Follow Us on Google Discover
Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 65 Battalion have intercepted a truck conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs along the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, leading to the arrest of the vehicle’s driver.
The development was disclosed on Sunday, July 12, by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 81 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Musa Yahaya, in a statement.
According to the Army, the intelligence-led operation was carried out on Wednesday, July 9, after troops acted on credible intelligence, resulting in the interception of the truck transporting the illicit consignment and the arrest of the driver.
What they are saying
The Army said troops of the 65 Battalion successfully intercepted the truck after acting on actionable intelligence from a credible source, describing the operation as a significant success in ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking and other criminal activities within its area of responsibility.
Also Read
Preliminary investigations indicated that the illicit drugs were being transported to the Berger area of Lagos State, but the arrested driver was unable to provide satisfactory information about either the owner of the consignment or its intended recipient.
- “Initial investigations showed the drugs were being conveyed to the Berger area of Lagos, but the suspect could not satisfactorily identify the owner or intended recipient of the consignment.“
The Army added that both the suspect and the recovered drugs had been transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Command, for further investigation and prosecution in line with established procedures.
- “The suspect and the recovered illicit drugs have been handed over to the NDLEA Lagos State Command for further investigation and prosecution in accordance with established procedures.“
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major General Adebayo Babalola, commended the troops for their professionalism and vigilance, urging them to sustain the momentum against drug traffickers and other criminal elements operating within the division’s area of responsibility.
Get up to speed
The latest interception comes shortly after the NDLEA announced the arrest of two suspected international drug traffickers. One was a 38-year-old South African woman apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria with her three-year-old son after arriving from Doha.
- In a separate operation at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, operatives arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider who arrived from Madagascar via Ethiopia with methamphetamine concealed in his luggage and body.
The suspect later excreted additional drug pellets under observation, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.
What you should know
The latest seizure adds to a series of intensified anti-drug operations across Nigeria this year. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the NDLEA secured 974 convictions for drug-related offences nationwide, including 11 major drug kingpins who received a combined 254 years in prison.
According to the agency, convictions rose steadily throughout the quarter—from 265 in January to 316 in February and 393 in March—highlighting its continued crackdown on drug trafficking and prosecution of offenders across the country.
