The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has scored significant victories in its ongoing nationwide campaign against illicit drug trafficking, including the arrest of a 65-year-old woman linked to a major distribution network and the interception of hard drugs concealed in seemingly innocuous parcels. The agency also detained 22 foreign nationals in a separate high-profile smuggling operation.
In a statement released on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, Director of Media and Advocacy for the NDLEA, the agency confirmed that operatives uncovered various quantities of ketamine, ecstasy and tramadol pills ingeniously hidden inside sachets of coffee mix and parcels of books at a courier company in Lagos State. The seized consignments were bound for Zambia and the United Kingdom and were intercepted on December 24 and 29, 2025 following credible intelligence.
The agency also disclosed that in Oyo State, operatives apprehended a wanted female drug kingpin, identified as Fatima Ilori, popularly known in criminal circles as “Mama Kerosine.” According to the NDLEA, the 65-year-old grandmother was linked to the distribution of 238.4 kilograms of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis, which formed part of the evidence used to track her down.
“She was arrested along with another female suspect, Olusanya Abosede, 35, at the Onireke/Elekuro area of Ibadan,” Babafemi said, underscoring the intelligence-led nature of the operation.
The arrest of Mama Kerosine comes as part of a broader crackdown aimed at dismantling entrenched drug distribution networks across southwestern Nigeria.
In a separate but related development, NDLEA operatives at the GDNL terminal, Apapa Port, Lagos intercepted 31.5 kilograms of cocaine stored in the hatch of the merchant vessel MV Aruna Hulya on January 2, 2026. The ship, which originated from the Marshall Islands, was searched following intelligence triggers.
Those taken into custody in connection with the seizure include the vessel’s Master, Sharma Shashi Bhushan, and 21 other crew members, all of whom are Indian nationals.
The NDLEA’s media statement painted a picture of intensified drug control operations spanning several states: Borno State, Lagos State, and Jigawa State.
Therefore, in Borno State, operatives disrupted a supply chain supplying illicit drugs to insurgents by arresting two suspected suppliers and seizing sizeable consignments of Tramadol. One suspect, Isa Mohammed, 26, was apprehended with 9,150 ampoules of tramadol injection, while another, Musa Samaila, 30, was caught with 34,000 tramadol capsules at Biu Market on January 2, 2026.
Also, in Lagos State, NDLEA saw the recovery of not less than 400kg of skunk, recovered along with a vehicle in the Mobolaji Johnson area on January 1, 2026.
In Jigawa State, a suspect identified as Bilya Ibrahim, 39, was arrested at a motor park in Hadejia on December 30, 2025, while transporting 260 compressed blocks of skunk weighing 140.8kg from Taraba State.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Kwara State recovered 238.5kg of skunk from a suspect’s home in the Asadam area of Ilorin, and additional narcotics, including 32,000 pills of tramadol and diazepam, were seized from another suspect at Bode Saadu, Moro Local Government Area on December 31, 2025.
The NDLEA leadership has hailed the spate of seizures and arrests as tangible progress in Nigeria’s fight against drug trafficking and abuse. In his comments accompanying the statement, Babafemi emphasised that these multi-layered operations reflect the agency’s commitment to dismantling networks that exploit both land and maritime routes to move narcotics domestically and internationally.
The directive also reinforced the need for ongoing community engagement and preventive advocacy as part of the NDLEA’s “War Against Drug Abuse (WADA)” sensitisation programme, which targets schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities nationwide to reduce demand and strengthen public support for anti-narcotics efforts.
