The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has intercepted two long trailers conveying 1.6 million pills of tramadol hidden in fabricated compartments while on their way to Kano.
The agency disclosed this in a press statement signed by its Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, July 19, 2026.
According to NDLEA, the intelligence-led operation targeted a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria.
Officers first tracked and intercepted one of the trailers on July 2, 2026, along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. A total of 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed beneath the cargo floor were recovered, and the 22-year-old driver, Jabir Kabiru, was arrested.
Two days later, on July 4, operatives acting on processed intelligence tracked and recovered the second trailer also heading to Kano from the same expressway. 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg were evacuated from a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor, and the 22-year-old driver, Muhammed Nuhu, was arrested.
Investigations revealed that the two consignments, together with another truck intercepted on June 21, belong to the same syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis. NDLEA had earlier recovered 558,900 pills from a truck that came into Lagos through the same route.
In a related operation in Lagos, the agency also arrested the actual owner of another tramadol consignment. A 44-year-old businesswoman, Chioma Nneka Mokeme, was picked up on July 7, 2026, in collaboration with the Area C Command of the Nigeria Police, Surulere.
Two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, linked to the shipments were earlier arrested. Another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi StanisIus, who showed up to take delivery from a logistics company, was also nabbed.
Chioma, who claims to be in the printing business, alleged that her friend, Agbons Collins, who lives in Canada, introduced her to the trade.
Meanwhile, in a separate operation, NDLEA operatives in Kogi intercepted 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg on July 12. The consignment was traced to a Chadian woman, Hajara Abdullahi, 38, and her Nigerian accomplice, Abdulkarim Jidda, 44, who were later arrested in the Apapa area of Lagos.
Commending the officers of MMIA, Lagos, Rivers, Edo and Kogi Commands, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), said their efforts have contributed significantly to ongoing drug control efforts nationwide. He charged them to remain vigilant at all times.