NDLEA Intercepts Terror Drug Captagon, Seizes 1.1m Opioids, Cocaine, IED Materials Nationwide

By Adebola Isimijola

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a fresh consignment of the terror-linked drug, Captagon, and seized over 1.1 million opioid pills, cocaine consignments, and suspected improvised explosive device (IED) components in coordinated operations across the country.

The agency said the breakthrough signals renewed attempts by drug syndicates to reintroduce Captagon—an amphetamine associated with insurgent groups—into Nigeria’s illicit market.

In Kwara State, operatives intercepted 10,000 pills of the substance along Bode Saadu road during a routine patrol, marking a major security concern given the drug’s links to violent extremism.

In a separate operation highlighting the scale of trafficking networks, NDLEA officers in Oyo State arrested a 33-year-old suspect, Eze Prince Emeka, who ingested cocaine while travelling to Sokoto. He later excreted 45 pellets of the drug, weighing 1.043 kilograms.

Investigations revealed that the suspect was part of a transnational trafficking route designed to move cocaine across the Sahara through Algeria to Europe.

Further seizures underscored the nationwide spread of illicit drug operations. In Edo State, operatives intercepted a truck carrying 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids bound for Onitsha, while in Niger State, 394 components suspected to be for IEDs were recovered from a suspect en route Mariga Local Government Area.

The agency also intensified its offensive against cannabis cultivation, destroying 20,000 kilograms of skunk on eight hectares of farmland in Cross River State, alongside additional recoveries in Ekiti and Bauchi states.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested a suspect along the Mile 2 expressway with 810 kilograms of “Arizona,” a potent cannabis strain, further exposing the scale of domestic distribution networks.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the interception of Captagon as a critical warning.

“We are not just seizing drugs; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities. Our operatives remain on high alert across all frontiers to ensure this illicit trade finds no foothold,” he said.

Marwa noted that the latest seizure suggests efforts by criminal networks to revive a pipeline first uncovered at the Apapa seaport in Lagos about five years ago.

Spokesman of the agency, Femi Babafemi, said the operations reflect a balance between enforcement and prevention, with ongoing sensitisation campaigns under the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) initiative nationwide.