The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a consignment of Captagon, a highly addictive amphetamine-based drug, in Kwara State as part of a series of coordinated operations across the country.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that the agency disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.
According to the statement, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bode Saadu Road on April 21, 2026, intercepted a suspect identified as Nasiru Mu’azu, 33, who was travelling in a trailer.
A search conducted on the suspect led to the recovery of 10 packs of Captagon comprising 10,000 pills, alongside nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.
Captagon, widely abused in parts of the Middle East, is known for inducing prolonged wakefulness, euphoria, and reduced fear, and has been linked to criminal networks and insurgent activities.
The agency noted that the interception followed an earlier seizure at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, indicating a growing attempt by traffickers to move the substance into Nigeria.
In another operation at the same Bode Saadu patrol point on April 24, NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer loaded with various controlled substances concealed in a hidden compartment.
Recovered items included 155,900 capsules of tramadol, 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection, 3,000 tablets of co-codamol, and 9,000 tablets of bromazepam.
A suspect, Aminu Isah, 24, was arrested in connection with the seizure.
In Oyo State, NDLEA officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Ibadan/Oyo Expressway on April 21, leading to the arrest of a passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, 33.
A body scan confirmed that the suspect had ingested illicit drugs, and he subsequently excreted 45 pellets of cocaine weighing 1.043 kilograms over three sessions.
The agency said the suspect intended to traffic the drugs to Europe through trans-Saharan routes, using Algeria as a transit point after an initial delivery in Sokoto.
Massive Opioid Haul In Edo
In Edo State, operatives on April 25 intercepted a truck along the Benin-Lagos expressway carrying a massive consignment of 1,196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids.
Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were arrested, while the drugs were reportedly destined for Onitsha, Anambra State.
The NDLEA said additional operations across the country resulted in further seizures and arrests.
In Lagos, a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, 40, was apprehended with 810 kilograms of cannabis.
In Bauchi State, Muktar Bello, 35, was arrested with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5kg.
Similarly, in Ekiti State, operatives recovered 466.8kg of skunk from a residence, while in Cross River State, about 20,000kg of cannabis cultivated on farmland was destroyed.
In a separate development in Niger State, NDLEA operatives recovered 394 components suspected to be used in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices from a suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, 26.
The suspect has since been handed over to the relevant security agencies for further investigation.
Reacting to the operations, NDLEA Chairman, Mohamed Buba Marwa, commended the officers involved, describing the Captagon seizure as a major disruption of drug trafficking networks.
He warned that the drug remains attractive to traffickers due to its links to violence and insecurity, assuring that the agency would intensify efforts to curb its spread.
The latest seizures highlight the scale and complexity of drug trafficking operations across Nigeria, as authorities continue to battle the inflow and distribution of illicit substances nationwide.