and Rivers states.
At Apapa Port in Lagos, officers inspecting two containers from Bangkok, Thailand, on September 3 reportedly recovered 161 parcels of Thai Loud weighing 124 kilograms and valued at N372 million. The cannabis was allegedly concealed inside two refrigerators and two cartons.
At Onne Port in Rivers State, a joint inspection of two containers placed on the agency's watch list led to the discovery of 40 packs of Loud weighing 22 kilograms. The drugs were reportedly hidden in a travel bag alongside three vehicles — a Toyota Matrix, Toyota Corolla and Hyundai Elantra.
A separate container was found to contain 109,600 bottles of codeine syrup with a combined weight of 16,440 kilograms. The shipment originated from India and passed through Saudi Arabia, with the combined estimated street value of the seized consignments put at N833.2 million.
At Tincan Island Port, Lagos, on September 29, agents also uncovered 2,595 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 1,297.5 kilograms. The drugs were allegedly concealed inside a Toyota Sienna, a Hyundai Elantra, 24 blue drums and six jumbo bags in a container shipped from Montreal, Canada. The consignment was valued at more than N3.8 billion.
Other seizures and arrests were recorded in several states.
In Osun State, NDLEA operatives on September 30 destroyed 20,234 kilograms of skunk across 8.0936 hectares of cannabis farmland in Area 4 of Ife South Local Government Area.
Plateau State also recorded two arrests. A 41-year-old man, Agbo Dennis, was arrested on September 29 at West of Mines in Jos North with 33 bags of skunk weighing 385 kilograms.
On the same day, operatives re-arrested 47-year-old Idris Mohammed Kurra, who had allegedly been on the run for six years after jumping bail in a Federal High Court case in Jos involving 198 kilograms of skunk.
In Lagos, a raid on an empty property at Divine Estate, Ago Palace, on September 28 led to the recovery of 209,000 tramadol tablets.
Two days later, operatives arrested 23-year-old Ekundayo Taiwo at Ladipo Spare Parts Market with 61 grams of Colorado and 24 grams of methamphetamine allegedly concealed inside an energy drink bottle.
Meanwhile, a patrol team on the Okene-Lokoja highway intercepted a package containing one kilogram of methamphetamine on September 30 and arrested 29-year-old Michael Chukwuememka Uzoma of Utako, Abuja.
In Edo State, authorities reportedly recovered 32.2 kilograms of cannabis sativa during a raid on the residence of 35-year-old Saturday Omimi in Uyere, Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
Another suspect, 23-year-old Osazuwa Iyabor Michael, was also arrested at Auchi Bypass with various illegal drugs.