Palm Oil Keg Bust Unravels N7bn Drug Web as NDLEA Nets Saudi-Bound Courier, 85-Year-Old Grandma

A routine passenger screening at Kano airport has exposed a sprawling narcotics network stretching from international airports to seaports and remote communities, as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intercepted a Saudi Arabia-bound drug consignment hidden inside a gallon of palm oil and uncovered illicit drugs worth more than N7 billion across multiple states.

The dramatic crackdown was headlined by the arrest of Fatimah Ahmad at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport after operatives discovered 511.75 grams of skunk concealed in a palm oil keg she was attempting to take on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Jeddah via Addis Ababa.

Investigators swiftly tracked and arrested her alleged accomplice, Abubakar Yahaya, in the airport car park.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives recorded what ranks among the agency’s biggest recent seizures when a shipment imported from India and falsely declared as maize starch was found to contain 8,725 kilograms of tramadol hydrochloride powder. The haul, uncovered at Apapa Port and confirmed through forensic analysis, carries an estimated street value of over N6.98 billion.

The agency struck again at Tincan Port, where officers discovered 55 kilograms of Canadian Loud worth N165 million hidden inside a Toyota Sienna vehicle shipped in a 40-foot container.

The nationwide offensive also swept through drug hotspots in Lagos. At Idumota Market, officers arrested Elizabeth Chidera Kalu and recovered thousands of diazepam injections and Molly tablets. Separate operations in Mushin led to the arrest of two suspects with more than 121 kilograms of skunk, while another intelligence-led interception at Iyana Oba uncovered 18,000 tramadol pills hidden inside cartons labelled as insecticide.

In Edo State, one of the most striking arrests involved 85-year-old Grace Ehimeka, who was apprehended with 179 kilograms of skunk during coordinated raids in Owan East Local Government Area. Five other suspects were arrested, with hundreds of kilograms of cannabis and other illicit substances recovered.

NDLEA operatives also dealt a major blow to cannabis cultivation in Ondo State, where they raided a forest camp and destroyed 7,500 kilograms of skunk spread across three hectares of farmland. Five suspects were arrested, while an additional 375 kilograms of cannabis was recovered in a separate operation in Owo.

In Bauchi, officers intercepted a vehicle carrying 894,800 tramadol and Exol-5 pills, while another operation along the Bauchi-Gombe road led to the recovery of 265 kilograms of cannabis abandoned in a vehicle.

Further arrests in Kano and Kaduna yielded more than 179,000 tramadol and Exol-5 tablets, alongside nearly 500 kilograms of cannabis, as the agency intensified pressure on drug trafficking networks. In Abuja, a suspect was arrested in Utako with 29,500 tramadol capsules.

The sweeping operations underscore NDLEA’s expanding offensive against drug cartels and traffickers, with seizures ranging from concealed airport consignments and port shipments to large-scale cannabis farms and urban distribution centres.

The agency said investigations are ongoing to dismantle the criminal networks linked to the intercepted consignments.