NDLEA raids Lagos warehouses, seizes N16.9 billion worth of opioids

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have raided three illicit drug warehouses in Lagos, recovering opioids worth N16.9 billion.

This was disclosed on Wednesday, April 29, by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued from Abuja.

The agency said the intelligence-led coordinated operations were carried out on Friday, April 17, 2026, at multiple locations in Okota, including Park View Estate, Ago Palace, where one major warehouse and two additional storage facilities were uncovered.

What they are saying

NDLEA said its operatives targeted hidden drug warehouses within a residential estate in Okota, leading to a massive seizure of opioids valued at billions of naira.

• “Operatives of the NDLEA have raided three illicit drug warehouses hidden in a residential estate in Okota area of Lagos where 2,360,000 pills of high-potency tramadol 225mg and 1,909,400 bottles of codeine syrup with a combined street value of N16,927,200,000 were recovered,” the statement reads in part.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, said the operation represents a major breakthrough against drug trafficking networks.

• “The scale of this recovery, nearly 4.3 million units of lethal substances, is a testament to the fact that our officers are staying several steps ahead of these merchants of death,” he said.
• “To find such volumes hidden within residential estates like Park View and busy hubs like Okota shows the desperation of these cartels, but it also highlights the peerless intelligence capabilities of our team,” he added.

Get up to speed

Such large seizures from warehouse operations in Lagos are not new.

• In September 2022, NDLEA seized 1.8 tonnes of cocaine valued at about N194.8 billion from a warehouse in Ikorodu, Lagos.
• In 2023, the agency recovered hard drugs worth N4.8 billion from a Lagos warehouse, including millions of tramadol and codeine pills.

In November last year, NDLEA also intercepted opioids worth N6.7 billion following a sting operation that dismantled a major cartel operating from a residential estate in Isolo, Lagos.

What you should know

Recent operations by NDLEA across Nigeria highlight a sustained nationwide crackdown on illicit drug networks.

• Three days ago, Nairametrics reported that NDLEA intercepted 10,000 pills of Captagon in Kwara State.
• The agency also disclosed that it seized drugs worth over N1.8 billion and arrested 104 suspected traffickers in Edo State during the first quarter of 2026.
• On March 29, NDLEA operatives arrested a 46-year-old woman, Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, popularly known as “Iya Ghana,” in Lagos, recovering 76.30 kilograms of “Ghana Loud.”

Similarly, on March 22, the agency reported seizing over 700,000 tramadol pills and other illicit drugs across Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna, following earlier interceptions, including 3,398 cartons of codeine syrup valued at N3.39 billion at the port.