The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 10,000 pills of the highly addictive amphetamine known as Captagon in Kwara State
In a statement by the agency, the seizure comes nearly five years after the first recorded interception of Captagon in Africa at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
Captagon, widely abused across the Middle East, is known for inducing prolonged alertness and euphoria in users, often pushing them toward reckless and dangerous behaviour. The drug has also been linked to funding activities of militant groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
What they are saying
According to the agency, the latest seizure was made on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, along Bode Saadu Road in Kwara State.
NDLEA operatives on patrol intercepted a passenger in a commercial trailer, identified as 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu, during a routine search.
- “The latest seizure of captagon, which street value costs as much as $25 a pill, was made on Tuesday, 21st April 2026, when NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu road, Kwara state, intercepted a trailer conveying passengers.
A search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu’azu led to the recovery of 10 packs of captagon consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg,” the statement said.
A businessman excretes 45 cocaine pellets
The agency in Oyo State intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan–Oyo expressway at Akinyele on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, while it was en route to Sokoto.
A 33-year-old passenger, identified as Eze Prince Emeka, was subjected to a body scan, which confirmed ingestion of illicit drugs
- “The suspect who claims to be a businessman in Sokoto was subsequently placed under close excretion observation during which he excreted a total of forty-five (45) pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.043 kilograms in three excretions,” they stated
According to the agency, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect opted to travel by road to evade detection at airport screening points. He was expected to excrete the pellets upon arrival in Sokoto, rest for a few days, and then re-ingest the substances for onward trafficking through trans-Saharan routes.
The route was said to include Algeria as a transit point, with the final destination believed to be in Europe.
More insights
Further operations across the country led to multiple seizures and arrests.
- In Edo State, NDLEA officers intercepted a truck along the Benin–Lagos expressway conveying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo and Omijie Malik, were arrested, with the consignment reportedly bound for Onitsha.
- In Lagos, a 40-year-old suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, was arrested at Mile 2 with 810 kilograms of a cannabis strain known as Arizona.
- In Cross River State, operatives destroyed 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated across eight hectares of farmland, while also recovering 170 kilograms of processed substance during the raid.
In Niger State, officers intercepted 394 components of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, who was transporting the materials to Mariga LGA. The suspect and recovered items have been handed over to the relevant security agencies for further investigation.
What you should know
NDLEA continues to make significant drug interceptions in Nigeria, uncovering large quantities of narcotics concealed on passengers or in luggage
The agency intercepted two suspected traffickers at Lagos and Port Harcourt airports who had ingested a total of 125 wraps of heroin during attempted smuggling operations.
In October 2024, NDLEA operatives at Murtala Muhammed International Airport stopped two businessmen and a Canada‑based nurse for cocaine and cannabis trafficking.
- A Nigerian Canadian nurse was also detained with parcels of cannabis hidden in her luggage, highlighting how traffickers use both body concealment and luggage to move illicit drugs.
