The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted cocaine concealed in food flasks at the Lagos airport
This was disclosed on Sunday by Femi Babafemi in a statement issued on April 19, 2026.
The seizure was made at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport on April 9, 2026.
What the agency is saying
The NDLEA said the cocaine consignment was a gross weight of 2.80 kilograms, which was bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight.
Two cargo agents, Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, were arrested in connection with the attempted export.
- “The cocaine consignment with a gross weight of 2.80 kilograms was intercepted on Thursday, 9th April 2026 by NDLEA operatives attached to the export shed of the Lagos airport while two cargo agents involved in the export bid: Ama Obinna Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Monday Akorede, 39, were swiftly arrested,” they stated.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarding agent Agoro Tajudeen Moninuola.
More insights
In a related operation, NDLEA officers at the import shed of the Lagos airport intercepted 2.90 kilograms of Loud cannabis concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States on a Delta Airlines flight.
- “Two cargo clearing agents: Animashaun Moshood Adetunji and Mercy Gabriel Oluwasegun, were initially arrested in connection with the seizure before the consignee, Saheed Adeshina Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was nabbed in a follow-up operation at 3 Oba Ogunji road, Ogba, Lagos, on Monday, 13th April,” it said.
In Kaduna, operatives recovered 847 kilograms of cannabis hidden in a cement truck along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, leading to the arrest of the driver.
In Cross River, NDLEA officers destroyed 15,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of farmland and arrested a 53-year-old suspect during a raid.
In Edo State, officers raided a cannabis farm at Saboro camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area, where 2,281.43 kilograms of cannabis were destroyed.
Three suspects, Nweke Smart, 27; Christopher Egbe, 62; and Monday Ayan, 45, were arrested, with 38.5 kilograms of cannabis and seeds recovered from them.
In Lagos, operatives arrested two suspects at Mile 2 along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway while transporting 11,900 capsules of tramadol and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injection in a truck heading to Ghana.
On the same day, a raid at a two-storey building in the Petti area of Lagos Island led to the recovery of an additional 95.8 kilograms of cannabis.
What you should know
Earlier in February, authorities arrested a Nigerian-born businessman based in Brazil at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after cocaine was discovered concealed in his footwear and private parts.
- In another case, weeks earlier, a 37-year-old businessman was apprehended while attempting to smuggle more than 5 kilograms of tramadol hidden inside full-body mannequins destined for Cameroon.
- NDLEA statistics show that the agency has arrested over 62,000 suspected drug traffickers between January 2021 and March 2025, while also destroying more than 10 million kilograms of various illicit substances.
- In late 2025, the agency reported major seizures during nationwide operations, including nearly 8 million tramadol pills and tens of thousands of kilograms of cannabis uncovered in markets, highways and hidden warehouses across several states.
