The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has uncovered a sophisticated drug trafficking operation where cocaine was cleverly hidden inside imported dry stockfish. This discovery is part of a wider series of successful raids across the country aimed at dismantling transnational drug syndicates.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the breakthrough followed intelligence reports detailing the activities of a group smuggling illicit substances to international destinations, including India. Acting on this lead, Reports gathered that officers from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport command conducted a targeted raid in the Ojo area of Lagos on March 19, 2026.
During the operation, 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike, a suspected kingpin, was taken into custody. Upon searching three large bags in his possession, officers found 237 wraps of cocaine weighing 5.80 kilograms. The drugs had been ingeniously tucked inside the heads of “Okporoko,” or dry stockfish, and were reportedly prepared for shipment to Delhi, India.
The crackdown continued with the interception of two separate UK-bound consignments at a Lagos courier facility on March 25. These shipments contained 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed within automobile filters, alongside dozens of ampoules of morphine sulphate and fentanyl.
In a follow-up action in Yaba, Lagos, the agency arrested Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, widely known as “Iya Ghana,” who is suspected of leading a cross-border drug network. She was apprehended at her home alongside an associate, Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka. Officers recovered 76.30 kilograms of a potent cannabis strain known as “Ghana Loud.” Investigators believe Jolayemi used her textile business as a front for her distribution network between Nigeria and Ghana.
The enforcement drive also extended beyond Lagos. In Ekiti State, an 80-year-old man, Oke Samuel, was caught with 2.2 kilograms of skunk and a small quantity of methamphetamine. Meanwhile, in Ondo State, nearly 900 kilograms of cannabis were seized from an abandoned building in Akure North. Similar large-scale recoveries were reported in Benue, Edo, and Taraba states, resulting in several more arrests and the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics and bottles of codeine syrup.
