NDLEA Intercepts Captagon Consignment, Other Illicit Drugs in Nationwide Operations

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a consignment of an amphetamine-based drug, Captagon, in Kwara State, as part of a series of operations targeting drug trafficking networks across the country.

Captagon, a highly addictive stimulant commonly used in the Middle East, is known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, euphoria, and reduced fear. Authorities have linked the substance to criminal networks and insurgent activities.

The NDLEA disclosed the development in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

According to the agency, the interception followed an earlier seizure at the Apapa seaport in Lagos. Operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road on April 21, 2026, arrested a 33-year-old suspect, Nasiru Mu’azu, in a trailer, where a search led to the recovery of 10 packs of Captagon comprising 10,000 pills, alongside nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.

In a related operation at the same location on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted another trailer and recovered 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam concealed in a false compartment. A suspect, Aminu Isah, 24, was arrested.

In Oyo State, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo Expressway on April 21. A passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, 33, was found to have ingested illicit drugs after a body scan confirmed the presence of narcotics. He later excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms over three sessions.

The suspect was reportedly attempting to transport the drugs to Europe via trans-Saharan routes, using Algeria as a transit point after an initial delivery in Sokoto.

Similarly, in Edo State, NDLEA operatives on April 25 intercepted a truck along the Benin/Lagos Expressway carrying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were arrested, with the consignment reportedly bound for Onitsha, Anambra State.

Other operations across the country led to further seizures and arrests. In Lagos, a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, 40, was apprehended with 810 kilograms of cannabis, while in Bauchi State, Muktar Bello, 35, was arrested with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5 kilograms.

In Ekiti State, operatives recovered 466.8 kilograms of skunk from a residence, while in Cross River State, 20,000 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on farmland were destroyed.

In Niger State, NDLEA officers seized 394 components suspected to be used for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, 26, who has since been handed over to relevant security agencies.

Chairman of the agency, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended officers involved in the operations, describing the Captagon seizure as a significant disruption of drug trafficking activities.

He warned that the drug remains a major target for traffickers due to its links to violence and insecurity, adding that the agency would sustain its efforts to curb the spread of illicit substances nationwide.