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| NDLEA N6.2bn drug seizure at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos |
Caption: NDLEA operatives displaying seized Captagon pills and opioid tablets worth N6.2bn at MMIA Lagos - August
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded another massive breakthrough at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, intercepting Captagon and opioid consignments worth over N6.2 billion.
In a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, the agency disclosed that a 49-year-old cross-border kingpin, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, was arrested on August 22, 2026.
Aikins, who flew in from Accra aboard African World Airlines, was caught with 47,200 pills of Captagon hidden inside blocks of Ghana Soap. The street value is estimated at N1.5 billion. He claimed the consignment was meant for northern Nigeria.
In a separate operation, NDLEA recovered four abandoned consignments containing 3.9 million tablets of Tramaking 225mg and Tapentadol 250mg, weighing 2,787.40kg and valued at N4.6 billion.
According to NDLEA, three consignments with 900,000 Tramaking tablets came from Bangladesh via RwandAir, while one with 3,000,030 Tapentadol tablets came from Amsterdam via Qatar Airways. The drugs were recovered on August 28 after joint examination with Customs.
Other raids across Lagos, Rivers, Ondo and Delta States also led to seizures of Loud, cocaine, heroin, skunk and over 176,000 opioid pills.
NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the officers and warned that traffickers now hide drugs in everyday household items.
This is more than a drug seizure. It is a window into how trafficking routes are changing in West Africa.
On August 22, the NDLEA arrested Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, a 49-year-old kingpin, at Lagos airport. His method was simple but deceptive. He melted and recast local Ghana Soap and embedded 47,200 Captagon pills inside. Captagon, dubbed the Jihadi drug, is a powerful amphetamine that sells for huge profits in northern Nigeria and the Sahel.
Why This Bust Matters:
1. The Ghana-Lagos-North Route: The fact that Aikins flew Accra-Lagos and claimed delivery was for northern Nigeria shows Lagos is no longer just a destination, but a transit hub.
2. The Abandoned Cargo Tactic: The N4.6bn opioid seizure was different. Four consignments were left unclaimed at the import shed. This is a classic tactic. Traffickers watch from a distance. If customs does not flag it, they come forward with fake documents. The NDLEA's decision to place it under surveillance for days before evacuating it on August 28 was key.
3. Source Diversification: Bangladesh via RwandAir and Amsterdam via Qatar Airways. This shows traffickers are no longer relying on one source country.
Chairman Marwa's warning is critical for importers and freight agents. If you clear goods at MMIA, extra vigilance on household items is now mandatory.
You have seen Ghana Soap in every market. Now NDLEA says drug barons are using it to hide drugs.
Last week at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos, NDLEA officers arrested a 49-year-old man, Akinbile Kazeem Aikins, who just arrived from Ghana. When they checked his bag, they found blocks of Ghana Soap. Inside the soap? 47,200 pills of Captagon, the dangerous Jihadi drug. Value: N1.5 billion alone.
And that is not all.
At the same airport, NDLEA found 4 abandoned boxes nobody wanted to claim. Inside were 3.9 MILLION tablets of Tramaking and Tapentadol. Total weight: over 2,700kg. Value: N4.6 billion.
These ones came all the way from Bangladesh and Amsterdam.
NDLEA also busted people in Lekki with UK Loud, in Port Harcourt with cocaine and heroin hidden inside a fireproof safe that had to be cut open with welding machine, and in Ondo with over 1,000kg of skunk.
NDLEA boss, Gen. Buba Marwa, has commended his men and warned Nigerians to be alert. Traffickers are now hiding drugs inside everyday things.
What do you think should be the punishment for this kind of cross-border trafficking? Drop your comment.
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