Lagos, Nigeria – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has seized more than 700,000 tramadol pills and other illicit substances across Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and several other states in coordinated operations over the past week. The agency said the raids highlight intensified efforts to dismantle drug trafficking networks nationwide.
Okay News reports that NDLEA operatives intercepted opioids, cannabis, and methamphetamine through airport checks, highway patrols, and courier firm inspections. At Murtala Muhammed International Airport, suspects were caught attempting to smuggle thousands of tramadol pills concealed in body cream containers and winter jackets bound for Europe.
In Lagos, officers recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine syrup in Ijora and arrested suspects with 8,380 bottles on the Third Mainland Bridge. Courier interceptions also uncovered cannabis shipped from the United States and methamphetamine hidden in cartons destined for New Zealand. In Kano, Edo, and Oyo states, large quantities of skunk were seized, while in Kaduna, operatives confiscated 586,000 tramadol and exol-5 pills along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.
Additional seizures included 91,840 tramadol pills in Abuja, 77,660 capsules in Taraba, and 82.8 kilograms of tramadol in Adamawa. NDLEA Chairman Mohamed Buba Marwa commended officers for their efforts, urging them to sustain enforcement alongside public sensitisation campaigns.
The crackdown underscores the scale of drug trafficking networks operating across Nigeria. Recent seizures at Apapa Port in Lagos by NDLEA and the Nigeria Customs Service have revealed billions of naira worth of codeine syrup, expired drugs, and restricted equipment, reinforcing the urgency of coordinated enforcement measures.
